Wanting to start riding - (newbie questions)

[CreepyNick]

Hello all, first I'll apologise for these questions that I'll ask as they've probably been asked hundreds of times before. I've wanted to ride since I was young but I was living with a family that hates bikes which resulted in driving lessons when I was old enough, getting my license and then I bought a car and kept it for 2 years.

I'm now 21, at university and looking into starting riding but confused as to where to start. Obviously, I want to start by doing my A2 license and riding a 500cc etc. But being a student money, is an issue. How much would you all think an A2 license would cost in total inc lessons for someone that has never ridden before at all. And insurance would be a lot more compared to a smaller bike because of my age.

The other option is to do my CBT and start on a 125. which is a lot cheaper, but comes with it's drawbacks, like not being able to ride on motorways would be bad as I'll often go home over uni holidays from Leeds to Beverley.

[PoppetM]

Given your age it may be worth doing your CBT, tootling on a 125 (leave it at uni in the hols, stop aggro from family!) then do the full licence after your 25th given your financial position, that might work out best. Plus you will know if you like it rather than fork out and decide you can't get on with the gears. You have to do the CBT any way!

I started with CBT on a Vespa, got fed up with the L plate and wanted a larger bike. Had a trial on a geared bike and was fine so went for DAS when I costed up the a2, it was pointed out to me I should just do the full licence given my age(30+).

Seems you pay twice by doing the a2 then the full licence, and you have to redo the tests you did at a2.

Still gaining experience out there on a CBT...

I went for a 125 to a 750

[bonio]

If you want to go straight for the A2, you're going to need to do a CBT (£125?), take the theory test (£23), get some lessons on an A2 bike (£30 an hour, so perhaps a bit under £700?), and take the A2 test (£90). So somewhere around £900?. A bit less if you find a cheaper school or if you learn fast. Or more if you need a retake As for insurance, I don't know, but you can try to get some quotes from the comparison web sites. Try with a few different bikes and the variation can be quite large.

If you were to do the CBT and ride on L plates for a while, then all you'd pay for now is the cost of the CBT. When you come to take the full test, you'll find you need a lot less time in lessons, as you should have mastered the basic control of a bike (and a big bike is in some ways easier to ride than a 125). This is for sure the cheapest route.

There's another option: do the CBT, buy a 125 and ride it on L plates for 6 or 8 months, then get a few lessons on an A2 bike and take your A2 test then. Then sell the 125 and buy something like a restricted SV650 with the money. The training costs would be the CBT and theory as above then perhaps £150 for lessons and £90 for the A2 test. So around £400?

When thinking about the costs of getting a bike, remember to add running costs like tyres and the cost of getting some gear: helmet, gloves, jacket, trousers - probably a minimum of £200 for the gear. Oh and set something aside to buy a bike

[CreepyNick]

Cheers for the quick replies, good points made

I initially wanted to go for an A2 instead of a 125 for the power increase (I had a 1.2 punto for 2 years, not fun when nothing happens when you go full throttle).

I didn't think the A2 would be as much as £900 but fair enough, I think a cheap CBR125 could do for a while. But then if I have the 125 for a year (I'd nearly be 23) then there would less point going for an A2 as I could go full license in another years time. Insurance on a 125, I'd be looking at roughly £500, which I assume is reasonable? I had to fork out £1600 for first year of driving!

[Joeman]

I was in the BMW dealership yesterday and got chatting to a sales guy. He told me about a scheme BMW are running for new riders where they provide all the training, all the riding gear and a GS310 bike for two years for just £99 per month.

At the end of the two years you keep the riding gear but have to hand the bike back, and you get £500 towards the purchase of a new bike.

Sounds an excellent deal as the riding gear alone is worth £1200.

[PoppetM]

My insurance was £150 for my 125 Vespa then jumped to £570 for the 750 as .I had t had the. Esparza a year do list eight months NCB.

But then my car is no longer doing 16,000 miles, the bike is now doing it. Kind of levels out.

And £10 petrol a week for a 250mile commute vs £47 a week in the car, still quids in. Then the free parking... kerching!

Whatever you do, enjoy it!