The last few months have been all about riding. I've always been a little nervous to start, but my mates all ride and have been begging me for years to join them. I finally did my LAMS, started saving, buying gear and trawling marketplace daily ready to buy my first bike. I was so full of excitement, everything was coming together, I couldn't wait to get out there and share in this awesome sport.

Until suddenly, one of those mates was gone. Just 5 minutes from home on his bike.

I'm not naive to the risk, nor do I feel invincible. So I bought the best gear, was doing everything to educate myself properly, and stay within my limits taking every step to be the safest rider I could. But now, I'm more anxious to ride than ever. It feels like a simple ride is a guaranteed death sentence, and no matter how safe I try to be, it won't be enough for the other clowns on the road.

He wouldn't want me to give up, and I don't want to let him down, but building confidence again feels so impossibly hard. I'm trying desperately to keep the momentum and excitement going, but I'm so ready to give up despite barely even starting.

Would love to hear advice from some of you legends. Sorry to hit you with the hard ones on a Friday evening...

I've just had my bike yellow stickered for an aftermarket exhaust. Fair play; it's a little loud.

All the details online I find about yellow stickers say I get 14 days to get it inspected, but the cop and the paperwork he's filled out only say 10? Is that legit? Seems tight to actually get it fixed up

Hey everyone! I’m planning to live in Goulburn, NSW, while my girlfriend lives in Blacktown. I’m deciding whether to buy a motorcycle or a car, mainly considering fuel prices and overall expenses.

For those familiar with this route, which would you recommend? Is a motorcycle practical and safe for long-distance trips on the Hume Highway, and does it save much money compared to a car when you include maintenance, insurance, and registration?

I’d appreciate any advice or personal experiences. Thanks!

Just wanted some answers to this. I warmed the bike for about 3 - 4 mins, turned it off and let it sit for another 4mins. I sat on the bike, put a spirit level on, got it as level as possible and then took this pic.

Is this fine?

Hi guys,

I got my L's recently (about half a month ago?) and bought a bike a week and a half ago. I was checking my license (yes I was idiotic to not check it before) and it says I'm restricted to an auto bike, even though I completed the SU course on manual?

I submitted a form to Service NSW regarding the issue, but I want to know if I can get in trouble for the riding I have/will be doing until it (hopefully) is resolved...though the weather IS pretty abysmal currently.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

from queensland getting my car green p’s in jan of next year and really want to get a motorbike license then. can someone please enlighten me on the process of getting one along with when it’s best to purchase safety gear and my first bike. thinking of getting a ninja 500. also what are the laws on modding exhaust etc. any info, advice or opinions would be greatly appreciated!

Hi All, first timer buying a buy. So planned a inspection and the person asling full asking price and license for a test ride. Is that a standard procedure?

My 10 year old Firstgear HT Overpants are finally giving up the ghost and leaking water through the seams. Got these online from Revzilla years ago.

had a completely wet crotch when I got to work, and when I got home.

Need recommendation for a new set of Overpants. Ideally with Knee Armour, decent road resistance and external leg zipper to make it easy to put on and take off with boots on.

Also if they have the newer style slim armour and dont look like MC hammer pants.

Looking for a recommendation for 2 day ride, staying somewhere overnight and coming back to Melbourne the next day.

Fair bit of dirts good don't want to just be on pavement. Nothing heavy enduro but some light stuffs ideal. Riding a drz400e

Any suggestions on routes and where to go?

Cheers

Hey everyone!
I’m looking to buy my first motorcycle in NSW, Australia, and I have a budget of around $6,500 AUD.

I currently hold my learner licence, so I need a LAMS-approved bike.

I’d love some advice on which motorcycle would be the best option for a beginner and what expenses I should expect besides the purchase price.

A few things I’m wondering about:
Bike recommendations: What are the best LAMS-approved bikes for a beginner within my budget?
New vs used: Is it better to buy a used bike or look for a new one?
Running costs: How much should I expect to pay for rego, CTP, insurance, servicing, fuel and maintenance in NSW?
Gear: How much should I budget for a good helmet, jacket, gloves, pants and riding boots?Hidden costs: Are there any other expenses I should be aware of when buying my first motorcycle?

I’m looking for something reliable, beginner-friendly, affordable to maintain and fun to ride. I also want to make sure I keep enough money aside for gear and other expenses rather than spending the whole $6,500 on the bike.

