I'm looking for a decent & reliable bike for commuting from suburb to Brisbane. This will be my first bike so don't really want to spend a fortune, but need to be reliable. I prefer naked bike as I'm a small-built type & like upright riding posture.
Budget: $3500 max
Year: 2011 onward
KM: Less than 40,000kms
Registered: Yes
Engine: 250-500cc
Cheers
Why the negs
Isn't it a good brand
Engine: 250-500cc
No, it's not a good brand, and it's way out of the price and capacity ranges. It's like suggesting someone buy a '67 mustang to commute in; some people might find it kind of cool, but it's noisy, expensive, and unreliable.
Not really, with Harley it's more like wanting a Hyundai to commute, but you end up paying Mercedes-Benz prices and getting a John Deere…
Aside from that, Harley do make a "street 500", but new it is way off budget and people selling them second hand want drug money for them…
Harley Davidson are rubbish to ride anyway. They do nothing right except make noise.
As a Harley owner, I can confirm. They take fuel and turn it directly into noise without the byproduct of power. :D
@pegaxs: did you know if you scream for a whole year the energy you use wouldn't be enough to heat a cup of coffee
I'd go the KTM as well.
My only gripe with that bike was the fuel tank was relatively small wasn't it? Mightn't be an issue for OP if the commute is short
I believe it is stated to have a 200km range, which should be more than fine for commuting, but might mean an extra stop on long group rides.
And if commuting daily and extra stop every other week or more
If it was buying a learner now, I'd look at the Duke 390.
I got a VTR250 around 10 years ago, and still have it…. great bike, but they are a bit more expensive second hand, tend to hold their value. I'd easily give it up for the larger engine Duke.
I would just make sure the thing is fuel injected….. no carby…. which I'm pretty sure all modern bikes are!!
It's made in India and junk, get one of the Thailand made little sports bikes, way more reliable
Don't get a Duke 390, absolute rubbish. Made in India and built like crap. They're gutless and cramped. Mate had one and had to take it back to the dealer multiple times to repair the head gasket and fork seal leaks. Get a nice Japanese bike, don't fall for the team pumpkin hype.
For someone who wants a naked bike, you've listed a lot with full fairings.
I was in the same boat as you a few months ago. Ozbargainers have been mighty helpful, check out the thread here. I was looking for a bike under 3k, had low mileage and either a sport or naked. In the end, I got a CBR250R and I love it to bits. I had considered the CBR125 earlier but after riding for a bit, I think the CBR250R lacks power. You need to shift up to 4th gear to maintain steady revs at 60kmph.
I'd got for a 300cc if it's within your budget. Also don't skimp on safety gear. Honda's are single cylinders so if you're going on the freeway or fast, it'll be much shakier compared to a twin cylinder like the Kawasaki Ninja. If it comes down to reliability, go for a Honda or Kawasaki bike.
Happy riding! Good luck with bike hunting. In the end, all bikers look out for each other.
+1 for not skimping on safety gear! Although it can be uncomfortable wearing full gear in summer, you'll be thankful if something bad happens.
For a learner a CBR250R 2011+ (MC41) is a good bike, and common enough that you can get parts easily. You should be pretty confident on it quickly enough.
I prefer the Ninja 300 if you can find one within your budget; a fair bit more grunt than the Honda, and they're a lot more common if you decide to go on track, which means there are plenty of racing bits to put on there.
I was in full gear during the early stages of autumn. I was sweating like crazy when I was riding. You have a little compartment under the bike seat. @OP Do yourself a favour and have a torch and small water bottle in there. I've repurposed my vodka flask to store water and a nitecore flashlight which can be threaded through the latch thingo.
I also used gumtree, facebook and bikesales to look for my bike. Facebook tends to have more quality bikes for sale at a decent price IMO. But do have a look around everywhere and sometimes you might snatch a really good deal.
My first bike was a 1992 CBR250rr, while not the ideal first bike. Nothing beats sounding like a f1 car at 30km/h. The inline 4's are just so much fun.
