Retired looking at motorcycles
Discussion
tonymor said:
I’ve recently retired. I had a lambretta back in the da bay. My license allows me to legally ride any motorcycle.
I’m thinking of buying a small engine motorcycle to have as a weekend ride out experience. What would be a good option/ bike to start off with?
Are you sure about that?I’m thinking of buying a small engine motorcycle to have as a weekend ride out experience. What would be a good option/ bike to start off with?
tonymor said:
I’ve recently retired. I had a lambretta back in the da bay. My license allows me to legally ride any motorcycle.
I’m thinking of buying a small engine motorcycle to have as a weekend ride out experience. What would be a good option/ bike to start off with?
Do you have a full bike licence? I’m thinking of buying a small engine motorcycle to have as a weekend ride out experience. What would be a good option/ bike to start off with?
Can you do a "Back to Biking" type of day with a bike instructor near you? You will get a bit of instruction to get you back up to speed, and a bike to ride. Then you will have a point of reference. It also means when you go for test rides you will be able to hop straight on, knowing how a modern bike starts etc.
tonymor said:
Yes I have a full license.
Worth checking here: https://www.gov.uk/view-driving-licence. It isn’t unheard of for DVLA to miss categories off when renewing a licence …. In any event providing you passed your drivers test ( car) before feb 2001 you can jump on any 50cc without L plates or without needing to complete a CBT. Anything larger than 50cc requires completing some form of certification be it CBT or driving test.Edit: The rules are here: https://www.gov.uk/ride-motorcycle-moped/licences-...
Edited by MDUBZ on Monday 11th September 10:28
When I returned to motorcycling I had a refresher session. It was excellent fun.
I'd recommend a refresher lesson before you start spending out on a bike and kit. It's a lot of money to be a motorcycle owner rather than being somebody that actually rides a motorcycle.
'A weekend ride out experience'?
Sorry do you mean attending biker meets and riding around in convoy or just going out on your own for a 'bimble'?
Some of my best rides have been midweek. If you're retired you can take a ride whenever the fancy takes you.
How far do you want to go?
How big are you?
How fast do you want to go and how much do you want to pay?
You'll be taking a pillion?
If you're small and a bit rusty and only want to do 70-75 and get 100mpg while bimbling about I'd suggest having a look at the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. I saw a metallic grey with black and red detailing on it yesterday and it looked great to my eyes. It looks like a bike from the 60s or 70s.
It's old school, so twin shocks, air cooled, no rad or water to worry about. 5 speed gearbox.
The salesman I spoke to at a multifranchise said he has a customer in his 80s who has one or the meteor as the chap could physically still cope with moving the bike around. He'd 'downsized' to a Royal Enfield 350.
I've riden a Mereor 350 and found it a lot of fun and despite it being the heaviest bike I've ridden this century, the high bars and low centre of gravity meant it was a breeze to move around the garage. It easily got it sideways across the width of the garage. The Meteor 350 was happily zinging along at 70 ish in the wake of a newish Yaris. I don't if it was on cruise control but the bike, which has a limiter, were maintaining the same steady speed on the dual carriageway. MPG reduces a lot at that speed though.
It's perhaps retro rubbish but I found the Meteor fun to ride. The hunter has a 17 inch front wheel so sporty tyres are available in that size and smaller 17 inch front wheel means it turns quicker, it's more 'flickable'.
With 26bhp the Royal Enfield 350s seem a pretty innocuous safe bet with regard to people endangering themselves on the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFHq-kTdNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3o6_b_mgOE
The Hunter, less cruiser, more flickable sports bike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a7SBf2GoDQ
I saw an article online somewhere were a retired chap had returned to motorcycling and bought a Suzuki SV650. It's not a small capacity bike.
Take a look at the KTM Duke 390. Easy to ride and a lot of fun. It seems the Husqvarna branded versions, 401, can be picked up with low mileage at good prices. The KTM Duke 390 can have issues. 100mph 56mpg, £50 odd per year road tax.
The roads are in such a state and so full of speed cameras and low limits and there are people with dashcams only too keen to get some use from them to inform on the failures and indiscretions of others not being able to go fast may be a big positive. Perhaps I'm still a kid but while I love many bikes I see limited value in me having a bike with performance I can't use on the road and endangers my licence.
I don't know if insurance is an issue. Get some quotes.
I'd recommend a refresher lesson before you start spending out on a bike and kit. It's a lot of money to be a motorcycle owner rather than being somebody that actually rides a motorcycle.
'A weekend ride out experience'?
Sorry do you mean attending biker meets and riding around in convoy or just going out on your own for a 'bimble'?
Some of my best rides have been midweek. If you're retired you can take a ride whenever the fancy takes you.
How far do you want to go?
How big are you?
How fast do you want to go and how much do you want to pay?
You'll be taking a pillion?
If you're small and a bit rusty and only want to do 70-75 and get 100mpg while bimbling about I'd suggest having a look at the Royal Enfield Hunter 350. I saw a metallic grey with black and red detailing on it yesterday and it looked great to my eyes. It looks like a bike from the 60s or 70s.
It's old school, so twin shocks, air cooled, no rad or water to worry about. 5 speed gearbox.
The salesman I spoke to at a multifranchise said he has a customer in his 80s who has one or the meteor as the chap could physically still cope with moving the bike around. He'd 'downsized' to a Royal Enfield 350.
I've riden a Mereor 350 and found it a lot of fun and despite it being the heaviest bike I've ridden this century, the high bars and low centre of gravity meant it was a breeze to move around the garage. It easily got it sideways across the width of the garage. The Meteor 350 was happily zinging along at 70 ish in the wake of a newish Yaris. I don't if it was on cruise control but the bike, which has a limiter, were maintaining the same steady speed on the dual carriageway. MPG reduces a lot at that speed though.
