www.zxrworld.co.uk

^^ Embarrassing

Sadly I don't feel embarrassment anymore, having overdosed on it for most of my life.

bloody hell. 3 pages of response in 2 days (i think). thank you all for your advice, i have an update lol.

i sat them down and ran them through my 'plan' about getting a bike. i said about my year on a moped, my years on motocross (irrelevant i know) bikes, and how i feel that im responsible enough to handle a big bike, and i can honestly say now that speeding etc doesnt really appeal to me, i just love the freedom it gives me. the response was ' well we have paid for 10 driving lessons already so you can get the car sorted first'. i came back with ' i appreciate you bought me 10 lessons, and when i can afford to drive a car i will continue, but insurance is 1.3k at least, and buying a car, and fuel etc makes a lot more than a bike.' followed by a silence

i know 'your 17 etc old enough to do what you want' but i respect my parents, and feel that they are important to me and i want them to be cool with it first. i think that they are mostly put off by the look of the 400's, because neither know much about bikes, and think 'that looks fast, must be dangerous' and yes, in a way they are, but ridden properly i know there not. just trying to convince them.

and to answer somebodys question earlier, i will be paying for the whole lot myself ( family not so well off, no option really) including bike, lessons, safety gear etc.

thanks guys!

dont be fooled into thinking these 400's are cheap to run though, less than my 750 but still they cost me a small fortune. I'd say my bike currently uses more fuel in a month than me driving the van would in diesel. Plus tyres i'll go through two sets in a year, one touring and one sports/track, new chain and sprockets every year at least. minimum of one large service every year with frequent oil changes. 2 sets of brake pads a year, tins of chain lube and brake cleaner plus the odd unpredictable cost of something broken now and again.


There isnt a whole lot of difference between keeping a sports machine running as there is a car even with the higher insurance premiums on the car. If it's cheap transport your after a 125 workhorse like the CG is agood investment.

i will use it everyday, no commuting as i live near. problem being that a mate lent me his cg125 for a week when my dna was being serviced, and at first i loved it- but within a week i couldnt wait for the 50 back. i need something that can do sensible everyday drives, but can scare me a bit on the weekends have been told to try a cb500 or something but these just dont appeal to me.

My mum and dad were against bikes, very bad family history - uncle broken both legs (on separate occasions), my bigsister got knocked off her moped when she was 16, and my brother - well, he's a bit of a liability, but when he was 17 had a really bad accident, broken leg, etc. When I said I wanted to get a bike, they were dead set against it.

So I got a TS50 and kept it at my friend's house in he village 2 miles away. I had to walk/cycle 2 miles to get my bike to go fr a joy ride.

When I was 17, I got a 125 and kept it at Tom's house, then when I moved out at 19, I owned up to having a bike. They were not happy, but it did mean I could visit them. I always wore the right kit, and explained to them about the armour and boots and stuff, then they were ok with me riding a bike. And my brother decided to use their new-found acceptance as a go ahead to do his test, get a ZZR1100 and then crash it about 5 times in the first year. The rest of the time, it was being repaired from the last crash.

My mum is now very proud of her littlest daughter who is responsible enough and independant enough to do not crash her bike, and ride safely. (I'll never pop a wheelie in front of them) and when I did my test at 21 and got a 400, they saw it as a responsilbe thing to do, as it wasn't a 600cc + sportsbike. I did have my brother to thank for heping explain that it is wasn't as fast as what he's been crashing for the past year. And beacause my ZXR was shiny and blue, they knew I'd look after it and wouldn't want to break it. Especially as I'd paid for it all myself.

Yeah - it looks like i was either thinking of you, Wonderpupp, or I've got yours and Rachies stories confused...