My Plan

[ElliotReidMD]

Hello

Been lurking here for a week or so and decided it was time to register and post.

I began riding bikes in the late 80s and for various reasons, mainly as I was a lazy git, never took my test. I always planned too but a series of events made me stop riding.

Over a 6 month, or so, period, a friend died in a bike crash, another friend broke both his legs and then I got hit by a car on a roundabout and buggered my left ankle. Once I was fighting fit again i jumped into a car and haven't been on a bike since.

Now 20ish years later I find myself really missing being on a bike. I've bought loads of magazines and watched many many YouTube videos of people riding their 125s.

Here's my plan.

I will do my CBT, get a cheap 125 and ride that for the rest of this year and then do the test early next year. The reason i am thinking this is the best way for me, knowing DAS is an option, is because as I'm now officially old I think 6 months or so on a 125 would do me good instead of jumping on a bigger bike with little bike road experience.

What I have to decide is what bike to get. I'm 6' 1.5" and used to ride enduro/trial type bikes. I had my crash on a KMX 125. I loved that bike, even the pink KMX letters on the side didn't bother me

If anyone thinks that's a bad plan please feel free to say as it was such a long time ago that I was riding bikes I am basically a newbie again.

Cheers

[Teflon-Mike]

If you are brave enough to get back on a bike, you are brave enough to get on ANY bike.... aren't you?

You KNOW more people fall off and crash 125's, than big bikes, and your not a teenager, and you are well aware of the risks.....

Do you think that a 125 that has to be 'thrashed' to go normal road speeds, will teach you the self control to manage a bigger bike?

Do you think that a low powered, lightweight, worse an unstable dirt bike on compromised block treads, will help build confidence?

Do you think that a 'zippy' little 125, with bog all stability, and very little road presence, is in some way 'safer' than getting on a 500?

End of the day, its YOUR plan... you have to go with what you think suits you, BUT:

Getting back on a 125, whats the liklihood that within a few weeks, it will 'all come flooding back' to you, and you'll be re-learning all your teenage bad habbits, and riding like a wreckless teenager again?

I'm not a fan of DAS, certainly not intensive DAS courses, which are a great way to a quick licence, but dump you out the end, with a full unsrestricted licence all on your own, woefully unprepared for riding a big bike.....

I AM a fan of extended training on a 125, taking weekly lessons, learning to ride 'right', right from the start, in manageable chunks, with time between lessons to practice what you have learned. Its often cheaper, and can much better prepare you for your test, and riding beyond test.

Whether its the best way for you, though is another matter.

And there's no reason you cant mix and match.

You could buy a 125, but take weekly DAS lessons, and practice road craft on 125 between lessons.

You could do an intensive DAS in a week course, get a 'sensible' newbie bike, and book further training, doing the 'real' lessons post test, doing Pass pluss, then maybe Blue ribbon, Rospa or IAM, to put some 'support' into early experience after DAS.

Lots of ways around it..... but as a plan, starting with a 125 trail bike, and CBT and planning to go it alone for a year.... I think you will either discover all of what you didn't like about biking when you were a teenager, or you'll become a forty year old teenager, right back where you were, with more brittle bones!

(My kids dragged me ice skating last weekend; I used to figure skate, in my teens. I fell over. GAWD it STILL hurts! Never remember it hurting THIS much twenty odd years ago!)

Whichever way you go about it; I think that the 'getting beyond' where you were as a teenager, is the trick, and to do that, training, beyond CBT is going to be the key, its just a question of what kind, and how much, and what works best around that.

Check out DAS courses.... you don't HAVE to jump straight on a super flyweight 600 crotch rocket.... plenty of soft freindly newbie freindly 'big' bikes about, and a single or twin, maybe an adventure sport, if you still like your trailies, may work as well, possibly better than a 125.... but loads of options, either which way.
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My Webby'Tef's-tQ, loads of stuff about my bikes, my Land-Rovers, and the stuff I do with them!
Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[Rogerborg]

It's a fine plan, go for it.
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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

[TheSmiler]

I would say go for the cbt and see how you feel, if you feel you have come back to it easy and confident then go for the lessons/das if you have the finances available.

If you don't feel confident then go for the 125 and get your confidence up to scratch and your awareness. Then when they are ready go for the odd lesson and do the test.

Other than that seems like a good plan let it work for you not you work for it.
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[Frog]

When I did my CBT, I was asked if I was going to go DAS. Those who answered yes had a quick go on a 500 to get used to it.

Might be worth a go, or maybe even boom an hour with a school. D the CBT, then have an hours instruction. See which you prefer.

Personally, I did the 125 route for 5 months before my test, and it worked really well, although I had no prior motorbikes experience.

Gave me plenty of confidence, which I suspect would be what you need?
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CBT 23/09/10 - Theory 19/03/11 - Mod1 19/04/11 - Mod2 06/05/11
Bikes: CBF125 (sold 30/10/10-25/09/12) - CB400 24/06/11 (broken) - ER6-f 25/09/2012

[jhon11]

This is a very good plan.

[ElliotReidMD]

Bit of an update.

Having taken Teflon-Mike's advice on board, and the fact I hope I would have done this anyway as it makes more sense than having a 125 again, I have....

Done my Theory last Saturday, 13th August, and got 49/50 on the theory and 65/75 on the hazard perception. There was a wait of almost 4 weeks when I booked the theory.

This morning I have booked a DAS course with On Yer Bike in (near) Aylesbury. This is a 5 day course on 3rd, 4th and 5th October (first available) for CBT, through MOD 1 test and then 13th and 14th October for the MOD 2 test.

I'm looking forward to it and only wish it was sooner but I don't like to spend money until I am certain alls going well (what if I hadn't passed my theory and had the DAS booked?)

As for a bike, which I shall buy only after I have passed MOD 2, I am looking at an ER5 and run that till next summer, to get in the swing of things, and then maybe an ER6n as I like the look of them and they seem to get good reviews.

I shall update this then when I finally get through the tests.