New biker

[Dylanjaimz]

Hello,
Basically im brand new to biking and have no clue what to do at all, i was just wondering if anybody could help me on what bikes i can ride since im 17.. I have read a few things where people my age have owned 600cc+ bikes but then others i have read say that 17 year olds can only ride anything under 125cc.

Can anybody please help?
Thank you
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D.Sinclair

[ninja_butler]

1. Go to the post office and get a form to apply for a provisional motorcycle license.

2. (When your license has arrived) call a good motorcycle training school and get yourself booked in for a CBT. It's a weekend safety course and it costs about £100-ish.

3. Once you've got your CBT certificate you are legal to ride 125cc bikes (but only up to 14bhp power) on L-plates.

Next job is to buy a bike! You're only 17 so you're going to get reamed on motorcycle insurance but if you're lucky you might get "Third Party" insurance (makes you legal to ride the bike but if it gets damaged or stolen you don't get any compensation) for under £500. It's painful but it's got to be done.

At 17 years old you can ride proper full sized motorcycles limited to a maximum of 33bhp power IF you pass the full motorcycle test. You can NOT ride full size bikes as an L-plater, only 125's.

[Dylanjaimz]

Ah thank you, so basically i cant ride anything bigger than a 125cc bike until im 21?
But i know about insurance and it is stupidly high compared to a few years ago.
Thanks for the reply by the way
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D.Sinclair

[Scythe]

[Dylanjaimz]

So if i was to do my CBT and pass then buy a 125 bike with L plates i could ride legally but what if i where to do my full bike license shortly after passing my CBT? Or either way do i just have to wait 2 years?
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D.Sinclair

[waffles]

As soon as you have your CBT you can do your test and ride a bike bigger than a 125, ninja_butler outlined the type of bike you can ride. If you wait until you are 21 you can do direct access and ride anything at all
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[waffles]

Double post!
____________________
Theory test - 19/8/09, CBT - 11/10/09, MOD 1 - 16/8/10, MOD 2 - 27/10/10
Past rides Yamaha XT125X, Triumph TT600, Honda XR250
Current rides Suzuki GSXR 600, Honda MSX125

[ninja_butler]

If you're really keen to get onto a bigger bike, do your CBT and then book up for some riding lessons and take the bike test. Obviously it does all cost money though.

If you've got the cash to pay for lessons and a motorcycle test, there is nothing stopping you jumping onto any bike you want; the only limitation is that the bike has to be restricted to under 33bhp for 2 years (or until you are over the age of 21).

Any motorcycle can be restricted but what most people do is buy a motorcycle that is either already a 33bhp machine or one that is pretty close so it won't be down much on power.

[Dylanjaimz]

Right ok i get it now sorry to be such a nuisance :/
From the sounds of it either from people on here and people i have spoken to in my family,
I should just go for a 125CC bike for now until im 21 then if i feel comfortable buy a bigger engine.
Most people have told me it is highly likely that i will be involved in a crash due to either mine or other drivers faults and i wont want to be spending too much on one that will just be scrapped after the first year.

Thank you all for posting on here to, much appreciated and helped alot no doubt i will be writing on here again
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D.Sinclair

[waffles]

[Dylanjaimz]

[ninja_butler]

No. They are right.

I'm way more careful than most people but several times I've been in situations on the road where I've thought sh*t, that was too f***ing close and the truth is it was probably my own fault on each occasion.

The last time I made a serious mistake it was on a narrow back road on the way too work; it was Summertime and it was broad daylight but there was a tractor coming the other way and it was almost invisible because the branches and leaves of the trees either side of the road cast dappled shadows everywhere. It was coming towards me at 30mph and I was riding towards it at 45 mph. I slowed down and avoided it in plenty of time but if I had been distracted for just another 5 seconds I'd have plowed straight into it without even touching the brakes. Happens all the time.

I think it's a good idea to ride a relatively slow and low powered bike for a year or so, especially when you're a still a teenager. That's why the 33bhp limit was introduced.

[robeh]

Hi ya,

Welcome to the Biking crew!!!!! Get the legals done the enjoy for the next few decades!

[bLiXeY]

[robeh]

Nope just a ringing two stroke, 25 years ago and a couple of Akrapovic cans singing in the wind, hanging off the back of a 200 BHP in line four, oh life is still sweet!

[Dylanjaimz]

Yeh i have been thinking about it alot but i have decided now that the only reason im getting a bike is to help me get to work/college so it wont be more than 15 miles a day and within that distance theres nowhere i would need to be going too fast.
Think im going to go for a 125cc cruiser style bike
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D.Sinclair

[mickfulton]

Not wanting to piss on your chips, just make sure the cruiser bike has a wee bit of poke for the Mod 1 emergency stop/hazard speed traps.
I seem to remember reading of people struggling to get up to speed on cruisers [or maybe they were just limp wristed fat arses or took the corner pish]
Either way, take more experienced bikers advice wherever you can (not me btw and not teflon mike, unless you have a few days to read the posts ... to be fair he is the reason I got a ybr ], have a healthy dose of respect for the potential to get mashed up in a crash and ride accordingly, BUY DECENT GEAR then sort out money for the bike. You might look cool on an expensive bike with fuck all gear but you wont look cool shitting in a bag with no skin.
Just my opinion obviously.

