I can't hold it in anymore, I need a bike!
Discussion
Hi all, new to the biker banter but hopefully not for long!
Ages ago I used to ride 50cc motorbikes (DT and TZR mainly), and back then it was great fun. Since then money and not needing a bike kept me honest. However, I have just been up the road on my brother's Yamaha 450WR, and I am hooked!
Trouble is, I only ever passed my car license in France 7 years ago, and reading up on the old threads and the DVLA website leaves me rather confused... I would like to go for a direct access fast option thingy, but can anyone tell me what I would let myself in for? I am 25, good driver, and very comfy on my brother's bike even though I never rode anything above 125cc before.
What kind of timeframe would I be looking at? Do I need to buy a bike first? And also, assuming I don't need to be taught for too long, what kind of ballpark cost? Are there any recomended riding schools? Any minimum learning time?
I would probably be looking for a 600 roadster, or ideally a 450 supermoto...
Hi Alex
First you need to do your CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) which is a day course going round cones etc and then an afternoon out on the roads. You will do this on a 125cc which your training company can provide.
One you pass that you then need to pass your bike theory test.
Once you pass that you do the DAS which, depending on how well you do on CBT, will be between 3 and 5 days typicaly. This will be either straight on a 500 cc or a mix of 125 and 500 (again supplied by the training company) depending on how quickly you learn. The last day will include your test.
I did my CBT in September and by November had my full bike license by following this course. Now have a shiny 650 SuperMoto and it's great fun.
Call a few local training schools, speak to them and book yourself onto the CBT and get going!!!
I think my CBT was £125 and I did a 3 day DAS which was around £500!!
Hope that helps!!!
Edited to say...before my CBT my only experience was a 100cc bike about 15 years before!!!
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 23 December 18:01
Edited by anonymous-user on Saturday 23 December 18:03
I did a slightly longer route than Gary as I could only train on one or two days a week, so my training was a bit more spread out and to be honest by the end of it I was getting a little fed up with the time it was taking, mostly because I was meeting people who were coming in after me and taking their test before me. I passed first time though! 
I started with the CBT in August, and I strongly urge you to do this right away whilst the spark is still there: I say this as I spent 15 summers going "Ooooh, I fancy a bike" and not doing anything about it. I took the CBT telling the girlfriend how it would give me a taster and if I didn't like it I would have only wasted £100. Man, my excuses are good!
After that I sat down with the lady running the courses and worked out when we could do 20 hours of training spread over about 6 or 7 weeks as my time allowed and culminating in
my test. During this period I sat my theory test as well, which if you have driving experience you should be able to pass quite easily.
To give you an idea of budget, overall I spent £117 on my CBT, £23.50 (?) on the theory test and £600 on DAS which included test fees. I spent a similar amount on kit, so by the time I was ready to buy a bike I'd spent about £1500. All in I think I've spent about £5500, of which £3000 was on the bike, the rest going on insurance and things like a cover, locks, lubricants & assorted service bits, extra tools, earplugs (get them!) n stuff n that. It all builds up!
It's been worth every penny, it's the best thing I've done in years, I get a buzz every day.
I started with the CBT in August, and I strongly urge you to do this right away whilst the spark is still there: I say this as I spent 15 summers going "Ooooh, I fancy a bike" and not doing anything about it. I took the CBT telling the girlfriend how it would give me a taster and if I didn't like it I would have only wasted £100. Man, my excuses are good!
After that I sat down with the lady running the courses and worked out when we could do 20 hours of training spread over about 6 or 7 weeks as my time allowed and culminating in
my test. During this period I sat my theory test as well, which if you have driving experience you should be able to pass quite easily.
To give you an idea of budget, overall I spent £117 on my CBT, £23.50 (?) on the theory test and £600 on DAS which included test fees. I spent a similar amount on kit, so by the time I was ready to buy a bike I'd spent about £1500. All in I think I've spent about £5500, of which £3000 was on the bike, the rest going on insurance and things like a cover, locks, lubricants & assorted service bits, extra tools, earplugs (get them!) n stuff n that. It all builds up!
It's been worth every penny, it's the best thing I've done in years, I get a buzz every day.
I will do a CBT as soon as I can, I assume bad weather doesn't stop the teaching? The rest might have to wait a little because of finances, but I feel I will be doing what I can to scrape enough money together!
I had a look at insurance today too, and it all seems dead cheap to me! However I still haven't decided what type of bike would be best to start with... I fancy a supermoto but they seem a bit hard to get hold of straight away (ie not an enduro that i'd have to modify), and I wonder if say an SV650 wouldn't be a better option as I think I would prefer to be hooning on road as opposed to be green laning by myself... Any thoughts?
