Please bare with me! Dumb, well trodden question...

[MiddleEarth]

Alright!

I'm new to riding, last year I got me CBT done and have been riding my 125 as much as I can.

In honesty, I'm bored of it. Tired of being tailgated on A roads and I'd like to move forward.

Im 24, and I'm looking for some confirmation and advice on the next steps for me. I'm dyslexic, so some of the information hasn't really gone in. (I know!) which is the reason I'm asking this question, when I'm sure it's been answered 10 times over.

Can anyone give me a run down, and telling off for this dumb question.

Thankyou!!

P.s I'm a big boy, I can take the banter. 😂

[kolu]

and what is the question, dear Middle Earther?

[MiddleEarth]

[Ste]

Yup you want DAS because that's the one for big boys.

You'll need to do your theory test before doing DAS training and there's a Covid19 problem with that at the moment. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-theory-tests

[Evil Hans]

[Ste]

[UncleFester]

If Dyslexic and if it's an issue getting info into the head and keeping it there, try and avoid one of those ' do it all in 48hours' type places. Pick one that will let you do it bit by bit and take as much time as you need.

There isn't actually that much skill involved in the bigger bike tests, there's nerves and there's luck - presuming you can actually ride.
____________________
Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[arry]

[MiddleEarth]

[MiddleEarth]

[UncleFester]

You only get to learn once and you only have to pass the test once - my view was (and still is) that you might as well learn as much as you can from it. It will put you in a good place for staying alive on the roads.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=best+motorbike+school+wales&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=51553365,-3523139,24154&tbm=lcl&ved=2ahUKEwjP-7ymjIPqAhXvShUIHdNyCtAQtgN6BAgLEAQ&rldoc=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[53.4325054,-2.8589200999999997],[51.3194295,-4.4619558999999995]];tbs:lrf:!1m5!1u2!3m2!2m1!2e8!4e2!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sCgIIASAB,lf:1,lf_ui:2https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=best+motorbike+school+wales&npsic=0&rflfq=1&rlha=0&rllag=51553365,-3523139,24154&tbm=lcl&ved=2ahUKEwjP-7ymjIPqAhXvShUIHdNyCtAQtgN6BAgLEAQ&rldoc=1#rlfi=hd:;si:;mv:[[53.4325054,-2.8589200999999997],[51.3194295,-4.4619558999999995]];tbs:lrf:!1m5!1u2!3m2!2m1!2e8!4e2!1m4!1u3!2m2!3m1!1e1!1m4!1u2!2m2!2m1!1e1!2m1!1e2!2m1!1e3!3sCgIIASAB,lf:1,lf_ui:2

Plenty of reviews of what's available for starters.
____________________
Module 1 and 2 passed - October 2014. Happy owner of a 2017 Z1000SX, ex owner of a YBR125 / CB500 / VFR800.

[MiddleEarth]

[Ayrton]

If your near Cwmbran, Bike Train Wales is pretty good and they are quite patient if you want to take your time.
Best thing to do though is ring whatever bike school you decide to go with and see what they can do for you.

Also go off and book your theory right away so your not waiting to do that, as it can take a while to get a slot sometimes. It's worth getting some cones and practicing the mod 1 in an empty car park on your 125 as well.

[ThunderGuts]

DAS all the way, but make sure you go for the A category licence (as daft as it sounds, it's not unheard of for people to go for a lower category licence despite being old enough to do the Cat A). Not sure if you have a full car licence or not, but the other thing is if not then you possibly have gaps in your knowledge on how a road works as the knowledge gained during a CBT is pretty minimal. In prep for your DAS, it's worthwhile reading up on this as much as possible too (this will also stand you in good stead for your theory test when that eventually happens).

Given all the restrictions about at the moment, I expect even if test centres are taking bookings, there's going to be a long waiting list for a slot, so I'd identify a training school ASAP and get them to pencil you in for tests at the end of the summer and organise your training for sometime before then. You'll get sooner slots, both for training and tests, if you're flexible with when you can do them (e.g. training in the week is usually lower demand than weekends).

As mentioned above, it's well worth selecting a good school and when you speak to them, stress that you're interested in learning how to ride in addition to getting your licence. The licence entitles you to ride a bigger machine, but the training process is the golden opportunity to absorb the knowledge of the instructor and ask questions in an environment where nobody will be judgemental.

Good luck!
____________________
TG.

[Tamsin]

Hey MiddleEarth

I'm Dyslexic/Dyspraxic and managed to get it sorted so I'm sure you can too!

As soon as this covid business is all over get your theory test booked https://www.gov.uk/book-theory-test. and get some practice done I used;

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Motorcycle-Theory-Hazard-Perception/dp/1843266210/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2RCPSFHJZBIWU&dchild=1&keywords=the+complete+motorcycle+theory+and+hazard+perception+test&qid=1593255165&sprefix=motorcycle+theory+hazard%2Caps%2C148&sr=8-2


Once you've got that passed then ring your local training schools (start with the one you did your CBT at if you liked them) and get some costs and training times sorted. You've been riding on the CBT for a while I assume? A big bike isn't really any different, but you will likely have picked up a couple of bad habits and I would suggest at least 3 days training with a school to knock those habits out.

Key question for the school - do they actually do a mock MOD1 test at the relevant facility? (my training school booked a slot on the test centres mod 1 pad at the weekend and this was invaluable for me passing first time!)