New & oblivious - and I love it!

[taybagger]

Hi guys, my name is Darren, 28, a Web Developer from Scotland and I'm very much new to the motorcycling scene.

When I was young I was always fascinated by motorbikes and as I got older, for some reason I thought motorcycling was out of reach until a friend of mine passed his CBT and got himself a 125 for commuting. That gave me hope, so I looked into it, realised it wasn't so out of reach and booked my CBT!

I got through the CBT relatively easily although they did note that my indicator game was pretty poor I then went on and booked my theory test which again, I got through relatively easily thanks to a few choice iPhone apps.

It was my initial plan to get a 125 and practice on that for a couple months, but instead, I opted to put the money towards a DAS Course which I start on February 13th.

I'm very excited & very nervous - I've been driving cars for 7 years and I might also own a road bike... so I'm hoping the road craft stuff isn't wildly different.

When I get through my Direct Access, I'm looking to pick up a bike which is reasonably economical and fun to drive. I've been considering;

* Kawasaki ER6N
* Yamaha MT07
* Yamaha XJ6N
* Honda CB500F

I'd appreciate any advice/experience you could share, regarding the DAS & also open to bike advice. This is all new to me but I love it!

Cheers,
Darren

[AshWebster]

Yo dude im 28 and i went the wrong way about learning to ride!

driving 10 years , fast cars, (400hp scoobies etc) biking is nothing like it

i booked my das without learning on a 125 for long enough (only a few weeks on a geared bike). big mistake. unless you are a natural, which could be a possibility!

took me enough attempts at mod 1 before passing, with months waiting inbetween etc.

i'd ride for a few months before booking your DAS, even tho i thought the 125 was boring and i was at full throttle most of the time, its the slow speed manouvres and general bike control you learn over time that u need for mod1 (and mod2 ofc)

as for bikes ive no real idea, ive got a CB650F as of yesterday (passed yesterday, read my story its on this page, might find it helpful!), so dont know why ur opting for a 500 and not a 650 honda :p

HTH

Ash

[NJD]

Get the license and then think about bikes because your in dream land at any point between now and then. Could fantasise all day long but you won't, legally, be able to ride them so is semi-pointless in my view. Most importantly I say it because your opinions will probably change throughout the course and might want something different once you've got some experience and a license under your belt.

[stinkwheel]

Let me help you avoid buying yourself a boring bike.

[Rogerborg]

[taybagger]

@AshWebster fair point. I'm hiring a 125 on Saturday, my friend is going to come ride with me. Hoping to get a 100 miles under my belt and some practice at slow control stuff - will see how I feel after that!

@NJD yeh fair point, I will be riding on an ER6N so will at least get a feel for that bike.

@stinkwheel cheers for the advice, noted

[taybagger]

[Rogerborg]

[taybagger]

Haha, that's true - there's a Yamaha dealer here as well.

[derillius24]

Hi Darren,

Congratulations on a fine choice of hobby, you'll never look back. Except when doing lifesavers...

You also have Cupar Motorcycles only a short(ish) journey away - I've always found them to be a friendly, helpful bunch with a fairly tasty, and eclectic, range of used machines.

I'm based in Dundee and would be more than happy to meet for a bimble on the bikes and / or a chat if you're ever around. There are some great road rides around the area. PM me if so .

FWIW, I rode my CG125 as much as I could for around nine months prior to doing any DAS training or tests. Initially I was so wobbly that I wondered if biking was for me. Lots of practice around the local side streets and car parks helped get over that very quickly and soon I was having a jolly good time. Mod 1 and 2 seemed a doddle when they came. However, I'm aware that most on here argue that's the wrong approach and to get straight into training. I'm sure either way has associated pros and cons. Whatever you end up doing, be as relaxed as you can (maan) and have fun. You'll get there (probably ).

Cheers
____________________
CG125, CBF250, DRZ400-SM, Z750, Street Triple R, Tuono V4R

[taybagger]

[Rogerborg]

[kgm]

Out of those options I'd say er6 is more practical, mt07 slightly more fun. I have n er6f as a commuter and it's great at that. Like Roger I prefer twins.

I did 4 months of daily 125ing before DAS and found it a skoosh . Don't think it's necessary to do the 125 route unless you found the CBT a challenge but it certainly doesn't hurt. I still ride the 125 regularly and have fun in it, for different reasons than the er though.

[Analogkid]

Did my training with John and his team at Pro Scot, great choice, terrific school, and John is one of the most highly qualified instructors in the in the U.K. his low speed bike control is on 'lampkin' level. Enjoy your DAS. RE mod one etc Pro Scot will even hire the test centre before your test in order for you to practice in the actual test centre.

[Rogerborg]

Is there anything specific that the test centre up there likes to focus on? I ask because Glasgow Shieldhall, for example, are mad keen on finding unmarked crossroads, which you don't see a lot of.
____________________
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

[Analogkid]

[taybagger]

I've heard mostly good things about ProScot. Did my CBT with them and had absolutely no problems, instructor was a top guy.

Hopefully the training for DAS goes as smoothly!

[Codemonkey]

[taybagger]

Hired out a Keeway RKV 125 from Cupar Suzuki today and went out with a friend for some practice which was very worth while.

I was extremely nervous initially, looking out onto the road as I sat on this bike trying to remember where everything was, what everything did and what order to do things in.

Once I got going, it all came back to me. When we stopped my friend was giving me pointers and telling me when I missed my lifesavers which was helpful.

Our wee day out ended up being a ride from Cupar -> Kirkcaldy -> Dalgety Bay -> Dunfermline -> Cupar with some obligatory tea/coffee stops in between.

By the end of it, I was feeling fairly comfortable although my cornering wasn't particularly good, felt i was slowing down a bit too much to get round corners but considering it was my first ride since passing the CBT, I'm happy and look forward to starting my DAS.

Here's a wee picture of the beast with my mates honda cbr500r lurking in the background.

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

[Northern Monkey]

The MT-09 has all the advantages of an MT-07 but with extra tripply goodness, and more BRAAAPP
____________________
Fisty: after polishing the tank with the glistenng beads of sweat from my full hot scrotum, I filled the headrace bearings with 10cc of my manmilk

[Bozzy]

[taybagger]

Yeh, will hopefully test ride a few before I make a decision.

[rssfed23]

[AshWebster]

[taybagger]

Isn't the Ninja just the faired version? (or ER6-F)