First bike ever question

[naamloos]

Hello everybody,

I've read most of the topics on this forum, quite a lot of useful info but I still have a major question. I understand it's a personal one but would like your input because you all seem like seasoned bikers.
Ok, let me sketch it out. I'm 27 (Belgian) with no previous motor experience, nor a car licence. I passed my theory exam for motorcycles (no limits on cc nor hp) and am doing my practical exam one of these weeks. When I pass I'll be able to ride around with any bike of my choosing so I plan on getting one.
My initial idea was to get a small 125cc ace to start off with because it's new, light (in kg and in cc/hp), cheap, low fuel consumption/low taxes and obviously gorgeous (I'm a sucker for cafe racers).
I've been talking with a lot of friends who ride and the instructor and most of them tell me to get a heavy bike like a BMW R80. Their arguments against the ace are that I'll get tired of the light bike very quickly, that I'll learn bad practice because it's so light, that it's not fast enough for the Belgian highway (120km speed limit) and that it might be rubbish build quality.
I understand it all depend on how and why I want to ride a bike but any input would be welcome. I live in the countryside around Brussels (15km from the center) and would use it to cruise around but also to commute from time to time (even in the wintertime).
The rational mind tells me to get a bigger bike but my gut tells me I'll have more fun on the ace. I can't get both so I'll need to make up my mind. All feedback is very welcome!

Thanks in advance!

Wouter

 

[plagrone]

I think as an only bike, you'de want something that can check all the boxes, and the ace is not that bike. A highway commute is probably not it's forte. Believe me, you'll have plenty of fun on ANY bike

 

[Mcgoo]

I think as an only bike, you'de want something that can check all the boxes, and the ace is not that bike. A highway commute is probably not it's forte. Believe me, you'll have plenty of fun on ANY bike

+1 ... Don't be put off by larger displacement bikes, just be sensible on your choice for a first bike. I'd buy a used ninja 250 and ride the hell out of it for a year then sell it for almost what you paid for it. IT won't be your dream bike, but when you drop it.. which you will ... probably at low speed in your driveway... then it won't break your heart when you pick it up and assess the damage.
Then buy your dream bike - which by that time won't be the ace... and that part is completely personal for everyone...
Ride safe

 

[Tim]

If you're going to spend 75% of your time in cities, or do short runs on the highway, any 250cc bike will do. The Ace might be a tad small as an 'only' bike.

For longer runs on highways, a 500cc bike would be fine.

If you're going to tour across country for days at a time, then a 750cc+ is nice. I ride my BMW R75/6 all over the place and have spent 10 days straight in the saddle. But for around the city (Toronto) my wife's Suzuki TU250X is brilliant.

Try to start somewhere in the middle - see if you can find an SR400/500 out that way. But there's nothing wrong with starting on a BMW R80 either if you can get one. They're awesome bikes and I tend to agree that learning to ride on a 125 is kind of like learning to ride on a moped. Moving from that to an 800cc bike would be a big change.

 

[stroker crazy]

I guess most of us on DTT own more several bikes because no one bike is good at everything.

The 'Ace' is good great at two things; coping with city traffic (they are brilliant for lane-splitting) and flat-out riding on tight twisty roads.

As a learner's bike they have the advantage of being about as non-intimidating as a bike can get while getting familiarised with clutch, throttle, brakes, etc.
They are also economical to run and cheap to fix if you break something. Their build quality is quite good, with the exception of a few relatively minor areas.

I regularly ride 120k trips with occasional trips about twice that. Riding on expressways/freeways is a chore unless you do some modifications to improve top speed.

By the time you might get bored with the 'Ace' you will have a better idea of the type of bike will suit your requirements.
And you can keep the 'Ace' for the things that it excels at!

Crazy

 

[ACEitup]

And you can keep the 'Ace' for the things that it excels at!

