Newbie biker - Direct Access Scheme - 3, 4 or 5 day DAS?

[V15HAL]

Hi folks... First time poster. Long time reader! Lol. So be kind! PLEASE!!

Ok - so i've been reading into the whole "getting onto 2 wheels" thing and thought, "darn it! i best get my test sorted before them darn EU biking regs come into play in october 2008"

So here i am: 27yr old male, been driving on a full clean car license for 10yrs now, have rode a 200cc motorbike for a week or so last year whilst on holiday in Goa so know how to do the basics (start, stop, turn, brake, etc).

We all know how it can be after the festive season, when money is particularly tight - I was wondering what would be the best option from the 3 day, 4 day or 5 day DAS courses bearing in mind my above experience (for what that's worth!)?? I'm pretty certain the 1 and 2 day courses are out of the question for me!

I'm interested in starting more or less ASAP and doing it with the shires motorcycle training group in Leics. A friend of a friend of mine has recommended them, so taking his word for it (at the moment!) Here are the all inclusive prices:

1 Day Course £195.00
2 Day Course £295.00
3 Day Course £395.00
4 Day Course £495.00
5 Day Course £595.00

[SOURCE: https://www.shiresmt.com/price_list.php]

Would be grateful for some feedback and general advice on my options and ideas to date... for example - are these prices "about right" or too high? Would it be worth haggling or trying to put two bike training companies head to head, to see which can give me the best priced deal? cheers!
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"If driving a car is like watching a porn movie, then riding a bike is like BEING IN a porn movie..."

[bipolar bear]

ring them up and book an assessment, an instructor will take you for a short ride and tell you how many days you will need. it is usually free or very cheap anyway. do you want a license for a manual or automatic? do you know how to use gears on a bike?

edit: those prices seem pretty expensive. i'd expect to see those sorts of prices in central london but i wouldnt pay that for a 5 day course. if you only got them off their website they might be out of date and you might find what they actually quote you is less anyway.
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Suzuki SV650S K7

All Your Base Are Belong To Us

[fazza59]

Most will do an assessment, but its usually if you have some riding experience and already have done your CBT.

Taking what you have said you haven't got your CBT so chances are it would be a minimum of 4 days possible 5.


Prices, are not that bad as it includes CBT which can cost up to £100.

Give them a ring, or better still pop along and talk to them.
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Current - Yamaha R1 - Yamaha XJ600N - Kawasaki GPZ 500S (project? Maybe )
Pics of my bikes

[UnknownStuntm...]

IMHO they won't really be able to assess your ability until you get on a bigger bike. I know on my DAS the other guy with me only paid for the 3 day (I paid for 5 days) and he wasn't going to do the Friday and Saturday of the week. But when we had our first taste on Thursday the instructor said to him that he *could* miss the days but he recommends the extra training. After all, if you fail, you'll have to pay another £££ to hire a bike and pay for a test.

[V15HAL]

[V15HAL]

[stan hyd]

I went from no bike experience to do my cbt and then a break of 3 weeks and did a 4 day das.

I would recommend the 4 day.

day 1 = 125cc
day 2 = 1/2 day 125 1/2 day 500
day 3 = 500
day 4 = 1/2 day 500 and test


worked nicely and I passed so \o/
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DAS Passed 12/12/07 2 minors!
Looking for a hornet - ?1900 mark

[V15HAL]

[fazza59]

[EdSpur]

At my training centre 2 and 3 days required an assessment. 2 days was only if you were at test standard on a 125, 3 was if you were very experienced on the road but needed a day to get to test standard on a 125.
Otherwise it was 4 unless you needed to do CBT as well in which case it was 5.

I did 3 days having racked up almost 3000 road miles on my cg125 and passed first time.

Was glad it was 3 days. Thought that was about right.
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CBT - 05/05/07. DAS - 07/01/08. Previous: CG125 Current: CB500. Both black!

[V15HAL]

Thanks for all the posts... It's all go now!!

Had my theory test last week and passed no problemos.

Booked CBT for the 20th of March

Followed by 2.5 days DAS training with the test on the 27th of March!

Total paid = £428.50 (including insured bike, fuel, clothing, helmet hire, etc)
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"If driving a car is like watching a porn movie, then riding a bike is like BEING IN a porn movie..."