If you were in my position, which bike would you buy, and how much would you spend on the bike itself?
Any recommendations or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

I have been riding motorcycles for 15 years now.

Today I was driving a truck to help my father in law who has cancer and is unfortunately dying move town somewhere he can be more comfortable.

Lots and lots of riders on the road between Newcastle and Armidale in NSW, especially between Gloucester and Uralla...

Got me ashamed of being a rider. No manners, aggressive to drivers, I let every single one pass by slowing down and signing to them when there was a nice stretch of road to overtake me... about 12 riders I would say... not even one thank you.

On a side note they all seemed to be older riders, but not even one cruiser.

I'm from Melbourne and it's common practice to just thank people minding you. I'm originally from Europe where you stick your leg out or raise a V sign on your hand ( more for crossing other riders but it works when you can't get the leg out).

What am I missing? Or just a bunch of entitled boomers?

Hey guys, just curious about something.

Say you’re on your learner licence in NSW/Sydney and you buy a Honda CBR650 that’s LAMS approved. You insure the bike while it’s still restricted, but later you decide to derestrict it, even though obviously you’re not supposed to ride a derestricted CBR650 on your learners.

What would happen with the insurance?
If you crashed the bike, would the insurance company inspect it, realise it had been derestricted and then refuse the claim because you weren’t legally licensed to ride it in that configuration?

Also, what if you actually told the insurance company that the bike was derestricted while you were still on your learners? Would they immediately cancel/refuse the policy, or would they still insure the bike but not cover you as the rider?

And if you insured it as a LAMS/restricted bike but it was actually derestricted, could that potentially be treated as insurance fraud or just result in the claim being denied/cancelled?

Not planning on doing anything stupid just genuinely curious how insurers deal with this situation.

Hey all. I have been considering buying a set of Finn Moto lockable saddlebags for my cruiser. Has anyone had any experience with them? I tried searching the sub, but the only mentions I found were for their gear, not the bags. They're within my budget as long as they're decent. I just want to be sure.

​

Hey guys, I recently bought a 2012 Yamaha Virago XV250 with around 28k kms on it. Had the bike for a few weeks now and honestly it's been running flawlessly until today.

I had the bike serviced last week and the mechanic recommended replacing the air filter, air filter cover, intake manifold (the rubber was cracked), and some O-rings. Also had the spark plugs changed.

Today while riding, the bike suddenly started jerking and chugging, especially in 3rd gear. It felt like it was coughing, struggling to get power and eventually just lost power completely and died in the middle of the road. The lights were still working though.

Managed to push it all the way to Yamaha, where I had the recommended parts replaced. The service manager mentioned that they gave the carb a good clean too.

After getting everything fixed, the bike initially ran fine, but after riding for a 5min it started acting up again. Same sort of jerking and loss of power. It also struggles to idle properly and sometimes needs a bit of throttle to start. Now it doesn't start even with throttle but I can still hear the ignition.

I'm honestly losing my mind over this because the bike was running perfectly fine before today, and I've already spent a fair bit getting it serviced and replacing parts.

Has anyone experienced anything similar with the XV250? Any ideas on what I should get checked next? Really don't want to keep throwing money at parts without knowing what's actually wrong.

Cheers.

Tonight I was riding home from work and lane splitting through stopped traffic. Apparently some bald 40 something guy in a grey ve commodore took exception to this and decided to try hit me with his car while yelling abuse out of his window at me ‘don’t f&@n pass me c$nt’. I was riding extremely conservatively as I had just passed a motorcycle cop. I flagged down the cop who unfortunately couldn’t find the guy.

Is there any point in reporting this incident? Does anyone else feel that the automatic response to every altercation like this is that ‘motorbike must have done something wrong’? I’m beyond frustrated that someone could be so upset about a motorbike going past them they would try use their car as a weapon.

Just wanted to see if anyone near Ipswich builds choppers for fun I just want to get involved and make mates.

Bit of a silly one but when parking your motorbike in a car spot is it etiquette to park to one side leaving space for another random person to park their bike next to yours or not really (I park quite often where there’s only one designated spot for bikes and it’s a car sized spot)

Hi everyone. I tried looking but couldn't find much information about this bike except quick comments saying dont, because its not powerful ect.