Also while we are here, what bike would be good to start with without getting bored of it too soon? (I'm off to read about that, but I'm sure you are dying(sp?) to tell me anyway)
I had a look at insurance today too, and it all seems dead cheap to me! However I still haven't decided what type of bike would be best to start with... I fancy a supermoto but they seem a bit hard to get hold of straight away (ie not an enduro that i'd have to modify), and I wonder if say an SV650 wouldn't be a better option as I think I would prefer to be hooning on road as opposed to be green laning by myself... Any thoughts?
Also while we are here, what bike would be good to start with without getting bored of it too soon? (I'm off to read about that, but I'm sure you are dying(sp?) to tell me anyway
) I've just been looking at bikes for sale for a while, and something struck me. Hasn't there been bikes for sale in britain between 1980 and 2000? Everything seems way too new and expensive for my budget or just like the bikes my dad used to ride when he was my age!
I won't really want a low mileage/mint bike to start with, as long as it works and looks decent i'll be pleased, but I can't seem to find any... What's up with that?
Alex@POD said:
I've just been looking at bikes for sale for a while, and something struck me. Hasn't there been bikes for sale in britain between 1980 and 2000? Everything seems way too new and expensive for my budget or just like the bikes my dad used to ride when he was my age!
I won't really want a low mileage/mint bike to start with, as long as it works and looks decent i'll be pleased, but I can't seem to find any... What's up with that?
Get on Autotrader, there's loads
Starter bikes are usually the Suzuki SV650, Bandit 600 or Honda Hornet 600 which are usually a naked bike (i.e no fairing to break when you drop it and you will)
Lots of people jump straight on to a supersport bike, Suzuki GSXR600, Honda CBR600 (good choice for new riders), Kawasaki ZX636, Yamaha R6.
Other bikes are like the one you'll do DAS on are known as commuter bikes and are Suzuki GS500, Honda CB500 or Kawasaki ER-5.
The difference between the 500s and the much more highly tuned 600s will blow you away, but even the 500s will leave most cars behind upto 100ish.
There are literally dozens of other good bikes I've not mentioned but above are the most obvious choices.
Do some searches there have been some really good threads on this subject
I'm not too keen on them BMWs or anything too big like a Suzuki DRZ with a big tank (I think)
It would have to be more like this:
As far as looks are concerned anyway... I won't be tempted by those Hongdu or such you can find on eBay either...
Although I really like the SV650 too...
Edited by Alex@POD on Sunday 24th December 18:10
I'd suggest sitting on all the naked 600s and seeing what one suits you best. All the big manufacturers make one (with the exception of Suzuki who make 3) so you're quite spoilt for choice.
The V-twin bikes (eg the SV650) will be a bit more torquey and will accelerate better from low revs, whereas the inline 4 (eg the Honda Hornet) bikes tend to scream up to a higher top speed.
The V-twin bikes (eg the SV650) will be a bit more torquey and will accelerate better from low revs, whereas the inline 4 (eg the Honda Hornet) bikes tend to scream up to a higher top speed.
Buy an SV
Bad weather is very unlikely to interfere with your CBT! I don't really mind riding in poor weather, it's only really rain at night that bothers me, because I am acutely aware how easily I can become invisible. With decent kit, rain & cold needn't be a problem and the school should be able to provide you with something that will at least keep you dry.
Insurance isn't a major worry at first, although for a beginner the bigger bikes are exhorbitant. I got fully comp on my Fazer 600 for £400, on the net, in a hurry as I was picking my bike up an hour later! I'm 35 with max NCB on cars, zero on bikes and 3pts from speeding, so that should give you an idea anyway. The Buell I fancy atm would be about £800, a Blackbird (slobber!) would be about £1100.
I chose the Fazer 600 as it was the fastest bike I felt comfortable on, the idea being that it would keep me entertained for longer. In hindsight, I've probably boobed slightly as excellent as the Fazer is, and as much as I love it to bits and it should keep me happy for the next 3yrs, after a couple of months and a couple of thousand miles I fancy something bigger and would rather have a slightly smaller bike (ER-5, CB500 etc.) for commuting and a big nasty toy for blatting about the rest for the time. On the other hand, insurance would still be a nightmare for me so I should stick to what I have, safe in the knowledge that it's paid for, cheap to run and still makes me go "WOOOOOOAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!" when I nail it in 2nd. And 3rd.
I refuse to admit to redlining in 4th as that is obviously completely illegal, hugely irresponsible, and mind warpingly good fun.
