New Rider

[Offspring86]

Evening all,

So at the age of 30 I've finally done one of the things I promised my Mother I would never do, I'm getting a bike! Having been heavily into cars in my 20s (a multitude of cars including Skylines, Civic Type Rs, an Integra and an Astra Turbo) I've decided to make the switch to 2 wheels.

My CBT is booked for the middle of May, after a few moths of riding I'll do my DAS too.

Bike wise I'll be looking at purchasing a Yamaha YBR or Honda CBF to get me around and give me a bit of experience before taking my big boy test. After that I feel kind of drawn to a bobber style bike (I know, I know).

Any tips or helpful comments when it comes to buy a bike, taking the tests and general riding are more than welcome!

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Hi, Everything you will ever want to know is here and everything you wish you didn't know is here too....usually with pics.
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The Harry Turner Project

[M.C]

Howdy. A long line of people will be along shortly to tell you to take your DAS straight away I'd say see how your CBT goes, if you take to it well maybe go straight for a DAS course, if you feel you need a bit of time to practice get a 125.

Oh, with CBF's look for rust

[Val]

Hello and welcome!

Enjoy the ride. Try not to potato yourself. Welocome to the club of the invisibles. I mean nobody will see you on the road, but if you take that into account you will be perfectly fine
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Adrian Monk: Unless I'm wrong, which, you know, I'm not...
Yamaha Fazer FZS 600, MT09, XSR 900

[Rogerborg]

[Bozzy]

Welcome!

[Ben90]

Buy a secondhand YBR as, unlike the CBF, it will be the same colour as when you bought it and not orangey brown. So long as you don't chuck it down the road you'll get back what you paid for it as well - bonus points for profit.

Don't forget to factor in gear to your costs. Buy a new helmet, everything else can be bought secondhand. Start scouring eBay and Gumtree regularly for local ads on hardly-worn known-brand kit which is going for a fraction of the price.

When helmet shopping, go to a shop and try different brands. Try to wear them for 15-20 minutes plus if you can, walk around the shop with a lid on looking at other stuff; you'll look like a tit but it's better than feeling like one when your new shiny un-returnable lid gives you headaches due to a poor fit.


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Yamaha FZ6 S2

[Dave70]

As has been mentioned. If you're looking for a CBF, start by looking for a big pile of rust and you might find one under there somewhere, if you're lucky.

Some will say you should go straight for DAS and get a big bike. Others will suggest riding around on a 125 for a while. I did the latter and quite enjoyed it tbh but, there's nothing wrong in going straight on to a big bike either.

See how you feel after your CBT and maybe have a couple of lessons before deciding.

Good luck.
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There ain't no devil, there's just god when he's drunk.

2012: R125 killed by white van. 2016 R125 killed by 30,000 miles of redline. Current: 2016 Kawasaki ER6f.

[Dilyan]

DAS, 500/600, 1000 (or whatever). Everything else, at the age of 30, is pointless. Unless money is an issue.
/thread
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Current: 2007 VFR800; Ex: 2001 YZF600R Thundercat
Škoda Octavia (yes, a taxi driver)

[Polarbear]

[Rogerborg]

Word. I enjoyed my time on a 125 / 250 / 300, but with hindsight I could have been enjoying it more.

Yes, you'll learn how to do things the hard way, but why would you? If you're going to go onto a big bike, then just do it, and learn to ride that size of bike. No sense in picking up bad habits by wobbling around essentially untrained for a few months,:you're just racking up unnecessary costs while delaying the training and tests that you'll have to do sooner or later.
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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

[diesel dog]

At your age with that list of cars under your belt you'll want to kick the shit out of a 125. Put your big boy pants and get a full licence
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MT10

[Offspring86]

Thanks for the replies guys

When I booked my CBT the instructor said he wouldn't be surprised if I hopped straight off the bike at the end and instantly booked my DAS! My main reason I was planning on leaving a gap between the 2 tests was to allow me time to gain experience, but as you guys have (rightly) pointed out it'll give me time to develop bad habits!

