Tigs

Hey, another Londoner - at the start of their bike journey too. I have a Honda CBF - and I can't fault it for reliability or nimbleness..

Welcome

Oh .. please recommend me some! What will you be using the bike for? mostly commuting to work - South London What's the budget? I'm thinking about 2-3K What style of bike do you want? I like naked bikes How much do you want to pay for insurance? As little as possible!! How confident a rider are you? Pretty confident - am finding my CBR 125 a touch slow - feel ready for something a bit bigger but not mad! Do you like spending hours polishing chrome? no Will you be carrying a pillion passenger? probably not - Do you need luggage? a little - sad to say I will probably need a topbox! Do you need a screen? I think i'd like one What other features would be useful? Having been out today I think heated grips is a yes - hand guards and bars look like a good plan What sort of performance are you looking for? More 'pull away' than my 125 - but keep in mind most of my routes are 20-30 mph - so not too mad anyway! Inside leg measurement? 31"

What was the first bike you got after passing MOD 2? What bike would you recommend - pictures welcome

Well done - must be a great feeling -

I'm not sure - but I got silk inners for my gloves and they do make a difference - my hands are warm - and not sweaty. I've been advised that a heated gilet - is the way to go (they are about £100 and I think heated with a a battery pack

I'm going for a full licence - I want a bit of a faster bike -mine struggles going up slopes! I figure if I have to borrow a bike for the test may as well do it all in one go! I went for my taster on a big bike today - I really enjoyed it - it is not that different really. . just need to 'look more' .. and have more confidence. Have booked to do full training in Dec. Fingers firmly crossed

Its getting the technique right - confidence and experience. My worry is leave the gap too long - and you may pick up bad habits. I've not done Mod 1.. not even been on a big bike yet - but have done over 250 miles on my 125 in the past month or so I think my confidence and road positioning are better - I have good slow control (have done lots of figure 8's and U turns)... but I still have to think through the lifesavers - earlier for example I life saved right - when I think it should have been left.. and sometimes I don't fit them in- and I think that is a straight fail -

Well done on passing Mod 1... out of interest why are you planning to wait for mod 2?

I'm wondering what they asked... How do you keep your cool in a mod 1 - would be a good question for myself!

I was so confused by counter steering - read lots - watched lots of videos which get more and more complex... In practice I think it is easy - if you want to go - right - you push forward and down with the right bar - and lean to the left - if you want to go left you do the opposite - it doesn't matter 'why' it works - it just does - You should be counter steering to do the figure 8 as for speed - sit on the bike stationary - push the handle bar forward and down and the bike will sway that way

Honestly I felt like i was a criminal they checked my ankles and I was half expecting to find something! As for Mod 1 - I'm planning to try a big bike - i'm hoping that the skill is similar and I wont panic! But i'm not banking on it!

Yey - that is heartening to read - I passed my theory today - so one step closer!

I have practiced all be it in a carpark - and I can do the bend moving up to gear 2 - and push the throttle and get to what my speedo says is 30 on the straight in 2nd - it does sound full on (i'm on a CBF 125).. I have not been though the speed trap - to know exactly how good my speedo is though!

you go into the bend at 20 and through the trap at 30.. then you ease off the throttle and do the manoeuvres I have not done Mod 1 - yet - But have watched many videos lol You should learn to 'hear' what 30 sounds like.. apparently!!

I highly recommend it!

Getting a cert from Honda is pretty straight forward, you copy the V5 - and send it honda and then send the letter they send you to ULEZ. It took about 7 days in total .

I have a cbf and was doing ok on it - I realised you could take the clutch in - and have not stalled it since (when I first got it, the biting point was 'far out' and my hands were struggling to control it - so that is something to consider (easy enough to adjust) . It is a light bike - and easy to maneuver -

That doesn't sound right to me. You do not need to be perfect on a CBT.. How many times did you try to U turn? (I passed my CBT - twice and still find them tricky) Gov website says: There's a maximum number of: 4 learners per trainer for on-site parts. 2 learners per trainer for on-road parts. So if you were in a larger group I would complain to the company and ask for a 'retake' As for indicators - I was pulled every time I left mine on but another rider was not. I'm not 100% sure why.. it could be that I was passing roads where my indicators might be confusing - and he was not - but I didn't feel that way ( I thought the instructor was down on girls.. various things that were said made me feel this way..)

I have a Honda CBF 125 - and its easy to handle and light. The insurance for me has not been too bad either. I'm 5ft 8.

When I first insured my car and bike - I added my OH to the insurance.. in both cases it lowered my insurance (as he had no claims and years of experience..) It might help!

Well done

ty

Where did you get them?

well done - keep us posted with how the mods go.. I'm routing for you!