The SV is nice, but I wasn't comfortable on it: I strongly urge you to test ride before you buy. I did my training through my local dealer and I think that made them more relaxed at the idea of a n00b taking their bike sout for test rides. Either that or they're just pretty swell! (They are that too!). Either way, if there is a similar arrangement at a dealer near you that you feel comfortable with, it might be worth your while building a mutually beneficial relationship.
Insurance isn't a major worry at first, although for a beginner the bigger bikes are exhorbitant. I got fully comp on my Fazer 600 for £400, on the net, in a hurry as I was picking my bike up an hour later! I'm 35 with max NCB on cars, zero on bikes and 3pts from speeding, so that should give you an idea anyway. The Buell I fancy atm would be about £800, a Blackbird (slobber!) would be about £1100.
I chose the Fazer 600 as it was the fastest bike I felt comfortable on, the idea being that it would keep me entertained for longer. In hindsight, I've probably boobed slightly as excellent as the Fazer is, and as much as I love it to bits and it should keep me happy for the next 3yrs, after a couple of months and a couple of thousand miles I fancy something bigger and would rather have a slightly smaller bike (ER-5, CB500 etc.) for commuting and a big nasty toy for blatting about the rest for the time. On the other hand, insurance would still be a nightmare for me so I should stick to what I have, safe in the knowledge that it's paid for, cheap to run and still makes me go "WOOOOOOAAARRRGGGHHHH!!!" when I nail it in 2nd. And 3rd.
I refuse to admit to redlining in 4th as that is obviously completely illegal, hugely irresponsible, and mind warpingly good fun.
The SV is nice, but I wasn't comfortable on it: I strongly urge you to test ride before you buy. I did my training through my local dealer and I think that made them more relaxed at the idea of a n00b taking their bike sout for test rides. Either that or they're just pretty swell! (They are that too!). Either way, if there is a similar arrangement at a dealer near you that you feel comfortable with, it might be worth your while building a mutually beneficial relationship.
Alex@POD said:
garyhun said:
Here's what I got....
oh yeah... (clarkson stylee) I read that because of those are using the old Dominator engine, and with new emissions regulations, they are pretty restricted, what do you think of it?
It's great fun. The engine is a little binary...the torque suddenly comes in and away you go and not as smooth as a twin or 4-pot (obviously) ...but it has a load of torque and top speed more than reasonable. Only had it 2 months but it's a great bike to improve my riding skills and the high seat position is superb!!!
I was looking around the classifieds and all that, and something sprung to my mind: I don't know anything about the motorbike market... I have sold and bought a few cars in the past, but never bikes, are there specific things to be wary about, things to avoid, things to request or check thoroughly?
Also a search for bike riding schools around Wrexham on the net isn't helpful, I either get bike shops or horse related stuff... Is there a special codename or something?
Also a search for bike riding schools around Wrexham on the net isn't helpful, I either get bike shops or horse related stuff... Is there a special codename or something?
Alex@POD said:
I was looking around the classifieds and all that, and something sprung to my mind: I don't know anything about the motorbike market... I have sold and bought a few cars in the past, but never bikes, are there specific things to be wary about, things to avoid, things to request or check thoroughly?
Also a search for bike riding schools around Wrexham on the net isn't helpful, I either get bike shops or horse related stuff... Is there a special codename or something?
Also a search for bike riding schools around Wrexham on the net isn't helpful, I either get bike shops or horse related stuff... Is there a special codename or something?
'Motorcycle training' might be more fruitful
As for buying bikes, you need eyes like a shithouse rat to spot bodgery, bent frames (or subframes), restamped numbers, swapped or repaired plastics, incorrect parts for bike (unless being sold as non-standard) etc etc.
Avoid the 'meet-in-petrol-station-no-mate-I-don't-have-the-V5' merchants.
These days it seems to be the case that a test-ride is only available if you can put down the asking price as a deposit in case you bin it or do a runner, so it's more difficult to judge whether brakes, suspension are OK. At least try to get a pillion ride so you can pick up glaring problems (with the proviso that the rider should be used to pillions: the guy I bought my ST1100 from admitted afterwards that he'd never carried a passenger, let alone a 13-stone one on a 660lb bike!
) On the other hand if you're selling and the buyer suggests you go pillion with him, watch out for the old dodge of them pushing you backwards off the seat and riding off. Probably not as easy to do on a lot of modern bikes with deeply stepped seats, but still one to be aware of.
The vast majority of buyers and sellers are kosher (especially the Jewish ones) but like on Ebay, there are crooks...
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