17 soon and need advice on a motorbike.

[Jay99]

Hello. I need a motorbike to get me to and from sixth form + work. Getting a bus is too slow and has recently got very expensive. Cycling is not an option as there is a large hill getting to town and I get tired when I'm there. I was going to get a moped but I don't want to sound stupid and get blown off it. I was going to get a moped last year but I thought why not wait till I'm 17 and get the real thing. I also know that something is happening in 2013/14 which will prevent me from getting a licence so I thought why not get it done asap.

I also thought about getting a car but due to the astronomical cost of insurance, tax, driving lessons, the theory test, practical and the car itself (never mind the MOT, service, fuel and breakdown cover) I knew that it wasn't going to be an option.

So I'm going to get a motorbike. I'll look cool, get the girls ( ) and get there in style while being economical and quick.

I do want to ask one thing before getting started, if I'm wearing leather cycling boots, jacket, trousers and helmet how long does it take to get it all off? Is it waterproof and will it all end up creasing my clothes?

Right, how much will everything cost? I can get a provisional and do my CBT all for £150 but what do I do after that, will I need to do a theory test and then practice and take some motorcycle exam + get started or is it completely different? I'm pretty clueless here.

How much does the training and exam cost?

What CC will I be able to ride at 17? Is there a limit?

How much will a decent bike at the specified CC limit cost?

On average how long does it take to practice, learn and pass the exam take?


How much is the MOT, tax and breakdown cover going to cost me?

Will the insurance cost a lot because I'm 17 on a motorbike? As long as its cheaper than a car then I'm good.


If it ends up being too expensive and takes ages, I'll get myself a 125cc moped.

Thanks guys and sorry for all the questions!

[alex965]

Try to be careful about asking vague or obvious questions on here, some may scold you for it. You'll find that there are answers to many of your questions waiting for you in google. But I'm relatively new here too so I'll give you a break and try to help.

Ok, at 17 you are limited to 125cc's of roar power, no motorways, no passengers; and big fat L plates front and rear. As for how much a decent one will cost. How long is a piece of string? There are endless different bikes in the 125 category so it's hard to say. Upwards of £600 will get you an old Japanese bike in serviceable condition, you might find one for even less than that. It really depends on what your idea of a decent bike is. My advice would be to look on ad sites like gumtree and ebay, look at the different 125's on offer, check the prices, read the reviews etc.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to explain the new licence laws coming in next year better than I can.

To get out on a 125 with L plates you need your cbt and a provisional licence. Obviously budget in insurance/tax etc. If you want to get a bigger engined bike or just lose the L plates and be allowed to go on motorways or take pillions, at the moment you will have to take a theory test, module one practical and then module two practical. There is a new biker thread on getting your full licence in this forum that explains it in much more detail.

Tax on a 125 for a year is £15. mot is usually around £30 as long as it doesn't need work doing to it. As for breakdown cover, I don't know.

Insurance wise, you are looking at a fraction of the cost of a car. The going rate for a four stroke commuter for a noobie 17 year old with 0ncb third party fire and theft seems to be around the £400 a year mark. Although for the sportier bikes it can be over £1000. As for training and exam after cbt. Theory around £30 Mod 1 £15 Mod 2 £75 (I think). There is no given length of time it takes someone to learn to ride before they do their full test, it's all down to you.

As for what bikes to look at you'll find the consensus on here is that for cheap, reliable transport that teaches you the basics of biking whilst getting you your money back when you sell them, you can't go wrong with bikes the "CG125 YBR125 CBF125" All well known japanese brand bikes that have a good track record. They are plain looking and hardly fast compared to bigger bikes but for what they are they are brilliant. Oh and hint, DON'T BUT CHINESE UNLESS YOU'RE HANDY WITH THE SPANNERS AND WANT TO USE YOUR BREAKDOWN COVER AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

As for your jacket and trousers etc. When you haven't listed what the jacket and trousers are made of and whether they were intended to be waterproof no-one can possibly tell you whether you will be dry in the rain. Same point applies to how long it would take to get changed.

That is all, good luck and welcome to the forum
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Passed A2 licence 19th Dec '14.

[Efes123]

You really should learn to use the search button. Most of your questions have already been answerd, hundreds of times. However, the sun is shining, and I've woken up in a good mood so...

[Rogerborg]

Good stuff. Well, you need a CBT, so get one booked ASAP. That'll answer a lot of your questions.

