BigShot

Just a quickie from a newcomer to (motor) bikes. You'll get some pretty polar views on high-vis, though I'm not a biker (yet) I am out on my push-bike a heck of a lot and the same arguments pro and con exist there. On one hand high-vis could help where someone is looking for bikes and may have otherwise missed you due to the conditions; on the other hand it will do absolutely nothing to make you visible to the kind of person who pulls out in front of emergency services vehicles with the disco-lights on and sirens blaring. I don't own any high-vis stuff but my view is that in certain conditions it could probably help people see you but since you'll still need to ride like you are invisible anyway it could be argued that they add very little benefit. Once I'm on motorbikes I may well wear a high-vis if I'll be out around dusk and dawn when visibility is already compromised but the rest of the time it'd be more down to how I felt on any given day and not any kind of religious thing. So, I'm of the "I suppose it could help in certain conditions but more generally I'm not so sure I see the point" school of thought... but I'd never try to put someone off wearing one so long as they still ride like 2 wheels make you invisible.

A couple of weeks ago I dropped in to Hein Gericke to go through the kit and get a rough idea of price. Boots, gloves, lid... all standard stuff there... then came the leathers. Put bluntly... I'm a freak, and none of them fit. 6'1" or 2" ish... really skinny (think, 10.5 stone on a well-fed day)... but was swimming a LOT when I was a teen so have reasonably broad shoulders - just a bit bony due to lacking the muscle to hang from them. I tried on a few different makes (including an Arlen Ness jacket that fit better than the others but was ugly and still not right) and while a good few were about right in shoulder width, even the smallest sizes are made for heavier built types than I. So my choices seem to be ill-fitting leathers (no thanks) or custom. Most of what I know about leathers comes from the chat with the guy in the shop and an article I read in a mag a while back that pretty much consisted of an interview with someone from Hideout leathers. So, a few questions: 1> Any reviews (good or bad) of HideOut? 2> Any other custom makers worth checking out? 3> Any other options I could consider? The guy in Hein Gericke did say it may be worth nipping to the Dainese shop in Manchester and trying some of theirs, and though I've yet to do that he suggested they were built for people built a bit like me. In the mean time though, I'm open to suggestions. Cheers.

As far as I can tell, learner legal 125s seem to hold their value quite well so you would probably be able to sell it for what you paid. The only costs then are fuel (and you will be getting better mpg than in the car so time on the bike = money saved) and insurance. All in all it shouldn't be that expensive to do. All the best!

Worst case, there's a bank holiday coming up on the 30th so you should get to test it out then.

For a long, long time now I've thought it should be a requirement to spend time on 2 wheels before you're allowed to get a car. You've got to have a car licence before you can get PCV, LGV or HGV entitlements, I don't see why cars should be any different. Can you imagine how different the roads would be if everyone knew what it felt like to be invisible? In fact, I heard a passing comment earlier that in some places (Taiwan is one, I think) you have to get a bike before you can get a car. Right or wrong I dunno but I think it'd be a really good idea. I'd even go as far as to say everyone should ride push-bikes on the road before being allowed anything with an engine. While the added speed of a motorbike is what's responsible for the increased danger of motorcycling vs cycling, there's something about being unable to keep pace with the rest of the traffic (for most riders and any rider going uphill) and the really dumb things drivers do when you're on a bicycle that seems to make a person FAR more considerate when they get into cars. Never gonna happen, I know, but still.

Oh yea, I don't mean are you getting the restricted but whether you were going to get a 125 to practice on (so you can ride without supervision) but still do the test on a big'un. Clearly not though, as your answer made clear. I take it you're going to keep up posted on how the test goes?

Sounds like a great session and a glowing recommendation for instructor and school too. Suggesting "no more lessons" after a free assessment is a pretty sure sign of a decent mob in my book. So... have you picked out a 125 to get in some miles or do you think you'll be OK to just go and do the test again with your new perspective? What's the plan?

Apologies if I just got the wrong end of the stick, but reading the bit in brackets at the end put me into panic mode. I'd have to move quickly to beat that. I just called the school I'll be doing my CBT at (and more than likely the DAS training too) and he's said the next change to the testing and licencing is due in 2013. He did say the government could do pretty much anything in the mean time, but that there's nothing on the horizon, and he'd expect to know about changes 6 months to a year in advance. Maybe he was wrong though, hopefully someone will correct me if so. When I spoke to them in the past they suggested getting a 125 to practice on and once I'm ready, get a bit of training on a bigger bike and go for the DAS - best of both worlds that way. Get the miles under your belt, then get familiar with a bigger machine, then pass the test (simple as that eh? ).

Haha - I'm not the only one then! For me it's a pet peeve when you're about to pass someone (on foot) and they just step out under your feet. I don't want to do it to others so "lifesaver". At least it's not a *bad* habit. You'll never get run over by a cyclist speeding through a pedestrian area that way either.

Spunky, I'd definitely have a crack at cleaning them. Nikwax make a wash for technical fabrics which may be what you need. You can sometimes get it in a pack with their re-proofer too. If waterproof, breathable fabrics get dirty they stop being so breathable and the dirt helps the water soak through. Once cleaned they can breathe again and should keep you dry while the water just beads off. Remember - no detergents (and that includes the detergent residues left in the washing machine... some suggest cleaning out the tray properly and running a cycle or two with nothing in it - others say that's not even good enough - I don't know either way).

That's quite alright. I'm glad the assessment confirmed it... well actually it'd be better if it didn't and he said "nah it's fine, just need a bit of prep to make sure you ride OK in the test" but if not that, this is the next best thing. Did he say if he thought simply getting miles under the belt was the answer or are you booking some lessons?

Spunky - are they new or have you worn them for a while? You might find that they just need a good wash in the proper stuff and maybe a re-proofing treatment after. Alternatively, if they have been washed - is it possible they got any detergent on them in the process? Waterproofs tend not to like that stuff. No sense buying new stuff if your current gear just needs sprucing up a bit.

A bit of input from someone who's not (anything like) as far down the road as you yet. To me it doesn't sound like your problems have anything to do with the bike, so I can't help thinking that taking the test on a little'un and getting a restricted licence would be a bit pointless. From what you've said, if you were going to fail again on a big bike you'd fail on a 125 too. So in my view - stick with the DAS. However, since it sounds like general riding that's the issue, if you can't be straightened out quickly after this assessment you've got coming up, I'd probably suggest getting a 125 so you can head off and get some proper miles under your belt, get more used to riding than you could just taking lessons and then head back for another stint with an instructor and a big bike test. From what I can gather, learner legal 125s hold their value pretty well so the extra cost should be pretty minimal too, so probably no need to even think about selling your bike. (Must be torture seeing it sat there like that! Good on you for having the willpower to stay off it though.) I'd echo what other have said and say it seems kinda pointless to drop down to doing the test on a 125 now. You just need that last push.

I'm looking into doing my CBT soon and the school I've spoken to said it's a 1-off fee for the CBT, if you need to come back again they charge for rental of the bike. I'm inclined to agree with those who say it's training and not a test. Absolutely, he should have been pulled up about the stop sign but for that one thing alone to mean paying for the CBT again sounds like a racket. Can you imagine taking a lesson (bike or car) and on making the same mistake having your instructor "fail" you on the lesson and say you have to pay for and do an extra lesson as a result? Madness. My view? I'd consider the cost of having the "failed" CBT a very good investment... I'd chalk it up as a lesson learned and find another school. I'd be very wary of learning from someone so quick to say "sorry, no, gotta pay again mate". By all means don't give a certificate to someone who doesn't meet the standard, but if everything else was fine I think that's a bit much. That's just me though.