advice needed

Dogfood09 · 28 Oct 2013 at 17:01

Hi guys,
Totally new to this forum..so please go easy on me.
I am about to do my CBT this Saturday and have no car or bike experience... I am 6ft and about 16st...I've been doing my research..and I am opting for the Honda veredaro xl 125cc...as this bike seems a good choice for my height and weight..what I need help on is where is the best place to buy my gear from? I am totally new to the biking world and have no idea what is a popular website..I need to get all my gear from helmet to clothing...and if anyone knows of a decent sat nav for my galaxy s4?

Many thanks
Steve

DanF · 28 Oct 2013 at 17:31

Bike clothing can be a bit tricky to get right first time. Can you get to any bike shops to try some stuff out first? usually the shop keeper will help you out with fit etc. Like helmets should be pretty damn tight when new, tighter than most new riders will realise.

Dogfood09 · 28 Oct 2013 at 17:40

I am pretty sure there is nothing near me...will search around..thanks

wazza300 · 28 Oct 2013 at 18:20

id pick the textile clothing as its easier to move around in,get a neck warmer too to stop the wind under your helmet

look at weise textile clothing and spada,pref one with a removable liner and armour for the jacket

spada make some decent boots also

id avoid rst boots they fall apart,top end are sidi they last for years but are expensive

ebay,local bike shops,busters (online) for places to buy gear from

NooBish AbbZ · 28 Oct 2013 at 21:54

I got a lot of my stuff from J&S. They have a website too to see if theres one near you. My dads got some good stuff from ebay for good prices in the past.

Good luck for your CBT. I did mine only a couple of months ago. nothing to worry about

Dogfood09 · 28 Oct 2013 at 22:20

Thanks...there is a j&s in new Malden which is only 20 mins away...will have a look at them...thanks

PieEater · 29 Oct 2013 at 07:44

Dogfood09 said:
Thanks...there is a j&s in new Malden which is only 20 mins away...will have a look at them...thanks

Get their advice on helmet fit when you are there, you can't get this right without trying on a number of helmets to see what manufacturers shell suits your head shape the best, and it's very important to get it right.

gcaster · 30 Oct 2013 at 10:58

I used J&S to size up all my gear and bought my gloves from them (£80) just so that I wasn't completely taking the ****. After that straight on eBay and got £370 worth of RST gear (jacket, trousers and boots) for a whopping £157; jacket has obviously been used for maybe half a year or so but the boots and trousers haven't got a mark on them. Hopefully my boots won't fall apart as Wazza sys!
Obviously ALWAYS buy a helmet new and as above, try it on before buying.

wazza300 · 30 Oct 2013 at 12:16

gcaster said:
I used J&S to size up all my gear and bought my gloves from them (£80) just so that I wasn't completely taking the ****. After that straight on eBay and got £370 worth of RST gear (jacket, trousers and boots) for a whopping £157; jacket has obviously been used for maybe half a year or so but the boots and trousers haven't got a mark on them. Hopefully my boots won't fall apart as Wazza sys!
Obviously ALWAYS buy a helmet new and as above, try it on before buying.

hope not,but mine wore holes in the sole within a month!!

and they leaked

have some spada ones now,good so far,best ive owned are sidi black rain boots

gcaster · 30 Oct 2013 at 18:41

Ah that sounds ominous...
Not so fussed about the leaking, they're summer boots so that's what my waterproof socks are for but I could do without holy soles!

Dogfood09 · 2 Nov 2013 at 16:26

Ok...so I had my CBT today...and it did not go well...here's what happened...I turn up...there are 3 others there with me...myself and someone else doing 125cc geared..and the other two doing 50cc mopeds...there is only one instructed...and he made it clear he needs to be done by 3pm to attend a Halloween party...so we start...it gets to 1pm and he says to us on the manuals that we are not ready for the road yet and he needs to take the mopeds out on the road...so he ended our course and told us to make another appointment at a cost of £50...this course was meant to be 9-5!!! ...what should I do?? If there was two instructors..we could have carried on practising till 3 then hit the road if we were ok too...as I was....we only had 3 hours on the bike...totally disappointed with this expierance ...I was really hoping to be on the road next week...what should I do? Is that normal practice? Keen to hear your views

ElliorR · 2 Nov 2013 at 16:36

You got unlucky and had a **** school/instructor. If it is a school complain and then cut your losses and go elsewhere.

Look for recommendations in your area.

Dogfood09 · 2 Nov 2013 at 16:40

Think I will do...problem I have I need it done asap...not many spaces left on my local for November...sooooo annoyed

gcaster · 2 Nov 2013 at 22:23

Where was it you did the course with?

I had a similar experience with Liberty MCT in London. My friend and I were both on geared bikes and there were 2 others there on mopeds. The bikes were decent but the instructor was appalling and the owner of the place was just down right rude.
Fortunately my mate and I both passed but the girl in our group was dismissed after under half an hour on the moped. She was a bit of a liability and struggled to grasp the controls but she was offered no instruction other than, "just get on and do it". I'm not sure how the guy with the moped got on with his road ride but I doubt it will have gone well. The worst part of it was the attitude of the owner who was hassling our 'instructor' to get us turned round as quickly as possible; he even ********* him at 12:30 (in front of us, the customers) for not being on the road yet. Again, we were under the impression that we'd paid for 9-5.
All in all, I guess we got what we paid for. Liberty MCT winter rates were £70 each for the 'day', if I'd paid their full £130 during summer I'd have been seriously hacked off!