Yet another one

[carlozdre]

Hello, I am 35 years old, hold a B license for ages now, have a CBT for the past 3 years (have just retaken it), have ridden a scooter in London for quite a few times and also in holidays, I have just taken my theory test.

I am going straight for A. Couple of questions please:

1. Will any London company hire a 600cc to me if I don't have the license? I need one for two days, to practice somewhere by myself for a whole day, I have never ridden a bike with gears so I gotta learn that and make sure I am prepared for the module 1.

As far as I understand, it must be a 600cc, can't go less than that.

2. Assuming I will be able to hire a bike, is there any bike (cheap to hire ideally) that you could recommend to me so I will make my life easier on the module 1 and 2? I need one where I can have a good posture on it I think, be able to do the 8's on module 1 easily, maybe a digital speedometer might help?, etc.

I also assume it will be wise to hire the same bike for module 2, as I will be used to riding it?

Being new, I will start reading other people's posts, is just I didn't find any relevant info yet hence my questions!

Thank you so much.

p.s. forgot to mention but the I am basically trying to reduce the costs and also, I learn better by myself and I think having a bike for a day would give me confidence rather than having an instructor teaching me for 4-6 hours and probably pay double.

[Codemonkey]

I doubt you'll be able to hire one unless it comes with an instructor. On a CBT, you can't legally ride anything bigger than a 125cc on the road to practice on without an instructor present.
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Test Passed 10/05/2011 Current bike: XJ6-N

[Grimeric]

I doubt that you'd find anyone willing to hire you a 600 without a licence to ride one.
Why not approach a riding school and have one or two lessons? That way you can get a feel for a bigger bike and gears. You have riding experience so you might not be far off test standard, you never know unless you try.

Grim

[lihp]

You can't legally ride that bike without being followed with a radio, by a DAS qualified instructor.

You have no real option on this other than either a DAS school.

[Rogerborg]

[carlozdre]

Yes, this is what I was actually thinking of, to practice on a "private road".

As for taking it to and from the test centre, if pushing it there for 5 miles saves me money, I will do it, having a friend with A license that could hire the bike for me.

Thanks!

I think I will have to start looking for a bike that will have to be.. easy to ride, for a newbie. I like the Yamaha Virago ones, also Kawasaki Ninja ones (as a style) but I guess the later is way harder to ride.

[HotdogMcDraw]

[Teflon-Mike]

So... its too expensive to take a couple of lessons to find out whether you are ready for test, pick up a few tips, and get used to bike legally...
But makes sense, to hire a bike, to try and beat the system... risk deposit if you're 'mate' accidentally drops it showing you how to do a U turn.... and the price of test fees if you fail.
That sounds like a plan based on sound financial reasoning
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[wr6133]

Your plan probably wouldn't save a lot and if you damaged the hire bike or failed one of the tests would end up costing more.

My reasoning for this

https://www.motorcyclehireuk.com/Motorcycle-Hire/Prices.html

Hire a CBF600N for a week £275 + £800 deposit

Test fee's £90 (not including theory)

Couple tanks of go-go juice to burn through practicing £40

So if you pass both first time and don't damage the bike - £405 - more or less

Pass both but drop the bike at some point so lose your deposit - £1205

Fail one and need to hire again - £65 for an extra day hire + either £15 or £75 (or both if failing one makes you miss two) - So around £500 notes total

Drop bike and fail - 1205 + 800 + 405 (to go again) = £2410

DAS can be done for around £600 (maybe cheaper depending on local schools)

So best case scenario you save about £200 and gain some man points. Realistically though unless you are a natural textbook rider you'll fail something 1st attempt without real instruction so you will end up forking out more. Drop the bike and you will be way down.

Then there's the worst case of PC plod pulling you for riding like an unqualified lunatic, finding out you are one and seizing the bike. You will be facing recovery costs on the bike from the hire firm, and a pile of points and driving convictions + fine... so really out of pocket and raped by insurers for years to come.

[Rogerborg]

[carlozdre]

Thanks Rogerborg, really useful info, sorry for not paying attention to the suggested models, I've missed that paragraph somehow! I will start looking at those models.

wr6133, you are making it difficult for me. You got a few good points and I guess you are right. I didn't consider dropping it at all to be fair.

But all I really wanted to be honest was to avoid paying a 3.5 days course where I would only have a limited amount of time per day of practising with an instructor. Not to mention you might get a funny one that shouts at you (as I've read in someone's post), or one that will get satisfied with me doing the 8's very good a couple of times but not really being properly prepared for the test, when I will get really nervous.

And I am not buying Teflon-Mike's comments (no offence) from a different post where he said instructors are doing this for the love of teaching or something like that. It's a real job and they won't feel too sorry if I fail both and retake the test paying £600 more.

But I was thinking that I could have the bike for myself, to train from 8am to 8pm if I feel like, to practice everything until I feel confident and make sure I will pass at least the first module. I will definitely not need any training for the first module having seen what's the about, on YouTube videos, but I did consider a day or two with an instructor just before the second module.

Thank you all for the advices.

[Rogerborg]

Renting might not work out, but I wouldn't rule out buying a bike, if you were intending to do that after your tests anyway.

