Car & Bike Bike for someone who knows nothing about bikes

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chiron

chiron

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I'm planning to buy a new honda unicorn cb. I've never ridden a bike before; is there anything to look for when getting one?
 
Consider your needs first, before you go by someone's suggestion and get a motorcycle. The market is after all flooded with options.

You can start by listing your primary requirements and budget here...
 
The Unicorn CB is a good bike, looks great too.

When you go for a new bike, you simply have to do a PDI ( pre delivery inspection ). Check each and everything as far as possible.

- Wheels/tyres -

- Put the bike on main stand, and rotate the front and rear wheels, look for a wobble, either in the rim or in the tyre.

- Bodywork

- check all over the bodywork for scratches/dents/marks that are higher than normal. Most commuter segment bikes do get some amount of scratches during transport, but then that can be fixed by the dealer.

- Headlight/taillight/indicators -

- Check for proper alignment and make sure they are working. And nothing is bent or looks installed incorrectly

- Under the seat, look for any loose nuts/screws, and make sure everything is secured.

- Engine, controls

- check brake levers for adequate play, and that they are working fine ( how a brake lever works fine? well it should grab properly, not loose ).

- Check accelerator, should not have excessive play when twisting the throttle.

- Gear shifter should be smooth and precise, not rattling

- check for signs of any oil leak around the engine. And all nuts and bolts should be new, no worn out bolts should be visible, else thats an indication of some work done on the bike after the factory.

- Suspension -

- Check that both front forks are ok in operation and are not leaking oil, nor are there any marks on the inner tubes.
When in doubt, read the owners manual right there, and see what all has been specified in regular maintenance and do that. Take your time.

Lemme know if you have any doubts, but first read up online as much as you can about pre delivery inspection of a vehicle.

And if you are going for a unicorn because someone bhaiya/uncle/friend highly recommend it, please do specify. And buy something that suits your requirements and character. A bike can be simply a vehicle to get you from A to B, and it can also be an extension of yourself. take your pick.
 
chiron said:
I've never ridden a bike before; is there anything to look for when getting one?
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I'm a bike newbie too and although I preferred the unicorn over the gs150r in general I decided to get the latter as it had a gear indicator and another indicator which tells you when to upshift/downshift gears which I thought would be very useful for a newbie.Go for the test drive to find out thats not enough!I just couldn't do the first gear clutch dynamics.Moreover it was a heavy bike for a newbie like me.Now if I were back home in Mumbai,I'd have got this and would have practiced late nights after 11 when there is little to no traffic but I'm in Chennai now and the surroundings are not familiar enough.Practicing in day time traffic was too big a risk to take.After much though I decided to go for the TVS Jive and let me tell you,its awesome! The autoclutch is a lifesaver.No breakdown on first gear or any gear.Any gear start/stop.The only downside is you can feel the lack of power.Its just 110c 8.5bhp.

I think i'll use it for another 4-6 months and the go for a proper bike.

If you think you can practice safely in your neighborhood then get the gs150r.Else go for the Jive.
 
Arun1 said:
I'm a bike newbie too and although I preferred the unicorn over the gs150r in general I decided to get the latter as it had a gear indicator and another indicator which tells you when to upshift/downshift gears which I thought would be very useful for a newbie.Go for the test drive to find out thats not enough!I just couldn't do the first gear clutch dynamics.Moreover it was a heavy bike for a newbie like me.Now if I were back home in Mumbai,I'd have got this and would have practiced late nights after 11 when there is little to no traffic but I'm in Chennai now and the surroundings are not familiar enough.Practicing in day time traffic was too big a risk to take.After much though I decided to go for the TVS Jive and let me tell you,its awesome! The autoclutch is a lifesaver.No breakdown on first gear or any gear.Any gear start/stop.The only downside is you can feel the lack of power.Its just 110c 8.5bhp.

I think i'll use it for another 4-6 months and the go for a proper bike.

If you think you can practice safely in your neighborhood then get the gs150r.Else go for the Jive.
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after a few months of driving, you will realize that this feature is useless.

engines growl differently at different rpm and it is ideal to shift up when it goes to little growl from the smooth silent :P.

my point is, dont purchase a mechanical device by the electronic features it provides. its prime usage is mechanical and that is what will matter the most in the long run.

