Finally.......my first step on a journey

[Tinkz]

Finally I've booked my CBT, I say it like this because I feel its taken so long to get to this stage, My journey.
I call it this because I'm 45 and have been Interested in Bikes since I was 16, it was at this point that I contemplated getting a motorbike license, but my parents were obviously worried about me and next thing I knew I was opening my birthday card to find car driving lesson had been booked by me, so once passing my test, the bike thing took a back seat (happy Parents, their ploy worked), but always liked/admired bikes, even though I got into modifying cars.

Leap forward around 20 years, I moved jobs to a new career, where many of my colleagues were bikers, it rekindled the flame within.
I booked my CBT, arrived at the training school, all hyped up and buzzing, I passed my CBT that day, but due to the instructor being a total plonker, constantly shouting and criticising everyone there at every opportunity, I left thinking if this is what its going to be like I've had enough. I know some people might thing I'm a Woose, but I can assure you I'm no shrinking violet. He just did nothing to inspire confidence or anything else for this matter. So I never took biking any further at that point

I still kept an interest in my mates and their bikes and even had that feeling that I might pursue biking but it took being hospitalised (gets you thinking about your life) and a chance meeting with another patient who I shared a room with to "kick start" the flame that burned within.
He had been involved in a serious motorbike accident up north (highlands) whilst out on a commemorative run and had to be airlifted to a Hospital in Glasgow.
He had serious leg, back, shoulder, arm, and hand injuries, plates titanium rods pins etc had been used to patch him up. on a happier note he has made a full recovery as far as I know via facebook. He lives south of the border.
It was the conversations we had during our stay in hospital that lit the touch paper, now I don't know why his accident hasn't put me off for life but isn't life strange!
Took me a while as it was last May we met, but I sat my theory in February and passed , then decided that the weather was too bad, so that's me just getting organised now, I'm still a bit wary about it because of the last CBT experience I had but im going in open minded and ready to go the Das route.
This has been triggered by the feeling that life is to short and ive left it too long to put off any longer. Have no regrets about what you have done only regret what could have been.

Sorry if ive blabbed for so long but I had to get it off my chest
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I can resist everything.........except temptation!

[Wednesday Biker]

I passed my test in my 40's after a 20 years break from bikes.
The cbt instructor was a laugh in the classroom but as soon as we got out on the road he seemed to have little patience with the first time riders and switched to a mardy robotic voice.
I had a pre test lesson with a different company and he was fantastic and I made loads of little mistakes which he corrected for me with a calm manner.
Get your test done asap.It was my dream as a teenager to have a fast bike and I put it on the backburner when it was much easier to pass in those days.
When I finally did pass it felt like a massive achievement and it will for you

[Rogerborg]

[Tinkz]

[Tinkz]

[Rogerborg]

[Clanger]

Well done and welcome to the world of biking, albeit a tad late...but hey you'll enjoy it now as you would have done at 16-17yrs.

I ended up doing DAS too, as I was too complacent about the whole biking thing, mooching about on a 125cc or the 250cc without a care in the world until 1997 when I got a letter from the DVLA that turned my world upside down. Because I hadn't done the bike test, I now had to do a CBT!!!

As I was a bit miffed about the whole situation I put it off for 6mths in protest, then I found out I wasn't alone - the president of a local side patch club was also in the same boat so me and him booked ourselves in for a DAS course and did both the CBT / DAS in one hit.
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Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter won't mind - Dr. Seuss

[Tinkz]

Well passed my CBT yesterday, it was a blast , I was a bit tense at first, but by the time we got to the bike ride on main roads it was a hoot. This was helped by both the teachers we had on the day (4 of us doing CBT) they made you feel fully at ease and always checked that you were comfortable as well as using there own judgement to let you progress to the next exercise.

Now my big decision, I want to get my full licence but need to practice my u-turns and clutch control.....so do I take das lessons over a period of time and buy a 125 (Varadero looks nice, I,m a big lad) to practice on and worry about selling it and get a 600 when ive passed my tests

or

go down the intensive route block DAS lessons, don't know which would be more beneficial What do you guys think

now ive been on a bike I just want to keep going
driving the outlander seems just so boring now.
____________________
I can resist everything.........except temptation!

