New Rider about to buy his first bike | GTAMotorcycle.com

New Rider about to buy his first bike

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BlindandSlow

New member
Hey Everyone!

I recently got my M1 and took my riding course and am anxious to pick up a bike and start riding. I've settled on the Honda CBR250 (which seems to be a popular choice) but the ABS version won't be available until the end of the month and I'm itching to get started as soon as possible.

I'd love to get your thoughts on how critical ABS would be. As this is my first year riding I don't plan on racing across Toronto and will likely be hyper cautious keeping well behind traffic in front of me. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have the added security of ABS, but I'd rather not have to wait 3 more weeks to actually get on the road unless it really made sense. (I'll likely upgrade within one or two seasons anyway)

This site was a great resource when I was doing some research so looking forward to getting more active on here! Look forward to hearing what everyone things.

Thanks
 
Since you're planning to upgrade in a season or two, have you considered getting a used bike? You can save a fair bit of cash for your next bike.
 
ABS isn't critical for regular street riding, you'll be pretty amazed at how much grip your tires have on the road before they slip. If its raining or you hit oil on the skids, its hard to say. Depending on how quick the ABS is, it may help. On a 110 tire with a single brake caliper on the front I have a feeling it will be hard to apply enough force to actually lock the tire at speed (depending on what kind of tires you run), on a dry surface. I ride a 08 CBR 1000RR (120 front tire) at the track and have never had an issue locking up the front on Q2's under heavy braking, which has significantly more breaking ability than the 250.

[EDIT] - not saying you can't slide a tire, but in the dry tires now a days are pretty good. The street is an untamed place, so get ABS if it won't cost you much, but I wouldn't let it make or break buying a certain bike

You will already be able to outbreak 95% of the vehicles out there, so I'd worry more about the guy going to hit you from behind in a panic situation than being able to stop for the guy in front. Keep your head up and watch your 6.
 
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smergy said:
ABS isn't critical for regular street riding, you'll be pretty amazed at how much grip your tires have on the road before they slip. If its raining or you hit oil on the skids, its hard to say. Depending on how quick the ABS is, it may help. On a 110 tire with a single brake caliper on the front I have a feeling it will be hard to apply enough force to actually lock the tire at speed (depending on what kind of tires you run), on a dry surface. I ride a 08 CBR 1000RR (120 front tire) at the track and have never had an issue locking up the front on Q2's under heavy braking, which has significantly more breaking ability than the 250.

You will already be able to outbreak 95% of the vehicles out there, so I'd worry more about the guy going to hit you from behind in a panic situation than being able to stop for the guy in front. Keep your head up and watch your 6.
Click to expand...


The front wheel can EASILY be locked on the hottest day with the stickiest tire with the braking power available on this bike.

ABS is an excellent feature for a new rider to have.
 
Thanks everyone! That video does point out the value of ABS.

As for getting a used bike first, I've looked into it but I haven't seen anything significantly cheaper out there, especially in the 250cc class. Once you get to a bigger bike the insurance costs seem to offset any of the savings. Plus, I'm not terribly mechanical so I wouldn't know where to start to ensure the bike is in good shape. (and the only deals seemed to be on older bikes).
 
BlindandSlow said:
Thanks everyone! That video does point out the value of ABS.

As for getting a used bike first, I've looked into it but I haven't seen anything significantly cheaper out there, especially in the 250cc class. Once you get to a bigger bike the insurance costs seem to offset any of the savings. Plus, I'm not terribly mechanical so I wouldn't know where to start to ensure the bike is in good shape. (and the only deals seemed to be on older bikes).
Click to expand...

If you can afford it, the new CBR is definitely a lust worthy bike (ABS, Fuel Injected, etc.)! Just in case you do consider a used bike, I managed to snag my 2008 Ninja 250R for $3700 and the extra money I saved I put towards my gas and insurance. :)

Hope that helps!
 
smergy said:
ABS isn't critical for regular street riding, you'll be pretty amazed at how much grip your tires have on the road before they slip. If its raining or you hit oil on the skids, its hard to say. Depending on how quick the ABS is, it may help. On a 110 tire with a single brake caliper on the front I have a feeling it will be hard to apply enough force to actually lock the tire at speed (depending on what kind of tires you run), on a dry surface. I ride a 08 CBR 1000RR (120 front tire) at the track and have never had an issue locking up the front on Q2's under heavy braking, which has significantly more breaking ability than the 250.

You will already be able to outbreak 95% of the vehicles out there, so I'd worry more about the guy going to hit you from behind in a panic situation than being able to stop for the guy in front. Keep your head up and watch your 6.
Click to expand...

