Shadow125

Bumble my first bike

I would buy that just for the colour scheme. Looks fabulous.

That was my first time seeing that colour in person and I love it, there seems to be a subtle shimmer to the yellow.

If I was into naming bikes (which I'm not) I'd have called it Jasper, after the colloquial name for a wasp.

If my mrs has her way it would be the colloquialism ‘basxxxd’ for wasp in that case

Great suggestion though

Yesterday I set out to see two bikes, I had called ahead the day before and asked they be ready.

I arrived and they were not charged, waited a round for an hour to be asked to return as the bikes needed a full charge, I said no and left none to pleased.

Checked eBay for bikes mid rant and a gorgeous CBR600F had just came on only a few miles up road.

2001 only 12000 miles, totally standard which I like.

I love it! I will do a full review in time, the acceleration after 6k is very strong to say the least.

The bike is immaculate and I am very happy

It is the perfect first bike!

Another development

The Daytona 675 was amazing!! Very easy to ride, it was my first time ever on a sports bike and I feel it looked after me

Phenomenal fun, I never had it beyond 6-7k and it was so smooth with the most amazing exhaust note.

It read my mind going into corners

This whole choosing a bike thing is hard. Why does it have to be only 1?

Slight update

I test rode this beauty today, 2016 CBR650F with only 1100 miles on it.

My first time riding a 4 cylinder bike and my god was it smooth, very forgiving

Went to test ride another bike and had an interesting problem.

I passed Mod 2 last Wednesday, and have been informed the DVlA’s system should have been updated immediately and the paper side takes 3 weeks.

Getting to the garage, they run a check and no sign I had passed.

I have been advised by the DVLA to call the test centre and chase it up

Has anyone heard of this before?

 

Interesting dilemma! I assume you aren't paying in full then? I went in and bought my bike the day I passed but because I paid in full ( ) they didn't need to see my licence, they only check it if you go on finance. That said it's been a week so it should be on the system by now! definitely give them a call!

It was just a test ride at the school I done DAS so they knew me. Completed the paperwork and they ran the check and no sign of my licence, thankfully having my pass certificate and knowing them they let me take the bike out. Never got as far as purchasing anything.

Contacted the DVLA and was advised it usually take a couple of days to update the system to allow me to test ride but to allow the full three weeks. So hurry up and wait unfortunately

Slight update

I test rode this beauty today, 2016 CBR650F with only 1100 miles on it.

My first time riding a 4 cylinder bike and my god was it smooth, very forgiving

Went to test ride another bike and had an interesting problem.

I passed Mod 2 last Wednesday, and have been informed the DVlA’s system should have been updated immediately and the paper side takes 3 weeks.

Getting to the garage, they run a check and no sign I had passed.

I have been advised by the DVLA to call the test centre and chase it up

Has anyone heard of this before?

The delivery is a huge help, we got our 125 delivered from Brighton to Glasgow for only £150 so travel is all but unnecessary as long as it’s a dealer.

It is good for a test ride as there are not a lot of them around so it will let me know how I get on with it. Then it may be a case of buying from a dealer and hopefully negotiating the delivery into the price.

I am also watching all the sites for a Thundercat to come up that I can try

Having passed Mod 2 just days ago the school where I trained happened to have not one but two Triumph Daytona 675s In

I’ll include the link

https://ride-on-motorcycles.co.uk/bikes/triumph-daytona-675?page=1&sr=type%3D%26make%3Dtriumph%26ccmin%3D50%26ccmax%3D2000%26pricemin%3D0%26pricemax%3D20000%26priceorder%3Dasc

I have booked a test ride for Tuesday and am extremely excited.

I have heard the voice of concern for a potential first big bike, although my instructor who has seen me rode more than anyone wasn’t put off at all with me looking at that type of bike as it’s purely going to be a toy for me. Not commuting, touring etc.

I also spoke to him about coming back for an extra lesson if i do buy that type of bike, I would be happy to pay to be under the watchful eye for a couple of hours.

He is a very sensible authoritative man, I was pleasantly surprised to find he turns up to work on a Hayabusa which I think may be my top choice

My questions are, how does that look for price?

To me, given that I am in Scotland there are fewer of this type of bike so others may be cheaper but the travel almost totally negates that.

There are similar bikes around the 3.5-3.7k mark but they are hundreds of miles away which just wouldn’t make sense. If this bike is sound and I enjoy it as much as I hope I am going to I shall be very tempted

The colour and decals are not my absolute favourite if I’m honest, they could be stickers over a black bike?

I’ve yet to investigate more.

I am also going to test a CBR650F, I actually prefer the 600f but I am finding it hard to track them down for a test ride up this neck of the woods

The purpose of these two is to set my mind in the direction of what I prefer, an all out super sport or something a tad more moderate.

All opinions and thoughts welcome

I took my lessons and test on the MT07.