Going for my learners next month and looking for advice on the 2026 cb125F
As someone who hasn't ridden in over 20 years, mainly on farms or paddocks - Xr250, YZ80 ex race bike and the good old pw80's. So nothing major or road riding experience.

I know alot of people say - Buy a used bike, you're going to drop it and mark the bike up, which is true as its bound to happen at some point, right! lose money on the bike as soon as you ride out. But what if none of those mattered to me?

If I can get a buy the bike for around that 4k mark, then wouldnt it be worth buying and getting the extra warranty that comes with it for that extra piece of mind aswell?

I understand being a 125cc and not powerful enough, which I get and understand. But where I live, alot of the streets are 50kmph with some at 80 or 90 even in a car your on those roads for around 1-2 minutes before being back into a majority of 60kmph roads, depending on where you go. Also the highway(no need to go on that.. Yet) it's a pretty quiet area. Majority of my riding would be in the 50-60kmph zones, I'd just be commuting to gym in town, visiting friends in the local area and leisure rides down to the local beaches and around the area.

My son was talking about getting hes learners when he turns 17 in just over a year, so gathered why not buy a brand new bike and then hand it down to him to learn on to gain some confidence and go from there.

Mostly im looking for the riders who own specificlly the 2026 model and what are the pros and cons. Are they good to just cruise around, easy to operate, go from point A to point B type thing. Ive looked on youtube and the large majority are from the UK and alot of people actually rate them.

Age 40, weigh 80kg and 5ft9-5ft10 if that helps. I dont want anything that will make me stand out or be absolutely crazy. Getting to old to be reckless with kids these days!

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Happy riding! 🏍🏍

Hey all again,

Just need a wall to hit this ball against because I feel as if I’m losing my mind.

Those of you who saw my post last week will know that I had suspicions that my MT10 TPS recall had not been completed.

Well I had a long conversation with the Service Manager last Friday and a short chat today as well.

He’s adamant that the recall work was completed as per Yamaha’s instructions. He’s equally adamant that they did the right thing in adjusting the TPS the first time I brought the bike to them, even though he said they would replace it because it was dangerous if it failed.

He also said that the bike runs fine now, without any intervention or repair work from them, and that he’ll be changing the part out of caution, not because he’s sure that’s what’s causing the problems. He admitted they’re guessing but said that he “feels the replacement will fix the problems”.

I said that I’m not comfortable riding a bike that’s already cut out in the middle of an intersection unless they can tell me what went wrong and they can show me they fixed it. I told him flat out that without that evidence I will reject the bike under the Australian Consumer Law and seek a refund. I said that I’d also be prepared to accept a new 2026 MT10 where they apparently have fixed the TPS problem - if that’s even what’s wrong with the bike.

Have I lost my mind? I feel as if I’m being reasonable saying that I don’t want to risk my ass on a 1000cc bike based on their best guess, but maybe that’s just me?? Would you accept a bike like this back? I bought it in July, it broke down a month later for the first time and just over a week ago broke down in an intersection and the car behind me almost ran me over?

Any advice?

I'll start the context with the fact that I'm in Victoria.

I went through Armstrong (they're great, 10/10), for my L's and check ride, and I've just booked in for my final assessment. but the total cost has been:

- Learners (two days course on a weekend): $570

- Learner's permit: $20

- Check Ride: $280 (discounted)

- Final assessment: $345 (discounted)

- License: $40

total cost, with discounts, is $1255. Now i think its great you have to go through a bunch of training and check rides before you get your license, I'm sure it reduces the amount of crashes, but $1255 just to get you towards a motorcycle licence, isn't that outrageous? we must be the most expensive country to get a motorcycle license nowadays..

Luckily I'm a bit older and can afford it, but 18 year old me back in the day couldn't drop that sort of money for a license..

thoughts?

-edit-

Everything I've listed is mandatory to get your license. you have to do a 2 day course, and a check ride, before your assessment (for anyone outside victoria)

/s

Now that I'm bike backing I guess I better start a blogging YouTube stream.

Hey everyone,

Looking at a 2019 Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 with under 10,000 km on the clock. Aside from the standard checklist (tires, chain, brake pads, fluids), what specific model quirks, known failures, or hidden wear points should I be hunting for on an early-build 650 twin that’s barely been ridden?

Would appreciate any insights on what fails or rusts early on these. Cheers!