What to do?

[Alexio]

There have been a couple of threads recently about which bike, vaugely discussing finance options and some people talking about doing their DAS recently. This has me seriously thinking. I've been on the road two years now, and will have to do my CBT again next month to stay on the road.

Went up to my honda dealership recently and was informed that a DAS (which I sorely would prefer to do) costs £700 ( is that more than most places?) or it's discounted to about £325 if I buy my first big bike from them. And here's the thing, they offered finance not only on a new bike but on the cost of the test too (which is one of those garenteed pass ones)! This is evil temptation.

I wasn't there for very long so I'm not sure on all of the details but was told that the best finance option that might be available to me is about £115 a month for the discounted test and a £2000 bike over two years. That's not really that good is it...?

I'm not sure I have a solid enough financial position (I live off of freelance work right now) to go for it anyway, although I could save up a safety buffer and then go for it... I'm unsure.

So anyway, please vote and give your opinions. Much appriciated Thanks
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[Robby]

Does it cost £120 to take a normal A1 test these days?

Given your fondness for the CG, and lack of funds to do a DAS, I'd take the normal test. If you're over 21 you can do accelerated access to remove the restriction afterwards if you choose.

You like the CG. You may find a bigger bike disappointing. You'd probably enjoy a classic, which would be under 33hp anyway.

£115 a month over 24 months is £2300. If you really choose the loan route you could just get a loan to cover the price of a DAS (less than £700 if you go anywhere but a Honda dealer) and do that. You know full well that at some point in the next couple of years you'd end up selling that bike for under a grand to pay for something else and still being saddled with the loan to pay off.

[Alexio]

[Polarbear]

If you have a few days practice and then do your test I would think you are looking at £500+ wherever you go, and a lot of places are putting restrictions on how much training they will do if you fail, ie, not a guaranteed pass so I'm not sure £700 for that is actually too bad nowadays
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Alexio]

[Polarbear]

How many bad habits (as far as the test is concerned) have you got now though mate. It's not about how good a rider, its about riding how the tester expects.
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Victory Cross Country American tractor.

[Alexio]

Very fair point. I have to say I do not know. I have no bad habbits I know of but it's very possible that I have them. I know of when I'm supposed to do my life savers (for example) and even do most of them while riding

I'm incredibly confident, but that might well not translate in to a pass. I'm pretty sure though that at least the above mentioned DAS would give me a couple of practices or more to work that out as you say anyway
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[T0MMY]

I don't get it? If you can already ride a bike why does the Direct Access cost any more than the cost of the theory and practical tests and maybe one lesson to spot the bad habits?

I had to do my test again a few years back after losing my licence. I just did a CBT, got one lesson then sat the big bike test, it didn't cost all that much.
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ZX6R + CBR600RR

[Alexio]

[T0MMY]

I've no idea how much a course costs, what I'm saying is do you actually need a course?

The test I think costs the same or similar whether you sit it on a 125 or a 500.
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ZX6R + CBR600RR

[Alexio]

[T0MMY]

Well, I'm probably not much help to you as my stock answer to any question like this is if you can't afford to pay for the bike up front then get a cheaper bike. It's a luxury good; I wouldn't borrow money for any luxury and I certainly wouldn't pay for a course I don't need just because it's on finance.
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ZX6R + CBR600RR

[nowhere.elysium]

The five day DAS course is circa 700 quid in most places: I know that's roughly what I paid.
You can ask to borrow a 500 for the test itself, if you can find a school that'll do a DAS 'refresher' course, or something. It'll cost significantly less, and you're more than prepared for it, I'd reckon. Let them take you out on a guided day, though, because it'll mean that they can evaluate your riding as far as it pertains to the test, and offer you advice on any habits you've picked up, as polarbear mentioned.
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'10 SV650SF, '83 GS650GT (it lives!), Questionable DIY dash project, 3D Printer project, Lasercutter project

[The Shaggy D.A.]

You're happy on a CG125.
Finance is bad.
The test is not going to get easier, or cheaper.

Take the normal test.
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Chances are quite high you are not in my Monkeysphere, and I don't care about you. Don't take it personally.
Currently : Royal Enfield 350 Meteor
Previously : CB100N > CB250RS > XJ900F > GT550 > GPZ750R/1000RX > AJS M16 > R100RT > Bullet 500 > CB500 > LS650P > Bullet Electra X & YBR125 > Bullet 350 "Superstar" & YBR125 Custom > Royal Enfield Classic 500 Despatch Limited Edition (28 of 200) & CB Two-Fifty Nighthawk > ER5

[Frost]

I asked a local bike place how much it would be to do my test, £450 was their answer. Doing a normal test was £50 at the time so i just went out early in the morning and practiced like mad, then booked my test. Passed first go with 1 minor. So it's defiantly doable and really doesn't have to cost much provided you put the effort in. I say give the test a go anyway if your CBT is running out. Provided you look around you alot and check your mirrors constantly i'd say your odds are good

[HP]

I would say do the a2 restricted lisence you won't need training i only rode my 125 700 miles before my test and passed with no training, so you would be fine. Then buy a cb500 or similar and when you have more money do the extended test that way you won't have to pay the £700 fee as you will have your own bike so you won't have to borrwo one. Hope that makes sense.