You can lock up the front wheel on a CBR125 and endo it as my students demonstrate week after week.

ABS on a starter bike makes a great deal of sense, and in fact, it's great on just about any motorcycle with the possible exception of dual sports. Why not trust something that with a full grab will never lock up and continue to roll even on gravel or wet leaves?

I have my own personal experience with ABS on a mountain side in Pennsylvania that had a deer run down the side of the road and in front of me. A full emergency OMFG I DON WANNA DIE grab, and I found myself stopped on a damp road staring it in the eyes.

I'd go for it if the cost were reasonable and the system was relatively bug free. YMMV

Oh, and I was pretty amazed at how much grip my tires had until they slipped. Then I was amazed that I didn't crap my pants. :p
 
Rotten_Ronnie said:
I have my own personal experience with ABS on a mountain side in Pennsylvania that had a deer run down the side of the road and in front of me. A full emergency OMFG I DON WANNA DIE grab, and I found myself stopped on a damp road staring it in the eyes.
Click to expand...

[video=youtube;EBUcG7xZB-g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUcG7xZB-g[/video]
 
Rotten_Ronnie said:
You can lock up the front wheel on a CBR125 and endo it as my students demonstrate week after week.

ABS on a starter bike makes a great deal of sense, and in fact, it's great on just about any motorcycle with the possible exception of dual sports. Why not trust something that with a full grab will never lock up and continue to roll even on gravel or wet leaves?

I have my own personal experience with ABS on a mountain side in Pennsylvania that had a deer run down the side of the road and in front of me. A full emergency OMFG I DON WANNA DIE grab, and I found myself stopped on a damp road staring it in the eyes.

I'd go for it if the cost were reasonable and the system was relatively bug free. YMMV

Oh, and I was pretty amazed at how much grip my tires had until they slipped. Then I was amazed that I didn't crap my pants. :p
Click to expand...



All fair comments. I'd agree with Ronnie, if the price differential isn't that great, go for it. It can be helpful on the street in panic situations, and in the rain. I'm not advocating against ABS, I'm just saying I wouldn't buy/not buy a bike just because of it. Any front tire will slide on any bike, but with the tires now a days on a dry surface, you have to really ignore what they are telling you. I'm just saying you'll be surprised how much traction most tires have. Can the CBR 1000RR lock the front at the track? Sure, quite easily, but then your not listening to your tires. Personally I feel if your depending on rider aids like ABS and traction at the track, your not in control of your motorcycle. Not saying it won't save you on the street, there are many more variables, but I wouldn't make my sole decision for buying on this feature.
 
Automatic transmission would be nice too....lol not.

Perhaps one thing to keep in mind is that if you get too used to ABS and are continually overbraking, when you graduate to a bigger bike, and more importantly one without ABS you will need to be very careful. If you are just learning on a bike and know the bike you want to upgrade will not have ABS then it might be worth it to get a ninja so you can practise this very important skill.
 
Jonnie said:
[video=youtube;EBUcG7xZB-g]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBUcG7xZB-g[/video]
Click to expand...

How did you know I'd Bridgestone BT-021's fitted? :confused:
 
Welcome aboard!
 
Thanks everyone for the great advice! I had decided to wait for the ABS version and just got the call that they found one for me that I can pick up next week! Woohoo!

I think having the ABS for now makes sense just because I won't have the experience to get myself out of sticky situations in case something happens (like random beavers or collapsed bridges). Hopefully I won't need them, but better to have them just in case. It also looks like you'll feel if and when they kick in. If they ever do while I'm riding, I'll need to make sure I don't start relying on them. Kind of like air bags...just because my car has them. doesn't mean I should use them every time I stop.

Looking forward to getting out there and hopefully crossing paths with some of you on the road.

Kevin
 
smergy;1574192 said:
I feel if your depending on rider aids like ABS and traction at the track, your not in control of your motorcycle.
Click to expand...

Racing at many different levels has revealed otherwise.
 
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Rotten_Ronnie said:
ABS on a starter bike makes a great deal of sense, and in fact, it's great on just about any motorcycle with the possible exception of dual sports.
Click to expand...

I resemble that remark. I would not trade the ABS on the strom for the ability to single track with it.

It definitely lowers the pucker factor on road panic stops for any level of skill.

Keep in mind that you can stand on the back brake with functioning ABS, but it will lift the rear tire off of the ground, from you raising your centre of gravity.

There is also a third-party switch kit for the Vstrom to disable the ABS fuse, when you go off the beaten track.
 
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