Realistically maybe check out a vtr250? Bulletproof engines and a naked bike. Ideal for learners.
mine was a MC19 CBR250R. I learnt a lot on that bike in the 5 years Ive had it
Those bikes sound like they are going 100 kph when it is just 60kph
That is what I am thinking about as well. I just got my L and looking for 3 1st bike. Prefer naked or even cafe rider. The VTR 250 looks good.
I had a 250RR as my first bikes too. Still miss that sound. Love my Aprilia though.
I sold mine in a moment of weakness. Haven't gotten another bike yet :(
Although I've seen some pretty well priced 600s that look mighty tempting.
Bikies
We're now creating them. The circle of life : )
MC22 CBR250RR (if you want a nice 250 racing bike)
VTR 250
The MC22 is too old for OP, the VTR is a good option though.
It is but they still go well. Stock fairings they look pretty ugly, but aftermarket fairing kits can be purchased to update the look. If I can buy a MC22 for peanuts, I wont mind getting one. However they are not good riding upride. VTR will be more suitable.
2017 Yamaha YZF-R1
2020 bmw s1000rr
Aprilia RSV4 RF?
How tall are you OP?
Based on that I would pick a VTR250 or GS500 - also depends on how big a bike you are prepared to start on. The GS500 is close to being full sized, has quite a bit of torque and weight which smaller riders may not want. On the other hand the VTR250 although has similar power output, it would be a bit small for riders over 5'10" and it would likely struggle a little if you're over 80kgs
The KTM Duke 390 or RC390 is also a good option, a friend has one and loves it, though I've heard about their questionable reliability (friend has had no issues)
I will mention most of the new 250/300s are made to a price point (and in Thailand or India as opposed to Japan), and you really do notice the difference from this.
I'm 5'6" & less than 70kgs. Didn't think the GS500 is that heavy as a naked bike
GS500 (174kg)
VTR250 (139kg)
It does make a difference to new and smaller riders whose legs aren't used to holding a bike up
It's almost getting into litre bike weight - the new R1 is around 175ish kg and my 600 supersport (non Lams) only weighs 165kg
OP - A good point others are making below, is to consider a model with ABS. Personally I've never needed it but sure for a new rider, in the wet, or in unexpected circumstances (SMIDSY) it would be a lifesaver
VTR 250 will suite your requirements. Super reliable also.
upright riding posture = trail bike, of which there are many to choose from.
I always recommend trail bikes as first bikes. They are easy to ride, have an upright seating position, you won't do $2k of damage if you drop them in the driveway, they are normally cheap to register, cheaper on fuel, etc.
The problem I see for the OP is their height, (s)he might struggle to get onto many dirt bikes comfortably. Perhaps a Kawasaki KL250 - they are light with a low seat height.
light and low - Yamaha DT175 - ning a ning ning
Having said that, I am same height & weight as OP and have no problem with my 200kg KTM 990ADV (one foot stops).
Recently re registered my Suzuki DR350 and it makes traffic a breeze (filtering is now legal in SA), 100km/h is buzzy though (road legal knobbies)
I'm a bit taller and a lot heavier than the OP. I have had a KTM 620, and not have a BMW G650X. The ktm was a real climb (and kick start to boot), the BMW is ok, but takes some getting used to. I've forgotten what it's like to put both feat down at a stop.
I always recommend trail bikes as first bikes. They are easy to ride, have an upright seating position, you won't do $2k of damage if you drop them in the driveway, they are normally cheap to register, cheaper on fuel, etc.
Definitely. And you can take them off road which will improve your on road skills.
They get stolen like crazy and made into farm bikes, little learner sports bike much less likely to get stolen, they make much money getting parted out and arent made into track bikes
Literally just buy whichever one comes up that is the best value. Look for one with low KMs, recent model and well maintained and your laughing.
They are near enough all the same and to be brutally honest you won't be able to tell the difference between them anyway for at least the first 3 months of your riding career. They are all more than capable bikes, anyone who tells you otherwise probably has a touch of bias. I would go the newer 300s if you twisted my arm and I had to choose if the difference in price isn't massive, as you are getting a more modern bike and perhaps stronger resale.
