Prospective Rider

[MikeyDorset]

Hello all,

 

35 years old and looking to get a full motorbike license.  I have no experience on two wheels (aside from my daily commute pushbike!) but have always been interested in and wanted to ride a motorbike. 

Just looking for recommendations as to how to get started.  I know it’s a steep learning curve however I am confident that I would pick it up quickly given the opportunity.

 

Any advice, including whether to jump straight into a DAS course, would be greatly appreciated!  
 

To add a bit more detail, I live in Bournemouth, and would ride mainly for commuting purposes alongside the occasional Jurassic Coast / New Forest day trip.  Not looking to tear the road up on an unnecessarily powerful bike - just want something nice to handle to give me the freedom a car doesn’t allow!  (Obviously still want something with a bit of a kick as otherwise, I’d stick to my road bike!!)

 

Cheers

[husoi]

Hi and welcome.

 

I would start visiting some dealers and have a sit on different models.

Depends on personal taste, how tall you are and what bike makes you feel comfortable and confident on.

Higher cc and power means higher insurance.

If it's your first bike maybe consider something that won't cost a fortune premium wise. A few simulations will give you an idea of cost.

 

Personally, trail bikes 400cc will be a good starting point as they are excellent teachers and quite forgiving if you slam the brakes and won't throw you on the ground.

Stay away from Chinese ones as maintenance and parts will make it more expensive.

Regarding brand, I'm suspicious because anything that isn't a honda is not worth the money

 

Now I'll have half the forum having a go at me

[KiwiBob]

I would suggest taking your CBT first and see if you enjoy motorcycling...

If you do then you'll need to take and pass the theory test.

 

After that DAS is the way to go.

 

 

[Fiddlesticks]

Two options, broadly speaking:

 

CBT, then.. 

1. Buy a 125 and pootle around for a year or so on L plates, then go for the DAS.
2. Do the direct access course straight away, get a bigger bike from the get go.

No right answers, it just depends on how you feel about it. A bigger bike is nothing to be intimidated by, though. Also, there are pros and cons in terms of price, insurance etc.

[MikeyDorset]

2 hours ago, husoi said:

Hi and welcome.

 

I would start visiting some dealers and have a sit on different models.

Depends on personal taste, how tall you are and what bike makes you feel comfortable and confident on.

Higher cc and power means higher insurance.

If it's your first bike maybe consider something that won't cost a fortune premium wise. A few simulations will give you an idea of cost.

 

Personally, trail bikes 400cc will be a good starting point as they are excellent teachers and quite forgiving if you slam the brakes and won't throw you on the ground.

Stay away from Chinese ones as maintenance and parts will make it more expensive.

Regarding brand, I'm suspicious because anything that isn't a honda is not worth the money

 

Now I'll have half the forum having a go at me

Thanks for the reply mate.

 

  I love scramblers.  Always have.  And it’s the thing which always pulls me back to getting my license and getting one.

 

i think one of my biggest concerns currently is the cost of insurance - which is a joke at the moment!

[MikeyDorset]

5 minutes ago, Fiddlesticks said:

Two options, broadly speaking:

 

CBT, then.. 

1. Buy a 125 and pootle around for a year or so on L plates, then go for the DAS.
2. Do the direct access course straight away, get a bigger bike from the get go.

No right answers, it just depends on how you feel about it. A bigger bike is nothing to be intimidated by, though. Also, there are pros and cons in terms of price, insurance etc.

Yes those were the two options as I understood it.

 

I’d be inclined to go down the second route to be honest rather than get a smaller bike and then sell it again in a year or so.

 

Motorcycle gear is another cost to factor in too!

[Blackholesun]

Did it similar age to you, cbt then rode that for a year although partly as Covid prevented any possibility to upgrade.then did my mod 1 and 2 separately and tbh best thing I’ve ever done.have sold my car now and go everywhere on my bike 

[MikeyDorset]

2 hours ago, Blackholesun said:

Did it similar age to you, cbt then rode that for a year although partly as Covid prevented any possibility to upgrade.then did my mod 1 and 2 separately and tbh best thing I’ve ever done.have sold my car now and go everywhere on my bike 

Thanks mate.

 

Would doing 2 years CBT reduce insurance premiums too?

 

I am tempted to follow your route despite wanting to get straight on something more fun!

[Dombo]

I did CBT about a year ago and currently in the middle of DAS. Other than CBT my only other experience was renting a Yamaha YSR 125 for a week on L plates, then a week’s holiday riding on a Honda XR 150 - a dual sport bike sadly not available here. My DAS training is currently on a MT-07, which is 700cc or so and 70-odd bhp, and although heavier than the 125 to wheel about, it is much more planted on the road and much easier to ride.

I didn’t really enjoy the 125 and other than having one for a year to get some no-claims discount and very cheap commuting I didn’t see the point. Incidentally when I ran some sample insurance quotes I was getting cheaper for a bigger bike with brand new full licence than 125 on provisional with just CBT.

I have been mountain biking for years so when fully licensed probably looking at something that can cope with off-road, and a fair bit smaller than the MT-07 I’m learning on.

Best of luck with whichever route you take, I’ve a full quarter century on you and wish I’d done it sooner!

[peepae]

1 hour ago, MikeyDorset said:

Thanks mate.

 

Would doing 2 years CBT reduce insurance premiums too?

 

I am tempted to follow your route despite wanting to get straight on something more fun!

only if you get no claim bonus but you wont get 2 years unless you want to be redoing your CBT - so only 1 year and then get A license in the 2nd year. 

 

Buying and selling same 125 and changing insurance for it, will probably not work out much cheaper especially if you start on something reasonable like a SV650 after getting full A

Edited June 4, 2024 by peepae

[RideWithStyles]

to a point insurance would go down if you dont claim on it for NCD, but if you do keep repeating cbts for so long rather than getting a full licence for a category many insurances will less likely give you a competitive quote especially if you young male living in a high risk area etc.

 

you could just get a lower cc bike license and be happy with that, nowt wrong there.

[KiwiBob]

4 hours ago, MikeyDorset said:

Thanks mate.

 

Would doing 2 years CBT reduce insurance premiums too?

 

I am tempted to follow your route despite wanting to get straight on something more fun!

Go the DAS route .. Once you have a full licence there's nothing to stop you getting a smaller cc bike for a couple of years for lower insurance costs.

Edited June 4, 2024 by KiwiBob

[Blackholesun]

4 hours ago, MikeyDorset said:

Thanks mate.

 

Would doing 2 years CBT reduce insurance premiums too?

 

I am tempted to follow your route despite wanting to get straight on something more fun!

Not sure but when I got my big bike after a year on a 125 the insurance was something like £200 for the year albeit it was an old Fazer which I still have

[bonio]

Ots worth running some insurance quotes through on line so you can see how much each of the different options you're considering would cost.