As to getting a 125, I'm guessing that you'll be constrained by budget. A good example of any bike with a year's MOT will serve you better than a poor example of a "reliable" bike. At this time of year, with this weather, if you take the time to ask "Should I get this bike?" then someone else will buy it while you're waiting for the answer. Keep your budget handy in cash, and get in quickly.

Just make sure that whatever you get is listed as an "A2" bike on this list.

Gear, well, it depends. If you need anything else, then bag some bargains on eBay or Gumtree.

Insurance entirely depends on you and your circumstances. Get onto https://www.thebikeinsurer.co.uk/ and get a quote on (e.g.) a Honda CG or Yamaha YBR 125, see if you can stand it.
____________________
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

[Jay99]

So basically I get my provisional, do my CBT, then wait until I'm 17 do the Theory test (by the way can I do this before I'm 17?) do the A restricted exams before January 13, get the 33hp restriction then wait two years until I'm 19 and ride anything I want until I'm old with no restrictions.

So the DAS course does not apply to me because I'm not 21 and over and have no restrictions when I'm 19.

Is this right?

I will also be doing the A restricted with a school as I won't be able to get any practice after my CBT as I'll have to wait until I get a 125 as there's no point getting a 50cc to practice yet. I also want to get straight on with the A as I have read the rush to beat the Jan 13 deadline and many schools will be booked when the deadline date gets closer e.t.c.


By the way if I did my A restricted at a school, could they provide (or let me hire) a bike to sit the course and then an exam as I don't really need to buy a 125. I could finish the test and then buy something that is 33hp, would this be possible or will I have to get a 125 ad insure/tax it for that purpose and then sell it off?

Sorry for all the questions as I did not realise the search option at the top!

Thanks

[sidewinder]

Hi jay

Looks like you've got it in one. Regarding your question on bikes for your training most training schools will provide bikes and kit for you to use in the price of the course you choose to do.

[Efes123]

[J.M.]

[Efes123]

[Jay99]

I've found the place! I can do a CBT with a geared 50cc bike (most of the places don't!) next Wednesday so I'll be prepared for the real thing in October because the 125 will be a geared one.

Its a 3 day mix and match course so I can do 2 days training for Module 1 and take the test, and maybe 1 day on module 2 because it looks easier. I'll then take the tests at a day I choose.

£399 and the geared bike is included, with the test fees and all the gear included too. sounds like a good deal so all together It will cost me £499 + CBT.

If I do pass it, I can buy a 33 hp bike right away for about £500 - 600 and pay the insurance in monthly instalments.

I'm not sure if 3 days will be enough though, and extra lessons are £70 and if I don't pass I'll end up throwing money down the drain! I'm going to shop around and get something which has more lessons. I will be doing figures of 8 and going around cones on my mountain bike and doing everything I can really because I'm buying a proper bike after the modules are done to save myself money.


Good call or should I buy myself a 50cc and sell it on just for the practice?

Thanks guys

[Rogerborg]

Hmm. If you buy a 50 then you'll be able to see it for pretty much what you paid for it. However, you may find that you won't be able to switch bikes on the insurance to anything bigger, which means cancelling, losing any partial NCD and getting little or nothing back from the policy.

Actually, the same applies to a 125 - if you do buy one, check that the underwriter will let you switch to something bigger. Get it in writing!

It's a tough call, but you're going to be pushed for time. If you've got the budget then you might be better off getting a geared ped now, riding it around for a bit then going for your tests as soon as you turn 17, whichever route you go after then.
____________________
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

[TamaJosh]

Insurance for me was 495 quid at 17, renewed it for 350 when I was 18. bike cost 1400 quid (CBF125) and gear was around 70 quid.

Do your test this year to avoid the clusterfuck next jan.

Unfortunately 125 bikes do not 'get the girls'. They attract more ridicule than anything else at 6th form due to the whopping L plates and low power. Your friends in cars will get the girls (probably not though, they really couldn't give a shit) but will be shelling out for petrol and giving lifts to suckers which you won't have to do.

Bikes are more fun though, no traffic jams or fuel crisis.

Good luck!

[Paris2]

[Jay99]

[Rogerborg]

Please stop being so bloody sensible, you're really messing up our gestalt image of today's Yoof.

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/_UuYx3ukZysY/Sr_3RMiGE7I/AAAAAAAABqs/VdVaVffv5tk/s400/chav-48372.jpg
____________________
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

[Paris2]

Where do you live? Out of curiosity, as there is a college up a hill about 1.5miles away from me

And whilst I'm on the subject, 1.5 miles away, that's about 10minutes on a push bike. That will surely take no longer than a few minutes of a motorbike.
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Current Ride: Daytona 600

[Jay99]

[Paris2]