I disagree. There's certain brands that should be avoided. Megelli is one. They're beautiful bikes and they have many advanced features but the parts are cheap and they're unreliable.
My mate had one. Sometimes it wouldn't start and parts wear out very quickly.
You also want a bike that rides well. I don't think you can go wrong with ninjas. Honda's are also good but the lower CC bikes don't fare well at high speeds. Yamaha's might feel a bit rigid/stuff.
Whichever one out the options put forward was what I meant, point taken Hyosung, Megelli etc. have a reputation for being unreliable.
I'll give you the best advice in this thread, if you want to feel alive, buy a bike…
Or you can buy a big cardboard box and some tissue paper to wrap yourself in…
You can't feel alive when you're dead.
I feel more alive when I'm out riding my bikes then you will ever feel when your out in your tin can. Plenty of bubble wrap and cotton wool if you need it though.
Motorcycle =/= death
@Burnertoasty: Yet they still don't ban them… what they should do is ban cars or at least make mobile phone use illegal while driving… oh, hold on.
As I said, I feel more alive any day of the week that I get to ride than you will ever feel getting around in your dustbin on wheels. ;)
And cutting in front of you past 20 other cars parked at traffic lights makes death coming closer, just that much more worth it. Seeing caters frothing at the bung, and not its legal, it's even more satisfying. :D
@Burnertoasty: I don't do vague acronyms, sorry. Especially as a question.
Had a look at the stats from TAC and I fail to see your correlation between those figures and fun. 30 deaths last year. What's that in comparison to? How many bikers were there on the road last year? If only 31 people rode bikes last year, that's a terrible static. If 131,000 people ride bikes, it doesn't seem to be the catastrophe you are implying. I also noted that a majority of the accidents appear to be of an outside influence. Perhaps if more car drivers pulled their head out of their arses,bikers would'nt be so badly represented in statistics.
So, get me that number of how many people were out riding last year on motorcycles and then let's look at statics.
Is motorcycling dangerous? Yes. Can the risks be mitigated? Yes. Can motorcycling be safe? Yes. Is motorcycling fun? Yes. Do you have to ride for your life and for the stupidity of others? Yes.
You're like a Christian at an atheist convention commenting like that in this thread. You won't convince anyone to not start riding or to give up riding. How about you try to start educating car drivers that we actually exist instead of trying to convince motorcyclists to give up.
Next time you see a biker out on the road, say thanks to them for not adding to the already congested streets and parking… They are risking their life to make yours just that little bit easier…
@pegaxs: I'm sorry, what I was saying is that I didn't realise English was your second language. I'll type slower. Motorbikes are statistically unsafe, there is a reason why Emergency service staff anecdotally call bikers 'organ donars'. You seem to think that because motorcycle are often the product of outside influence, that it somehow dilutes the arguement against their safety. It doesn't. Drivers are careless, short of automation, you can't stop that. Bikers will continue to fall under the wheels of trucks and be impaled onto soccer mum's bullbars, because that is reality. A wish list doesn't make it any safer than the statistics.
@Burnertoasty: Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realise stupidity was your first language.
I'll type in small words so even you can understand, ok?
Motorbike is fun.
Motorbike not safe.
Car driver, not smart.
Motorbike rider, smart.
Car hard, rider squishy.
And as a motorbike rider, apart from easing congestion, you can also thank us for donating organs. It was 30 riders in Victoria last year, you peanut. Mostly killed by car drivers. Is riding unsafe, yes. I never disputed that. Does riding cause the length of your life to be shortened, statistically speaking, no. Well, maybe it does, because while riding a bike, I generally have a higher heart rate and mostly run on adrenaline while I'm riding. That can't be good for me. All that laughing and having fun while I'm out on my bike, that can't be good for me either.
Oh, and it's "donor" if you're going to ridicule someone's language skills. And nearly every ambo, paramedic and emergency worker I know ride a bike. Our riding group has 3 ambos and a copper that ride with us.
