License questions ?

[new001]

Hi

I'm thinking of doing my tests on a 600 next year once everything quiets down test booking wise and the weather improves.I'm thinking of spending few months on a 125 gaining experience before hand is it really true that time on a "tiddler is rarely wasted" ? The reason I ask is I read negative stories about going that route and just would like a second opinion?

The sorts of things I've read are :

1. 125's are dangerous because they are slow and cant get out of the way of trouble in time.


2.Get bad habits riding them that are hard to shift come test time.


3.L platers cause more accidents because other cars will try and overtake them asap.Assume because you are a learner they are going slow and not giving way to you or worse just not seeing you.


4.Waste of time and money.


What do you think is the hassle of buying, insuring a reasonable secondhand 125 for a few months or so only to do tests on a 600 next year time worth it ?


How many people riding a 125 on L plates have only done their cbt and not had any follow up supervised hourly lessons ?

[Rogerborg]

I rode a 125 exclusively for about a year then kept it for another 2 years as a short trip bike.

Yes, you get rage overtaken while sporting L plates, even when riding at exactly the same speed as without. Not that often, and not really a big deal though.

I agree with Mike that it's a useful learning tool, because you have to work harder at it. More gear changes, more planning to keep your speed up or spotting gaps that you can pull out into. I got my license with no lessons and no real problems other than being distracted by the examiner's bike up my arse (because I hadn't got used to that during lessons).

Big bikes are much more capable, relaxed and confidence inspiring, which might make you complacent. I like to think I've carried over my small bike paranoia.

It's very much a personal decision, and depends on your needs and attitude (I did a fair bit of pedalling before getting a motorcycle). But here's the thing: once you ride a bigger bike, you won't really want to go back. So any informed decision would likely result in you sacking off the 125 and going straight to DAS.
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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

[DonDino]

[ADSrox0r]

I've been riding on L's for six months on a YBR125 Custom and don't plan to 'upgrade' any time soon. My usage is purely for a 20 mile round trip daily commute to save the nearly 7 quid a day (!) bus fare so it's entirely about the numbers for me.

I enjoy riding more than I thought I would but if I go for 'more powah' I throw the whole ethos of maximum money saving out the window. If your aim is to be able to ride bigger bikes then staying on a 125 is a waste, get your big bike license ASAP and get the necessary experience riding what you want to be riding instead.

I did my CBT and went on the roads only after I'd spent a couple of hundred miles bezzing around the country roads where it was quiet but haven't done any further instructor-led training. I felt that worked well for me and I am always critiquing my own rides and checking youtube training videos etc to ensure I'm keeping up with things like lifesaver checks and necessary techniques.

I certainly feel that there are a lot of impatient cage drivers who feel it's some sort of unbearable indignity to be stuck behind an L plater. Half my daily journey is on A roads and there are plenty of times some nob in a BMW will go roaring past becuase I've offended his fragile ego by holding him up (Even though I'm doing 65 and there's a vehicle in front of me doing the same or slower)

Conversely though, I find that so long as you're not riding like a complete twat then the majority of cage drivers will give you a respectful amount of leeway for having L's on which has it's advantages.

I've never really felt like the lack of 'powah' put me in a situation where I wasn't able to react quick enough and I don't feel that the 125 is 'slow' (Experience with a bigger bike would automatically negate this feeling I realise but for my needs and desires, it's fine....for now )

[GeordieMick]

[Polarbear]

As someone who passed my test long before the 125 shite came in the only experience of 125's is riding my kids ones and my brother in law's. I hate them but then the smallest bike, other than those, I have ridden in 30 odd years is a CBR400RR.

If you want one to commute and save money, fine. If you want to ride bikes for enjoyment, get your direct access. A 33 hp bike will be so much better than a 125. If you are thinking of buying a 125 why not put that money towards doing your direct access now, rather than later.

The best people to ask are people who have just past their tests and ridden both a 125 and a 500/600 recently. Yaigi I think just did it and said how much easier the bigger bike was than her 125 was.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[Ayrton]

How is a 125 more dangerous? If anything not having the temptation to go stupidly fast is safer and its not like there any less manuvurable than larger bikes. There not that slow either. I sit happily at 65 on my cbr125 and hardly ever get overtaken unless its someone going completely over the limit.

THe only downside is some drivers hate L plates and i guess being small you dont get the road dominance that you want.

[Alpha-9]

+1 to never having problems due to speed, I find the YBR is very nippy off the line, get ahead of traffic easily

Only problems with speed is when overtaking on duel carriageways at max speed, which is agiven and never an issue as I ride in a way that compensates for that.

125s are great for experience, the only problem is the lack of experience before jumping on one, but that's a win that you even can IMO, especially in this modern age of safety nazis

Had a cop honk at me as I filtered by them earlier, I was like what am I really doing anything wrong?!
May have been the car behind them like FUCK THERES A COP CAR AND YOUR DOIN THAT!? HONK HONK!!! ILLEGAL HONK!!!
Wrong.
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Fzr-600 1999

[P.addy]

The 1st 3 bikes in my sig were my bikes from 07-09.

I racked up over 35k on those and never really cared about going fast and the usual guff.

I passed my tests quite happily with no dodgy habits creeping in