| Choosing your first
motorcycle is often an impulse reaction, you see a friends bike and
think, "I want one of those". The choice of machine is ultimately yours,
providing you are legally entitled to ride it. The type of bike, size of engine
and requirements you must meet are explained
on our CBT and
Licence pages.
As instructors we see a variety of bikes,
some more popular than others, even down to the colour schemes. The fact
that we see many of certain makes must mean that they are reliable too.
That's always a good question to ask a bike owner if your thinking of
getting the same make or model, "Have you had many problems with it"?
Try not to get stuck into wanting one
type, make or model of bike, if you are going to buy new then take the
time to visit as many local dealerships as you can. Have a look at
different machines, consider the types, twist-and-go or geared. Sit on
the bikes, find out if you really can reach the controls. Will you be
able to manage the weight, do your hands fit round the grips and can you
reach the levers properly. Ask lots of questions, that's what the
salesman is there for. Have a look at brochures and see what colour
options there are. A bright coloured clean shiny bike is easier for
other road users to see than a dull dirty one, when did you last see a
clean shiny military vehicle?
You may not have enough money in your
budget to buy new, dealers usually have a good selection of used bikes.
Whether you buy new or used from a dealer, it's worth trying to do a
deal on helmet and clothing if you don't already have them. Dealers can
arrange the road fund licence (tax) and insurance, be prepared to shop
around for insurance if their quote seems high. Dealers are also able to
deliver the bike to a training body like ourselves if you haven't got a
CBT certificate or can't get insurance until you have a CBT certificate.
 If a bike is over three years old it
will need an MOT certificate, always check that a used machine you
intend to buy has one if needed. Dealers selling used bikes normally
make sure a bike has a new MOT or at least plenty of time left on the
old MOT. You won't be able to get a road fund licence for a bike without
an MOT, if needed, and insurance. Those items of documentation are all
legal requirements for having a bike on the road.
An MOT certificate is issued after a
bike has been tested, annually, and passed as being fit to be on the
road. It is reasonable proof of a bikes condition but shouldn't be seen
as absolute proof that it's going to be a good, reliable bike. If you
don't know much about bikes try and take a friend or relative who really
does know with you when looking at bikes in dealers or private sales.
Some dealers offer bikes for sale at
what seem to be very attractive prices on hire purchase, a few pounds a
week. You need to do your sums here and work out just what it really is
going to cost and just how long you're going to be paying for the bike.
Don't forget there are a good many other costs to running a bike and you
still need to afford your other luxuries as well.
Insurance is something you certainly
need. Not having it and getting caught can be very expensive, don't get
off on the wrong foot with your driving career. New drivers, especially
the young, find insurance expensive, that is because you have no driving
record. Insurance companies consider you a high risk until you prove to
them, by not having accidents, that you are a good risk. This is why as
new riders you can normally only afford 'third party' insurance. All
this insurance does is cover costs of damage that you cause to other
people or their property in the event of a collision that is found to be
your fault. If a collision is someone else's fault then you will be
claiming your costs on their insurance.
If you have enough money in your budget
it's probably worth getting 'third party fire and theft' insurance. The
third party cover is the same as just mentioned but now you get some
cover for your bike in the event that it catches fire or is stolen.
Remember, you only get back from insurance companies the market value of
the bike, that may not be as much as you paid for it. The best and most
expensive insurance is 'comprehensive' which does cover damage to your
bike even if you are the one at fault. |
