Thanks maxray (I just googled and phoned to get the answer myself, should’ve done that first, duh!)

Guess I need to get a theory test sorted out first of all though.

Oh, I know it dangerous, there’s a reason why I haven’t been on a bike since ’87… 😳

CBT limits you to a 125 and no more than 14.6hp (assuming you’re over 17), no motorway riding and L-plates.

I’ve gone this route as I’m too skint for a DAS, and am handy enough with the spanners to be able to run (when the brakes are sorted) an old 2-stroke 125, which may may slightly* more than 14.6hp.

*double.

Yeah, I did the theory before I booked my CBT, it was the main bit worrying me as I didn’t have a theory test as such when I got my car licence.

The CBT guys encourages us to think DAS rather than spending too long on L plates, I am sure there is commercial advantage there but also you don’t build up bad habits over time that might be hard to shake and drivers tend to give a motorcycle without L plates a little more respect (in their experience).

Given the price range of the bikes you linked to OP. How about something like this:

Clicky

CBT limits you to a 125 and no more than 14.6hp (assuming you’re over 17), no motorway riding and L-plates.

I’ve gone this route as I’m too skint for a DAS, and am handy enough with the spanners to be able to run (when the brakes are sorted) an old 2-stroke 125, which may may slightly* more than 14.6hp.

Yeah, just went off and googled a bit more, think I’d look for a 125 and maybe spend a while on it before going DAS, can’t see much point in the A1, A2 stepping stones approach….

Useful thread, food for thought, I might not mention it to the missus just yet…

out of interest, those who did a CBT first, how long did you spend on L plates?

Max: must admit the thought of the theory test is a bit worrying (well more the embarrassment of failing it more like!).

Is it just the ‘car’ test or it’s it different for bikes? What do you need to do for revision purposes?

The 125 and see-how-you-like-it plan isn’t a bad one, it’d give you some experience and over a 10 mile commute it’s a pretty perfect size for a bike.

If you do decide to go for something bigger I’d forget about a 500, there really aren’t that many available these days (something some of the older more experienced riders don’t seem to have noticed). A nice SH Bandit, Fazer, GSR or similar is plenty fast enough, and still manageable. Don’t forget to budget for clothing – that’ll easily add another 500 on.

If you can get some post test training do so!

Cookaa thers a training school that do lessons at rivermead and in oxford. Lightening i think they are called. I would go straight to doing the full license as you get more training. I did my cbt as a taster then booked the rest. When you pass your test after a few months get yourself out with thames valley advanced motorcyclists. They improved my riding no end.

Anybody point me to a decent online motorcycle clothing retailer to let me see what’s out there?

Also any (sensible) recommendations on helmets?

Caberg do some cheapish decent helmets.

Aldi do some good deals on motorcycle clothes and helmets from time to time. Depends on how much you want to spend.

metalheart – i’ll sell you my VFR1200F when you pass yer test – here it is in the Alps last year 🙂

IMAG0450 by the_lecht_rocks, on Flickr

and here’s billy connoly trying it out for size 🙂

IMAG0390 by the_lecht_rocks, on Flickr

Did Billy let you try out his bicycle?

difficult in kevlar laden leathers 👿

TLR: no chance! If I go for it I’ll be looking for a bike with a) a high centre of gravity (that reduces the chances of me sticking into another stone dyke) and b) cheap enough that I won’t cry when I drop it… cause let’s face it, with my history, that is a foregone conclusion.

JEALOUS 😥
Did mine about 20yrs ago and had to sell the bike 10yrs ago when the nipper came along.
Just dont waste an more time if you have he opportunity.
Personally I would go for something with a fairing like a cbr600 as wind buffeting is pretty harsh from 60mph onwards overwise.
Just thinking about going out for a ride gets u grinning from ear to ear -be warned the 10 mile commute can end up being a 30 mile commute, just popping to the office a little earlier today love!
Enjoy

Go for it fella, you won’t regret it.

I did CBT first to see how I got on then did a 3 day DAS. Whilst doing the DAS I bought my first bike off ebay 🙂

And what a bike it was. Twins are very forgiving and I loved it. Only sold it as I did not use it as much as I would have liked. So don’t pussy around and listen to others saying ‘that’s too much for a first bike’ buy what you want. At the end of the day the bike is only as fast as you want it to be!

I’m glad someone has just said that… as I’ve just noticed these

Bigger bike

i did my cbt and ran around for about 6 weeks on my suzuki RG125 back in 98.
then went and did my test and got a ZZR1100 kawasaki.
i ran wide on a corner the day after my test, hit the kerb and fell off.
it wasnt speed related, i was doing about 45mph at the time, i just wasnt paying attention.
it was the only incident i had in 3 years of not having a car, only the bike.
i loved it, would do it again, if i was just starting out i would go for a saleable 125, then something like a 600cc bandit/fazer/hornet type bike.
or perhaps a suzuki sv650, decent examples of which can be had for less than £1500 these days.
DO IT!