[Pigeon]

[Tinkz]

[ScaredyCat]

[struan80]

Similar to myself a few months ago, loving it great fun .

I opted for doing quick DAS and have no regrets about that. 4 or 5 days solid professional instruction is no bad thing before being let loose on anything two wheels regardless of capacity, in my humble opinion anyway.

Regarding bikers ages, there was a Triumph open day type event at Two Wheels in Edinburgh today. I was just up for a pinlok and stumbled across said event. Now I am 49, not waring too well either, but I positively felt like a young spring chicken amongst a lot of the folks there. Seriously thought I'd stumbled on pensioners day out. Bikers are actually mostly very old, well Triumph ones it seems.

[Pigeon]

[pinkyfloyd]

[Graham B]

Great that you did the CBT and enjoyed it this time, as a lot of people have said it depends so much on the instructor.

Next you can do what suits you.
I did the CBT and then bought a Varadero which I found a nice big bike.
When that expired did DAS and bought a 600 hornet.
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Honda CBF 125, Honda Varadero 125, Honda Hornet 600cc

[bamt]

I'd go full DAS assuming you can get reasonable theory and test dates. That's what I did (one October/November, so no problem with test centres filling up with people wanting to ride for the summer). Tests done in a few weeks (limited by my availability on test dates due to work, not availability of test dates), I bought a big bike, job done.

Mrs bamt decided to go for it at the start of summer. She couldn't get a theory date until the end of Summer, and as a teacher she then couldn't book onto DAS until Autumn half term (no way she could get time off during the week for tests).

As a result, we bought here a 125 to ride over summer. She loved it, but very quickly went from "Oh my god, this is so fast, I'm not in control, I'm going to die" to feeling the limitations of not keeping up with traffic on dual carriageways and within weeks wanted something bigger. It's a more expensive/hassle way around too - you have to find/buy/insure a 125, then sell it and find/buy/insure a big bike. The insurance may not transfer over cleanly (some companies specialise in 125s only), you'll have to pay to advertise your 125 and deal with buyers/time wasters or lose out by trading it in.

Short version - go DAS. You'll get the clutch control and slow manoeuvres practice whilst being taught for that - it's the whole point of the MOD1 DAS training!

[1198]

My suggestion is intensive course for DAS. A lot of people say that time spent on a smaller capacity bike is rarely time wasted, and I agree to a point. However you're hardly a reckless teenager likely to scatter yourself across a field I'm guessing, and you've years of experience on the road. Get what you want, don't waste time and money on a 125 if you don't have to!

[Tinkz]

[Tinkz]

[Tinkz]

[Polarbear]

Get to a big (as in 600cc ish) bike as quickly as possible. You will be so glad you did.

My experience with 125's is not good. I had to ride my wifes and my daughters every now and again and in my eyes they are gutless, unstable, and underpowered. I was really glad when they passed their tests and moved on to bigger machines.

This is just my opinion, others have different ideas but when you are flat out on a single carriageway with a 40 ton artic up your chuff, you'll wish you had more horses.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Rogerborg]

Nice one, and it's great to hear that Ride-On have decent instructors.

There's no right or wrong way to go about it. Training and test bookings will be getting busy now, so there's no reason to not get a 125 now if funds allow. Varadaro would be the usual choice for the usual reasons.

However, riding a bigger bike should help make your mind up. Tried blagging a go at Ride-On?
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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

[Tinkz]

[FuzzyBallz]

Unless you have money to burn then I wouldn't get the 125.

I failed my mod 1 a month ago and planned to buy a 125 to just get out there riding. Found one on gumtree and arranged to go and look and buy it that night. I then cancelled it last minute as it didn't feel right to part with £600 for a bike I won't have for long.

Passed mod 1 a week after that and have my mod 2 next week so the end is very near, and I'm so so so glad I didn't waste money on a 125

As others have said, get the DAS booked and the lessons will keep your urges at bay!

Also I've ridden my mates 125cc and it is nothing like the big bike when it comes to manoeuvers so it really wouldn't help with that side of things. If it's practice with lifesavers, road positioning etc then it's debatable.

[Tinkz]