And statistics don't lie. Only 30 people died on motorcycles last year in Vic. How many died in cars? 179, in case you were wondering. So, statistically speaking, bikes are the safer option. :D it's actually safer than being a pedestrian. 33 of them died.
New slogan… "Motorbikes! Safer than walking across the road…"
Statistics, you peanut.
@pegaxs: You need to learn how to read statistics buddy. Absolute numbers mean nothing, it's the per 100,000 figure that means something.
@Burnertoasty: So it was 30/100,000 motorcycle vs 179/100,000 car? Forget the car one for now, but let's say, worst case is 30 deaths and only 100,000 riders in Vic. That's a death rate of 0.03%. There are more than 100,000 motorcycle riders in Vic, so that number would actually be a lot less. With 179 car drivers, that same 0.03% death rate applied would require 596,667 drivers. And we both know there is more than 600,000 drivers in Victoria. But 6:1 drivers to riders sounds about ballpark to me. A 0.03% chance of being a statistic organ "donar" sounds pretty slim to me. It's just statistics after all… :D
Get me the TAC 2015 stats for per 100,000 of pedestrian, bicycle, car, motorcycle and boats and apply that to your statement. I would like to know. How many motorcycle riders are there in Vic? I want to see just how low this 0.03% actually goes…
Your original statement was, "if you want to live a long life, don't buy a bike." I would like the see the statistics as well on "buying" a bike and average life span reductions. I just want to know how much of a reduction in my life expectancy can I look forward to from buying a bike. Hope it isn't too much, I own 4 motorcycles. I just hope it isn't a reduction per bike I buy. I've owned about 30 in my life…
Seen the newish Nissan SUV ad? Headphone-wearing lemmings marching along? Auto-braking for one who crosses without looking or hearing? This has been a growing problem since the first Walkman was introduced.
We used to have TV campaigns on road safety for kids. Until the next crisis, they will remain absent.
Given there are many times MORE pedestrians than riders, comparing fatalities in absolute numbers is just mischief-making.
In an age where new cars have 7+ airbags, I know where I'd rather be in an accident.
The flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long.
@USB-V: I agree about being in a car with 7 airbags. Being in a car is always going to be safer than being on a motorcycle. That is a certainty. But saying the sheer fact of buying one is going to kill you sooner is a wheelie bin sized crock of shit. So, in the event of an accident, yes, you are likely to be killed or seriously injured, but the risk of that actually happening is not that high and there are a lot of things motorcyclists can do to mitigate these risks even further…
I think that the saddest part of the motorcycle statistics is that most of the deaths are caused by other driver errors. They keep putting more and more systems into cars that drivers are becoming less observant and more distracted.
What we need to bring back more ads on TV about motorcycle road safety is for the states top cop's child to be killed r seriously injured in a motorcycle by a distracted car driver. Then every second billboard and TV ad would be about cars looking for bikes…
Pegaxs and Burnertoasty. Discussion is fine but being disrespectful and insulting is not.
F**kn amen….. Frustrated with this cager mentality. Very much over it and it doesn't bother me what people think. It's the other side of the deal, the cagers and their right to try and muscle us off the road, both physically and literally!
@db87: Simple answer… lane filtering. Nothing sets off a caged animal like watching a bike filter to the front. Watching their frothing just makes my day…
And on that note, I did some research and some maths. 2015, 30 people died on bikes and 179 died in cars in Victoria. There is an estimated 500,000 motorcycle riders in Victoria. That equated to 0.006% of motorcycle riders were killed in 2015. The population of Victoria is about 5,700,000. Of that, let's say a 1/4 are under the driving age, don't hold a license or who don't use cars at all (eg: hipsters on single speed bicycles.). That leaves about 4,200,000 potential drivers/passengers. Let's subtract riders from that, cause, lets face it, you can't drive a car and ride a bike at the same time. So, about 3.7million drivers in Victoria. 179 deaths in cars equates to about 0.005% of all drivers died. So, your chances of being killed while riding in Victoria on a motorcycle, "statistical speaking" is about 0.001% greater.
