Running cost of a Motorcycle in the UK?

[Cy-Fy]

Hey guys how are you doing?? I'm just curious to know how a motorcycle compare to a car in terms of the cost of owning it monthly, like the fuel will obviously be cheaper but insurance might be more expensive?? I'm not sure so yeah guys that is my 1st question.

 

Another question is that I have noticed that you can get pretty awesome brand new bikes for less than £8000-£10000 so which bike do you think would be the best for a student who would use it mostly to go to university and back?? Keeping in mind that it would be their first bike??

[Tacitus]

If you're a student then I assume you're about the same age as me, at 20?

 

I would imagine insurance is going to be a lot considering how accident-prone bikers are. On the flip side, it's probably less likely to be your fault if you crash and you're probably also less likely to do a lot of damage compared to a car.

 

A lot of folk our age have scooters, but I used to do motocross riding and was for a while considering converting it for road use and getting a license. I've had a Kawasaki kx 125 which was really quick for a 125 cc bike, it weighed barely anything! I also had a Yamaha dtr 125, that was comparatively sluggish. Both could hit about 80 - 85 mph, I reckon.

[rjshield]

Have a look through spicy's videos

[Almercenary]

Insurance will be high, but apart from that, should be pretty cheap to run I would imagine. In aus they are anyway, so that should convert to UK. But yeah, insurance will be why gets you.

[nj4ck]

It really depends what type of bike you're looking at. If you're willing to spend £10000, I'm guessing you're not looking into the 125cc class of bikes. For that money you could get a Ducati Monster, for example. Small, agile, fun, sexy, comfortable, easy to handle and not overpowered (definitely not underpowered, either). Not sure how the laws are in the UK, here in germany you have to be 18 and you need to ride the bike limited to max. 48 hp for 2 years, before you can open her up. 

 

Don't be fooled by the size though, motorcycles will easily burn through as much fuel as a car with similar performance.

[Askew]

Chinese bikes

 

They are improving but I still wouldn't buy one, I remember the early days with welds failing on frames.

[Askew]

Hey guys how are you doing?? I'm just curious to know how a motorcycle compare to a car in terms of the cost of owning it monthly, like the fuel will obviously be cheaper but insurance might be more expensive?? I'm not sure so yeah guys that is my 1st question.

 

Another question is that I have noticed that you can get pretty awesome brand new bikes for less than £8000-£10000 so which bike do you think would be the best for a student who would use it mostly to go to university and back?? Keeping in mind that it would be their first bike??

 

The main question is, what type of bike are you aiming to ride? And what size engine? The price will be affected massively depending on your choice of bike.

[Cy-Fy]

It really depends what type of bike you're looking at. If you're willing to spend £10000, I'm guessing you're not looking into the 125cc class of bikes. For that money you could get a Ducati Monster, for example. Small, agile, fun, sexy, comfortable, easy to handle and not overpowered (definitely not underpowered, either). Not sure how the laws are in the UK, here in germany you have to be 18 and you need to ride the bike limited to max. 48 hp for 2 years, before you can open her up. 

 

Don't be fooled by the size though, motorcycles will easily burn through as much fuel as a car with similar performance.

Yeah that is actually quite true, what would be the best bike for a person that has never ridden one in your opinion??

 

The main question is, what type of bike are you aiming to ride? And what size engine? The price will be affected massively depending on your choice of bike.

Well tbh what  would you think is the best bike/engine size for a "noob" as a person who has never ridden bikes.

[Askew]

Well tbh what  would you think is the best bike/engine size for a "noob" as a person who has never ridden bikes.

 

4 stroke 125cc geared bike to start with definitely because you can ride it after you do the CBT on a provisional licence if you are 17 or older. A good strategy some people use is to buy an ultra cheap (and ultra reliable) bike like Honda CG125 or yamaha SR125 or similar to learn the basics and then go and to a test and then perhaps look at either keeping the 125 on for a while or moving up to a bigger machine.

 

Insurance and fuel on 4 stroke 125cc bikes is very cheap, as a new rider I'd expect it to be around the region of £200-400 a year insurance depending on where you live (risk of theft ect) and the fuel economy can be as high as 70mpg on those bikes. Road Tax is £15 per year.

 

Have a look at licencing law it's changed since I got my licence, there are some restrictions based on age when it comes to what bikes you can ride after a test and how much power they can have.

[nj4ck]

Yeah that is actually quite true, what would be the best bike for a person that has never ridden one in your opinion??

 

Well tbh what  would you think is the best bike/engine size for a "noob" as a person who has never ridden bikes.

hard to say. People in the US get their license and directly hop on a 130hp Yamaha R6 and most of them survive. Generally speaking, the smaller the engine, the easier it will be to ride for a "newbie". The 50-70hp class is a popular choice for many, here in germany. Since you'll be able to learn quickly on them and they have enough power to not grow boring on you within a few months, you'll probably end up keeping the bike for much longer than you would keep a 125cc bike. A few of my friends started out on 125ccs and none of them was very happy with it after 6 months. 

 

Then again, if you're really just going to be commuting and don't ride for fun, you'll probably be fine with a 125 or 250cc bike. Speaking of 250cc, Supermotos are also a great option. They typically come in between 30-50hp, are extremly lightweight and insanely fun to ride and have a comfortable riding position. The single cylinder engines don't like long range riding at all though and aren't known to last forever.

 

My personal favorite is the Ducati Monster, but thats just me. You can get the older 695 or 620 i.e. for really good prices and in very good condition, they run forever as long as you take care of them and they are just great bikes all around. 

But again, you might be the type of person that feels safest on a 125cc and, to be honest, that would be more than enough for simple commuting. 

 

Do some test riding when you have your license. Try out a 125 and try to determine if that's enough for you or if you want more. There are also some great 250/300cc options.

 

Since you asked for a specific recommendation, I'd say take a look at the Honda CBR125R/Yamaha YZF-125, Kawasaki Ninja 300 or an older Ducati Monster, depending on how much power you want and which you like best.

[techswede]

My tip would be to get a Nice reliable "beater" bike when it's your first bike. Something that looks good. But is durable enough to survive a drop onto it's side.
Hondas are generally great bikes for this. Something like a CB series. Reliable, Good looking, speedy enough.
 

Keep in mind that i don't have a bike license yet. But i've tried a few^^ And i used to compete in motocross