First motorbike looking to pass CBT

juno_first said:
Can't believe the encouragement & advice here :D
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Just wait until the first time a biker nods at you. You suddenly realise it's almost a family. I've got talking to loads of people because of bikes. My first nod was while I was on my CBT. It made me grin from ear to ear.

When I was knocked off mine earlier this year several bikers stopped on the way past to check I was OK. It really helped keep morale up.
 
juno_first said:
What type of helmet is best suited for a standard street or adventure bike?
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There are so many factors involved such as budget and what shape fits you, what shape you like. Personally I prefer Shoei and Arai helmets because I find them really comfortable, they have good ventilation and they stay clear in poor visibility. Have a Shoei GT Air 2 and did have a Shoe Neotec 2 (the face flips up on that one). The Neotec was superb. If I ride again I'll get another. But the flip front doesn't really have a very sporty or adventure image.
 
Update. Had a rear bump last week & just popped out bumper 1cm so sorting that mess now.
Had a look around a few bike shops & most 125cc are too small as I'm 6ft, that & a 125 being rare & overpriced for what they are I'm going direct access to class A2/A.
I really like Husqvarna Svartpilen 401. Its a pricy £5k or £3k s/h so going start with a CBT+gear £400 then save to pass class A, then bike.
 
Update Apr23. Bought all gear £680. Went for CBT and first time sat on bike where carpark handling was great but on quiet road needed too much coordination change gear and got worse and very nervous. Ended up pressing right foot to accelerate . To fix this every day for a week I decided sit on a cycle and pretended change up/down gears, start/stop.

Went back for CBT road ride and nailed it in the rain. Apart from leaving indicator on at first which didn’t train for on cycle . Was very nervous and tense but had the YBR125 up to 48 with no fear.

Looking at a new Honda CB125F £3k on road. S/H they’re nearly same price as new
Plod around on 125 the DAS but sat on a 600cc and they’re really heavy.

Deciding red or white to be seen better.
Searching for Insurance.
If my local Honda dealer in Newcastle under Lyme has a bike I’m anxious about riding home to Meir so saving up hard to get soon before forgetting.
 
Get a 2nd hand bike, you'll drop it, crash it and will sell it after few months after realising how painfully underpowered they are for modern traffic. You won't have trouble with selling a 125 in a decent nick, just get a Jap bike.
 
Yeah I see what you’re saying. Learning on a 125 has a good chance of being dropped & god forbid a crash… Trying not think of negative possibilities else you’d never get out of bed & slob in front of World of Warcraft.

If someone local was selling a suitable bike I’d take my mechanic & have a look, so will be checking local sales for sure.

As a 2yr old CB125F is only a few hundred less than new (with warranty). I can’t see point of going through S/H hassle. Plus resale value is very good. Dropping old or new is still going cost.

Being as have L plates I’m going swallow ego even more & get a white CB125F. Purely for safety so can be seen better. Being hetro I think red would be better but I come first & may even wear a high vis vest -don’t care what ppl think.

My dream is eventually do what Itchyboots did & bike to Iceland.
 
Going local Honda dealer at weekend :) sit on a CB125F before pulling trigger. Mate is coming but he's after a Fireblade :eek:
Can anyone recommend an Insurer. Presume full no claims on car won't work. Previous accident question -do I have to mention recent car accident which just settled no blame full repair claim.
 
juno_first said:
Going local Honda dealer at weekend :) sit on a CB125F before pulling trigger. Mate is coming but he's after a Fireblade :eek:
Can anyone recommend an Insurer. Presume full no claims on car won't work. Previous accident question -do I have to mention recent car accident which just settled no blame full repair claim.
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Insurer just hit up the comparison websites, although maybe avoid MCE unless they are bargantastic and then hope you never need them.
No, car no claims can't be used but yes you need to declare any claims you've had on your car (that one really grates on me :o)
 
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I've always treated them as completely independent from each other. I'm currently one month in to my second year of bike insurance, and because I didn't renew, it cost me £200 extra. I'm on a CBT, and the absolute worst demographic for insurance so my price is £1200/year with Lexham. The others are all much more expensive.