InB4: your maths is all wrong! Doesn't matter. Its % still remains really small. Like, really really small.
The stats I want to know is, how many careless motorbike riders killed innocent car drivers in 2015. Or since the beginning of the invention of motorcycles, for that matter
Posty bike
Honda CT-110 if anyone is curious.
As long as you don't need to go faster than 80km/h..
Downhill… with a tailwind
Added a led spotlight so i could see at night as well.
Ninja 300
Do not buy any cheap aldi riding gear ot similar. Spend atleast $2000 on gear. Anyone else who tells you different is an idiot. Would you want to skimp on something that would potentially save your life.
I agree with edwardsajl. Get the absolute best gear you can. Especially if you're sure biking is for you. A lot of newbies do it for a few months and realise it's not for them.
Although personally I go with the best gear you can reasonably afford at the time. You can always upgrade to better gear later. Minimum $250-$500 on a helmet, $200-$300 on a jacket, some good gloves, boots 150+, pants $100+ etc would be OK for a first timer just doing low speeds on suburban roads.
You do not need to speed $2000 on gear. Not everyone needs Shoei/Arai helmets and Dainese racing leathers to commute to work.
Conan, despite his barbaric tendencies, gives some reasonable estimates above for costs. You can get away with a full set of decent new gear for around $800. Less if you piece together some used stuff or hit the sales.
Yeah, a 'lesser' brand of helmet will be just as safe (they all comply with the same standards) but cost 1/3 the price of a Shoei/Arai.
The Aldi gear isn't that bad even. I've got one of their jackets and it's at least as protective as my previous (much more expensive) mid-tier brand stuff.
It's much better to wear Aldi gear than not wear the high-end because you can't afford it and then ride around in a singlet and thongs…
+1.
Make sure you also scour gumtree aswell because there's quite alot of bargains to be had - from people that took up riding then realised after a few rides that it wasn't for them.
I'd recommend Alpinestars gear if you can afford it.
@edwardsajl: Do you have any objective data showing the measures by which a $1200 AGV or a $900 Arai/Shoei helmet is safer than a $500 Shark helmet, or a $300 HJC one?
Even the cheapest helmet must comply with the Australian standards. (I wouldn't buy the cheapest one personally, for comfort/style/noise reasons, but I would feel perfectly safe wearing one)
Also I disagree with montorola about second-hand, helmets are single-use items and I wouldn't buy a second-hand one unless it was from a trustworthy friend.
edit: some data on price vs safety performance, it's a bit erratic.
http://blm.io/blog/motorcycle-helmet-safety-price/
@abb:
second hand jackets is fine. second hand helmet, not so. However I did buy a limited edition shoei helmet second hand.
@abb:
Correction - I'm not advocating the use of second hand helmets, rather second-hand jackets/boots etc that are in good condition (i.e. not been lowsided in)
@abb:
Here's one - http://www.crash.org.au/ratings.php (select full face helmets)
A $1000 Shoei X-Spirit 3 has the same score as a $350 AGV Grid, or a $300 HJC for example.
While some may question the validity of the testing methods, if you stick with the mid range brands you'll have the standards compliance of the higher helmets, and concede some features, some extra weight, a bit less quality control etc. Shark, AGV, HJC are all ok.
Get the Shoei or the Arai if you want (I have a Shoei NXR), but you don't need to, especially when starting out. It's more important that it fits your head properly.
@iforgotmysocks: That's a brilliant resource, thanks. I'm probably due for a new helmet, looks like Shark has pretty good bang for the buck.
@abb:
+1 for Shark, best bang for buck brand I reckon.
I was shocked to find Arai quite a fair bit down on the list, given that they portray themselves as a premium brand.
@iforgotmysocks: and PLEASE get a helmet that FITS properly. Even if it's a cheaper helmet, it's better to have a cheap helmet that stays on your head in a crash than a pricier helmet that'll fly off in a crash.