Excellent bike, given it was my first time ever on a big bike I took to it right away and got on excellent with it

Having just passed Mod 2 I am keen to test ride as many different styles of bikes as possible to see what takes my fancy but I wouldn’t take much persuading to go for the MT07

Wahey! Well done for the pass

Thank you so many bikes. Where to start lol

Thank you for the comments

As much as it was fun learning to ride, did anyone else find it mentally exhausting at some points? In my case it was four months start to finish.

Maybe it’s my OCD kicking in one time to many but obsessing over U turns, techniques, practice, Highway Code, studying bus lanes etc etc

I found my self tired after a while.

I am extremely relieved and happy it’s over to move on but I would be in no rush to go through that again

The shorter course around £700 I initially thought was expensive but what I found was other schools were cheaper but their prices didn’t include test days. So you had to pay extra for bike hire on test days, where as Ride On you get all your lessons, then for no extra cost mock Mod 1 at the training centre and both test days.

The other schools by the time they tag them on end up more expensive I found.

I loved the MT07, excellent bikes.

The test centre is tough because of its location but the examiners were excellent. I had different guys for Mod 1 and 2 and both were personable and set me at ease. I never felt rushed or like they were trying to catch me out

 

Looks like you had some good experiences there, wish more were like that

The first school I went to almost ruined biking for me, I am very glad I tried another.

It is concerning how many horror stories I have heard

The entire process is nerve wracking enough without having to deal with a poor school

The shorter course around £700 I initially thought was expensive but what I found was other schools were cheaper but their prices didn’t include test days. So you had to pay extra for bike hire on test days, where as Ride On you get all your lessons, then for no extra cost mock Mod 1 at the training centre and both test days.

The other schools by the time they tag them on end up more expensive I found.

I loved the MT07, excellent bikes.

The test centre is tough because of its location but the examiners were excellent. I had different guys for Mod 1 and 2 and both were personable and set me at ease. I never felt rushed or like they were trying to catch me out

Congrats shadow.

What school in Glasgow did you use, and can you recommend them ?.

Are you going out to buy a bigger bike or sticking with the 125 a bit longer ?

Al

I used Ride On in Renfrew. I can’t recommend them enough, they were fully flexible and their package included pre test ride and bike hire for the test.

So my 14 hour package, was 14 hours of lessons where as I originally presumed the tests were included in that time. I was pleasantly surprised the tests did not deduct from on bike lesson time.

There instructors are excellent and all bike close to brand new.

The 125 is my wife’s, it’s low and comfy so perfect for her as she has no big bike aspirations. I found it invaluable for learning.

As for me, Ride On just happen to have a Daytona 675 in stock they are kindly going to allow me to test ride and should I purchase I have already spoke to them about follow up lessons on my new bike.

And yes I have heard the cause for concern for a first bike but this is purely a few times a month hobby to play with, polish and put away and the Daytona’s are gorgeous

On the slightly less sporty side I am also going to test a CBR650F in white and red

I am mostly a lurker on here but have found the information extremely valuable.

My introduction to motorbikes was done on a whim, early February I booked my self in for the theory test in a bid to coerce my mother back into the world of driving.

I studied for three days, passed the theory.

Having never been on a motorbike I thought I should give it a bash so signed up for the CBT, the first school was awful so I took a lesson at another school between the first day and the resit of the CBT. Got on great at the other school, finished the CBT and was glad to see the back of them.

Rode around on our Kawasaki Eliminator 125 which is a great little bike and decided to go for DAS.

One assessment lesson on a 125, they determined I only need a short or ‘advanced’ course which was 14 hours

I booked on and got started, three two hour lessons on a 125 to get my riding up to par then four two hour lessons on a Yamaha MT07.

Passed the Mod one with one minor a few weeks ago, failed my first Mod 2 with a stupid mistake.

Passed Mod 2 yesterday with only four minors at Shieldhall in Glasgow which is the second lowest pass rate in Britain so I am very pleased to say the least.

All in, it took me from the start of February to the 16th of may.

Well worth it but very glad it is over with

I set up practice in a Morrison’s car park after hours.

3 parking spaces is around 7 meters I believe, that worked well for U turns. I put out bottles of water at 4.5m then 6m for the slalom and figure 8.

The emergency stop I practiced on a quiet road, same for avoidance. I would ride towards a line or cover on the road and swerve to practice counter steering. At every junction I would slow early and practice slow riding.

Not exactly replicating the course but it worked for me

Both me and my wife had bad experiences, along with a very rude and condescending owner at Route 66 in Motherwell.

They also changed the prices between CBT and continuation. Originally it was £30, the owner phoned my wife and told her ‘we didn’t think you would take so long, so it’s now £100’ which totally knocked my wives confidence as well as been shady practice, to quote one price then move the goal posts.

Their bikes were awful, one had 100k miles the other 200k. The bike I used the throttle would jam open at 4K revs and I was told it was my fault I could not control it.

The other bike the fuel cap was broken so when the bike went down it would spill fuel everywhere. A serious MOT failure and danger.