@TS

enlist your requirements and budget to begin with.
 
madnav said:
after a few months of driving, you will realize that this feature is useless.
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Its those few months that can matter a lot for a newbie though.I'm just a couple of weeks into my bike and already feel the autoclutch not important.But I'll just keep it short,riding a bike is not the same as driving a car.Things can go ugly in a matter of seconds.With practice all those little things that matter, you do automatically, without thinking about it but its not the same for a new rider.
 
Buy 2nd Hand gear free scooter/bike, use it for year till you expert with traffic + other precautions than go with New
 
Arun1 said:
Its those few months that can matter a lot for a newbie though.I'm just a couple of weeks into my bike and already feel the autoclutch not important.But I'll just keep it short,riding a bike is not the same as driving a car.Things can go ugly in a matter of seconds.With practice all those little things that matter, you do automatically, without thinking about it but its not the same for a new rider.
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and the point is that the chances of things going ugly are less with better mechanical parts than with better electronic equipments.

for a new rider, his most attention should be on the road until his senses are tuned to do so automatically. do we even look at the speedo meter while driving unless on a freeway?
 
chiron said:
I'm planning to buy a new honda unicorn cb. I've never ridden a bike before; is there anything to look for when getting one?
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U have already made a wise choice and the part of u being a newbie shouldn bother unless of course u have never ridden a cycle atleast. TBH u have already rounded up on the most VFM bike so just take ur time in understanding machine and road dynamics. BTW when u do eventually start riding make sure u use both brakes simultaneously. Lets say one hour a week riding and u should be ready to hit the traffic.

OT : Why the CB and not the dazzler ?
 
That pre-delivery instruction thing seems a bit overwhelming. I've used a kinetic scooter a while back and didn't have any problem in traffic; just that I've never ridden a proper bike with gears before.

As far as requirements go I really don't have any other than it being userfriendly... I liked how the unicorn looks, especially when riding it and its supposed to be a low maintenance but decent performance bike and so decided on it.

Also, would I get free service during the initial period, like a warranty?
 
chiron said:
That pre-delivery instruction thing seems a bit overwhelming. I've used a kinetic scooter a while back and didn't have any problem in traffic; just that I've never ridden a proper bike with gears before.

As far as requirements go I really don't have any other than it being userfriendly... I liked how the unicorn looks, especially when riding it and its supposed to be a low maintenance but decent performance bike and so decided on it.

Also, would I get free service during the initial period, like a warranty?
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bikes come with 6free service if im not mistaking. (labour is free and you have to pay for oil)

atleast is the case with HH bikes.
 
Honda is a relatively safe option.
Sorry...Honda "india" is a relatively safe option for a newbie as their bikes require less care.
 
I finally went to a honda dealer and apparently there is a 1.5 year long booking for the Unicorn :@:@ so that is pretty much out of the picture. I looked at the rest of the threads here and I guess the closest options are Dazzler or Suzuki GS150r. I'm 5'8"; will the Suzuki be too big for me?

As I mentioned the only real reason I'd wanted to go for the Unicorn was its looks and I really don't care for Dazzler's looks/price. So I'm also open to suggestions under the 150cc category; I probably won't be driving at particularly high speeds/taking very long drives etc so performance isn't a big issue as long as the bike gives good mileage and reliability even with careless use. How about the Yamaha Gladiator/Pulsar 135LS?
 
Took a test drive of Suzuki GS150R? You know how to ride one right? It's a great bike, take a test drive and if you like it, buy it. I would have recommend it anyway, newbie or not, it's the best 150cc bike according to me.
 
While I've got a license I've never really ridden a bike... had no problems on a moped or scooter but I guess they are much easier to control[?]

I was thinking on thel lines of getting a bike and then learning to ride one... worried that I might crash it or something if I try a test drive in the city.
 
I'm also a newb at driving bikes(~1500km). I drive my brother's Unicorn Dazzler(newer version with basically the same engine). It is 8kg lighter than the original Unicorn. Looks sportier. 50+ mileage in city. Yes it has free service(i dunno for how long). One advantage is the tubeless tires! So also consider it..
 
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