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robdobbie
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Joined: 16 May 2012
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PostPosted: 09:30 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Hi guys :) *Warning* new member stupid questions here.. Reply with quote
Good morning guys,

New to bikes, but not to forums, so I firstly appologise for any questions that probably get asked daily! But I find you can only learn so much with the search button and it's not always helpful as it's not specific to you, so here goes..

I've just turned 20 and although I don't know a lot about them, I've always fancied getting a motorbike, had my full car license since 17 and currently drive a 2012 Corsa VXR Nurburgring Edt, love it! But would like a bike to save putting miles on my car, to save on petrol a bit and for the fun factor!

I've read on the DVLA I can drive a 125 with L Plates, but I really don't like the look of mopeds (sorry if I offend) what would you recommend? (got roughly £1000 on a bike, less if possibe Thumbs Up )

Also, what kind of running and start up costs would I be looking at roughly-
mpg?
Insurance?
Safety wear?
CBT?
Theory & Practical?

Lastly, how long do you have to wait until I can get my full license and get a more powerful bike?

Thanks
Rob
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:36 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Sorry, should've read the stickies first, please ignore my last question-


'Lastly, how long do you have to wait until I can get my full license and get a more powerful bike?'
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Benno
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PostPosted: 09:40 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
If you're 21 before next year, do your DAS this year!! The age is going from 21 to 24 next january.
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JoeDougieDoug...
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PostPosted: 09:42 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Provisional - £55 (No idea if you have provisional entitlement for motorcycle on a full car license)
CBT - £110ish
Theory - £35
Helmet - Can get as cheap as £20, but get one that FITS properly!
Leathers / Gear - Again, as cheap as you make it, mine were about £300 all in all.

Tests -
Mod 1 - £15.50
Mod 2 - £75.00
DAS - Anything from £400 - £750.

etc etc etc Smile

Enjoy! Smile
____________________
CBT Passed - 22 / 10 / 11 >> Theory Passed - 16 / 02 / 2012 >> Mod 1 Passed - 07 / 03 / 2012 >> Mod 2 Passed - 18 / 05 / 2012.
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:46 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Benno wrote:
If you're 21 before next year, do your DAS this year!! The age is going from 21 to 24 next january.



n00b here, what is 'DAS' ?
I've only just turned 20, will be 21 May 2nd 2013, this is obviously a bad thing? lol
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JoeDougieDoug...
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PostPosted: 09:48 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
Benno wrote:
If you're 21 before next year, do your DAS this year!! The age is going from 21 to 24 next january.



n00b here, what is 'DAS' ?
I've only just turned 20, will be 21 May 2nd 2013, this is obviously a bad thing? lol


DAS is direct access, its a different way to get your full motorcycle license. You do a week or so of training, then do both of your tests, simple as! No restriction at the end either so you can jump straight on a 1300 if you so wish! Thumbs Up BUT you have to be over 21 (24 next year) and pretty damn loaded. Laughing
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:49 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
JoeDougieDouglas wrote:
Provisional - £55 (No idea if you have provisional entitlement for motorcycle on a full car license)
CBT - £110ish
Theory - £35
Helmet - Can get as cheap as £20, but get one that FITS properly!
Leathers / Gear - Again, as cheap as you make it, mine were about £300 all in all.

Tests -
Mod 1 - £15.50
Mod 2 - £75.00
DAS - Anything from £400 - £750.

etc etc etc Smile



Enjoy! Smile


Thanks for the info, there's a bike shop nearish to me, so might pop in and have a look

DVLA says-

If you have a full car licence you may ride motorcycles up to 125 cc and 11 kW power output, with L plates (and/or D plates in Wales), on public roads. However you MUST first satisfactorily complete a CBT course if you have not already done so.

So won't need a provisional Smile

Any advice or links on what bike to buy and what to look for when buying?
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open
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 04 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: 09:50 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
For now you wanna look at getting a CBT which is a days training for about £100.

This will let you ride a 125 - even if you sit the CBT on a scooter/moped you can still ride gears.

For bikes, it depends on your taste and your hight, but there are loads out there to choose from but your best sticking to japanese make - Honda, yamaha do some decent 125's that wont set you back too much. I have a CG125 which is really pretty cheap.

Insurance is something that you need to look at yourself as it will vary but it will most definatly be a fraction of your car insurance.
Gear depends if you want second hand or new. but a helmet you would want new - they cost between £40 - into the hundreds...
You will want gloves, jacket, possibly kevlar jeans (about £100) or textiles/leather trousers and boots.

Dont worry if you cant get all the gear at once and shop around.

Hopefully others can fill in what I havent.
____________________
"Calamity - A more than commonly plain & unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering."

