Hi! New Member

[The Protea]

Didn't see any introductory thread for new users so thought I'd drop one here.

My biking history...

I'm going to be honest here and state that 2 months ago I had no clue about what riding a motorcycle involved. Closest I'd probably come to riding was watching a guy called M13 who makes Youtube videos about his life/riding.

I passed my car practical test in October 2012 and expected it to be a chilled journey from then on...but no , insurance was not affordable at all (I half expected that).

Then in December I was successful with a job application , which meant I had to commute once a week to my workplace (Approx 20 miles , a 40 mile round journey). This area has pretty poor public transport links and the job requires me to start at 6am so I desperately needed to find a mode of transport as I am a student living away from home.

I had thought of riding a motorbike , but the idea of leaving around 5:30am in the British winter was not a comforting one. Moving on , early in December I was given a call by my mother who said she'd booked a CBT course for me the next day. I had no idea what CBT was till then . I thought I'd give it a go and see whether I would feel comfortable riding a bike. She booked it on a manual 125cc bike (Honda CG) as I'm quite the petrol head , riding a scooter just didn't seem right for me.

The whole experience of my CBT went fairly well and I passed. Up till then the closest thing I'd driven comparable to a motorbike was a 100cc Go-Kart. Anyhow , time was running out for me to decide on what to do next as I really was contemplating how riding a motorbike would change my life. Going on the experience of my CBT , I decided it would be best to purchase a 125cc bike and gain experience on that.

Well...

It's now the 5th of January and I'm heading back to uni soon (today at 6am infact ). Following the parents and avoiding all motorways on my CBF125.

I've clocked around 125 miles over the holidays riding around inner London and I'll be making my longest journey thus far (today) back to uni.

What can I say , riding a motorbike was a whole lot more exciting then I expected it to be (yes I have rode in rainy conditions and the fingers have numbed a bit ) but it's been a real joy and something I look forward to everyday day (weather dependant). As for what the future holds , I can definitely see myself riding something a bit more powerful , however I just want to gain more experience on my 125. Filtering through traffic has also been something I enjoy learning to do...

Any tips for a new rider will be appreciated

Lastly , here's a picture of my bike

https://i.imgur.com/xzbH3.jpg

[rhys1005]

Welcome

Nice bike. I reccomend you look at the new laws taking effect on i think the 19th of Jan if you are thinking of doing your full test because if your under 24/25 it's not going to happen for a lonngg time

[J.M.]

Hi, welcome, cool story bro, etc...

Now down do business...

Pictures of your CBT lady friend

Also which Uni are you at? A fair few of us here seem to be at Uni.
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2004 R1 & 2018 XSR900

[Derivative]

Rain is manageable with a bit of perserverance and the right gear.

I ride across the country fairly often (live in Yorkshire, go to University in the South East). Frankly, rain doesn't really concern me any more. I chuck on my one piece rainsuit (which is basically a glorified plastic bag) and I'm sorted. Gloves get a bit wet on the outside, that's about it.

The thing you want to watch out for in these months is frost/ice. Wet conditions aren't a huge issue with a bit of confidence as long as you understand you won't be setting any land speed records.

I don't really have that much in the way of 'special gear' for warmth either, though I don't use the bike if it's looking like <3c as I'd rather not risk the aforementioned ice/snow.

Typical attire for me would be dress shirt, jumper, fleece, leather jacket, then the rainsuit on top. About the only thing that gets cold are my hands - a pair of bar muffs would sort that out.