Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Hi all,
Ok so I have a few questions that I’m hoping you can assist me with please.
I considering getting myself a Motor Bike, and yet I know nothing about going down the test route or even buying one. Can you help me please?
I assume I will need to do my CBT first?
Is it possible to do a BIG Bike crash course where I can get the whole passing your test thing out of the way in one weekend?
Is there a theory test also?
Recommendations for a test centre near me North West Lancs?
What type of Bike to get for a first bike?
My friend had a Mint R1, why are they so cheap?
What is the Insurance costs likely to be for me?
Who should I insure with?

Background: I’m a mature married mid 30’s guy just under 6ft, and under 14 stone. I am safe driver in the car, who occasionally like most on here likes a bit of speed when safe and legal to do so, and especially with no kiddies in. I have done a few Driver Awareness courses through my employer, so I think my perception is probably greater than average Jo. I have a garage to store the bike, and it will likely only be used 6 months of the year, and probably at that only used at weekends.

Any help where to start would be great
Thanks, Rob

gpssti4

iTrader: (6)

Start with life insurance. Secondly, depending on when you passed your car test, you may already have the ability to ride upto 125cc on L plates. I'm not a motor biker but I'd certainly suggest building up slowly.

DYK

You can do what's called DAS direct access,that allows you to take the test to ride any cc bike,usually you'll do the lessons and then test on the 5th day,as long as you have a full car licence which i assume you have,and you need your counter part/paper licence with category A on the licence.Other than that you can ride up to a 125cc on a car licence on L plates when you have passed the CBT course,but if you stay like this you have to renew it every 2 years i think..
Oh and Don't forget you need to do a theory test too...

DYK

Oh and i wouldn't worry about getting a bike yet,usually whoever you take the lessons with,will lend you a bike+riding gear for the duration of the course.It depends what bike you're into,i prefer the naked style bikes,
like these.

Reminds of a sexy hot woman,with all the curves in the right places.

ritchie21

First you will need to do the CBT-regardless of whether you are already allowed to ride a 125cc on your licence. You need to provide your CBT certificate to the test centre.

The training centre who takes you through that will then advise you the best way of getting your licence. DAS doesn't really apply anymore as there are two parts to the bike test now and you can't book Part 2 until you've passed Part 1.

You will need to have passed a theory test. Then complete Part 1 which is carried out at the test centre (not all test centres have the area so you may need to travel) and is things like swerve test, emergency stop, slow control etc. After you have passed that, you can then book Part 2 which is the on road test.

I wouldn't worry about buying a bike until you've passed your test. Also remember, most (not all) bike shops won't let you test ride a bike until you've had your licence for a year.

Good luck!

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Thanks everyone. All taken onboard

I have had my full car license since 1997, pretty sure it had 125cc on it, but as I havent got it to hand I cant confirm.

I'll look at my CBT, and teory test foremost, and take it from there.

No intention of buying a bike until/if (lol) I have passed by test

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Rob

ps _ Im at work so I cant see that image above ;(

David Lock

Calling Motorbikes - Where do I start?

Biker Forum?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

fivetide

iTrader: (1)

I absolutely wouldn't buy an R1 or that sort of machine for a first bike though.

Go for a decent 600, they'll still top 150mph and beat absolutely everything in a straightline. Learn to ride the wheels off it then step up.

Bikes tend to devalue fairly quickly but then just stop and hold quite well. Insurance I am waiting to rocket as it is actually daft cheap for the performance. Try MCNcompare for a few ideas of someone just passed their test on say Suzuki Bandit.

You might find the wee sports bikes are a bit cramped and unless you are on a track, it won't make too much difference if you learn to ride properly.

5t.

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

Loads of nice 600's out there.....as said about the r1 don't bother with the r6 , unless you like tap dancing...the gearing is ****e .
They do wheelie well in 3 figures

r32

Do your CBT first, get some idea of bike riding, handling etc. DOnt even think about what you may want if you finally pass your test.
There is no doubt motorcycling can be life shortening So see how you get on. Do not think about anything like an R1 or Fireblade, even the sports 600's are mighty quick. Sadly where once a CBR600 would have been a good first bike almost all sports 600's have gone almost race spec so I would suggest even those too potent for a while.
Bandit, Hornet etc good first bike.

RobsyUK

iTrader: (2)

I knew a guy who got a bike.. 3 weeks later he sold it after being knicked 3 times for speeding. I hear it's very easy to do.

