I have a grand... Whats my options? From 0 to Hero.

[Guest]

Hey all!

So i finally saved 1k over 1 and a half years. Im 28, 6 foot 1 and of medium build. I say muscle although people would beg to differ.

I have no experience of roads apart from being a push biker... And even then a round about is out of the question But i really need and want to get out there on the roads, at the weekend and just take it easy.

My local place to learn right now is doing a guarenteed couse for 480 quid including CBT which i dont have. (will this be DAS due to my age?)

http://www.pro-scot.com/guarantee.aspx

So the question is, should i spend upto a grand on a 125 and just take it easy at the weekend for the next year Or should i lay down the notes ASAP for the course? Do you know how long it takes to go from zero to hero with licences? That would leave me some money but not much. The second question is, is it easier to find a "cheaper" larger bike generally than to find a 125? Would you goto a 4-600?

Thanks for reading.

[Lumor_uk]

A good 125 is hard and expensive to find, a good larger bike I think can be had for £1k

I spent £200 on a cg125 1984 that gave me 1,500+miles have now bought a 2006 XR125 for £950. People say oh you want a bigger bike but to be honest I can keep up with town, urban and rural traffic and even over take some. It's the dual carriageways that cause a problem. I wouldn't even dream of going on the motorway on a 125

I'm taking the cheap route of CBT (£99), Mod 1 £15.50?, Mod 2 (£75). Then you can work out how much you're paying for the lessons, but they include the hire of the bike too which is good as you'll probably drop it

I think the DAS is probably good if you've been on bikes before, but I want to get some experience before moving onto a bigger bike.

[cypek]

£480 seems to be a very good price for a guaranteed course with CBT included. I would go for it if I were you You may also ask them for a taster session. They may let you try a bike for free for an hour so you'd see how hard would it be Also don't forget you'll need a protection. If you go for 2nd hand set you could get it really cheap. The only thing you should buy new is helmet but the prices start from £25

I also think it is easier to find a big bike for a grand than 125cc.

[NearOn]

£480 is a good price, but if you purely have what's left over, there's not a lot for a bike and gear.

Purely from my own experience although others will have different experiences which are all helpful. I went down the 125 route to get the experience.

So would go a bit like this, get a 125, (Honda Varadero 125 is perfect for your height and size, same stats as myself and can pick one up for under a grand) Do the CBT, get experience on the roads with that for a year, maybe longer. Then if money is still tight, do your tests by yourself, if MOD 1 and 2 are still around then, So only cost around £100.

Once passed, sell your 125 which wont have lost much value over the time depending on what it is, and then buy a nice 600 and restrict it which is cheap if do it yourself.

Easy!

[cypek]

Sorry but £1000 won't be enough for that kind of 125. CBT - £100, gear - £100 and with £800 left it is pretty hard to find a decent 125cc unless a scooter or chinese. Cheapest Varadero on Autotrader is for £999 and next one is for £1450. But for under £1000 there is loads of big bikes including Bandits, older CBRs, Ninjas, GPX/GPZs and quite a few commuters ER5, GS500, CB500.

[NearOn]

Sorry but £1000 won't be enough for that kind of 125. CBT - £100, gear - £100 and with £800 left it is pretty hard to find a decent 125cc unless a scooter or chinese. Cheapest Varadero on Autotrader is for £999 and next one is for £1450. But for under £1000 there is loads of big bikes including Bandits, older CBRs, Ninjas, GPX/GPZs and quite a few commuters ER5, GS500, CB500.

 

You are right, there are not many around, but did see one for around £750 with 25k on the clock not long ago. The only prob if they do direct access, will leave around 400 quid to spend on a bike. And be lucky to get a old Bandit , CBR etc for that sort of money.

[Ingah]

My experience is largely the opposite. 125's are easy and plentiful to find for a grand, especially if you keep to the CG/YBR commuter types. Getting a decent bigger bike is harder for that sort of money (although this is balanced against the far greater choice of vehicles to help ensure success).