Hunt around for deals, check out Quidco / Topcashback. If, like me, you end up with Lexham, then check out some biking youtube channels as most have a code for an extra £20 off (try Bikematters for a start).

Edit- here, check out the description of this vid, code might still be valid:

youtu.be

Aprilia SR GT 125 Review

In this video we get our hands on the brand new SR GT 125 from Aprilia! We had it on the road and in the studio, so be sure to stay tuned and hear our though...
youtu.be youtu.be
 
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juno_first said:
Thanks yeah full gear is a priority. Enquiring about a CBT as have 2 days off next week. I did think about going straight into a full 'A' class but have never ridden a motorbike so better learn on a 125 as I'm not bothered about speed.
Doing some research on which 125 & saving hard.
I'm used to cycling up to 30mph in a t-shirt :rolleyes: but walked past a bike shop yesterday & they looked a bit scary :eek:
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Nvm just caught up on the thread!
 
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First quote from Lexham £375 TP, £675 TPFT, £975 comprehensive. My car Insurer don't do motorbikes but only £236 fully comp for an A2 TDI :)
Zero bike no claims & annoying rear car bump last year.
Looking at a shed & ground anchor as don't think can fit round corner of kitchen door. Measuring how much room in old coal house which is part of house so hmm.
 
Confused.:) Insurance quote. Kept in driveway (back garden not listed) Hastings Direct quote is £229 TPFT inc business use & inc legal cover... Have do site visits for work & may eventually do this on bike -may get a quote with no business to check but doubt any difference as free on car.
Selecting a security device or factory fitted made no difference.
I think about £200 is ok & reasonable with 0 no claims on 33yr old provisional license.

Called Honda dealer today & they have CB125F in showroom so I'll go sit on it first. Boxed in stock which takes a week to prep/register with full tank petrol, taxed & 2yr warranty £3049.

Going put under a cover in back yard with maybe a ground anchor This is is not visible from street & no houses behind with just old neighbours at sides. Thinking of getting an alarm disc lock plus have a good D lock from cycle will stash under seat.
 
Id be surprised if thats a genuine quote. Your first quote sounds more reasonable.
Theres people here that have been riding all their lives with a full license that cant manage to get insurance that cheap.
 
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Yes, £200 does look cheap as next quote was £435. Hastings Direct are quite mainstream too & when take plunge with them I'll go through the details over the phone.
Quote includes a no fault car bump last year. Funny question was having a provisional bike license for 33yrs. Maybe having a clean license with no driver aware courses for 30yrs played a part?
I used Hastings years ago for sporty cars & were very cheap until getting a 3cyl diesel.
 
My advice would be to buy a cheap 2nd hand jap bike. Use it for a few months to get some confidence and experience then sell it for what you paid for it and do your das.
Buying a new 125 bike is crazy, insurance will be huge, it'll have a much greater chance of being nicked which is very common with bikes especially 125s and if you do drop it or crash it, it'll cost you 1000s to repair.
Get something like a cb125 or even just a scooter with gears, all you need it for is a bit of experience and then move on to a proper bike.
 
i bought a brand new kawasaki ninja 125 £4.5k. only travel 3 miles to work and back. love it. plan to keep it a long time to commute and buy a 2nd bike if i want one for fun.

do wish i had more power some times but for the 7 mins im on the bike, i can do without. ive only got a 30mph and a 40mph road to work but its got enough power to shoot off from the lights if needed.
 
Went Honda dealer & they dropped price to £2900 on the road but the tyres looked like they belonged on a cycle.
Went KTM dealer & preferred this Husqvarna Smartpillen 125 & it felt way more substantial & heavier (146KG) than the Honda CB125F (117KG). Seat was harder & can easily flat foot it but leg angled a lot in position even with a high seat height of 83.5cm. Insurance £386 with Swinton so £156 more than Honda. Dealer was not bothered about speaking to me & just said £3826 on the road. Thinking about the cost now, but had to give the Husky a second look as I walked off. They sell for over £3k s/h.
Trying to look cool but can forget that with L plates :p
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