[s]Baotian BT49qt-9 --> Honda CG125 (4 speed) '51 plate ----- 03/11/2012 Mod 2 PASSED! --> Cb500s[/s] Revoked Sad

Last edited by open on 09:51 - 16 May 2012; edited 1 time in total
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:51 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
JoeDougieDouglas wrote:

DAS is direct access, its a different way to get your full motorcycle license. You do a week or so of training, then do both of your tests, simple as! No restriction at the end either so you can jump straight on a 1300 if you so wish! Thumbs Up BUT you have to be over 21 (24 next year) and pretty damn loaded. Laughing



Damn, sound ideal! Not 21 till May though Sad
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:54 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
open wrote:
For now you wanna look at getting a CBT which is a days training for about £100.

This will let you ride a 125 - even if you sit the CBT on a scooter/moped you can still ride gears.

For bikes, it depends on your taste and your hight, but there are loads out there to choose from but your best sticking to japanese make - Honda, yamaha do some decent 125's that wont set you back too much. I have a CG125 which is really pretty cheap.

Insurance is something that you need to look at yourself as it will vary but it will most definatly be a fraction of your car insurance.
Gear depends if you want second hand or new. but a helmet you would want new - they cost between £40 - into the hundreds...
You will want gloves, jacket, possibly kevlar jeans (about £100) or textiles/leather trousers and boots.

Dont worry if you cant get all the gear at once and shop around.

Hopefully others can fill in what I havent.



Thanks for the info, do you have to have your own bike for a CBT?

I'm hoping insurance is cheaper! As I'm paying £1800 on my VXR! Laughing
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 09:55 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Where's the best place to look for second hand bikes?
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JoeDougieDoug...
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Joined: 25 Oct 2011
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PostPosted: 09:57 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Insurance! I did indeed forget about insurance!

Just as a ballpark figure, you're the same age as me and in my first year of motorcycling (I ride a Honda CBF 125, 61' plate) and my insurance is £550 a year. Not bad but still expensive.

Get a few quotes before buying the bike.
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CBT Passed - 22 / 10 / 11 >> Theory Passed - 16 / 02 / 2012 >> Mod 1 Passed - 07 / 03 / 2012 >> Mod 2 Passed - 18 / 05 / 2012.
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open
Trackday Trickster



Joined: 04 Apr 2011
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PostPosted: 10:05 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
Where's the best place to look for second hand bikes?


Look on Gumtree, seems they pop up by the dozens daily in London on there.

Or try Ebay.

Also you do not need your own bike for CBT
____________________
"Calamity - A more than commonly plain & unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering."

[s]Baotian BT49qt-9 --> Honda CG125 (4 speed) '51 plate ----- 03/11/2012 Mod 2 PASSED! --> Cb500s[/s] Revoked Sad
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Rogerborg
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Joined: 26 Oct 2010
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PostPosted: 10:52 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
So won't need a provisional Smile

You will need provisional category A shown on your license. Actually, it's more like provisional-provisional: completing a CBT validates your provisional entitlement.

The DVLA keep chopping and changing, so you'll need to check your actual license (the counterpart) to see if you have provisional category A entitlement.

Before you do anything else, get a CBT booked or find yourself a quick taster session via the Get On scheme. Biking isn't for everyone. You won't need anything except sensible clothing for UK weather.

If you enjoy it and want to continue, then your options are:

Book and pass your motorcycle Theory test. Sadly, we have to sit one, it's just the same as the car one but with a couple of bike specific questions in it. Then:

1) Pay a training school for a taught course on their 125, then pass your module 1 and module 2 tests on that bike.

2) Get your own 125cc bike, ride around for a bit on L plates, then pass your tests when you feel ready (but do it before January 2013!).

In either case, your only option is to sit your tests on a 'standard' bike (125cc) and get an A category license with a 2 year restriction to 25kW (and 0.16kW/kg).

That means that you can ride anything you like as long as it doesn't make more than 25kW. More powerful bikes can be easily restricted down to that power, and many people get 500cc+ bikes and restricted them rather than riding around on a ~250cc bike. It's not so bad, that's actually good for about 100mph comfortable motorway cruising and fairly sharp acceleration.

If you decide to get a 125 of your own, then it really doesn't matter what you get, since your goal will be to get off of it as quickly as possible. Go Japanese branded so that it retains its value.

A basic commuter bike like a YBR125, CG125, EN125 or CBF125 will do just fine. You can pay a bit more and go all plastic fantastic with a CBR125, YZF-R125 or some Aprilia trinket, but you'll be kidding nobody with L plates on it, and if you drop it you'll be weeping over the cost of replacement plastics.

Another viable option if you're a big lad is the Hyosung GT125(R), a Korean bike.

