Which path do I take?

Andy Pandy

Andy Pandy

Andy Pandy

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Nottingham
I'm sorry for making a new thread, I have done so many searches and read most of the threads but I would like a personalised reply :).

I am very keen on learning to ride a motorbike but don't know how to go about it. I turned 20 in May so I can't do the DAS so do I do the CBT and buy a 125 then ride that for a while and maybe do the test this year. Or do I do a 4/5 day course and get the full license and then save up for a decent bike and restrict it. If i did take that path when I turn 21 is there something I can do so I'm not restricted for another year?
 
Andy Pandy said:
I'm sorry for making a new thread, I have done so many searches and read most of the threads but I would like a personalised reply :).

I am very keen on learning to ride a motorbike but don't know how to go about it. I turned 20 in May so I can't do the DAS so do I do the CBT and buy a 125 then ride that for a while and maybe do the test this year. Or do I do a 4/5 day course and get the full license and then save up for a decent bike and restrict it. If i did take that path when I turn 21 is there something I can do so I'm not restricted for another year?
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did exactly the same. passed my test in the normal route on a 125 then was restricted for a year or 2. 125 sounds pants but it's practice and keeps you riding - experience is everything.
 
To me it depends what type of biker you want to be. I passed my restricted test in Aug 2008 when I was 19. I've been limited to a 125cc (33bhp) bike for nearly 2 years now. I just turned 22 last month and cannot wait to get my first big bike. The 2 years have gone really slow for me.

I got an RS125 as I got into biking for the thrill, the excitement and the speed (Yes i know it's only an RS125 but it's as fast as I could get :p). I had a go on my dads 999 the other week as I was planning on getting a 749, but now that's changed my mind. I'm no Rossi and I realise that, I don't ride stupidly fast and irresponsibly as I value my life and have common sense, so these 2 years have been good for me as they have taught me how much experience and awareness you need as a biker.

If you're not bothered about constantly being stuck behind traffic on rides out, not having power to zip past, whilst constantly being overtook by other bikers, then do the restricted test and get the 2 years worth of experience on a small 125. If you don't want to feel like that for 2 years, do your CBT now on a geared bike so you can have a ride about for a year and get an idea of what it's like, then do your direct access when your 21 and get a 600cc.

I'm no expert but looking back, I wished I'd have waited then gone straight in for my Direct Access at 21 and not taken the restricted test.
 
I passed my restricted license in august last year and then turned 21 in feb this year.. im going in for my mod1 and mod2 again in a few weeks for my unrestricted license.

33bhp is fine on bikes made for that power, but anything higher than, say a 400 restricted feels horrible. My ZX6R Ninja is restricted to 33bhp, and the amount of flat spots is annoying. This has made me regret not waiting until i was 21 to just get a full licence straight away.

I should have waited untill i was 21, as the Ninja is a lot better when its full power ;), so personally id say wait, as the two years really drags, and it may seem quick at first but it gets tiresome riding restricted
 
I dont mind riding and getting overtaken by other bikes, and I dont mind being stuck in traffic so I could live with a 125 for a year. This is what I will do I think, buy a 125 and get a years experience then do my DAS next year. I read that the Yamaha YBR125 is a good learners bike? I dont care about having the fastest bike around I just want reliability and something easy/fun to learn on.
 
helpimcrap said:
get the bike you want - get it restricted, then when you take the restrictors off it will feel like a new bike. :)
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I think I will buy a 125 and ride that for a year, and as soon as I turn 21 take my DAS. But a thought just popped into my head right now, I could get my full license now and then get a thunder cat or something and restrict that, which will be probably cheaper than getting a 125 in the long run. Does this sound like a sensible idea then?
 
Andy Pandy said:
I think I will buy a 125 and ride that for a year, and as soon as I turn 21 take my DAS. But a thought just popped into my head right now, I could get my full license now and then get a thunder cat or something and restrict that, which will be probably cheaper than getting a 125 in the long run. Does this sound like a sensible idea then?
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Sounds like the better idea, never mind more sensible idea.
Not that I know how much it costs to convert the A1 licence into an A licence now. But you'll have so much more fun on a restricted bike compared to a 125.
 
Ghosteh said:
Sounds like the better idea, never mind more sensible idea.
Not that I know how much it costs to convert the A1 licence into an A licence now. But you'll have so much more fun on a restricted bike compared to a 125.
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Converting the license costs about £280, considering all ya need to do is two tests its a fair amount tbh, as you need bike rental + get rid of bad habits etc. Its the main reason i wished id waited. just more money!
 
Greenboi said:
Converting the license costs about £280, considering all ya need to do is two tests its a fair amount tbh, as you need bike rental + get rid of bad habits etc. Its the main reason i wished id waited. just more money!
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Do you mean convert license to an unrestricted one before the 2 years is up? I can handle 2 years on a 33 bhp bike :)
 
Andy Pandy said:
What did you go for? Why do you wish you chose something else?
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I got an RS125. It's as fast as you can get pretty much for a 125, but it's still a 125 :p So i should have got something a little less powerfull but a lot more comfortable. I love my bike to bits, but i'd have preferred riding something else now. Especially on long rides out. The RS125 is just for quick blasts and where i live you have to ride on awful roads for about 45 mins before you get to any decent roads.
 
Greenboi said:
Converting the license costs about £280, considering all ya need to do is two tests its a fair amount tbh, as you need bike rental + get rid of bad habits etc. Its the main reason i wished id waited. just more money!
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Why do you need a rental bike? I thought it was simply the case of having to have something with a greater output than 33bhp? I know they're generally done on 500cc bikes, but I thought this was just due to their ease of use?
 
Greenboi said:
I thought that too, but it does make the bike feel horrible. 600s are built for more power than 33bhp, trying to shift a ZX6-R on 33hp just doesnt feel nice after a few weeks of it.
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My friend told me that a V something engine will be better restricted because it has more torque? I think he recommended a Suzuki S650.
 
Ghosteh said:
Why do you need a rental bike? I thought it was simply the case of having to have something with a greater output than 33bhp? I know they're generally done on 500cc bikes, but I thought this was just due to their ease of use?
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Well yeah you need to do it on something with more than 33bhp, but if youre only licnesed to ride up to 33bhp, howre you gunna get the bike there without riding it? Youd need to be under instruction, in which case you use their bikes, which costs as its technically a lesson.

Im thinking of doing mine in a few weeks and this is what i was told
 
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