Licence Limbo!!

[Guest]

Folks,

Hope someone can advise. I'm Nearly 40. No major previous experience on bikes apart from the odd spin on my brothers one. CBT done, Theory done. Dont own my own bike but Did a handful of DAS lessons with a school on their bike recently and took MOD 1. Failed (3kph too slow through the speedgate on swerve) Should be ok now that I know what to expect next time on the MOD1. Ideally I wanted to do the DAS and be able to get A licence. Thing is, with work and other commitments I cannot get through enough lessons in a short space of time to get enough road experience before the MOD2. I'd like to buy my own bike and get some practice and ride more regularly. Am I restricted to just 125cc if i purchase or can i buy bigger and restrict to allow me to ride and do the test? If so will this mean I cannot do the A licence then due to the power output of the bike? Is it a vicious circle? I feel that if I cannot get more experience on the road i'll never get through the MOD2. I'm 6' and 100kgs approx, any decent 125cc bikes out there so I can go down that route? Any suggestions?

Sorry about the excessively windy post

Appreciate any comments....

John

[soll]

at 40 your just younger than me.

i did cbt then theory.

you can ride a 125cc with l plates or a 50cc without.

you have 2 years from the date on tyour cbt to pass your licence.

as for timing contact your local training centre and they can work something out for you, they are good like that.

i failed mod1 and mod 2, but donr be phased by it.. just chill and enjoy

i rode a 125 for 18months found it brilliant, the training school will hire you a bike for test days, and provide it for training.

i took my test on a 650cc for A licence, but decided to get a 500cc (a2) for commuting, chat with your training school is all i can reccommend

[NeilM]

Personally I would persevere and fit the training in around your life and go the DAS route rather than 125.

If your only bike time is on a structured ride/training session then the possibility of picking up bad habits is minimised.

Just a thought?

[fullscreenaging]

Have you thought about booking holidays around the days your school have available? I would book three days off for mod1 -2 day's training and the same for mod2 when it comes around.

[someone]

Incidentally, I think you can only ride bigger but restricted bikes on an A2 licence, so not on an A1 let alone a CBT.

And even then, the restriction cannot be more than half the bike's power. So you would still fall foul of that even were were you allowed to do so on a CBT.

The CBT (and A1 licence) only allows you to ride bikes up to 125cc and 14.6bhp, whilst the A test requires a bike with a minimum of 595cc and 53.6bhp. That would mean needing a restriction of nearly three quarters for a bike to meet both.

You should not lose any money buying a 125 for a short period just to get some experience then selling after. But if the hassle of that is too much maybe there is somewhere near you you can rent something from on the days you are free to ride. Also try asking your school if they can do it, some do precisely for situations like yours, but renting should also include insurance so has none of the hassle.

[HondaHero]

I recommend booking a Mod 1 test now, as it's bound to be overbooked and you will need to OK the test date with your instructor so you can use a school bike, but taking another training day just for Mod 1 before the actual test itself (not on the same day). I wouldn't book an instruction + Mod 1 + 2 package with a training school, because of time constraints and the pressure of having the fly through it all in one sitting. It takes time waiting around for the next available slot if you fail, so just do one step at a time.

[Hoggs]

I rode for a year or so on a 125 before doing my test, the bonus is you build up some confidence on the road, the downside is you inevitably pick up a few bad habits you need to break to get through the test.

The other bonus is things you know you need to work on (for me looking for speed limit signs on the entrance to every single road you ever turn in to) you can practice in-between sessions. Where I took my test (Enfield) there are shed loads of 30 to 20 zones and it seems to be a common failure.

But there were lots of people taking (and passing) the mod2 who had literally never ridden a bike before starting the CBT /DAS course.

I did a four day DAS (two Saturdays for training and then Mod 1 on a Monday afternoon and the Mod 2 the following Wednesday). I think there were Saturday tests available but they were £40 extra. My training centre booked blocks of slots in advance so there wasn't too long to wait but not sure if they all do that. As mentioned above you can do the mod 1 and 2 on the same day but I didn't think my nerves would be up to that!

[Bobber Dave]

I think it depends what you want a bike for, if it's just for fun I would be inclined to get a 125, so you can practice at your own pace.

One point though, you say you failed your mod 1 because you were 3k/h under the required speed limit. I thought you were allowed +or- 3k, which would only be a minor.

Anyway good luck on whatever you decide