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

get yourself a motor cross bike, have fun, see if you like it and get some basic skills,
then look at the next step imo

phoenixgold

iTrader: (2)

CBT
Theory test
Practical Test part 1 - Off road
Practical Test part 2 - On Road.

A good school will run an intensive course that will get you through all of them in a week, although it probably would help to do theory beforehand. After CBT you can ride upto 125cc on road with L plates regardless of car license. Car license pre 1997 with CBT entitles you to ride a 50cc moped without L plates.

You can take the test either on a 125cc bike, which will give you a 33bhp restriction for 2 years, or on a 500cc+ bike which gives you immediate access to any bike capacity.

I would agree with the above about bikes. Get through your test and get some bikes test ridden before thinking about buying a bike. The Yams did seem to be the most expensive to insure of all the sports bikes, but I think most sports bikes are overkill on the road. I used to have a DRZ 400 supermoto that would out drag most cars off the line, upto about 90mph and that was great fun on the road, so light and nimble.

For a first bike, bandit 6, hornet 6, er6 are all good bikes with more than enough power to start on.

donny andi

iTrader: (3)

Cbr600rr , I will say its the best all rounder on the road.
Very easy to ride and will 'under normal circumstances' go exactly where you want it to

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Thanks everyone for you input, much appreciated. All the comments ref the first bike has been dual noted. It seems pretty straightforward then in terms of what is needed to pass.

Great effort guys, even from a Subaru forum, who'd have thought it David

Rob

Ps it was meant to say "Calling all Mororbikers"

ScoobyWon't

Does Jo know you only think she's average?

toneh

iTrader: (1)

Hi rob I know we've had our little disagreements lol
But bikes are really my cup of tea from being a kid to now 40,s
Ive raced them , tracked them and road riding
They are the most exciting machine you'll ever own and beat cars hands down
That said they are so dangerous and it's so easy for me to say
Do not bother riding on the roads , it's a total pain , get your licence , ( direct access )
And stick to the track ( there's nothing like it )
The roads are full of idiots and that means all of us ( me included )
Your late into biking and even though you think you are steady and will be a safe rider the temptation to give it some will be too strong ( you've already mentioned r1,s )
An r1 is no use on the road at all , you can't use the handling and power , if I were you and we're intent on road riding I'd go for sports tourer ,
I don't want to come across as a kill joy
I really love bikes , they have been a huge part of my life , but they've also caused me a lot of heart ache
I don't want to sound patronising , but go for it by all means but it is a dangerous pass time

Tony

mrmadcap

I'm no biker but that sounds like good advice

unclebuck

I am (was). If you've not ridden bikes from an early age I would advise against it.

IMO you need to do at least 3 years off road before you even venture onto tarmac.

toneh

iTrader: (1)

I could not agree more mate
Bikes have been my life ( more than scoobys or cars ever will)
Its hard to give advice on biking without coming across as either a know it all or some sort of safety campaigner ( I'm niether )
I've know what I know from learning the hard way
I would strongly advise not riding on the road full stop ( but I know it won't make any difference
Here's some reasons
I've had 4 friends killed
2 where there own stupidity (too fast hit a tree ) (wheelie and flipped it )
1 slid on ice and slid under a lorry ( could as easily be diesel)
1 a drink driver hit him
Then there's the lucky ones
1 sustained serious head injuries ( bus pulled out )
1 Been put in hospital twice with various fractures ( both occasions cars pulling out )
Yet no one I've been with on track either racing or track day have lost there lives
I doubt this will put anyone off and it's not really intended to ( but if it does I'd probably be happier )
I suffer now , limp in cold ,snapped tendons in right foot ( to damaged to repair)
Left knee , left hand , left shoulder , both elbows
I've not put any of this to make out its a macho biker thing , it's not
As a grown man I've sat and cried and wanted to take a hammer to my bikes each time somthing happened ( that's not macho at all )
All this and more besides is not isolated , there's bikers all over with the same things
But like I've said it was my life and it's a crazy addiction , it's just luck if you get it out of your system before your times up

Tony

unclebuck

My dad used to say - "there are no bad motorcycle riders, they're all dead"

'nuff said. The benefits of learning the skills on a low powered machine off road were indispensable to me (not that I realised at the time)

It's why I'm still here

scotty44

iTrader: (12)

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring...eds/DG_4022430

Not sure the R1 would come under the "Moped" list Rob lol
I did think you could ride upto a 125cc on a car license if you passed pre 2001

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

technically he could buy a R1 and just limit its output

toneh

iTrader: (1)

This is what makes me laugh and makes me mad
A guy who has not got experiance with bikes and already r1 talk ( restricted or otherwise )
Yep by all means get an r1 , gsxr, ect
But don't expect to use it regular for a long period
Because theres a good chance of either
A) it will get written off
B) the rider will get written off
And even after a year or two 99% of riders still can't handle a sports bike ( even more so at speed)
Like I've said , just depends how lucky you are

Leslie

You don't say whether you have any biking experience or not.

