Doing my DAS soon. Thinking of an AT.

[Spiritwalker]

Had my XR-125 for a fair few months now & ridden mostly every day. Doing DAS in next few weeks so currently looking for a new bike in the hope I pass quickly. Initially thought about a CB500 but really thinking about an Africa Twin as would like somerthing can go touring on. Just wondering how people would rate them as a first big bike. Saw this & liked the look of it.

http://pictures.autotrader.co.uk/img...a?id=751323892

This is a bit of a bargain. Just needs a bit of work. Bit soon though. Less than 5 hours left: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...d325651QQfviZ1

[Jacqueslemac]

Go for it. I started on an XR125, then got a Dominator and now an Africa Twin.

I loved the Dominator but I reckon if I'd have found a good Africa Twin instead I never would have bought the Tiger. I love my Twin.

I love the Tiger too, of course, but in a different way.

[Farmboy]

very good choice as your first big bike,

and your last possibly ( there are`nt many better even todays modern bikes )

I have been round the block with bikes buying all differnet styles and types until eventually i found some that do it all

the Africa Twin is in that group of bikes that do it all.

The Twin is a very good choice as the power is fairly soft by todays standards but it still does everything just a tad more sedately.

I love it and for touring on and offroad you wont be dissapointed.

[Sharribee]

I agree the AT is an excellent bike, personally I went for a CB500 as my first big bike but then I wanted to build up confidence and don't think I could have done that on such a tall bike.

If that's not going to be a problem for you then the AT is a good bike.

[Zenarchy]

I got an Africa Twin as my first big bike. Before that I'd been riding around on a 125 cruiser for a year, and did my training on an ER5 (500cc a bit like the cb500s).

I've been really happy with it and I think it's made a great first bike (though I could be a bit biased as I had my heart set on one from the start). I can't really imagine ever selling it, so it'll probably be my bike for a good few years to come too I think.

I was initially concerned it might be a bit tall for me (not being so tall and having come from riding a cruiser then seeing how big it was up close), but in practice that hasn't really been a problem, and it's the most comfy bike I've ridden so far. If you're tall or you've been riding around on a tall bike already this is probably less of an issue for you though as it'll be less of a leap (literally for me - I need to take a running jump to get on it when it's got luggage on ).

It being so high up and the upright riding position is good for seeing over traffic which I still find helpful though.

Power wise, I found the feeling of riding it very similar to the power of the ER5 I did the training on, so there really wasn't that much of a jump in power (or at least the feeling of taking a jump) even though it's got a 750 engine in. The big jump is betwen the 125 and the 500 training bike (that'll make you smile!).

If you can get one for a good price I'd go for it. They hold their value well so if you can get a good deal and you don't like it, you should make it's money back (perhaps more) quite easily. There don't seem to be all that many around for sale and they're always in demand. They seem to hold their value well over winter too from what I can tell as people like them for winter bikes because they have a reputation for being tough (though not so sure about this year with the credit crunch and all that).

The model on autotrader is an RD04. If you haven't already, if you do a search here you'll find out more info about it and about the differences between the different models. If you do a search on ebay (using the advanced search and showing sold items) and on here it'll give you a rough idea of the price they tend to go for so you can judge the price they're asking and see how much room there might be for bargaining.

I would also do a bit of searching here for common things to look out for when going to look at the bike (particularly checking the output shaft splines and bearings and for wheel corrosion). Don't let that put you off though as it doesn't effect all of them and some people have put massive milages on them without these problems - it's just worth educating yourself about when you go to have a look at them so you know what to look out for so you can avoid any that have issues that might add significantly to the cost to sort out later (or use that as a bargaining tool).

[stageonesimmo]

As per usual, Zen has said everything I was going to say - well maybe a bit more....

I too am an 'Africa twin as first big (or for me, legal), Bike' and I really cant see me riding anything else...................




Maybe a GS at a push!

[sunnybrook]

I did my DAS and test on a Yamaha FZ6 with nearly 100bhp. I was riding around on my rather taller but rather more sedate AT within a few days.

[slanty]

My first bike (other than the 125) was and still is the AT and I have ridden many other bikes but I'm still certain I made the right choice

I think the one in your pic looks great also, make sure it's a good one (genuine mileage, no damage etc) and I reckon you'll be really happy with it.

[6ft5]

How much are you thinking of budgeting for your new bike ?

[Don Coffey]

Hi Spiritwalker,

Like a few above I too started on the AT as my first bike after passing my test. I passed my test in Northern Ireland where the rules are slightly different. Here, we are restricted to output not cc, 53bhp being the magic figure.

I had always loved the look of big off-road bikes (the 4x4s of the motorcycle world) and the AT was the one for me. It is a big bike and heavy so walk before you run, I had a couple of close calls and mostly down to not thinking ahead and chickening log before the bike would have been under pressure.....I'm talking about going into corners faster than I was comfortable with.

That said, it's easy power delivery, comfortable driving position and handling make it a great bike to gain experience on.

Go for it, highly unlikely that you will ever regret the choice.

Don