Do be aware that if you spend any significant amount of time doing figure 8s in (for example) a supermarket car park or industrial estate then you are likely to come to the attention of Plodforce.

I won't go into the details of the law on it, because the average copper isn't likely to know that either, but just be sensible if you do decide to go out unaccompanied by an instructor.
____________________
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

[Teflon-Mike]

[carlozdre]

[wr6133]

[Teflon-Mike]

If you are so confident you can pass Mod 1 straight off; fine; make life easy for yourself; book a test-lesson; £150 as cheap as hiring a big bike and trying to fudge it; let instructor chauffeur you to test nice and legal; and get on with it. Job done.

However; Instructor MIGHT, just might have a few tips that make the difference along the way; like rear obs and shoulder checks, certainly breeze the paperwork side, giving you school waiver to say bikes legal, rather than turning up on one you dont have log book for and a rental agreement in some other fella's name!

If not? Well, road ride to and from Mod 1 is a Mod 2 lesson you say you might get anyway....

And cutting to the chase; book a course. Instructor teaches you what you need.

IF after ten minutes on the play-ground getting familiar with gears and DAS bike, that's it, that's it, you'll move on and do the Mod 2 stuff... if you take time out of Mod 2 training to go do your Mod 1, then to and from IS still Mod 2 training... does it matter where in the chronology the actual test takes place? so long as you get the right result at the end?

Meanwhile; you are having you hand-held right through the process, getting tips and learning as you go, and IF you need more work, you need more work.

YES, instructor WILL be a bit upset if you dont pass first time... first time passes are what they get scored on as a school.

Schools have bugger all reason to hope you fail or try and hold you back, to get more money off you.

Its spring, there are queues of hopefuls all wanting a licence in a hurry now the suns shone; they can sell courses to; and every one they can get through in a week, is another easy hit; and other satisfied customer, another FTP on the score sheet.

Every student who turns up needing extra work, and doesn't get their ticket, is one who'll blame the school. Bad news travels fastest, and grumblings of one unhappy student will undo the reputation earned by fifty happy ones.

EVEN if it was as cut through and heartless as you wanted to believe, they have NO reason to either hold you back or try and milk you for money; its just NOT good business.

And your plan to SAVE money, at the moment isn't; its merely a plan to make life hard for yourself, and potentially cost you a heck of a lot more. THERE is your ignorance, lack of knowledge, not manners!

Like I said, end of the day, you'll do what you feel is best for you; but geez! You have such conviction at the moment you really aren't responsive to accepting knew knowledge are you?

Your plan has NO advantages. REALLY. it doesn't. Accept the knowledge; open mind to accepting a bit more; go put your money into a course. Make it easy and get most for your money with a plan for success. Not chasing half arsed ideas based on your ideas and convictions, not facts.
____________________
My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[janner_10]

If you are a normal reasonably intelligent bloke of 35+ with say 15+ years of driving under your belt - you will piss over a DAS in 2 / 3 days for both tests.

Don't be such a cheap-wad, man-up and get the fucker done with a decent local school. If you're penny pinching now then anything aside a shitty 50 / 125 for commuting, biking isn't really for you.
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Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[Rogerborg]

[Tamsin]

OP, you are being a right tit!

Surely by the age of 35 you have come to realise that you don't know everything? So you've spent 3 years on a 'ped? Should do you some good for mod 2 when you are actually out on the road (in terms of hazard perception and playing with traffic) but the benefit will be limited and you WILL have picked up bad habits and some time with a training school will help you get rid of them so you can pass that mod 2?

as for Mod 1? the part where you prove that you have fine control of the bike? Your time on a ped will count for very little here as a huge part of the manoeuvring is clutch control....

I sincerely doubt anywhere would hire you a bike without a full license to ride it (just as nowhere would hire you a car without a license) and you will need to prove that you are insured on the bike.

If you REALLY want to go it alone then flog the ped and get out there on a geared 125 and learn how to use the left hand lever. presumably you will want to buy a bike bike when you've done the tests? Buy it, and insure it as a provisional rider and then find somewhere private that you can practice - but, without instruction how will you know that you are doing things correctly?

If you want to try and do it alone, then do it - you are an adult and can make your own decisions - but don't expect it to be any cheaper, quicker or easier than getting proper instruction.

[Rogerborg]

I believe in you, OP.
____________________
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

[Tamsin]

just as well someone does Roger, cos no-one else does

[Richy CB1000]

You can hire these guys by the hour, it may not be necessary to do a full DAS course. Go talk to one, get an assessment on a 600 or whatever. You may find they'll only suggest a couple of hours training to get you there.

After a 10 year odd break from bikes, first thing I did was book 6 hours training £150, Spent 20 minutes on a 125 so the instructor (just happened to be a female) was able to see I could ride, then straight onto an XJ6 which I quite liked, last 2 hours on a Firestorm which wasn't my cup of tea I learnt some tits () and tricks along the way, well worth the money.

[treeno]

If you're really intent on not using a school (I think it's probably the easiest way, I went from your position to full license in the course of 3 days and it only cost ~£400 including test fees, petrol, not to mention I was insured etc. ) then I would suggest just buying a bike? You can practice on your 'private road' with it and then get your mate to ride it to the test centre.
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Current ride: Ninja 500R