If not I would advise a light bike initially which is easy to handle so that you can learn about co-existing with other traffic on the roads without having to worry about handling the bike itself. There is a lot to learn in order to keep yourself safe on a bike and riding a large and heavier machine would not help in that respect.

Keeping yourself out of trouble on a bike is a fair bit different to car driving. Once you have got all that under your belt then you can go for something more exciting.

I have got a good many year's biking experience, fell off a good few times initially, and learned from that. I still enjoy it every bit as much anyway.

Les

^Qwerty^

Pretty sure that statement puts you in the highest risk group of motorcyclists likely to wrap themselves up and end up in a wooden box.

Quick Story.
Just recently I had an anxious 14 day wait. Left work in York and headed home via Elvington. I was following three cars at around ~50mph, and decided to overtake them when the road became clear in the opposite direction. Towards the end of the manoeuvre I clocked the NY camera van in the distance, rolled off the throttle and tucked in behind the first car. I think I was fortunate in that the operator was either just setting up or packing up as I saw him messing the sliding window which they point the camera out of. I would imagine that during the overtake I probably touched ~100mph. Some may mock, but I tell you, it’s so god damn easy to do on a bike that the chances of appearing in an article like this are high and increasing all the time.

http://www.yorkpress.co.uk/news/selb...rivers_shamed/

Losing my licence wouldn’t be the end of the world to me, but it would have caused massive impact on my Mrs and kids, so think carefully before taking the plunge, or stick to track days as suggested above. As one TrafPlod has said, “you have to get lucky all the time, we only have to get lucky once”
And if you do buy one, FFS, don’t buy a 600 sports bike, they are a f’ing mare to ride. You’ll probably end up with RSI of the left ankle due to all the gear changes you have to make

ScoobySteve69

iTrader: (13)

Or, don`t turn into a **** and don`t bother

toneh

iTrader: (1)

My final say on the subject
Rob get your licence , go to a race school, And buy a nice track bike
As big and as fast as you like and do track days
You can start in the novice group And give it as much Or as little as you want in a reasonably safe environment ,,, your car will become the slowest vehicle you've ever owned and boring
And you will wonder at how some guys can ride so fast
Track bikes are cheaper , no need for insurance , tax , mot , and bike track days are generally cheaper than car
If you like car days I'd be very suprised if you didnt get addicted to bike days

Tony

Osimabu

iTrader: (2)

If you're just starting out, get a trail bike, because as a general rule, they're not covered in expensive plastic (remember gold is cheap, pound for pound, compared to Japanese bodywork) and if you throw them down the road, you'll more than likely be able to kick them straight and carry on. They're also great fun and not too fast.

And whatever you do, don't skimp on your protective clothing, ever. It doesn't matter how hot it is, if you wouldn't want to run and throw yourself onto the ground in what you're wearing, don't ride the bike.

I've a relative who is very wealthy. His son got a moped at 16, had the standard 'yoof' tee-shirt and jeans crash, and paralysed his right arm. He spent the rest of his life in pain, dying at 38. He could have had the finest BKS handmade leathers and would have been fine, but he didn't. It's something I've never forgotten.

Sorry to be lecturing, but I survived 21 years on bikes with only a dislocated shoulder to show for it (and many trips into the undergrowth trail riding) and I'd hate you to be ignorant of the potential dangers.

If they're still going, the ten week RAC/ACU training scheme I attended back in 1981 was the best money I could have spent to prepare me for the bike.

Despite being a lapsed biker, we still go to the TT most years though - try that if you can, it's heaven, despite the crappy course cars they use these days...! (Runs off to hide.)

Rob Day

iTrader: (78)

Well I figure I best revive this with an update.

In September I passed my CBT with one visit

Again in September I passed my theory in 1

October I passed my MOD 1 no prob

November I passed my MOD 2 2nd time round, too much hesitation on first effort.

Yesterday I bought a CBR600 at a very good price, insurance only £200 per year

Time to wait for some better weather!

Rob