Looks like I'll be looking at YBRs over the Honda then!

[JoeDaStudd]

Any reason your waiting a month to book the CBT?
Pretty much all training schools will do weekend CBT's and the whole thing is only 6 to 8 hours depending on the school.

While the CBT isn't a test not everyone completes it within a day so you need to allow for a second day.

If your planning on getting the full license then you need to get your theory which can be a few weeks wait got a place then if you fail you have to wait a few days/weeks before your allowed to rebook.

Towards the end of June, early July the test centres get booked up like crazy and you'll be looking at upto 2 or 3 month wait for each test.

Basically get your CBT booked in asap, once you've got your CBT certificate and you still want to get your full license book your theory asap.
Once you have your theory test book in a DAS course asap.

Otherwise once summer rolls around you'll have a job to get a place in the test centre

[Rogerborg]

If you're feeling confident at the end of the CBT, see if you can blag a go on one of the training school's 600s before you make a decision. It should help you make up your mind.

Everyone says it, nobody believes it, but bigger bikes are easier to ride.
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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

[Polarbear]

[Offspring86]

[M.C]

[Polarbear]

[M.C]

[Alan1986]

Similar position to you mate,
30 in a few months and did CBT in Jan,

First go on a bike and I was shit to be honest,
I drive cars all over the country but on a bike I was shit.

Anyway took me two days to do it, looking at a bike this weekend I'll probs buy a cbf125, I know the rust issues etc
I'll see what it looks like,
I'll maybe have it a year or two and see how I get on,

Deffinatly factor in price of all your gear though,
When I first joined this site in Jan, I was in the mind of buying a new bike on finance and all kinds of stuff,
I did really enjoy the cbt and wanted to get back at it, but played the waiting game like a few on here suggested,
The last few months I have built all my gear up, still need to get some protective wear for legs though,
But I have enough cash to buy a cheap used bike and insure asap minus trousers which I have the money for
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Cbt Done, Currently wobbling around on a Cbf125 and love it
DAS some time soon

[Pjay]

I did the 125 route, mainly because I changed workplace and had to use a bike due to parking, so I booked a CBT and spent the best part of a year commuting and getting used to the roads from a biking perspective.

Once I did my DAS, I felt it was a very smooth transition to the bigger bike and now biking on the road on a 600cc is a much more pleasurable experience than it is on a 125.

I would say do what you feel is right, but remember the 125 route is slowing down the route to an A licence and is vastly more expensive, due to you having to spend money on a bike that you'll soon be selling and the insurance crap that goes with moving your policy from one bike to another. It can work out over £1000 more going the 125 route, quite easily, so people are only suggesting you go straight to DAS to guide you into the simplest and most financially astute way.

Do not, under any circumstances walk into a dealer and get all 'Ohhh Shiny' over a brand new MT125 for 4k on credit. By all means go to a dealer, look at the bikes on offer, sit on a few, then go buy a running example from gumtree. It's a 125, it's almost certainly been abused by a spotty teen, but the good thing is, it's going to be cheap and if you oil and wipe it, it will be worth what you paid for it, when you come to sell it.

[Rogerborg]

[Offspring86]

So I passed my theory on Friday and did my CBT on Saturday. Had a great day, lots of fun. I really hadn't fully appreciated how much more involved it is riding a bike. I'm going to get my full test booked as soon as possible!

Big thanks to PRT Motorcycle Training, they made the day a good'un.

[Barnoe]

Yea DAS all the way

As for the CBF125 as already said avoid if your keeping it outside, or its going to be parked at work outside in the rain all day AVOID!

CBF125s are made in India, although the bike seems ok ride wise it really does rust quickly... I know, i bought one brand new!
Within 6 months i was cleaning rust off and it was getting worse...so sold it.
I kept it outside albeit under a cover...still rusty lol

All other Honda's are ok thankfully
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