On my CBT, two others could not complete the figure of 8 but went out on the road anyway. The woman I was with fell off the bike 3 times, the final at a very bad and busy junction and rendered the bike useless. She had no business been on the road for her own safety, but her husband knew the instructor. Almost got her killed.

I moved to Ride On in Renfrew for DAS and they have been excellent, all knew bikes and great instructors. Could not recommend enough

Hi all,

I had a very interesting experience at a place outside of Glasgow.

First day, me never having been on a bike, a woman in the same position and a 16 year old doing moped.

We were told by 11:30am we would not be on the road, by then I had reached gear changes up and down.

The woman only reached this by about 4pm.

The woman fell and took some time inside to regroup.

The young boy was taken to do slow manoeuvres, meanwhile i was left standing watching.

We were then taken inside to cover the afternoon portion so the young boy was able to go out as there was only one instructor.

We skipped figure of eight, U turn etc and went straight to Highway Code. Then asked to stay off the training pad so the boy could do emergency stop.

I was never told why I could not progress.

At the time I had full intentions of doing DAS, but after that I started to shop around. I found a school in Glasgow that I had a much better experience with, even just talking to. So I took a lesson with them, re sat my CBT with the original place and it went fine.

Now, on my second day there were four of us.

Myself, another woman, a guy who’s CBT was due to run out and a motocross rider.

The guy renewing had to use his own bike and the motor cross guy on a moped without gears and was advised to not tell anyone and just use his geared bike.

Many things happened this day, my bike would jam open at 4K revs which is daunting for a new rider but I was told it shouldn’t have been an issue as my clutch control should have taken care of that which is a huge ask for a brand new rider.

The guy renewing and the woman were unable to complete the figure eight, kept puting their feet down.

The woman had over all issues with control, did not do well on the emergency stop either.

We all set off on the road, the woman dropped the bike twice well in motion but was told to carry on. The third time at a notorious junction at the Strathclyde park, if anyone knows this area it’s always extremely hectic.

She went down, smashed the bike and had to get pillion back to the centre.

I absolutely do not blame her, her man is a police officer and the instructor ex police so I believe he was trying to get her passed as a favour.

Which the sentiment may be nice, he should have not spared her feelings but been honest and kept her safe.

My mrs was due in for her CBT with them which we could not get a refund for and I had to be very clear to not do the road ride if she was not sure.

After we returned from the road ride, the other two had already been and back. They were only out for 20 minutes and back in.

I have moved to another centre for my DAS.

My better half had to do another day for CBT which was fine, but when re booking she was told ‘we didn’t think you would take so long so it’s no longer £30 for a continuation but £100’

Out of principle and concern for safety she moved elsewhere to.

I have given serious consideration to reporting the place as I seen things that were very unsafe and actually illegal.

It cost us way more than it should have through a reputable place and the woman that crashed the day I was there should never have been allowed out for her own safety.

Me and my wife had a good talk about it, the centre it’s self treated woman very different from the men. Both woman I seen were let go on things that lead to dangerous situations where the men were held back and reprimanded for far less.

Which I prefer, I want to be safe and relayed this to my wife. Don’t let their overly positive attitude for woman get you killed on the road.

In a purely skill based pursuit, gender should not come into it.

The centre also offered lots of deals, half price CBTs, reduced DAS courses only for woman, as well as dolls and things in the club house.

I’m all for promotion etc but it was unprofessional and unsafe.

I don’t have Facebook or anything to leave them an honest review but I do want to share my experience as I fear something is going to go wrong when someone puts their faith in instructors like that.

Sorry for the long post, I hope that made some sense

Thank you for the replys.

The problem definitely seemed to be electrical, why the wires and junction boxes are not covered is beyond me.

A few home made adjustments and all is well.

Fingers crossed

Thank you for the reply’s.

The bike moved from the south of England to Scotland and died on the first rainy day

I went under behind the ignition and there was a lot of oxydisation in the terminals. All of them really, and the white ignition wire had separated complete, so that was the wire from the on button severed and loose ignition wire.

Joined everything up, wrapped it all in electrical tape and even fashioned a shield for the front of the frame to stop spray from the road.

So far, so good. I’ve had it out in the rain, with no issues.

The bike is actually my wife’s so I’d rather this happened with me and we got it resolved as she it still learning.

I will keep this updated as there is not a whole lot of information available for these bikes

Thanks

Hi all, I am the happy owner of an Eliminator 125. Well happy up until today, the bike lost all power coming off a round about.

The bike would idle fine, but under throttle it would pulse, high then low. Very unusual. This went away, I took it out a run then the bike ran for about 30 minutes perfectly fine, it happened again and wouldn’t start. Nothing from the on switch, I tracked down a severed wire in the ignition, looked shorted and melted possibly Connected it up and all seems normal. Is it possible a faulty ignition wire could cause that with the throttle?

This was also in the rain, possible water getting in somewhere?

Also both times it died were coming off a round about going into second, I am not sure if that is relevant.

Thanks in advance