There's no need to get a shoei or arai unless they're the only brands that fit your head. I know a friend who got one because that's the only one that fitted him.
Completely disagree. Cheap gear will generally protect you in one crash, expensive gear will last a few more impacts, and will be more comfortable in general. I've seen no reliable reports which suggest that cheap gear isn't up to the job.
One way they can vary though is the coverage of armour.
also, how are you riding? are you a highway racer? or a city commuter? and what are you riding?
if you're riding a bike in peak hour to get from home to work and back are you going to need $2000 leather gear?
if I'm on my 1967 suzuki 70cc then I think I'm adequately protecting myself as best as possible wearing aldi gear. I'm not going to be getting up to 100kmh.
You can easily bargain hunt and still get quality gear.
Recently got a pretty decent jacket for $180 that retailed $650 when it was new. It was an end of life product, and had been in the store for 3 years. Had cob webs in it.
You just gotta have a good look around.
have lived through two written off bikes (car ran a red once and car cut me off once) without any injury wearing aldi gear. It definitely works
My first bike was old and secondhand. The engine blew up after two months of riding and I spent a fortune getting it rebuilt only so I could sell it for nearly what I paid for it to be fixed.
My second bike was a nearly new Kawasaki GPX250 that had 4,000 km on it. I rode the GPX for two years, thoroughly enjoyed the ride and extra safety features it had. It was reliable and never cost anything in the way of repairs, and here's the best bit: the market for secondhand bikes is so strong that I sold it for what I bought it for. Buy a near new bike, enjoy it and move it on after you're done. It'll probably save you money in the long run.
From memory, the Kawasakis were a smoother ride than the new fairinged Hondas. Hondas were cheaper but seem to have been made for the Indian market with only one cylinder or something to keep the cost down. Revved like crazy and didn't feel like they'd last long.
After reading a few other posts, I still stand by buy something near new but, the CB400 is a hell of a real bike. I recommend them highly. If you want something without fairings, look no further.
If it's your first bike you'd best of stick with a cheap CBF250.
You want minimal fairings with a bike that gives you good upright position and good control.
Yes the other bikes will look nice and have lots of power but it sounds like you're doing suburban rides anyway. Yes the VTR250 is a good traditional stayer but at its age now I'd go with something newer with a little bit less ongoing maintenance.
For something cheap and new you can look at the CFmotos150 ($1-$2k for what you're after) or Honda CBF250 under $2.5k like this one even comes with RWC:
http://www.bikesales.com.au/private/SSE-AD-4658927/2008-Hond…
CBFs are single cylinder, all carburettored.
VTR250s, since 2010, come with EFI and the V-twin means it makes more torque meaning easier to ride
Ninja 300s are popular for a reason. Any of the ones you've listed are fine though, I had a CBR250R personally.
Consider spending an extra $1500 on a CB400. Top quality bike. They aren't selling them in Australia anymore so it should hold it's resale fairly well, and you'll appreciate the premium features.
Didn't see this until I posted my response, but THIS!!!
Didn't know cb400s were around the $5k mark. Get one of these :-)
Sound better than 95% of lams bikes, look fantastic, built in Japan, and go hard. Also more than enough power to last you beyond your lams period, especially if you're a smaller rider.
I didn recommend the CB400 because I didnt know how much they were going for. They used to be almost 10k new.
nice commuter bike.
Came here to say this. I got my cb400 for$3000. If you look around that can be had for around OP's budget. Great bike, eat too ride and virtually bulletproof. The only bike I have had that was easier to ride was a supermotard.
Agree with all of the above. Bought a second hand '08 cb400 for about 7.8k about 6 years ago now as my first bike. Haven't felt the itch to buy a bigger bike.
I'd save up the extra money and stretch for the cb400 if you can. Haven't had any problems whatsoever. Only money spent was on regular maintenance and repairs after a few offs.
Please whatever you do DONT SKIMP ON GEAR! All the gear all the time. ATGATT!!!
t_c on 15/05/2017 - 14:37 Comment score below threshold.