ShouldKnowBetter

This is what I did, DAS with Phoenix in Foots Cray. Good and reputable school, decent guys running the training, proper one to one guidance and advice where needed, and got me through CBT and DAS (Mod 1 and 2) first time but also feeling reasonably confident. Could have found cheaper but for me it felt like a worthwhile investment. A colleague recently decided to get a bike for commuting. He had been riding a scooter overseas for years but wasn’t qualified for UK and fancied going for a big bike. He found a local school somewhere in North London (I don’t know who) and had a nightmare. He went for his CBT and said that after a very short time on the bike he was told he had “failed” and was told to re-book another session with them (at about £140) to try again. He told me the class seemed to be full of food delivery scooter riders who all passed despite not following the instructions properly and not seeming in control of their bikes. Seemed like a bit of a racket, which makes me think spending the extra on a reputable school was worth it (for me).

Sold it. Then replaced it with a shiny new one Bye bye to the Bonnie (it’s been nice, but time for something different) and hello to the Triple. Dealer fitted heated grips, fly screen and tail tidy. Then rode home in the pissing rain

I used Phoenix for DAS and then the DVLA Advanced. I’d highly recommend them, decent people, good training, and I passed

Cheers geofferz for pointing out the obvious!

I just got my renewal and the premium has halved. Mind you, last year I had just passed my test at the end of October and was buying a brand new T100 and insuring fully comp at the start of November so they understandably saw me as high risk. The premium last year was about £750 but this week they quoted me £330 for a renewal (fully comp again). Best offer on compare the meerkat was about £450 (from my current insurer!) so I went with the renewal.

I switched out my mirrors for bar ends on my T100 Bonnie visibility just as good as the stock mirrors but I think they look a bit cooler. Can’t figure out how to insert a photo any more, used to just be able to paste it in. If I figure it out I’ll add one.

If they’re telling you that your ears will have changed shape after a few months then I’d ask them for a full refund on the custom made hearing aids they recently mis-sold you! I bought a pair of these (link below - I went with the “squidgy”) at the start of the year and while they are pricey I think they are worth it. Very effective, super comfortable, come with an optional neck cord and pouch to reduce the chance of dropping and losing them. I have also had tinnitus for the past few years due to music related ear abuse and so I’d learned the hard way and wanted to limit any further damage. https://www.ultimateear.com/

Trading in before your PCP term is up is doable, but you need to be aware that you could be in negative equity, depending how much deposit you paid, how long through the term you are etc. You may end up out of pocket, or not. I’m not sure about bikes, but I have done this a few times with cars (the financing principle is the same) and have had to suck up the negative equity once (it was only a few hundred quid and on balance I took the hit). It was explained to me (by my car salesman brother in law) that the depreciation on a car is not straight line, but your repayments are. Therefore, trading in before the end of the term means your bike may have depreciated quicker than your repayments. Also, the “Guaranteed Resale Value” at the end of the term is always a low offer meaning the car would actually (usually) be worth more than the balance you owe. If a customer hands it back, or accepts the quotes resale value then the garage makes a profit on the trade in. Typically, with cars, once you are more than 50% through your PCP term you should be about break-even on debt vs trade in value. If it is before halfway through, you’re probably in negative equity. Disclaimer: this is just my understanding and what I’ve been told, might be wrong and not sure if it is exactly the same for bikes

It is a beauty by the way. I’ve been toying with the idea of an R9T as my next bike but I feel obliged to keep my current bike for at least a year before chopping it in. I think you’re on your third bike in about 8 months, right? You’re a bad influence...

Pretty sure you said that about the Striple when you ditched the Street Twin

Absolutely pissed it down during my Mod 1 training and test. Same for Mod 2 (November last year). I was hesitant and worried I was being impatient, thinking “should I defer to summer?” But I was also worried that the missus would come to her senses and withdraw the approval for me to get a licence and bike, so I stuck it through. I might be wrong, but I think learning in the torrential rain helped me be more risk aware and cautious. This can only help on the test, as long as you’re not too cautious (not making any progress) and I expect it has made me more risk aware as a rider. That said, still early days in my riding career but I am very glad to be looking forward to the nice spring and summer riding weather and hopefully getting some enjoyable miles under my belt as opposed to using the summer to train and take tests.

At work I leave it on the seat but that’s in a secure underground car park with security guards and you can only get in the car park with restricted access approval. Otherwise no because I’d be worried about someone stealing/damaging/ pissing in it.

Haha, I’d give that one a swerve!

I remember this show. As kids in the 80s we used to make our own scrambling tracks in the local wastelands and derelict grounds and ride around them on our pushbikes while humming the theme tune, happy days! I also remember the Commodore 64 Kick Start computer game, can't remember if it was any good or not though.

Interesting, I was always led to believe that Mod 1 is the difficult one (or easier to fail) and Mod 2 is a breeze in comparison. That said, I came closer to failing Mod 2 than Mod 1. Back on topic, terrible news about the rider who died. As others have said, such incidents are rare and I'd agree it is likely thanks to the controlled environment that the tests are subject to.