AstronautNinja

Ended up nice and warm with the cycling bits so going to take a little extra time to choose my approach

Pffffft

Suprisingly quiet thread considering the nature of the forum

Heard terrible things about the superbike factory, swapping tyres and other parts before delivery etc, delivering dangerous bikes etc

A day with the police also isn't my number one choice but I can imagine me leaving with a wealth of extra knowledge. Tomorrow is the day right? Hopefully all goes to plan and you'll be out on the Sunday (weather providing)

Push on imo. Such mistakes are seemingly common and should be straight forward enough to tackle and progress past.

Just stopped off for a brew, cycling undergarments are doing a good job so far

https://bikesafe.co.uk/merseyside/

I'll almost certainly be booking some form of future tuition come the summer. Plenty of advanced courses available, when I say advanced I mean anything above basic licence training etc. I may be wrong but I think it's RideSafe done by county police forces and is insurance recognised. Think it was £50 for a partial day out with Manchester police riders. I'd expect most schools to offer something similar to the CBT ride section, few hours riding under observation with a headset surely can't not be of use to 99% of CBT holders.

Looking at the frost on the windows this morning I'll be adapting some of my cycling gear for warmth to get me across to Leeds, try on a variety of stuff and due to still not having a tail bag, probably buy the bits I can't wear home online. Got fleeced lycra bib, a variety of base layers and a wind blocker to fashion into a suitable combination for today's ride.

There was a glitch on some weather apps apparently, temps and 1500mph winds. Still a little blustery tomorrow unfortunately

Got home to no speeding tickets after the Wales trip, wasn't sure if I may of missed a camera during my more enthusiastic moments. Either winter clothing shopping tomorrow in Leeds or Lake District depending on how chilly I am

Cheers chaps. I'll report back with tomorrows purchase

Jumping higher than the crack of your arse will indeed lead to a bad time

Better than a toad in your hole I'd say

If I don't tackle up and do a few cold rides I'll be back to complete beginner by the time spring comes my riding days are also limited to 3 days a week so the chances of a suitable day becomes even slimmer.

A decent stint on a 125 will do you the world of good. Light and being easy to ride will make the learning curve far more mellow. You'll soon move from having to think about every tiny bit to just feeling and doing instinctively

So obviously autumn has hit with winter mot far behind and my summer kit will obviously be of little use. After my last substantial ride anything below 14°ish things creep into uncomfortable etc and this really isn't great for concentration. How does everyone lot themselves out for the cold? I'll never be setting off in rain and do have a set of over water proof stuff to throw on should I get caught out so I don't overly need a rain specific set up but do need to be warm in 5-14° weather. I am lucky to be a short ride away from both J&S accessories and Sports Bike Shop (next door to each other in Leeds) so I can obviously pop in and discuss with the very helpful staff but figured I'd ask. Over the winter it'll likely just be daylight rides and I'm unlikely to be out in anything below 5° Without any research I'm thinking a trouser and jacket set that zips together, obviously one rated for the cold. Thoughts gents? Should be able to get a ride in tomorrow so I'll just stick the cold out and ride slowly to J&S / SBH in Leeds center to pur-chase a shiznit or two

Sounds like it might be a laugh if riding a 125 you don't mind scuffing up slightly in the chaos

Not good morning. Back in the UK and not impressed. Looking sunny and dry tho so may be able to squeeze a few rides in

Will be following. Sounds interesting

Tbh learning gears, clutch, throttle, bike control, traffic interaction as an adult having never moved a vehicle is quite a list to learn, I certainly don't learn things as fast as I did when I was 16. Apologies if I've missed the answer but what's the plan after the CBT? Direct access or some time on a 125? All the issues you list will soon seem silly to you in a years time once you've got some miles under your belt. Obviously you know what needs to be done. As silly as it may sound I spent a good amount of time just thinking about my mod 1 and 2 tests, going through the check list of all the important bits in my head till they were firmly memorised. This definitely helped me having them drilled into memory so all I really had to focus on was traffic etc. Just press on as you say. It'll all turn out well

This is a good point. I was lucky and the first one fitted great. I could of been in an annoying position returning the helmet etc.

I bought a helmet, gloves, bike jeans, jacket and boots before the CBT as I had the same plan as you going from CBT to full licence ASAP. It was nice to do all my training in well fitting, clean, fresh gear rather than smelly, poor fitting rental gear. My training school also said the examiner would expect me in full gear for the tests etc. Things don't need to be massively expensive, I got a lot online scrolling through the sales. I'll try find the email for the theory practice website, they have every test question and many practice tests to do, cost me £5 for a year. It was excellent, far better than many I found

I had missed that bit in my drunken haste. Good choice in first bike also