Backstory to why I'm here: I've ridden pillion behind my Dad every so often since I was quite young, and always enjoyed it, but never ridden myself. But now, I'm thinking I'd quite like to get into it, and just a couple of conversations have got bikes on my mind.
I was chatting with Dad about his bike, then a friend turned up with a Royal Enfield Classic 350, and in chatting with him he said he's maybe thinking of upgrading, so I could get what I think would probably be the perfect bike for me (at least early on). Then the first of my highschool friends announced he's getting married, I said to another friend that that means it's time for an early mid-life crisis, and without knowing I'd already been thinking about it, he joked 'time to buy a motorbike'.
And I'm trying to be more active on Lemmy than I was on The Predecessor, so figured I'd ask for advice here. I'm thinking I'll put off getting the Royal Enfield, as long as my friend is happy not selling right away, and just getting something relatively cheap and disposable, so I can practise maneuvering in parking lots or quiet streets without being too concerned about dropping the bike, then get the Royal Enfield when I'm more confident and riding around town. Is that sensible, or should I skip a step and just go straight to the bike I actually want?
Also, any general advice that isn't immediately obvious? I'm in Australia and have yet to go to the learner's course, so anything I should do to be ready for that or things to keep in mind when starting riding would be grand.
Hello from a fellow Aussie. You sound like a very sensible person and I dig your approach. The RE350 is a modest choice and I see that as a good thing.
There are multiple ways to approach what you're trying to do. Ask 10 people and you'll get 12 different answers.
I'm an advocate for learning early and starting out with something manageable that you don't worry about when you do drop it.
At the end, it all depends on what you really want to do on 2 wheels. Commuting? Riding on a rare occasion and looking good? Modding? Pretending to be Toby Price on dirt?.....
You location and personal circumstances will add to that as each state has different licensing requirements and rego costs. The viability of options also changes depending on whether you live in the country or or in the big smoke.
The trend that I'm seeing with licensing is that it is getting harder every year to get licensed. The sooner you get licenced the easier it will be. Going Green on the human level, your ability to learn a new skill os usually better when you're younger. Keep in mind that once you do get a licence it's best to keep on it. Sadly a lot of fatalities happen to riders that return after long pauses.
What would I do? I'd get a good condition and manageable cheap bike. IMHO the CB125E amd CB125F are Australia's best learner bikes. They're just quick for most traffic and as tough as a coffin nail. They're also cheap as chips, which is why they're very popular with riding schools.
They've also cheap, so you don't worry when you drop one of them. A lot of what I believe in is said well by RCR in his Ninja 250 video. While a low power bike like that requires more skill to keep up with big bikes on semi twisties (Putty road near Sydney), everything else is easier on something like that. Because they're light, they're more forgiving when manoeuvring in tight spaces (city traffic and dirt trails). The power is enough to keep up in most urban settings (why they're a favourite amongst delivery riders), but they're slow enough that you can learn how to use all the power. Because they're light and don't have mad power, they're more forgiving in corners too. That allows you to experiment and but more importantly learn. You get more feedback from road surface on a smaller bike. All that can make you a great rider.
Do practice. The particularly emergency stops, slow riding (the floor is lava) and manouvres. Going on dirt trails is am excellent way to get you skills up. The CB125's are also total mountain goats! Theres a guy that takes his on sime insane trails and posts all over Facebook with many adv riders thinking he's got some mad talent / bravery. Even the bike makes that easy, that's why the Taliban use similar bikes to haul (stuff) around on goat paths.
If something breaks, they're very easy to fix, so you get to learn maintenance without it costing a fortune.
You'll find of the most talented and experienced riders on small cc machines. Look at the Postie bike community and you'll find tons of people that have some crazy mileages under their belt and ride in almost all conditions. To a good extent, that's because they can, which is partly attributed to the ease of riding something as light as a postie.
In terms of gear, again, it all depends. If you just putter around on a 125 on some local roads, them a full MotoGP leather race suit is overkill. Get good gear that you're comfortable with. At minimum a mesh jacket, a comfortable helmet, gloves and shoes that will give you padding in a fall and won't slide off as soon as you hit the ground (no sneakers). I'm wearing high ankle steel caps that I can keep wearing when I step off as my bike is my everything mode of transport and I don't want to carry separate shoes on it just to go on a walk or into the shops. That way it's not a chore to get on and you don't skimp on protection for a quit trip to the shops. A friend of mine broke his ankle despite owning great riding boots that were too uncomfortable for walking, so he skipped on them on a ride to the shops after which he decided to go a bit of a squiz after.
You can move onto the RE as the gentleman's/ gentle-ladies bike and putter around in style to join rides like tue Distinguished gentleman's ride,.... You'll also have built up more muscle memory that prevents you from making mistakes like: forgetting to put the stand down when you park it in your driveway.
Most importantly have fun, Australia is one of the best places to ride (at least most of the country is), with good weather amd moderately slow traffic. We also have a good amount of trails of that's something that interests you.