Novice tourer.

Hi all,

After suggestions for a decent, affordable, simple to maintain,
enjoyable to ride tourer for a potential learner bike rider. Am 34, so
can go to 650cc, but am not after a pure speed machine.
The bike would only really see highway work, and the occasional
commute to work when the car is being repaired.

Regards, Andrew.

 

Hi Andrew, nice to see ya here. (Can't remember where I know you
from, aus.aviation maybe?).

Anyway, the being old and grey isn't what lets you have the 650cc
(actually 649cc bike), it's the NSW RTA's LAM (Learner Approved
Motorcycle) scheme that lets you go there. (I'm guessing you're
in NSW, else all my advice will suck!).

The LAM thing lets any learner ride all but about five or six
bikes that are 250cc or less. Additionally, there's a long
list of bikes that are over 250cc that are also sufficiently
gutless (in the eyes of the RTA) to let learners loose on.


In NSW, while you're a learner, you're a learner, no special
treatment for being old. What differs for we old buggers is that
once you've passed the Provisional test, you can ride anything
you damn well please (subject, of course, to your wife's approval).


Potentially, you can buy a learnerbike that will be ok for
touring and last you for a while. I'm not qualified to comment,
'cos I took the other route: I rode about on a ZZR250 (a
generic and reasonably popular 250cc learnerbike), passed the
'P' test, continued to ride it for quite a while thereafter
until one day when I test-rode a Thunderace, and dropped the
ZZR like the proverbial ton of bricks.


There are a bunch of interesting bikes on the LAM list, some
of them quite big and allegedly quite torquey. I know a young
bloke who got himself a LAM 650-ish cc belt drive BMW and rode
it to PI and back (from Sydney) and everywhere else in between
and seemed pretty happy with it. Maybe you'll find something
that works.


One way of doing it is how I did it. Do the pre-Learner course
at HART in St Ives (or elsewhere, a few to choose from, booking
weekdays, if you can, will get you on a course *much* sooner
than trying for a weekend will).

Get the Learner license. Get a bike. Join Girls Ride Out
(www.girlsrideout.com) and go on as many of their free (to
paid up members, $20 I think) "Learn 'n' GRO" days as you
can squeeze in to your learner time (free half day or full day
training sessions with qualified instructors, bloody EXCELLENT).

Go on as many of Craig's TNR's (Tuesday Night Rides) as you
can. During the pre-race (!) brief, highlight that you're a
learner and you need a buddy (if indeed you do) and ride your
own ride and enjoy and soak up as much experience as you can.
(Craig, raise your hand will you? Thanks! (He's here somewhere))


Towards the end of your L's time (or when you're ready), book
the test. Book in advance, lots of folks have their L's lapse
and have to start again 'cos they tried to book too late and
missed out.

Visit your Mum. Eye off her pot plants. Find half a dozen or
so likely suspects, knock the plants out onto the ground
behind the shed and pinch the pots. Lay the pots out in a
carpark somewhere in the form of the cone weave, u-turn, etc
courses, and PRACTICE LIKE A BASTARD every night for the whole
week leading up to the P's test.

Pass the test with flying colours and a big shit eating grin
on your face. Go to RTA,pay tax, get full licence, go to bike
shop, pick out BF bike in a colour you like, approach a salesman
and say

"I'm not buying that bike off you, you prick, 'cos your
price isn't on the Internet".


Live happily ever after.


Hope this lot helps,

GB, oh, and shaft driven bikes can't mono.

 

there was a bloke on overclockers.com.au/mc who was selling a nt650 honda
revere for a few grand,

650cc v2, nekkid, and lerner legal.. tourer, with shaft drive etc..

 

All sorts of bonus information needed:

1. How tall are you?
2. Where in the country are you?
3. Are you only interested in asphalt roads?
4. When travelling, do you prefer to carry:
a) one of everything, because you never know what you may need?
b) a credit card and a spare pair of undies in case you get
lucky?

-----sharks

 

Phwoar.... have _I_ got the bike for _you_!

http://jules.com.au/bike/

Jules

 

Learner legal required or self imposed limit ?

