hi

[wupwup]

hi everyone. im 16 and realy want to get into biking but dont know anything so thought id sign up to a few places.

i want to start riding as soon as possible. i turn 17 in 9 months hence i have 9 months to prepare for the A2 full licence test. as i see it i could get a cbt on a 50cc geared bike now and get real life practice. OR when i turn 17 get a cbt on a 125 and learn for about a month or less then take the A2 straight away. are there any other ways i could get my full (but restricted to 33bhp) licence? cheers

[MarJay]

Don't get a 50 if you can wait. You'll just lose money and you won't learn much more than you would on a bigger bike.

I'd suggest getting a cheap 125 when you're 17, ride around a bit on a CBT and then do your test. Its a big old subject, and you've picked a good forum. There is in fact an entire area for new riders on this forum. Ask any specific questions you have in there.

Good luck!
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[wupwup]

cheers. yeah i can happily wait. im not realy bothered about at 50. i just thought it might be a cheaper way to get experience and practice.

[Devans]

I'd suggest getting a 50cc without a doubt, get some real life on the road exsperiance, it'll help with your test so so much.

Get a geared 50cc and reap the exsperiance you'll gain.

Also you'll get a year etc of NCB

Get a CBT done, an then once you turn 17 moved up to a 125cc like a honda CG, go for your test about a few days training and you'll be spot on for your test.

The training only gets you ready to pass your test, it's no where near as good as actually getting out on the road on L plates an get proper exsperiance.

Good luck.

[wupwup]

cheers. what will the resale on a 50 be after say 6 months? will i loose much money? what kind of price will i expect to pay for a 50? and honestly all i care about is passing my test. i know i will ride it overlysensibly untill im totaly comfotable with it. and even after a few months im a sensible person soidoubt ill doanything stupid.

[Devans]

Totally depends mate on the bike/scooter etc.

I bought a scooter first, then a geared hyosung gt125 when i hit 17.
It's probably best if you get a scooter first as the cost less, and are pretty dam reliable unless you buy a bag of nails to start with.

Learning to use gears is the easy bit asuming you can't already use a clutch etc, so it's more jus getting out on the road than what bike etc you have.

If you can afford an RS50 which are around £800 for a decent one, then go for that, or buy a cheaper 4 stroke scooter.

The resale won't be much less a year on if you look after it, an maintain it. not that scooters need much tbf.

Look at piaggio, yamaha, aprillia, honda etc for a scooter, you'll find something nice for £400 easy enough.

If you want a geared 50 there's aprilla RS50, derbi senda, yamaha TS50 an a few others, jus make sure it's a decent manufacturer, don't buy a chinky bike, they're pap.

[wupwup]

i want to steer well clear of things that look like scooters but that aprillia rs 50 is beautiful. thats the kind of thing i want to get. but as you said it realy comes down to money. where would you sugest looking for bikes? cheers

[smegballs]

I passed my test 3 weeks after my 17th...

If I wasn't riding around on a geared 50 for 10 months beforehand I doubt I would have passed so easy.

Regarding resale.... I bought my old eighties DT50 for 500 quid, after I got my 125cc I sold it for 520. That 20 covered the ebay fees so I more or less broke even...

If you get an old geared 50 then (like I did) it will already have lost pretty much all of its value so is unlikely lose a significant amount more unless do it a major damage or something....

[Devans]

MCN, Auto Trader and E-bay are good places to look. Local motorbike stores might have something of interest too.

Look around, your bound to find something. it's a buyers market at the moment

[neil.]

If you do get a 50 and practice for the next 9 months, watch out for any bad habits you might pick up, as they might hamper you on your test.
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CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[DEN MONKEY]

Welcome and you're heading in the right direction.

You are obviously keen and are measuring up your options with a sensible approach.
Nice to see from someone your age.
I mean that sincerely.

Real world experience is great but don't forget you have so much info at your finger tips on the internet.
Read everything you can get your hands on and don't forget to save some bucks for your gear as well.
Do some research, ask questions and try some stuff on.
The biggest mistake I made with buying gear was just going out and grabbing stuff to get going.
I ended up buying 4 jackets alone before I found the one that fitted right and does the job I now expect.

Best of all have fun on your journey. You will LOVE it
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meh

[HP]

If i was you I would buy a 50cc moped as there are more of them about so you have a better chance of getting a good deal, as long as you get a well known brand the spares will always be cheap and easy to find. As long as you are on the road you are getting experience of what it feels like being on a road and what to look out for etc, and when you are 17 you will be able to pick up gears in about 1 hour worth of riding . I am 16 and ride a 50 scooter and already have a suzuki van van for when i am 17 but i learnt gears on a geared quad in about 1 hour worth of riding you don't even realise you are using them you just do it naturally, and i have taught mates in 10mins. So i would just recommend getting road experince as gears can be picked up very quick.

[MarJay]

I disagree with all this advice to get a 50. You'll buy a 50 and then lose loads of money on it when you come to sell.

You're best bet is to buy a £500 CG125 when you're 17 and bum around on that for a year. It won't lose much value unless you crash it, so once you've got some 'big bike' experience (IE not a 50) then do your test.

Buying a 50 is only any good if you need transport when you're 16 years old. Its not really much good for gaining experience.
____________________
British beauty: Triumph Street Triple R; Loony stroker: KR1S; Track fun: GSXR750 L1; Commuter Missile: GSX-S1000F; Cheap project: CBR900RR FireBlade
Remember kids, bikes aren't like lego. You can't easily take a part from one bike and then fit it to another.

[Thom]

id agree with marjay.
I'd avoid even a 125 and go straight into lessons wit the money, then come out of your test with an A2 licence and buy a 4/5/600cc bike.

I made the mistake of buying a 125 and through ignorance and inexperience wasted alot of money, and this was only a £700 NSR!
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Current Bike: 1996 Yamaha TRX850 (The Japanese-Ducati One).
Previous Bikes: 1990 Honda NSR125 'Rothmans' (The smoking one), 1990 Suzuki GS500e 'Caf? fighter' (The loud one), 1987 Kawasaki GPX400r (The quick one), 1997 XJ600s Diversion (The reliable one), 2000 Kawasaki ER-5 (The spontaneously combustive one)

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[Doovy]

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