Merry Christmas

Mick
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Current half-cars :2004 SV650, VX535 1991
Exes: YBR 125 2007,GPZ500S 1998

[Kingstondavo]

It is worth mentioning that There is more reason to get a big bike than pure speed - every 125 I tried was just too small for me (other than this dodgy Chinese motox style one, but that was awful)
I feel far safer and more stable on a 600, and if the worst does happen, bigger brakes and more rubber on the road does make it much easier to stop.

I commute about 20 miles through London every day and barely get above 30, but Im much happier doing it on a 600 than a 125

I'm far from the most experienced of bikers though, so As mick said, definitely worth listening to everyones opinions!

[Dylanjaimz]

Yeh im not one of those dicks who only get flashy bikes to look 'cool'. I just want one because I love driving them (plus im selfish and wouldny want to drive people around if I had a car )
But either way I have to wait 2 years on my cbt until I can get a bigger bike anyway so I suppose I can pay out for a 125 that im going to enjoy
____________________
D.Sinclair

[Rogerborg]

Hi Dylan. Licensing laws are changing on January 19th 2013, and not for the better.

If you're intending to get into biking, get yourself a license ASAP.

Provision entitlement -> pass a CBT course -> get yourself a 125cc commuter style bike like a YBR or CG -> pass motorcycle theory -> pass module 1 -> pass module 2.

This will get you an "A <= 25kW" license which will let you ride any bike you want, but with the power limited (which can be done quite cheaply). After 2 years, it will automatically upgrade to a full unrestricted license without having to sit any other tests. The CBT will cost about £120 and the tests another £121.50 plus the cost of your 125 and gear.

If you miss the chance to sit a test under the current system then you won't be able to ride anything larger than a 125 until you're 19, and it'll cost you a lot more since you'll have to get trained and pass it on a bigger rented bike. To get a full license you'll than have to wait another 2 years (so at least 21) and then pass exactly the same test again on a bigger bike.

The system at the moment is complicated and burdensome, but it's only going to get worse, I'm afraid.
____________________
Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[FretGrinder]

[Dylanjaimz]

AAHHHHHH! I had no idea it was going to get even worse -.- why couldnt there just be one test for 16-21s then 21+ would be so much easier :/
Think I will get my license as soon as possible but still drive a 125 for a year or two before I change to a bigger engine
____________________
D.Sinclair

[ninja_butler]

[Andy_Pagin]

[Scythe]

Just a heads up with my experience OP.

I'm 19, and passed my test in July 2010. I have my CBT in March 2009. You don't have to wait two years on your CBT to do your test, however if your CBT expires when you've done your theory and mod 1, then you must retake your CBT before you can take your mod 2, makes sense?

I did my CBT and decided a big bike was the way to go soon after riding my 125, I loved it. I've always been into bikes anyway but never thought I'd be able to ride a big bike, with the insurance costs. However, I started playing around with quotes and realised I could insure a big bike for about £100 more than I was paying on my 125!

I rode on my CBT and racked up 4000-5000 miles in all weathers including many long trips and was always reading up on stuff to improve my riding, this was essential.

I saved up, as I was only in a small 1 day a week job at the time. By August/September, I took my theory and failed by one mark, despite revising like mad. Rebooked it again for about a week later and passed... without revising as I decided to go to my mate's 18th birthday part and was VERY hungover in the test centre.

I then looked at the price of mod 1 (was about £15 then, don't know what it is now), and decided I could do the Mod 1 twice and it was still be cheaper than training aka learning from my mistakes if I failed my first mod 1. I chose this because I learnt most of it whilst on the road, and the fact I liked challenging myself to doing tight turns on empty car parks and just generally messing around with low speed stuff meant that mod 1 was fairly natural to me. I just kept looking at youtube videos to see what was expected of me, I used this one (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A459jXZDw7g) the most as it was from the rider's view, incidentally, this instructor is actually from the same area as me and I did my mod 2 training with him without realising it was him who uploaded the video until after I passed. I passed the mod 1 first time with two minors, I think!

Mod2 is about £70 a go. I didn't want to throw money at this and gamble like I did with mod1, because I couldn't afford to lose on the mod2 as it's a lot of money. I began practising my riding, lifesavers etc (you'll learn what these mean in time), then decided to have an entire day worth of lessons before my test (about 6 hours). I approached an instructor and he agreed to help me out, the price was about £100 as I was using my own bike and petrol too.

The lessons were the best thing I could've done, I strongly recommend them. My lessons got off to a late start due to a problem at the school, so my instructor said he'd give me a hour the next day, the morning before my test. This proved very beneficial in order to get you into the test mindset, so I recommend this too. The instructor said my riding was very good, and the fact I had plenty of road experience for a learner was clear from my few thousand miles, he pointed a few points where I was weak, road positioning etc.

The morning of the test, I had my lesson which improved my confidence, he said I should have no problem. The test went smoothly, got a few minors but can't remember the exact number any more. My instructor said afterwards he thought I'd fail, as the examiner was the county one, does tests across all of Staffordshire and is renowned for being strict.

The main point is, get some experience under your belt, don't rush thinking you need to do the test ASAP, but it's your choice. Definitely invest in some training, the less experience you have the more training you're likely to need.

Hope this helps.
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2009 Yamaha YBR125 -> 2000 SV650S -> 2005 Kawasaki ZX6R 636