Trying to make the youngster get mobile—

He’s 21,no experience, will have a learner permit- a**umed a 125 was all that was affordable, insurance-wise,so used Liberty’s online system to get a quote- came out at just over a grand for a 125 TPF&T, then I saw a tidy looking XVS 250 ( he’s a shortarse) and came back at just €50 more for the year…surprising. So, just for laughs, upped the ante to an ER-5, which was another €50.

So it seems that Liberty will insure a 21 year old total newbie on a 47 bhp 500 for €100 or 10% more than a 15 bhp 125….doesn’t make sense to me.

IMHO, a bigger bike will be safer, once he gets used to it, and would remain useful longer than a small one. I’ve had a 400 Burgman scooter which would sit at an indicated 80mph on the motorway, and used a CB500 to the IOM last August, and it was able to get my 16 stone plus gear up to Dublin and down from Belfast to Cork without a problem.

So, apart from the seat height ( hes 5′ 5″) and extra weight to get used to, is there any reason not to have him start off on a 500?

I’m thinking something like a 400 Bros or 535 Yamaha v-twin might suit him, but it’s been a long while since I started off on bikes, so any ideas or suggestions from the Biker.ie collective wisdom..?