It’s time I learnt how to ride a motorbike. My dad was an instructor but mummy said no. Well I’m 37 now and I don’t have to do what mummy says anymore…

….unless it’s really important.

So, should I go down the chicken chaser CBT route or take the DAS flaming death option?

It’s not either/or you’ll need to do your CBT and then you can choose whether or not to do DAS.

^^ wot he said.
whatever bike option you wish to take it starts with cbt.
compulsory basic training.

really, I thought you could just jump on

booo, no flaming death for me then 🙁

Nope. There was a loophole that you could ride a 125 on L plates without needing your CBT but you are too young for that to apply (it didn’t apply to me and I’m older than you) but you still needed your CBT before you could sit your full test.

I while heartedly recommend going full DAS, if nothing else, the feeling of walking into a bike shop and knowing that you could ride away on any bike you want is supreme.

most 125’s are gutless, some are great for economy/commuting, but a well chosen 500 to 600cc bike will keep you grinning for years to come.
You certainly dont need to go all out sports bike to have fun.

But like they said above, sign up for CBT regardless, it may help spread the cost of a DAS course for you whilst you make your mind up.

CBT, then DAS, get a sports bike, then start trackdays :D!!!

Slippery slope once your on it, makes mountain biking seem very cheap!!

DAS doesn’t have to mean flaming death.
It depends on how reserved you are and what kind of bike you want.

Not sure about now but when I did mine a CBT only lasted 2 years so I went the DAS route and paid £600 for a 5 day intensive course.
I went out and bought a CBR600 sports bike and scared myself silly. I’ve had several bikes over the years and the one I had most fun on was a Suzuki GS500 that I used for commuting.
I felt it was the only bike I was truly capable of owning. I scraped pegs, flicked it around and generally wrung the neck out of it but was never scared to death.
I’ve since stopped riding but if I was in your position, i’d do the DAS (then you don’t have any hassle of retests) and pick up a 500cc bike, learn the basics, enjoy riding it before deciding on what to buy next (motorbikes have the same n+1 principle).

Enjoy!

DAS purely because you get more training. I did DAS 3 years ago, went for a weekend in Wales with the old man last week.

As everyone else has said, step one is CBT. Well, or step two, if you don’t hold a full driving licence or otherwise have provisional motorcycle entitlement.

CBT is Compulsory Basic Training and is exactly what it sounds like. It’s a day’s course, give or take, and will teach you skills such as “stop,” “go,” and “turn without dying.”

From there you can either learn restricted (125s) or take a DAS course. There’s pros and cons to both.

Restricted is cheaper. When I was learning, DAS lessons were dearer, and the only experience you get is with an instructor, as opposed to getting a 125 and hacking about on L-plates on your own. There’s nothing to stop you doing that anyway of course, but it’s probably pointless unless you plan on taking DAS and then keeping riding a 125 afterwards.

DAS gives you unrestricted choice once passed, as slimjim78 says.

With DAS you learn from day one (well, day two) on typically a 500cc bike, so you don’t have to learn a 125 and then later re-learn something else. Also means you get all the testing out of the way.

Restricted makes sense when you’re a teenager but to be honest, unless you’re strapped for cash I can see little compelling reason not to just go DAS and then the world’s your mollusc.

yeah, go DAS and join the club. makes most sense unless cash is very tight.