Keen teenager
Author
Discussion

Caring Mum

Original Poster:

3 posts

84 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
My son is about to turn 17 (God help me!). He has found himself a motorbike on line and says he has put a deposit down without looking at it yet.
a) I know nothing about what to look for when he sees the bike, He agreed his uncle would look at the bike with him but is away at the moment.. Any suggestions?
b) He has been sent a DVLA request today to tax or SORN the bike. Does that mean he has to buy the bike? What should he do with the DVLA request?
Appreciate ANY advice! Thanks Caring Mum

s2racer

123 posts

243 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
the seller has transferred the bike to your sons name which seems premature.. declare it SORN would be your best bet or deny it until he has actually seen it.

is it a dealer?

make sure he has good gear. my nephew went biking at that age, the bikes are not great and other road users are all tts until they prove otherwise. if your son is cautious he will be fine, otherwise buy him a very good helmet and a very loud exhaust


wilbo83

1,552 posts

195 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
Caring Mum said:
My son is about to turn 17 (God help me!). He has found himself a motorbike on line and says he has put a deposit down without looking at it yet.
a) I know nothing about what to look for when he sees the bike, He agreed his uncle would look at the bike with him but is away at the moment.. Any suggestions?
b) He has been sent a DVLA request today to tax or SORN the bike. Does that mean he has to buy the bike? What should he do with the DVLA request?
Appreciate ANY advice! Thanks Caring Mum
I would be pretty annoyed if I received a DVLA request to tax a bike that I haven't even purchased yet. That sounds strange to me.

Jazoli

9,681 posts

280 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
s2racer said:
buy him a very loud exhaust
Don't, there's no need, loud pipes don't actually save lives, they just piss people off.

trickywoo

14,247 posts

260 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
Sounds like dear son has bought the thing and was trying to ease you into it gently, bless him laugh

Nobody (who isn't dodgy) is going to do a V5 transfer without the full money they want for the bike in their hand.

lukeyman

1,101 posts

165 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
trickywoo said:
Sounds like dear son has bought the thing and was trying to ease you into it gently, bless him laugh

Nobody (who isn't dodgy) is going to do a V5 transfer without the full money they want for the bike in their hand.
Wish I'd thought of that when I was 17!

I had to wait til I finished uni, got a graduate loan and lived in a different county before I got away with it!

CubanPete

3,818 posts

218 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
s2racer said:
the seller has transferred the bike to your sons name which seems premature.. declare it SORN would be your best bet or deny it until he has actually seen it.

is it a dealer?

make sure he has good gear. my nephew went biking at that age, the bikes are not great and other road users are all tts until they prove otherwise. if your son is cautious he will be fine, otherwise buy him a very good helmet and a very loud exhaust
Please don't do this.

I accept you might feel safer, but to anyone who lives in a house on a road, that is a pretty antisocial thing to do. There are a lot of people driving who have had poor nights sleep due to pricks with loud exhausts blatting up the road.

Caring Mum

Original Poster:

3 posts

84 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
Thanks so so much for the advice so far! Any further advice would be appreciated as it will all will help our chat later. While I may still have the heartache at least the headache has slightly eased!!!! Very grateful!

TommyBuoy

1,299 posts

197 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
No mention of it, but assume he has done his CBT in order to actually ride it legally?!

Does sound like he bought it, unless his deposit was more than the bike is actually worth and the seller just wanted rid of a POS.

Any idea what the bike actually is? Again, we are assuming he can legally ride it.

If he has no CBT or it isn't something he can ride sounds like he just lost some money.

Good gear - all the time. Tempting as it is to ride in shorts and a t shirt when it's hot, or not being bothered to put the jacket on and just have a coat, he will most likely take a tumble and with the right gear should jump up and ride away.

trickywoo

14,247 posts

260 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
SORN is pretty important at this stage but equally you need to know where the bike is as it could make things worse if it isn't actually off the road for any reason.

In summary with the information you have shared it looks very much like your son is now the legal owner of the bike.

I'd be uncomfortable not knowing the full details of what has gone on so get the full details from him as soon as you can.

If he hasn't even seen it he could be protected by distance selling regulations (assuming its a dealer and not private sale). It may not be set in stone is what I'm saying but you need the facts and to move quickly now so things don't get more complicated.