It's perhaps retro rubbish but I found the Meteor fun to ride. The hunter has a 17 inch front wheel so sporty tyres are available in that size and smaller 17 inch front wheel means it turns quicker, it's more 'flickable'.
With 26bhp the Royal Enfield 350s seem a pretty innocuous safe bet with regard to people endangering themselves on the road.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOFHq-kTdNk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3o6_b_mgOE
The Hunter, less cruiser, more flickable sports bike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a7SBf2GoDQ
I saw an article online somewhere were a retired chap had returned to motorcycling and bought a Suzuki SV650. It's not a small capacity bike.
Take a look at the KTM Duke 390. Easy to ride and a lot of fun. It seems the Husqvarna branded versions, 401, can be picked up with low mileage at good prices. The KTM Duke 390 can have issues. 100mph 56mpg, £50 odd per year road tax.
The roads are in such a state and so full of speed cameras and low limits and there are people with dashcams only too keen to get some use from them to inform on the failures and indiscretions of others not being able to go fast may be a big positive. Perhaps I'm still a kid but while I love many bikes I see limited value in me having a bike with performance I can't use on the road and endangers my licence.
I don't know if insurance is an issue. Get some quotes.
I’m in a similar position to the OP and gave up bikes when I moved to a car licence. Many years ago I had a Yamaha RD400, BMWK100RS.
A few years back I bought a Triumph Bobber. Great looking bike but I found the engine too big to get the best out of the gears, the suspension terrible on our roads and it too heavy so got rid after a few months 🙄
For what I think I want is something light, a max of 500cc to keep that weight down and decent suspension so the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has caught my eye. It’s hardly going to break the bank but if I ever thought of touring 2-up, fully loaded going up hill I reckon it’ll struggle. But for the odd bimble out down some country lanes it might be ideal. Chap on Instagram Freddie Dobs(?) seems to rate it.
A few years back I bought a Triumph Bobber. Great looking bike but I found the engine too big to get the best out of the gears, the suspension terrible on our roads and it too heavy so got rid after a few months 🙄
For what I think I want is something light, a max of 500cc to keep that weight down and decent suspension so the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has caught my eye. It’s hardly going to break the bank but if I ever thought of touring 2-up, fully loaded going up hill I reckon it’ll struggle. But for the odd bimble out down some country lanes it might be ideal. Chap on Instagram Freddie Dobs(?) seems to rate it.
Armitage.Shanks said:
I’m in a similar position to the OP and gave up bikes when I moved to a car licence. Many years ago I had a Yamaha RD400, BMWK100RS.
A few years back I bought a Triumph Bobber. Great looking bike but I found the engine too big to get the best out of the gears, the suspension terrible on our roads and it too heavy so got rid after a few months ??
For what I think I want is something light, a max of 500cc to keep that weight down and decent suspension so the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has caught my eye. It’s hardly going to break the bank but if I ever thought of touring 2-up, fully loaded going up hill I reckon it’ll struggle. But for the odd bimble out down some country lanes it might be ideal. Chap on Instagram Freddie Dobs(?) seems to rate it.
He recently did a tour around Wales on RE Classic 350, some bits with 2up I think. If you want a bike for a trips here and there then Classic 350 might be the one. Simply built and cheap to run.A few years back I bought a Triumph Bobber. Great looking bike but I found the engine too big to get the best out of the gears, the suspension terrible on our roads and it too heavy so got rid after a few months ??
For what I think I want is something light, a max of 500cc to keep that weight down and decent suspension so the Royal Enfield Classic 350 has caught my eye. It’s hardly going to break the bank but if I ever thought of touring 2-up, fully loaded going up hill I reckon it’ll struggle. But for the odd bimble out down some country lanes it might be ideal. Chap on Instagram Freddie Dobs(?) seems to rate it.
There is so much choice out there I would say given you are retired take some days out going to different brand bike shops and look at what stands out for you in style and comfort. You might decide to become one of them textile BMW GS riders and conquer the world one kerb at a time or like going back old school with some café racer
Only you can decide what you like. My brothers father in law is in same boat and recently bought a Honda CMX500 Rebel. Low seat height and nice to plod about on
I'd be looking at engines with a bit of character, twins, triples and maybe not IL4's (I'm not against as I own one but they are a bit vanilla)
You'd be surprised how much 50-80hp can be in terms of fun with a nice broad torque curve
On a side note given the time scale maybe a refresher on 2 wheels wouldn't be a bad thing either. You'd be surprised how quick these things can be
Only you can decide what you like. My brothers father in law is in same boat and recently bought a Honda CMX500 Rebel. Low seat height and nice to plod about on
I'd be looking at engines with a bit of character, twins, triples and maybe not IL4's (I'm not against as I own one but they are a bit vanilla)
You'd be surprised how much 50-80hp can be in terms of fun with a nice broad torque curve
On a side note given the time scale maybe a refresher on 2 wheels wouldn't be a bad thing either. You'd be surprised how quick these things can be
gareth_r said:
carinaman said:
<SNIP>
With 26bhp the Royal Enfield 350s seem a pretty innocuous safe bet with regard to people endangering themselves on the road.
<SNIP>
20 bhp.With 26bhp the Royal Enfield 350s seem a pretty innocuous safe bet with regard to people endangering themselves on the road.
<SNIP>
One (or possibly zero, sources vary) more than the 350 Bullet was claimed to produce in 1955 when production began in India.
This guy loves his classic and tours on it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyvU476D5Y8
It's going to be borderline two up though....
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff