I think you have exactly the right idea. The CBT is a great introduction and you will learn more than you think. I recommend the week-long intensive courses where you have 6 days training and take the test on a Friday.

The Honda is great, as soon as you pass the full license you'll probably want a 600cc machine for the first year or two. These come in many shapes, sizes and styles depending on your taste. Any bike is better than none.

>Another bike thread

Why cant you just all post in the same thread? I want some car threads..

As for motorbikes..
I prefer a metal shell around me

I've just bought myself a Vespa PX125, so I'll need to be doing my CBT soon too. I'm going to go the whole hog and do my bike driving test too, I don't want to be riding around with L plates on.
Anyone have any advice for me? Do I need to do another theory test for my bike test? I'm already a car driver.

>>804
stop being a MOD and buy a real bike.

>>805
Never in a million years. The thing's going to look like a Christmas tree by the time I'm done peppering it with lights and mirrors, and will probably go about 25 max.

>>806
in that case please at least wear a full face helmet? you mods with your lack of safety clothing do worry me ever so much.

>>804
I love my Vespa. They rock.

>>807
I wasn't planning on it since I'm only going to be driving inner-city and really slowly. I'll get one for if I ever drive outside of the city though - just for you.

>>809 seriously, half face is neither cleaver or good looking.

I went all out and bought my Kawasaki bn125 Eliminator (I don't like plastic looking boy racer bike, I'm a custom man) before doing my CBT and got used to the bike first around lanes and stuff, was a good move as being used to using a geared bike before I took my CBT made the whole experience a hell of a lot taxing. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm fairly sure that holders of a full car license can legally ride any bike up to 125cc and under 14.6 BHP as long as the bike is taxed and insured.

>>815

Just checked my license (and I'm an old bastard), and it's confusing, to say the least. There's no little picture of a bike, an there's some rambling irrelevant text about L-platers, and something else that seems to apply to 17 year olds. Fucked if I know. But I'm very tempted to get a bike license.

>>816
being an old bastard as well I would say do it.

>>815
>Correct me if I'm wrong here, but I'm fairly sure that holders of a full car license can legally ride any bike up to 125cc and un

Depends when you got your license. Older ones yes, I don't think they allow newer ones - the rules have changed a couple of times.

>>818
Yeah your right, these are the current rules.

You must complete CBT to ride unaccompanied on the roads on a learner motorcycle or moped with L plates

With a CBT certificate, you may ride unaccompanied with L plates on a motorcycle up to a maximum of 125cc and 14.6bhp, for 2 years.

The exception is that if you obtained your full car licence prior to 1st February 2001, you do not need to complete CBT to ride a moped.

>>819

Ah okay, knew it was something along those lines.

Either way you should definitely go for a bike license, you don't lose anything by doing so and you never know, you might love being on two wheels, I know I do.

>>828
Sound advice, man.
Yeah i'm going to wait a bit for the weather to get a little better. In the mean time go to bike garages to see what i like and just try learn a little.

>>814
I disagree.

So does anyone know about theory tests for bike licenses?

>>830
I meant lacking half a face.

yes, its not too bad, the hazard perception can be a pain because everything is a hazard but if you click too frequently it marks you down.

>>831
Oh. Well, that could be a good look for me. We'll never know until we find out.

I've been through hazard perception once already for cars and found it particularly ludicrous, is it much different for bikes?

>>835
not massively you just have to be aware its for a bike so some of the dangers are different.

>>836
I'm sure I'll be taught how to handle the test well enough when I go for my CBT.

>>831
>the hazard perception can be a pain because everything is a hazard but if you click too frequently it marks you down.

Please don't get me started, i'm going for my 2nd theory attempt on the 4th and the hazard perception videos showed me nothing but road anarchy.

>>842

If you cant pass your theory test you shouldnt be allowed to drive...

Its all common sense...

>>801
Alright mate. Motorbikes are a blast: way more fun than driving a car and also have the ability to filter through slow moving/stopped traffic. OTOH they are also a good way to kill yourself, so treat them with extreme respect.

As a rider of a proper bike (bandit 600), I wouldnt consider the 125s to be worth it. They're painfully underpowered compared to a proper bike and have worse brakes and less grip (so arguably more dangerous). So I would say either:

a) do CBT, get a cheap 2nd hand 125, learn for a few weeks, pass test, get a 33bhp restricted bike (a cb500/gpz500 would be a good choice). I suppose you could always pull the restrictor kit off if you didnt mind being a little dodgy.

b) do a direct access course, and go from CBT -> full license in about a week. Can be very expensive but allows you to ride whatever you please. Lowers insurance costs too.

Whichever route you take, gl and ride safe (seriously, the amount of muppets I see around without leg protection, gloves, or even a jacket...)
Pic related: i want one :D

CBT -> Direct Access -> VFR800

Nice advice.
I went to a showroom the lastweek and had a look at all the sweet bikes there. Those bigger ones were scary enough just sitting there. I don't think I can really go the direct access route as i feel i should get a fair bit of experience on a smaller bike first, that just seems like the way i'd prefure to do things.
I think i'm just going to have to get on and do this CBT done. That should hopefully help me decide what the the next step is. Hopefully that next step will be buying a motorbike baby :)

>>855
Trust me, you acclimitise to power quickly. My bandit 6 felt stupidly fast when I first got it. Within 6 months, I was wishing I'd got a faster bike instead. My mate did a DA course and got straight on a bandit 12, which he loves.

My brother is taking his Direct Access course and test next week. In the meantime he bought today second-hand R6 which he intends to use to get to work when passed.

I got to ride it the long way round back to his tonight, wow what a bike. Insane that you can pass and then have one of those. Very easy to ride, not the most comfortable thing over a long long distance, but who gives a fuck twist and ggggggoooooooo.

He has many years experience on bikes off-road so I think he'll pass. Bike + insurance + course has been a shade under £1500 all in, he's spent about another £500 getting lid, boots and gloves. It can be done cheap and at very high performance, still.

How I stop myself buying an R1 now I don't know.

>>843

>>842 here, I passed it and i'm doing the first practical on the 20th. Not everyone passes on the first go, you don't prove you can ride/drive by answering a few questions and watching 14 videos clicking as soon as you see something bad about to happen.

>>859

Its piss easy though... And you need to know the "highway code"

Vespa boy again. I just rang up for a quote on my training and test. The place near me does CBT training for £105 and then full test training for £400-600 depending on how much training you need - test costs included.
Am I being ripped off?

>>857
1500 all up means he musta got that R6 well cheap. Nice.
Specs say it does 130hp @ 14500 RPM and weighs 160kg dry. That's just nuts. Must be about the best bike out there for attacking the sort of twisties we have in south wales. Must sound lush when you rev the tits off it too.
>>863
Sounds very reasonable mate. Less than I paid.

Alright Lads, OP here.
Ok, so i got my CBT booked for Early April.
I've decided to get a 125 and learn on that for the time being instead of the driect access route. I will soon be looking to buy a bike.
A lot of you guys, people at work and what not are telling me that i shouldn't spend to much money on a 125 to learn on. But i do want something reliable and one which looks half decent, so i can just enjoy riding it.
I do like the sportier looking ones but some of the commuters don't look too bad and are a little cheaper too.
Possibly thinking of a yamaha YBR 125, looks like you can get a half decent one for a grand.
Anyone else got any suggestions?

>>909

Honda CBR125, very good bike. Or if you want to go down the custom route, you could get many a decent 125 customs for around the same price as the YBR, the Honda Shadow is a particularly beautiful bike, also the Suzuki Marauder and Suzuki Intruder. The Honda Rebel is another really good looking custom but it's a little on the small side, I'm six feet tall and it felt way too small for me. The YBR isn't a bad bike at all though, very good starter bike, reliable, easy to find parts for, good fuel economy. The only beef I have with it is the size. The seat is fairly slim and the positioning of the pegs is too high for a lengthy ride to be as comfortable as I'd like.

>>909

I think they are giving good advice. Pass your test quick and get a restricted proper bike. cb500s and ninja 500s are good. In the meantime, just make do with whatever. Just got to pass the test, right?

Only 125 I've ridden is the ybr125. Small, tidy bikes, seem to work ok, but kinda cramped (5'11") and feel flimsy and are painfully underpowered (but its a 125...).

tl;dr: big bike asap.

>>801
I'd like to weigh in, i wouldn't recommend a new 4stroke if you want speed, 2strokes like the old honda nsr are nice if you want rather powerful, if not, just go for a standard 125 4stroke (yamaha ybr, honda cg/cbf125 etc.) they're perfectly fine and you just need something to learn anyway.i'm just going in for my full test after riding a 125 2stroker for the last 11months

>>914
I heard the rs125 needs an engine rebuild every 8000 miles. does that apply to other 2 strokes?

also, dont 2strokes have shitty fuel economies?

>>914
Yeah i quite like the look of them NSR's to be fair, there getting a bit hard to find though.
How much did you pay for your bike? what is it?

People tell me that yamaha, suzuki, honda and kawasaki are the ones to go for, but on ebay, your looking at about a grand for a YBR more for a CBR, which are the most common. Same on Autotrader.
The CG's are a little cheaper to be fair, but in my opinion are the less attractive.

Fucked up that there loads of nice bigger bikes about for half the price.
I guess if i do spend a bit on a 125, i have a good chance of making most my money back when i get rid of it.

>>916
> I guess if i do spend a bit on a 125, i have a good chance of making most my money back when i get rid of it.
Assuming you don't drop it. Didnt work out for me :D

>>917

Listen to this, it's likely to happen, trust me.

>>920
Yeah, everyone gets to drop their bike at least once.

OP here, well last weekend a bike came up for sale in town and i bought it :)

It's a 57 YBR 125 in blue, with about 10k on the clock which i got for £900. I will take a pic of it this weekend.

I'm looking at getting some gear now so i'm all good to go once i hopefully pass my CBT in a few weeks time.
Ebay seems pretty good for this, as it seems you can get some good stuff, second hand, quite cheap.

Any other recommendations for half decent motorbike clothing sites? Or recommendations on good gear which won't break the bank.
I will get my lid and maybe gloves from a shop to make sure they fit right.
But will probably get my textile jacket, trousers and disklock from the net. I got some doc martens, so hope they will be ok for boots for the time being.

>>925
Awesome.

Find a Hein Gericke, they have branches all over.

>>925
defo get your lid from a shop. for one, its godda fit exactly right, and for two you wanna be damn sure no one's dropped it. hairline fractures and all that.

strongly recommend good gloves, jacket, and trousers. without gloves, your hands will get mashed, and jeans offer no protection over about 20mph. As for boots, whatever fits really. I use hiking/army boots. Just tuck the laces in tightly and you're all good.

probably worth getting a slightly bigger jacket so you can pack an extra 10 fleeces under it in winter. trust me, you'll need to.

>>927
i'd say avoid hein gericke caus they're damned pricey. If you're in south wales, there's an ace place in bridgend called bikegear. thunderroad is ok too. Otherwise, just find a good local shop.

also caus its spring now, the winter stuff will be going cheap. make sure to grab a load of it and save some bucks for when it gets cold.

OP; I wish you well on your CBT, definitely buy helmets brand new, RST have/had some good helmets for cheap prices I picked up a brand new RST Corba Vent for £65 off retail (Retail at £90, picked it up £25), You can pick up a decent jacket used off ebay for £10-£50 depending how good you want it to be I agree with 928 on a slightly larger jacket than you need if you don't want to be buying a new one 6months down the line, boots.. I wouldn't wear steel toe capped safety boots, fine in the summer but freeze your toes off in winter. if you're in Wales check out M&P in Swansea as they regularly cut the prices on their gear. disclocks you can pick up unbranded for a tenner, if you want a good immobiliser, google motorcycle alarm, first result, £23 for the basic and i've heard good things and plan to fit one on my next bike :)

939 here again, would also like to say you should consider waterproofs, ideally 100% waterproofs, I've been wearing Rayven Phantoms for the last 2 years, £20 for the suit I believe and they've kept me dry through thunder storms, also don't be a jew and buy your helmet from Aldi/Lidl, they're utter shit and when you come off won't protect you. i agree with 928 on buying winter stuff now, if you want to go for a single pair of gloves, go for summer ones and you can put an inner glove on the inside in the winter which is what i've been doing as i can't find a decent winter glove

Sound, thanks for all the advise guys.
I've picked up a jacket, some trousers and a disk lock off the net.
I do live in wales, so will probably check out that place in swansea for a new helmet and gloves.
Can't wait to do my CBT and use my bike now. Had a little go up the street and back last weekend, didn't get out of 1st heheh, but still a good feeling.

>>943 What part of Wales do you hail from OP? I'm wondering if I should keep an eye out for your YBR there. check out sharp.direct.gov.uk for advice on helmets, you can specify a price range, what type of helmet you want and how safe it has to be.

>>945
Hi, I am pretty much right in the middle.
Very quiet round here, but some nice places to go.

Elan Valley is quite close, it has these reservoirs which supply Birmingham.
They got these huge dams, and it's lovely to drive around, and hopefully ride around :)

This weekend I'm going to get my helmet and gloves, just looking to see if there is anywhere else decent a little closure than Swansea.

I advise you look South rather than North, the police are pretty anti bike up there. TT Bike Centre in Llandrindod Wells closed down in January, though their site seems to be up still. Apparently they have sales every weekend, god knows why their site is still up.

Just saw a site being advertised, "Get On" advertising free 1 hour motorcycle training to see how you like riding, they also have a list of motorcycle dealers, found one that would interest OP up in Newtown, davidjonesnewtown.co.uk there's another 1 Rhayader but they specialise in offroad equipment, which you'd look like a dick riding a YBR with an MX helmet. They don't list what they sell on their site, so it's strictly walk in and buy, although, if you find a helmet that suits you properly, look online for better deals etc. Sadly OP I don't live near you so I won't be seeing your little ybr.

Hey there.
I have just come back from doing my CBT and passing it hehe.
I must say that going on a ride on the road was great. Felt awesome even though i don't think i went over 45. Although in town i kept leaving the indicators on after turning through junctions.
Still need to get gloves and helmet, will go tomorrow probably to Newtown or Hereford.
And then i will be off. :)

Gratz OP; good to hear you passed, you can get indicator reminders, usually a small buzzer to remind you that your indicators are on, ofcourse making and installing such a thing yourself would also be pretty easy, but don't worry, most people make this mistake. :) I once followed a guy who managed to go about 3miles before he noticed.

>>955

Congrats. The indicator thing will wear off with time, trust me.

>>955
Yeah, not cancelling your signal is something we all go through (and do from time to time). Well done.

>>853
>CBT -> Direct Access -> VFR800

CBT -> Direct Access -> VFR800 -> Coffin

>>996
a life well lead.

>>996

Exactly.