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Crack den? Hmmm... well I’m in Swindon so there should be a surplus.
From the camera/longboard/bicycle obsessions it’s easy to understand how people would get buy and sell syndrome, and have a different bike every opportunity. Kind of trying to outgrow that though.
The cost is certainly a big blocker for me. When the trainer guy said he gets 30/40/50 mpg out of xyz if he’s being good, I’m pretty sure you can get that from most modern efficient cars. Suppose it’s not a fair comparison, a little hatchback to a litre bike. And yup, I have the fear it’s not just that running cost, it’s parts, tax and insurance. Something up to 400cc would be nice though.
The GN’s original rating was something like 87.5mph/2.7L per 100km. I’m certain I’ve been getting better than that, 100mpg at least. Makes cheap chilled touring seem doable.
Tax £20, insurance around £160 one-off including some add-ons. Bike £625, plus parts/maintenance which have probably pushed it closer to £800 to get reliable, and then a small chunk on top like the windscreen or whatever.
Short of a Lexmoto, I’ve struggled to find a single 125 for less than a grand on gumtree/ebay/autotrader/facebook. Almost guaranteed to need that £2-300 on top to get roadworthy whenever listed below £1500. For sure I want to find my crackden bike, but that may or may not happen in the future.
I’d said to myself if I can keep the total cost under a grand, then I can’t be too upset.
Still kinda want a litre biek tho.
pdlouche-
The litre bike will come :) Modern litre bikes are insane though, there's really no need for it away from a track, it's almost impossible to use fully use them on the road now they can break the national speed limit in 1st.
You'll find out what you want a bike for and that cuts the choice down a bit. Unless you end up needing 2 or 3 to cover the bases which is pretty legit if you tour, commute and like track days.
When I bought my crack den bike it was because my neighbour was smoking it and thought I might be a touch for a few hundred on christmas eve. It was his junky mates bike. The deal went down at 10pm christmas eve in a dark garden in Battersea, not a traditionally busy time for bike dealers :) I had to pay for that bike per ride, every time I got off it it needed something replacing! Still loved it with a passion though.
The 400cc class is great. Main weakness with small bikes for touring that I found was weight carrying. They can have issues with the suspension if you load them 2 up and luggage. It's nice to cruise at quiet rpms on the larger bikes but that's a real expensive luxury. Ask most bikers for a touring story and it'll be the time they went to Spain on a 250cc that broke down every day, not last summer when they did it on a GS.
Airhead
I stuck with my 100cc for a little while after passing the test. Just to spend the money on some better riding equipment and save up a bit. It's all pretty personal but I've never had a bike I didn't love regardless of price.
I once bought a TZR250 for £200 from a crack den in Battersea on christmas eve! Rode that up and down my street all day christmas day :) Went on to become 3 TZR's just to keep me supplied in parts. Most of my biker friends seem to go through 2 bikes a season, or at least 1 new one. I've had the same one for 16 years so I guess I'm lucky to have found something that suits me.
One thing about bigger bikes is all the bills are bigger, in some cases much bigger. I think it's also pretty serious if you get caught doing any silly shit when you've only just got your licence, and then the insurance is crippling. I like the 300cc class at the moment, enough power for motorways but light and smaller bills.