Pothole

34,367 posts

312 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
Where are you, Mum? I'm sure a caring local BBer would go and have a look at the machine with son (or without). I'm off work for 10 days and West Mids/Black Country based if that's any good to you...

s2racer

123 posts

243 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
i dont ride at night or early

loud pipes do save lives imo.. and yeah, i live in the burbs so feel the rough end. i used to ride a CRF with a loud pipe, swapped to an XSR and the number.of people trying to kill me filtering or overtaking was incredible. i ride through traffic a lot..

as a young lad with limited road exp i stand by that advice. just dont let him ride late anyway.. or early.. the standard of driving is truly pants these days and he wont be expecting some twonk to be texting while driving.


MDUBZ

1,189 posts

130 months

Thursday 17th October 2019
quotequote all
Jazoli said:
s2racer said:
buy him a very loud exhaust
Don't, there's no need, loud pipes don't actually save lives, they just piss people off.
Ah bless... were you dropped on your head as a child? the louder the exhaust the better, not only will it save his life several times over but it will help him to be more attractive to the opposite sex. You should also encourage wheelies where ever possible.

ar-em-en

257 posts

132 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
It sounds like he's bought it already if he's getting a tax reminder.

Do you know the make/model of bike? My first thought with him being 17 and potentially having bought it is that it could potentially be a 2nd hand Chinese bike off Gumtree/Facebook. If that's the case it needs a checkover by somebody competent at the very very least.

CubanPete

3,818 posts

218 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
https://www.motocynical.com/blogs/2018/11/20/do-lo...


It appears they possibly only help if your riding is insufficiently competent in several areas. Or you're a dick.

Edited by CubanPete on Friday 18th October 07:15

Tribal Chestnut

3,001 posts

212 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
Jazoli said:
s2racer said:
buy him a very loud exhaust
Don't, there's no need, loud pipes don't actually save lives, they just piss people off.
Maybe not where it’s all rolling hills, lambs and bunnies but they bloody do in this hovel.

stu67

891 posts

218 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
Don't know his licencing situation but make sure he gets along to a good CBT center and perhaps a bit of additional training? always a good Christmas present. My son has never been interested in bikes, he's 29 now so pointless trying to change him (probably far more sensible than me), however I swore if ever he showed an interest I'd get him some lessons. He doesn't need to be studying for his full licence just some escorted rides, they sort of fly through the CBT. Lets be honest at 17 he's not going to take a blind bit of notice of you however it may at least put your mind at ease a little.
As others have said get the correct kit, this is not cheap, motorcycling used to be a cheap option to driving a car, not anymore if you wish to stay as safe as possible. Get him down to a motorcycle shop with a decent range of clothing and more importantly decent advice

dibblecorse

7,644 posts

222 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
Pothole said:
Where are you, Mum? I'm sure a caring local BBer would go and have a look at the machine with son (or without). I'm off work for 10 days and West Mids/Black Country based if that's any good to you...
You smoothie ........

Great gesture though .....

Let us know how it rides .....

Jazoli

9,681 posts

280 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
Tribal Chestnut said:
Maybe not where it’s all rolling hills, lambs and bunnies but they bloody do in this hovel.
Without wanting to derail the thread they don't, the only time I ever hear a bike exhaust is when they have overtaken me, regardless of how loud it might be, a loud exhaust may at best stop a pedestrian stepping out in front of you but they simply cannot be heard inside a car, or van, or lorry with the windows up and the radio on.

black-k1

12,807 posts

259 months

Friday 18th October 2019
quotequote all
Jazoli said:
Tribal Chestnut said:
Maybe not where it’s all rolling hills, lambs and bunnies but they bloody do in this hovel.
Without wanting to derail the thread they don't, the only time I ever hear a bike exhaust is when they have overtaken me, regardless of how loud it might be, a loud exhaust may at best stop a pedestrian stepping out in front of you but they simply cannot be heard inside a car, or van, or lorry with the windows up and the radio on.
I have to agree. They can't be heard by the car/lorry/van in front or coming the other way but they are totally disruptive to the lives of those already passed. Loud Pipes Wreck Lives would be a more accurate statement. And that's from someone who commutes from the "rolling hills, lambs and bunnies" of the countryside into the middle of London at least 3 times a week, crossing The City during rush hour.

If you feel you need a loud pipe to "save your life" then fit a louder horn and get some advanced training.