Harry

[T0MMY]

You can get a book that tells you all the correct techniques for the test too, I just got it from the library for both my car and bike tests.

I reckon taking a one hour lesson is worthwhile to make sure you don't have any obvious bad habits. I did this with my bike test and even for my car licence I only had 2 hours of lessons, the rest I learnt from a book (I had noone to teach me for free as my parents lived 400 miles away). Passed both bike tests and the car test first time.
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ZX6R + CBR600RR

[G]

Phone around for DAS I reckon - vast majority of people that had the choice and stuck with 33hp seemed to regret I'd say.

I'd get some decent 'good standard riding' in then see if somewhere will allow you to do a shorter course if needed - so they'll do an initial assessment and go from there or something. You could also consider making it into a bit of an adventure and staying with someone/using a tent to stay for a few days and do the course somewhere cheaper.

Incidentally, not sure on the specifics, but you have to do DAS on a bike with over 46hp I think - not sure how that works with 33hp restriction, or if anyone actually knows about it, but suspect it's going to make it complicated if they do.

[D O G]

If you're over 21, then not doing DAS is foolish.

Buying a bike from a dealer on finance is also financially foolish IMO, it's probably the most expensive way you can do it.

So, find a cheaper way of doing your DAS. Passing it only means that you can ride a 'big' bike, not that you have to.

[yuri2085]

The only additional cost for the DAS is the rent for a bigger bike.

The cost you have quoted for the A2 test includes no training so I would assume you can get by with only one days training for your DAS to get used to the bike.

This is if you will ACTUALLY pass everything on the A2 with no training.

[Alexio]

What I'm hearing is that:

Finance is bad.
Now I'm over 21 the normal test would be a regret.
I can find cheaper ways of doing it.

Interesting about the cost of renting a big bike in there though. I was told that the cost included doing it on a Hornet so £325 starts to make sense actually.

Thanks all for your thoughts, I wouldn't be rushing in to debt any time soon. The bike he was recommending at £2000 grand was a cb500 too and it was in pretty good condition (well I was staring at it, because I know it's a reliable bike).
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will never give up his CG. I look at my fuel gauge more as a progress bar than a fuel gauge.
G: With my GSXR I do often effectively use it as a scooter with a clutch in town.
ms51ves3: why does it need 500 miles? Are you teaching it how to be a piston?

[27cows]

Stick with the CG for a couple of years. Look at the price of fuel at present. You know it makes sense
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The RXS100: vehicle of choice for Chuck Norris

[Alexio]

[Pickledswede]

If you're going to be getting a CB500 £2000 seems like a lot of money. Mine was only £800, yes it is 15 years old and a little bit rusty but you could get a much better bike for £2000.

£115 a month for 2 years works out at about £2760 doesn't it? So you'd be paying the cost of the entire test aswell not a discounted one wouldn't you?

If I were you I'd look around for a cheaper DAS course, £700 sounds like quite a lot, although not hugely more than it should be. Given you already have plenty of experience I would have thought you could just do a few lessons then the test, rather than the whole course, you certainly could for the restricted licence but maybe it's different rules for DAS. Worth asking anyway, as it would be significantly cheaper!

Given your financial situation I'd say do what you can afford. Get your priorities in order:

1. Pass a test
2. Pass a test which gets you a de restricted licence
3. Get a bigger bike.

Pass whichever test you can afford in the short time available, I wouldn't suggest accelerated access was a good idea because inevitably it's going to be more money, but if you can't afford DAS at the moment it might be the best way. Also don't get caught up by the dealers offering you discount if you buy a bike. If you can't even afford the test you can't afford the bike either and remember you're only saving money by spending more! If it really is £115 a month it works out as no discount anyway as far as I can tell?

-Edit-
By the way my restricted test cost me £450 because I had no experience on a bike, that was for 2 and a half days training then both parts of the test, if I'd have just taken the test or had a couple of hours lessons it would have been a lot cheaper. That's why I'm suggesting that for DAS as I would assume the £700 is for a few days training which you arguably may not need, and then the test