ebygomm – Member
How does it work in other countries where the car is insured not the driver? Is insurance generally more expensive for everyone, but would work out cheaper for youngsters?…

In Oz 3 party insurance is part of the annual “rego” so young drivers can afford to run a car. Everyone pays the same. It does not cover damage to 3rd party property though, so they have to be careful not to ding Mercs & BMWs.

Times when I have had the most money and the most nice things have not been when I have been the happiest

+1.

I never had a problem with smell (textile rather than leather jacket probably helped) loseing feeling in my extremities was more of a concern! I used to arrive at school and have to borrow some warm alcohol from the science labs to defrost the locks and get the key out of the ignition!

You never had the problem 😉

The PITA is for people like me with odd shaped heads who can try on every helmet in the Geroge White sale, pick the best fitting regardless of cost then have to bin it 3 hours later as it’s still not big enough/the right shape! The helmet buying itself is an expensive* hobby!

I take it you’ve looked at the AGV Tech Ti hats?
Bell may also still do custom fits, I’ve still got 2 I bought 8 or 9 years ago, they weren’t that much more expensive

bazzer – Member

No way in hell I’d be giving my son a motorbike at 17. I saw what happened to a good proportion of my mates who had them at that age…

Then should you trust him with a car ?

It’s a fair point but again, based on my own experience, those same people who drove their motorbikes like nutters didn’t drive cars in the same way. I reckon motorbikes encourage that behaviour (amongst teens at least) since even crap ones are very quick in comparison to crap cars.

It’s a fair point but again, based on my own experience, those same people who drove their motorbikes like nutters didn’t drive cars in the same way. I reckon motorbikes encourage that behaviour (amongst teens at least) since even crap ones are very quick in comparison to crap cars.

Also to be fair there is a bigger margin for error in a car. I have slid into a verge as a young driver in a car and drove away from it. So sometimes the consequences can be less, same accident on bike I would have at least been bruised.

To be honest apart from the first 15ft from the lights a learner legal 125 is pretty slow. I know as I rode my mates the other day. I remembered them being much faster 🙂

I ride with a completely different mindset now to when I was 17. I am not immortal any more 🙂

he is a student … They are clearly given everything they own and therefore have no concept of value or responsibility

Not all of them. Some buy their own things. Perhaps that’s a route to take?

First: make him ring round insurers himself 😉
Second: make him get a job and save up for a car

he is a student … They are clearly given everything they own and therefore have no concept of value or responsibility

Not all of them. Some buy their own things. Perhaps that’s a route to take?

First: make him ring round insurers himself
Second: make him get a job and save up for a car

MikeT – I was referring to the Insurance company mindset, not my own.

Get him a part time Job so he can state an occupation on the insurance form (admin is a pretty good bet) and start paying toward the insurance too? Even 4 hours a week counts as a job…

The IAM has recently introduced a scheme where you can go for an assessment as a potential pre-cursor to taking the advanced test.

Cost is just £40 refundable against the cost of the ‘Skill for Life’ course (which includes the book and as many on road sessions as he’d need, plus the test for an incredible £99.

http://www.iam.org.uk/momentum.html

I did try soem AVG ones, didn’t realise they were that customisable though, £400+ would blow a big hole in the bike budget though!

Really anoying not having the standard shape/size they obviously base their moulds on. It’s been a year so probably time to go back to George Whites and try on every helmet in the shop again, or maybe head to the NEC.

Get an old-ish one, insure as a classic. Thats what I did with my first car, it was a Mk2 Golf GTi and cost £500, would have cost about £2000 otherwise.

I just insured VW Corrado VR6 (group 18) for £200 that way, quoted about £1000 for “normal” insurance.