IME The thing with m/c’s is that they’re a bit like MTB’s, best thing is to start on a HT and learn how to ride – and the last thing I’d recommend is V-Twin sports bike, unless all you intend to do is summer Sunday miles…

Although smaller bikes just aren’t available like they use to be, still better to start with something manageable and then move up as you get more experienced. You WILL be a better/safer/faster rider this way.

My history? Mopeds then 250’s thru a number of 350LC’s and then onto 4-strokes, latterly a pair of 1050’s plus a bit of racing. Last accident over 30 years ago (touch wood), which includes many years of all-year commuting (20k in 2011 for example).

FWIW, I reckon there’s lots of fun from properly ragging a bike and that’s easier/safer with a wee one. You’ll learn more about throttle/clutch control too. There are enough smaller bikes around to give you a good feeling of what it’s like before stepping up to something a bit bigger.

i did my cbt and ran around for about 6 weeks on my suzuki RG125 back in 98.
then went and did my test and got a ZZR1100 kawasaki.
i ran wide on a corner the day after my test, hit the kerb and fell off.

You’re in good company. Tom Sykes did exactly the same thing with a big kwaka last weekend.

Do it! I eventually went for it 5 years ago and have loved every minute. Sure, bikes attract idiots that ride too fast for the conditions/visibility/etc but that doesn’t mean you have to be one. It’s a cliche but just assume others on the road probably haven’t seen you and if they have, are actively trying to kill you. Of course there’s a risk but with common sense you can reduce it at least. I also found the training on the CBT was really basic, there’s a lot more safety advice given when you do the full DAS course/test (at least when I did it, 5yr ago) which is worth the price alone. As others have said, additional training after the test wouldn’t hurt too.

A 125 might be ok for commuting but I think you’d get bored pretty quickly and be missing out on so many of the advantages of a bigger bike – especially being able to overtake on county roads. Riding with friends who have bigger bikes probably won’t happen often if you have a 125 either, for that reason…

If you’re sensible, in my opinion there’s nothing wrong with a 600cc bike, even a sportsbike… I had one for my first bike and loved it. Generally with a 4 cylinder 600 the power is at high revs so you have to make a conscious choice to use it and can grow into it. I’d be cautious of anything much bigger to start with personally, or anything with lots of low down grunt. Insurance is likely to be high on a sportsbike at first, although it came down quickly for me, and only you know if you’d be able to resist the temptation to ride beyond your limits (though it’s nice to know the bike will be able to do far, far more than you will ever ask of it) so something in the traditional first big bike category might make more sense. Everyone loves an sv650 🙂

Finally, get something you like the look of… Don’t settle for anything less, when you first get a bike you want to be getting home on a dark rainy day and going into the garage just to admire it. Everyone has different tastes in bikes so spend some time looking and figure out what you like (plus fit, comfort, etc but bear in mind that something might seem uncomfortable at first just because it’s different…)

All just my opinion of course. 🙂

I must admit, I did a cbt and got a 125 as I had a 3l Alfa (this is about 13 years ago, and the Alfa wasn’t new then!) and the mpg of 22-23 was killing men.

I hated my CBT. Some old guy shouting at me as if I was a **** on a moped, despite my 30 odd years. Anyway, I got a 125, thinking that was all I needed. First few rides even on that were a bit scary. Anyway, after about 3m it seems both slow, dangerously so, and a bit pointless, being blown all over the road in the wind, with traffic bunching up behind me on the road. It just “made sense” to get a bigger bike licence, despite not really liking bikes.

And once you get a bigger bike, you can stick where you want. I don’t want a super fast sports bike. I started off with a 500, (Kawazaki GPZ) which was entertaining enough, as it was good for 125, and with a 4v head had a bit of a powerband at about 8k which meant it still accelerated like that bit of Star Trek where the Horizon just zaps towards you. took at least 6m for that to become “slow and manageable”.

Since then I got to a 650 twin engined SV650, which is a slightly nicer handling slightly faster bike, and its one I can rag a bit whilst remaining within my confidence/ability zone. I dont need any more. Its cheap to buy, insure and tax, light, lowish, and returns 55mpg whist being faster than anything sub Porsche/Ferrari territory on the roads.

Dont feel you HAVE to DAS after CBT, but inside 3m of “acclimatising”, you’ll porbably want to.

If you can afford it go the DAS route and don’t mess about with a 125.

You will enjoy it more and bigger bikes have better brakes, tyres handling etc.

As for a first bike my advice would be just don’t get something too heavy. Mate bought an older VFR800 after passing his test. Did a fair old few miles on it including a 3000mile Alps tour with me. Recently I sold him my 09 Street Triple R. He is like a new rider he really is.