Assuming learner legal in NSW

Dual purpose:
BMW F650
Aprilia Pegaso 650 (apparently the new one is heaps better than it's
predecessor owners of the old one seem to be very happy so it should be
good)
Honda ??Revere?? 650
Suzuki Vstrom 650 is good but not learner legal

Road bikes - Tourers/naked
Suzuki GS500
Kwaka ER5
Hyosung 650 and 250
Ducati Monster 610ie and 600SS
Honda VTR250
ZZR250
GPX 250
SV650 (not learner legal)

Cruisers
Yamaha XVS650
(Suzuki and Kwaka probably have something in the LAMS space now but I'm
not aware of it)
250 cruisers from all the 4 Japs plus Hyosung

Of the above I would suggest the new Peg, the Hyosung 650 and Yam
XVS650 as the best bang for bucks buys in their respective spaces.

If you're looking second hand there's a few extra options that are LAMS
- check the RTA list.

If it's self imposed limit then I suggest the SV650 or V Strom 650 are
the best buys - they're a touch over the LAMs HP limit but very learner
friendly and extremely capable.

JL

 

Old and grey! The kid's 34.

Theo

 

Honda XL650V (Pat will have one for sale soon)
Deauville 650, tourer with panniers integrated.

Al

 

Yo, that's bang on the money !!
cheers
pete

 

So which one is it now? )
It's the older, carbie model that's the better one of the 2...(up to and
incl. year 2000)
Sweeter on the twistgrip/ USD forks...no injection jerking.

cheers
pete

 

I would have thought carrying a spare pair of undies meant you had got
UNlucky!

Dunno what you young guys get up to these days! ;-)

Kind regards
Dave Milligan

 

So which one is it now? )

Reckon he might mean this one, actually...

http://www.aprilia.com.au/touring/strada.html

With a Yammy engine.

Jules

 

I was well and truly grey by 34!

GB

 

All my children are older than 34.

Theo

 

Was I talking Swahili again ? The all new for 2005 (or 2006 not sure
which) is apparently the dogs bollocks according to a couple of reviews
(Oz and UK mags) I read(it's not really a bike I'm interested in so
can't remember exact details). However I suspect some of the owners of
the older models may dislike it - supposedly it's a lot more road
oriented and gave up any pretensions (sp?) to off road capability. 17"
rims mean better road tyres (but a smaller range of dirt/road tyres)
etc

So the first model was better than the one that replaced it ? OK, you'd
know better than I

JL
(take all of the above with a grain of salt, I've not ridden any of the
Pegs, just regurgitating reviews)

 

That's the one, has the Yam 660 motor rather than the rotax.

JL

 

I'm basically looking for a similar bike and if I was able to buy new, it'd
be the Honda Deauville.
At 14 Grand it's not too bad considering the bike you get,( a nice used one
will go for 10-11 grand) a 650 V twin that'll happily sit on 140Kph all day,
over 300KM range full fairing and integrated rear panniers but a tad heavy
at 228KG dry but do you really feel the weight that much while on tour. I
think i might go the Kwaka ER-5 for the first bike then I might go to the
750-900cc class........that's my 5cents worth....i'll put the rest in for me
bike!!

DJ

 

O.K, I am 6ft tall, but long in the body. I'm also about 120 kgs.
It's only going to be a backup means of transport, and something for a
nice sunny day really. Maybe something I can hang panniers off. Plus I
have always sort of wanted a bike, but have been putting it off till I
was a bit older and had lost most of the deadly urges whilst on the road.
It will definitely be an asphalt only bike.

Regards, Andrew.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Fri, 12 Aug 2005 07:58:12 GMT

heh... you need a Guzzi you do! See if you can find a V65.

Zebee

 

I still wouldn't discount the Transalp. It's a very capable road bike and
perfect for a full-size rider; learner or not.
I personally think 2 cyclinders is about perfect for an easy-to-ride 650.
I think singles are too lumpy and prone to stalling and fours are to revvy
and gutless.
Just tell me what your budget is and I'll tell you what's perfect for you.