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  • Learning to ride a motorbike – cost?
  • bikemonkey
    Free Member

    I’m 30 later this year, and despite my girlfriend, sister and mum all telling me I’ll kill myself on a motorbike, my brother in law is very persuasive.

    My plan is to do my CBT, spend about a grand on a 125 then do direct access over next summer.

    There’s a school of motoring nearby that’ll do the CBT for £99, but what else do I need to factor in?

    Helmet – £80 or so
    Gloves – £40?
    Jacket – £100?
    Insurance, tax?

    What do you reckon? How much should I budget for lessons to get through the modules of the ‘proper’ test?

    dknwhy
    Full Member

    I did direct access a few years back. Including CBT was around £600 for a full five days including test. I split mine over two weeks.
    In terms of everything else, it depends on what you can afford, what bike you get and where you live etc.
    I spent £2500 on a CBR600, £500 on TPO insurance and about £400 on leathers, a lid and gloves. It’s like cycling though, you’ll always end up spending more as you go along.
    If possible, i’d look to do a course and nail it in one go. Know the rules are different now though so that may be possible….

    mogrim
    Full Member

    Boots will make a huge difference when the weather turns foul, as would some kind of plastic overtrousers.

    If you’re doing it on the cheap, though, the only really important bike specific things are gloves and helmet – you can make do with non-bike clothing for the rest, although of course you won’t be as protected. (This is assuming you’re mainly driving around town, if you’re going to head out to play on the twisty stuff you’ll definitely want more protection!)

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    maxray
    Free Member

    That said a pair of jeans will last a microsecond as you slide down the road, probably worth spending on the correct kit rather than end up with skin grafts!

    I have just completed a 3 day DAS course, did my CBT last year and hadn’t ridden in between. Passed my mod1 part today and will have my mod2 test next week. Worked out at £600 for the 3 days including test fees etc.

    Bought a helmet and gloves as the ones that are for use by the learners are pretty rank, spent £150 on the helmet and £30 for some gloves but got 10% off as I was doing my course there.

    I know it is personal choice but I think riding on your cbt alone on a 125 can work in some flaws that will be hard to remove a year later. That said I happily rode on L’s through my teens.

    lasty
    Free Member

    Learned to ride on the back fields when I was 14, cost was a hole in mi leg but adventures galore – unfortunately not an option these days…. 😆
    Went on to race for 20 years so the misspent youth was a good start.

    br
    Free Member

    Clothing protection is basically needed on anything that sticks out; so hands, feet, head, knees, elbows, shoulders.

    allthegear
    Free Member

    As it happens, I have my CBT on Monday…

    DA will be in a few weeks and then need to start looking at bikes.

    Rachel

    gavtheoldskater
    Free Member

    the cost… your life.

    i’ve had bikes for over 40 years, raced, trials etc, fast road bikes etc, i would’nt road ride now. not worried about my ability, its the dick in the car.

    if you do, buy the very best protective clothing you can afford. definitely spinal protection, but most important of all always keep in mind that every other person on the road is out to kill you.

    and buy the police roadcraft manual.

    martymac
    Full Member

    theres a reason bikers wear full leathers, its to protect you when some dick in a car doesnt bother looking and you end up sliding down the road.
    i did 2 months on a 125, then went DA.
    cant remember how much it was tbh, it was a while ago.
    i was bike only for 3 years, i loved it, i will get another bike when my finances improve.
    my advice= do the DA course and get something like a suzuki sv650, just as easy to ride as a 125, but means youre not a target at 60mph on every dual carraigeway in the land.
    best advice ive been given= treat every other road user as if they are actively trying to kill you.
    have fun, bikes are brilliant.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    +1 for just doing DA

    Or if you really want the practice, book it one or two days a week over 2-3 weeks and hire a 125 from the school in the evenings (most will let you do this for a fairly small ammount). After a day riding a 500/600cc bike a 125 feels like riding a push bike, only more furstrating as you can’t put more effort in to go quicker!

    Ask arround for recomndations for instructors/schools. The first one I went to cost me £700, the bikes were barely held together by gaffa tape, it snowed the first week but they refused to cancel the day unless I turned up at their only center that wasn’t completley blocked in, 40 miles of uncleared country roads away! And the instructors rarely seemed to get there before 11 so had to hang arround doing nothing for hours every day. Almost inevitably I failed.

    By contrast the second one had far better bikes that were actualy rideable, and after 5 minutes talking we were on the road from 9am till lunch, then out again untill ruch hour, at least double the milage the other place managed even on a good day.

    Best bit was following the instructor back after passing, and realising we were doing the ton! ZZZZzzooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

    I’d not bother with a 125 for a year, if you already ride a push bike on the road you’ll learn very little (except maybe how to do it properly). And you can always buy a 250 once you’ve passed.

    dknwhy
    Full Member

    Yeah, there was something good about passing and the instructor taking back the ear piece and saying, “we won’t be needing that anymore, follow me back to the office….” 🙂

    metalheart
    Free Member

    Well I did a DAS (passed my module 2 a week past Thursday, my new licence showed up by post today it’s official! 😀 ) and the course was quoted as being £585 for my CBT and 3.5 days training. On the day though he only charged me £535 but I decided not to argue…. That was inclusive of the test fees, bike hire and all the required equipment.

    In the end I failed my first module one (put my foot down during my U-ie) and it cost me another £45 for for retest, bike hire and a prep lesson beforehand. Felt that was well reasonable all things considered as it was an hour and a half of his time dedicated to me that was extra.

    Because I failed my fist mod 1 getting a mod 2 proved difficult and there was a months gap in between. I had my third day cut short due to torrential pissing rain (and minus an hours slow speed revision lesson) I still had a two hour lesson in the bank. Had a 3 hour lesson the night before (boy did I need it as I was rusty!) and two hours before my test. I was an hour in deficit so was an additional £30 which I paid without question as it want that much and I did need it.

    So all in all it was just under £650 (including the £30-odd for the theory test).

    Two things of advice:
    1) if you are going to fail a module, make sure it’s mod 1 as there was a lassie resitting her mod 2 before I did mine and it cost her £165 (mod 2 test fee alone is £75).

    2) once you pass and are looking for boots do not try on Daytona’s. They are chuffin expensive and once you do there’s no way you’ll settle for one of the other (much cheaper) ones… 😳

    As I’m finding out, the expensive part comes after passing….

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