I love it not interested in commuting, trackdays and Touring are my thing. But I love it and I don’t know many people (if they can stop thinking about the dangers) who don’t love it 🙂

PErsonally i’d go for something like a Yamaha XT660(X Y or Z)

This is great, thanks for all the advice so far folks.

Just spent an hour in stop start traffic with empty bus lanes next to me this morning and it has really sealed the idea.

Been getting some insurance qoutes and I can’t believe how cheap they are to insure tpft.

Might have to see if anyone is up for swapping a motorbike for one of my mountain bikes.. High spec 2012 banshee spitfire in medium anyone?

How would this be for a first bike? I’m really liking the “naked” look bikes.

Suzuki

The one thing I’d say with naked bikes is that they’re hard work at motorway speeds due to wind blast. My CB was a vastly better ride when I had a tank bag on, as it deflected the headwind.

I’m firmly of the opinion that a bikini faring is the way to go. Fully fared is a bad idea on a first bike; first time you drop it – and you will – it’ll cost you a grand.

Compare:

That little windscreen makes a massive difference. In hindsight it’s the one thing I regret about my old CB500.

Don’t plan on using it on motorways much anyway, few B roads etc but I’m not going to be going anywhere at 90mph in a straight line for hours on end.

I just successfully talked myself out of doing the bike test, and now this thread appears.

Plenty of good advice here. Especially the point about buying something like the CB500 over something fully aired or expensive. A guy at work just passed his test at 50 and went straight out and bought a brand new Triumph Street Triple……..we’re counting the days before he’s complaining about the price of Triumph replacement parts.

If you like the naked look how about a Street Triple R. This is my old one, just sold it to my mate.

Oh and this is what I have replace the Street with !!

Just had a look and they are lovely looking bikes… but cost about 6k from what I can see.

Budget is more like 2k really for just the bike as I need kit and licence etc

Entry level for a Street is circa 4K I would have thought. That said they do hold strong money an cost of ownership is the depreciation over the ownership period.

metalheart, there are a few free online mock tests you can do which will get you up to speed for your theory. Was a bit of a shock when my actual theory test had none of those questions but hey ho!

The hazard perception part is fine once you get your head around how you need to click. There is generally just one hazard in each clip, something that will cause you to take action such as brake or swerve. You might find at first you click too much as if you already drive you will spot loads of things just by instinct, most of them are not things you would need to react to though… if that makes sense.

The only thing I am nervous about now is the emergency stop and swerve parts of the Mod1, I am sure after a day on the big bike it will be fine though 🙂

Swerve and emergency stops etc are easier on the big bike. Its actually quite hard to get the 125 up to speed in a confined area. Likely to have abs on the bigger bike to just grab a load of brakes, simples. Just remember to not brake and swerve at the same time.

Abs shouldn’t be on learner bikes, it just teaches people to grab rather than correct technique.

Estop and avoidance manoeuvres are simple enough if you build up to them and any decent instructor will do that. The last thing I do with a student is the above manoeuvres and expect the speeds to be met first time. Slow and steady builds confidence.

I’m a DAS instructor, feel free to pick my brains.

Abs shouldn’t be on learner bikes, it just teaches people to grab rather than correct technique.

Was only on the test bike I used but the point stands the bigger bikes are easier to ride in almost all respects, better clutch, brakes, gearbox, it makes not doing DAS a bit daft if you can do it

Abs shouldn’t be on learner bikes, it just teaches people to grab rather than correct technique.

Absolutely, lets get them back on to drums while we are at it, and cross-ply tyres along with UJM with hinges in the frame – that’ll show ’em… 🙄

Stop talking bo11ocks. My last two bikes have had ABS and after an ‘incident’ with a U-turning black cab and a dark wet winters night that because of ABS meant I stayed upright and stopped, I’d not have a bike without.

Although maybe if I KNEW how to ride I wouldn’t have needed it…

Bit cheeky to add to this thread but I’ve just put a wanted swap in the classifieds.

Swap my Banshee Sptifire for your Motorbike?

As above, WHY?

Banshee Spitfire Medium 2012 Kashima rp23. (I’m 5ft10 and it fits like a glove).
Fox 32 RLC 150mm 15mm bolt through(2 rides old) (Tapered)
Stans flow on pro11’s (2 rides rims and front hub and spokes. Rear hub is older but 100%) (I build wheels).
Running tubeless hans dampf front and nobby nic rear (again 2 rides old)
x9 drivetrain (3 x9) (Cassette and chain 2 rides old).
Avid Juicy 7’s (2 rides old).
Reverb (1 ride old)
SDG Bel air saddle
Thomson x4 stem
Cane creek headset.
Complete new upgraded slippery bushing and axle kit in packet to be included in sale.

Pics to be added shortly.

Ideally looking for a 600cc bike worth around the 2k mark as the Banshee is Mint and half the kit is near on brand new bar 2 rides.

Paul