If all that sounds like a massive ball ache, it is, but it's getting worse next year, so get a move on. You're going to be stuck with a 25kW restriction for 2 years, and the sooner you get licensed up, the sooner you'll be clear of that restriction.
____________________
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
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Slacker24seve...
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Joined: 10 May 2010
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PostPosted: 11:40 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
The above is all spot on - as Roger says, get a move on!

The only thing I'll add is that your VXR will seem tedious once you get on a big boys bike! Smile
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Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace
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sidewinder
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Joined: 24 Aug 2011
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PostPosted: 11:50 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
JoeDougieDouglas wrote:

DAS is direct access, its a different way to get your full motorcycle license. You do a week or so of training, then do both of your tests, simple as! No restriction at the end either so you can jump straight on a 1300 if you so wish! Thumbs Up BUT you have to be over 21 (24 next year) and pretty damn loaded. Laughing



Damn, sound ideal! Not 21 till May though Sad


Don't fret though being under 21 you can still do the das this year before the changes.. you will just be restricted to 33bhp for 2yrs.but can still ride any cc as long as it has the restriction kit in place.then after 2yrs rip the restrictors out and away to go Very Happy

sw
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 12:31 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
sidewinder wrote:
Don't fret though being under 21 you can still do the das this year


"DAS" refers to getting "Direct Access" to an unrestricted A license, which you do by passing your tests on a "big bike"[1] making at least 35kW.

You can only do that if you're at least 21 when you sit the tests. A 20 year old can't "do the das" in any sense.

[1] Yes, "Big Bike" is what the DSA actually call it. Very Happy
____________________
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
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 12:33 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Slacker24seven wrote:
The above is all spot on - as Roger says, get a move on!

The only thing I'll add is that your VXR will seem tedious once you get on a big boys bike! Smile



How big is big?

My little corsa does 0-62 in 6.5 seconds ;]
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 12:38 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Rogerborg wrote:
sidewinder wrote:
Don't fret though being under 21 you can still do the das this year


"DAS" refers to getting "Direct Access" to an unrestricted A license, which you do by passing your tests on a "big bike"[1] making at least 35kW.

You can only do that if you're at least 21 when you sit the tests. A 20 year old can't "do the das" in any sense.

[1] Yes, "Big Bike" is what the DSA actually call it. Very Happy



Ahhhhhhh, so as long as I have my test passed by Jan 2013, I could do my das when i turn 21?
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Ribenapigeon
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PostPosted: 12:38 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Just for the sake of curiosity. What is the insurance for a 20 yr old for a VXR?
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MG
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PostPosted: 12:57 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
Slacker24seven wrote:
The above is all spot on - as Roger says, get a move on!

The only thing I'll add is that your VXR will seem tedious once you get on a big boys bike! Smile



How big is big?

My little corsa does 0-62 in 6.5 seconds ;]


My restricted CB500 can probably pull that
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Slacker24seve...
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PostPosted: 13:19 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
Slacker24seven wrote:
The above is all spot on - as Roger says, get a move on!

The only thing I'll add is that your VXR will seem tedious once you get on a big boys bike! Smile



How big is big?

My little corsa does 0-62 in 6.5 seconds ;]


That's barely pulling the skin off a rice pudding in bike terms mate, 500 commuters will do that.
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Triumph Daytona 675 track bike + girlfriend's Honda Hornet 600
Selling a hack/winter bike for less than a grand? PM me.
Banger rallies are ace
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 13:27 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Slacker24seven wrote:


That's barely pulling the skin off a rice pudding in bike terms mate, 500 commuters will do that.



Good to hear!!
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robdobbie
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PostPosted: 13:27 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
Boozehawk wrote:
Just for the sake of curiosity. What is the insurance for a 20 yr old for a VXR?




£1800ish
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Rogerborg
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PostPosted: 13:50 - 16 May 2012    Post subject: Reply with quote
robdobbie wrote:
Ahhhhhhh, so as long as I have my test passed by Jan 2013, I could do my das when i turn 21?

No, that option won't be there after next January. You'll be stuck on a 25kW limit for 2 years after you pass, with no shortcut to upgrade.

If you value your sanity, stop reading here and just accept that you'll be stuck on a 25kW limit for 2 years.



I'm not joking, this will get ugly.


OK, then there's another option, which is to wait until next January then sit the new A2 category tests next year. That would give you an A2 license with a 35kW limit.

However, if you do that, then you'll have to pass yet another test 2 year after that (i.e in 2015) to get a full unrestricted A license. That's unlike at the moment, where if you pass on a 125, then your 25kW restriction just lifts automatically after 2 years.

I suppose there's even a theoretical possibility that you could get yourself an A<=25kW license ASAP, then upgrade/downgrade it (depending on your point of view) to an A2 35kW license next year by sitting more tests. I doubt it though, the DfT stil hasn't got the legislation passed (should have been done by January 2011!), let alone thought about oddball cases like that.
____________________
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
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