Crazy

^^^^ ditto
I've learnt a lot from the ACE as my first bike, as i also took it on to learn basic mechanic's
I learn to service , mod and adjust everything myself with the help of members on DDT Skyteam Ace.
Cheers ACEitup

 

[naamloos]

Thank you all so much for the insights! I'm still a bit torn between a light (ace or 250cc) and a heavier bike. Today I have my second driving lesson on a 600cc kawasaki. The first time went ok but was very intimidating hence the idea to get a light bike (both cc and kg wise).
Everybody I know who rides motorcycles advises me to get a 'real' bike (like the bmw or a suzuki savage or old honda cb) but when I ask how they learned the answer is always 'a 50cc or 125cc'. In some sense it would feel like I'm skipping a step.
Besides the fact that the ace looks very nice, I'm attracted to the engine simplicity and the weight. I dropped the kawasaki on the first lesson and could hardly pick it up. When I was younger I played around with honda amigo's (50cc mopeds) and loved working on such a easy engine. Plus 500cc bikes look so intimidating on the engine level it would take me a lot of time to learn how to work on it.
Anyway, I'll keep you guy's posted about my decision and again, thanks for the input!

 

[cafe59]

Hey there, I can hear you, I was in a similar situation. I got an ace and I don't regret it. The bike is light, easy to ride and easy to work on. The engine is so simple! If you get a Ninja, even as simple thing as changing a spark plug will be a nightmare! You can get plenty of cheap "tuning" parts on eBay and customize it. Everybody rides Ninjas, but you can have one of a kind Ace ;-) (but this might become a disadvantage at some point, because everywhere you pull over people want to talk about your bike). Yes it would be nice to have better brakes and more power, but on the other hand if I had more power, I am not sure whether I would still be alive. So you can think of lack of power as a safety precaution ;-)

 

[Bojer]

Hey there, I can hear you, I was in a similar situation. I got an ace and I don't regret it. The bike is light, easy to ride and easy to work on. The engine is so simple! If you get a Ninja, even as simple thing as changing a spark plug will be a nightmare! You can get plenty of cheap "tuning" parts on eBay and customize it. Everybody rides Ninjas, but you can have one of a kind Ace ;-) (but this might become a disadvantage at some point, because everywhere you pull over people want to talk about your bike). Yes it would be nice to have better brakes and more power, but on the other hand if I had more power, I am not sure whether I would still be alive. So you can think of lack of power as a safety precaution ;-)

Agree with this , I learned to ride on a 50 cc Honda then a 125 Honda - a bigger bike might well have meant faster/nastier accidents !
To some extent a low powered bike makes you a better rider - you don't have the power to let speed go to waste !
Not sure there is a "right" answer to this , a lot depends on what you will want from your bike - the Ace or any 125 is no fun on a fast road with other traffic about but on a scenic , quiet twisting road ..........

I don't think you can go wrong buying an Ace personally , you can always sell it quite easily or maybe keep it together with your big bike should you feel the need for more speed ...

 

[naamloos]

Ok some updates. Since my last post I did a first try at my exam to get my hands on the learners permit. First time I failed. A friend suggested to let me practice the maneuvers a bit with his bike, a honda cbf500, before my second attempt. (in Belgium after two failed attempts you have to take two hours of extra lessons)
Everything went a lot smoother with his bike and this gave me a confidence boost to redo the exam. The second attempt was yesterday and I passed! I didn't ace it but I did pass. Today I picked up my learners permit and drove to a shop that had an ace 125 in stock. It looked and felt good so I went ahead and ordered it! It should be road ready by Tuesday. I think I found a good deal, 1709euro (inc taxes) with a free helmet.
Now, I haven't driven it but will report back after a few trips. I plan to keep it stock the first months and little by little to some upgrades. Ah, I'm looking forward to it.

Wouter

 

[Sonreir]

I bet the Ace would make a great first bike. Good choice.

 

[jsharpphoto]

Have fun. Welcome to the two wheeled world.

