Is there the possibility of hiring a bike...perhaps for a month? Just thought I'd give a few a go before making the decision on what to buy, after HOPEFULLY passing the test.
There are a few ads in MCN each week for bike hire. There is at least one in the London Area (not including the people specialising in bikes for couriers). Not sure where the others are.
I used Raceways in west london for a ZX6R for a weekend twice...which was nice. I had only passed DAS a year earlier and that was all the riding I had done. It did have a £700 insurance excess if anything happened though.