Guaranteed pass £900

[AndrewJDC]

Hello,

This is my first post here, I'm 35 and intending to take the DAS. there is a place near me that has a gauranteed pass course for £900 which includes as much tutor age and tests as required.

I think this is a decent deal considering prices are only a couple of hundred less without the safety net as it were.

Be interested in thoughts of others, I've read a lot around biking and am going in with my eyes open. I'm a decent enough car driver of over 10 years with no accidents so im starting with reasonable Road sense, although am aware I need to be conscious of lots of other factors once on a bike.

I think once I have passed I'll pick up a preloved sv650 as by many accounts it's a great first bike.

Anyway, would love to hear thoughts on all this.

[Monkeywrenche...]

What if you take to it like a duck to water and pass with the bare minimum of Instruction? perhaps cbt first see how you feel about your chances on the normal DAS courses.

[Baffler186]

900 is a lot. I paid around £600 for 2.5 days training, including the tests. Think about this - if you do 3 days' training and then pass first time, you would have paid them £300 - £400 for no reason.
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[zark]

Have you ridden before?

£900 seems a lot to throw at a course if you don't know that you'll love it?

But yeah, £500 or £600 not unusual for a weeks DAS - so that's a £300 insurance policy on not failing? The mod 1 test fees are £15 and mod 2 £75. (Plus instructor's costs to get you there) and so the £900 proabably isn't the cheapest you could get.

There's lots of other questions i'd be asking before taking the plunge, how many hours are actually spent riding, are the instructors nob-heads, that sort of thing)

Good luck though
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CBT - Oct 13. Theory - July 14. Mod 1 & 2 - June 15.
Rides a Fazer like an idiot... Edit: Now ride a Fazer Thou...

[lihp]

Could probably do it cheaper.

BUT, if you're happy with the price, can afford it, and like the instructors.

Then pay it and get your license.
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[Doovy]

They might be taking you for a ride.

Literally. Or not.
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[Val]

If that makes you relaxed and easy do it. Not many schools provide that option and IMO that is a sign that the school are confident that they are able to train you to pass first time. What do you thing is their goal - to train you for few days to pass and get more money obviosly. Which is fine because that is your goal too.

Before you commit check few things about the school:

1. What are the bikes they use?
2. Check the size and the quality of the off road training area they will use for Mod 1 - before that find the test centre they use for the actual test go there and look at the test centre off road mod 1 area - this will give you an idea against what you will compare the school area. You cannot beleive how many schools use some small crappy parking for the mod 1 training.
3. Find some feedback online
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Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900

[lihp]

Check their terms and conditions for any excessive restrictions on the guarantee too
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[AndrewJDC]

Thanks, that's given me lots to think about. I guess it's the peace of mind and absence of pressure that is of most value to me. I'll look into all the other stuff too.

Any thoughts on bike choice?

[lihp]

[Baffler186]

[someotherguy]

[Wednesday Biker]

I think it will take the pressure off.
Not everyone passes first time with no previous experience.Many do the course coming from a 125.
I passed first time but mod one I scraped through by the skin of my teeth and had two goes at the speed trap parts.

If money is tight do the cheaper one but if you can afford the extra it might make life easier.

[AndrewJDC]

[Marclev]

[grr666]

It cost me £560 total to get my full licence. All training done with a school and on a school bike but I rode back when
I was a young un so for me it was more of a DAS 'refresher' than starting completely from scratch.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[struan80]

It was over £600 for me, but I'd never ridden a bike before. If I had and with hindsight it could have bene done a heck of a lot cheaper with individual 1hr lessons at £30 a time.

Maybe like you OP I took the easy option and just paid for complete DAS, the extra training has not gone a miss for me so maybe worth it. I'm still alive incident free after 10 months and have yet to crossover the white line to the other side of the road by fucking up a corner.....This was/is always my main aim when pushing on now having fun.......It's all about the vision, two step technique really works well

[Doovy]

Paid £400 for my 2 and a half days training (with test in afternoon of 3rd day). Passed first time. In 2008, mind you.
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Yamaha RXS 100 > Honda CD 250 > Honda Hornet 600 > Honda CBR 600RR > Yamaha RXS 100 > Kawasaki ZX6R J2 > Yamaha FZ1

[bigdom86]

out of interest which school is this? usually the "guaranteed pass" schemes just get you 30% off further lessons and tests, looking to do my DAS soon too

[AndrewJDC]

[Nytol]

I think it is a good deal.

I paid 750 for mine, from CBT to test, but missed a change of speed sign on my 1st test, (the only fault), so failed, then had to pay another 150 I think, for the 2hrs on the bike with instructor and test fees.

Where I passed, with no faults.

If you have never ridden then you would be sensible to take a 4 day course like I did, so the difference in price is minimal.

I'd have certainly taken that option should I have had it, and if you pass 1st time, you'll be happy and not care that you could have save 100 quid.

[AndrewJDC]

Cheers for feedback. I feel good about the choice I'm making and feel no need to rush through. Should ultimately make me a safer rider which is great as staying alive and enjoying the road is the whole reason to do this.
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[ReadySalted]

I got my license last year and bought my SV650S off my brother and have ridden it since.

They're by no means quick, beautiful, or stand out in any way. In fact they are narrow, small, a bit girly, and almost boring. In some respects a very vanilla bike.

They are however, a great bike and allegedly an even better first bike. Bulletproof reliability - I've done about 12000 miles since last June on mine, and it's never missed a beat. It doesn't chew through tyres and other parts at the rate alot of sportier bikes do. It is very agile and quite nippy. It's a twin which some would say count against it, but others love that fact. It's got quite a cult following, and tons and tons of information about it online (dedicated forums etc). I'm not certain but I believe it's common for people to use the frame and or engine in mini twin racing - I guess that must be a good thing. From my experience it's pretty forgiving too, and there have been several points where if I had been at the helm of a different bike I may well have resulted in a crash or collision.

I've ummed and arred about replacing it for a few months now and in honesty, while I glance at other bikes, I'd only really replace it with a older more serious bike of a similar genre. Honda's VFR800, but I'm regularly deterred by reading what some VFR owners write on forums about the SV. Often good things, and something they all seem to agree on, is that the SV is far more of a fun and nimble little bike to throw around twisty roads.

[talkToTheHat]

EAW is Eric Ward IIRC, working out of edlo? Seen him out with bike, honda pan euro i think, and students a lot, usually in the really awkward parts of doncaster. Was first on my list, but he was booked up and only had limited access to cbt/mod 1 site. he was helpful enough to refer me on to A1 in Bircotes though.

He appears well regarded locally and by local instructors.
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Bandit. does. everything.

[AndrewJDC]