 

[Maladept]

My Ace is my first (and only) bike.

As a tool to learn on without getting into too much trouble it's proving to be perfect until I can work up to taking my full UK test on a 'big' bike.

I have made a couple of performance modifications; carb jets, EGR removal, CDI, and spark plug which make it a better ride on the main roads but I'm happiest riding off the beaten track.

Better suspension has been added too of course but that's because I'm kind of chunky :-/

Well run in and still on the stock exhaust and sprockets I'm seeing 65mph on the clock, which is more than adequate locally.

As a way of learning the maintenance fundamentals too it's been a great buy - you'll not regret it. Once I can legally ride something bigger I see myself owning 2 bikes rather than trading up 8)

 

[naamloos]

Today was the day I drove the bike home. I have 67km on the clock and here are my first impressions. Keep in mind the bike is fully stock.
First off, it's exactly what I expected. Super fun to ride and it handles nicely. A dream to have as a first bike. Not to intimidating but still enough power to feel like you're on a bike.
The stock mirrors are real bad and need a safety upgrade. I can only see my shoulders which is just flat out dangerous. The brakes are very light, even lighter than I imagined so those will get an upgrade as well.
The gearbox is a bit tricky but this will ease over time I think. Once I'm off everything goes well. Starting is a bit difficult and sloppy but that's just my poor skills. All in all I'm very excited to drive the ace and like everybody says, it puts a smile on your face when cruising.
Two strange things I remarked though. When the bike is warm and I turn it off I have trouble to start again. No idea what this is all about. Next when I'm at a fixed speed of like 60km/h the bike pulls back in very small random shocks, like it doesn't get enough air. I think this might be a carburetor setting.
And again my poor skills but I can't for the love of God kickstart it. The girl in the shop, very cute mechanic girl, did it without problems so I know it's my skills and not the bike. Anyway, loving it so far and I'll report back after a few more km's on the clock. Power upgrades will follow but first I want to get to know ite bike a bit better. The safety upgrades will follow asap though.

Wouter

 

[stroker crazy]

The gearbox is a bit tricky …

This will improve with time - even finding neutral reliably becomes possible!

When the bike is warm and I turn it off I have trouble to start again …

More kilometers will fix this; the 'Ace' takes a while to get run-in.

the bike pulls back in very small random shocks …

I have no experience of this - it could be a good excuse reason to talk to the "very cute mechanic girl" again!

Have fun!

Crazy

 

[naamloos]

Thanks for the advice, I figured most 'issues' where because the engine is so new. She told me to come back in after 500km to change the oil from a 'run in oil' to normal oil. At the pace I'm driving now, this could be in a week or two and I'll definitely raise the question with her.
I'm looking into bar end mirrors to buy locally and some better brake pads. Anybody form Belgium/Brussels who know's a nice shop?

 

[naamloos]

I passed the 2000km mark a few days ago and am still very happy with my choice. Did some upgrades and changes to the bike myself and am learning more and more about it. My personal conclusion to my own question would be 'yes, it's a good first bike IF you want to learn more about bike maintenance and tuning'
Stock it's a fun bike but quite restricted. I changed the exhaust to a custom straight through one and the difference is massive. I removed the ERG thing as well and put up some bar-end mirrors. My front light bulb kept popping and after three blown ones I tracked the problem down to the fitting coming loose. Had to change a fuse as well. The vibrations were blowing the bulbs. Glued it in place and have been riding at night without any problem.
One thing I have to come back to are the brakes. They are not as bad as I initially experienced. I use the rear for gentle slowing down and the front/rear for stopping and this is working out fine for me.

 

[Head Knocker]

When I was a wee lad I started on a 125cc, then years later 250, etc. That is the safest way to learn.
Now that Im up to a 1200cc for highway travel, I still have prefer my 500cc Honda for everything but doing the ton down the vast ribbon of roads that go around and though the US.