Cost for direct access and recomendation Manchester

[HappyDays]

Hi all,

Thinking of doing the direct access, just wanted to know what would be the average cost?
I've had a 125 for a bit and done the CBT also got the bike gear so it would be for the direct access cost and average days to complete.
Been on a dirt bike and 125 also drive a car currently.


Cheers
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Liquorice Torpedoe

[grr666]

Ballpark numbers but allow about £750 quid including tuition, use of school bike and all your test fees
(Theory and Mod 1 and 2 tests) More if you're a complete noob and struggle a bit, less if you take to it easily.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[NJD]

Questions:

1) How old are you?
2) In what area are you based?
3) How long you been riding your 125?
4) Do you commute on the bike?

The first one because there's multiple categories -- mainly A2 or A -- and the second because recommendations for decent tried and tested training schools so you hand your monies over to the right peoples, init. Third and fourth because important to training school.

£700-800, I'd say. All depends on how much your local training school charges for their overheads, rental of bikes etc alongside how many days you're deemed to need and how many passes or fails you do or don't have before getting your license.

Spread the cost out and PAYG, IMO. Cheap intensive courses are great until you fail and realise you forgot to ask what happens to your monies in the event that occurs.

Enjoy getting back on the 125 and have it feeling like a monkey bike.
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[HappyDays]

[Teflon-Mike]

Prices can vary from as little as £500 to over £1500... for an 'advertised' course... which could be 3 to 5 days.

B-U-T it's the wrong question really...

You are a car driver.... oh dear, dont expect to be any further ahead of the game than a fresh faced absolute beginner.... You will have car driver head on.... what you already know, and worse, probably what you 'think' you know can hold you back as much as shove you on.

You have ridden some dirt bikes..... again... so you know where the gear-lever is and how a clutch works... you done your CBT this, again, isn't any sort of garantee you will find a fast track to a full bike licence....

You have ridden a bit on CBT and 125... fan-tastic.... why aint you got a licence already? More again... CBT is basic training, the first lesson, supposedly so you can go practice for tests, not dodge them till you decide to take a crash-course...... 125ing, is good, I have to say, little bikes are more demanding to ride, they tend not to flatter a rider and cover thier mistakes like a big-bike will... B-U-T spend too long on one, and all you take away from the thing is a permenant scowl, and a cranked right wrist, from holding the throttle wide open the whole time, worse conviction that';s HOW you need ride... and a bunch of probably bad habbits that wont help you pass tests... especially if you haven't had any correctional lessons since CBT.

To wit, its a piece of string question.. depends on what your expectations are, and what you think you are paying for.... lessons for life skills, or lessons for licence? Two are not necessarily one and the same.... Then how quick a learner you are, and how much ignorance and baggage you take to the lessons.....

Think you know it all 'cos dirt-bikes, 'cos cars, cos 125's, and you ARE likely to need more lessons to kick that belligerence out of you, and probably a switch of school cos you fall out with the instructor you spend more time arguing with than listening to.....

So it REALLY is down to you... you pays your money and takes your chances.....

Costs are aprox £200 a day, 'ball-park'... how many days is down to you, and 3-day courses are often hoplessly optimistic, given tests will take out one of them days, and it'll take a day to get your level, and get you comfy/familiar with school bike. Some, if they are lucky and up to speed may ince it in that short a time, but many more will need 'further training'... and find that costs sprial as they have to pay by the day, or pay for many more full days over the aparently low-cost-course in the add....

Like I said, it's the wrong question.... questions should be, how much do the schools charge 'per-day' for training; what's the deal over hiring school-bike for tests; what's ths school's regime for booking tests for students? Are test fees incluided in the course cost, or are they an extra, and what's the school admin charge for 'block-booking' a test on your behalf, rather than letting you book, and pay yourself, and then book a test-lesson and rental for that apointment; More still... what are the catering arangements? Do they stop at a pub for snap, or expect you to bring sandwiches? What gear do they provide, and or insist on? If you book an all inclusive course, and fail a test.... whats the re-book deal? Some let you book test/lessons just to re-do a Mod 1.. which you have to pass to do a Mod2... so if you fail Mod 1, is that game over? Do they suspend training till you have rebooked and got it? Or do they insist on a complete new course, all in...

A-N-D on that note.. what about Theory-Haz... you may have done one for a car licence... its a different test for a motor-cycle, you will have to take it, and pass it to get a licence, and many schools wont start training you until you have done and passed it, on your own, before booking road-training... others will.. but another sticky-whicket, to get over before they can book Mod tests, for you or put you in on block-bookings... so can be a 'stoppa' to the whole deal.

But still a piece of string question, and still, pretty much the wrong one.... how much and how long.. is not the main deal here... may be to you, if you just wanbt a licence in a hurry.... but that aproach likely to lead to pain in the long run... physical or financial, one way or another....

My advice.. get off the net; go round the houses, try and speak to schools face-t-face; find out what thier operating practices are; look for the hidden pit-falls, and remember, buy cheap, buy twice.... then, recalibrate perceptions, sort the lunch-box, and go for the lessons with a completely open mind, NOT assuiming that because var, or because dirt-bikes, or because 125 you know ANY more or will progress any faster than some-one who has never looked at a bike or car in thier life!! You may, but treat that as bonus, rather than the other way round where the hang-up will be a draw-back.
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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?'

[Kentol750]

NJD...he did say Manchester!
Tef...you haven't checked out his vlog!

Happy days...in before rogerborg.... I hope. Give mod 1 a go on your tricked up wr. It'll help. Look for a school that does hourly lessons. Your videos show you can manouvere a motorcycle safely. A bigger bike shouldn't be a problem, you just need to ride the test like they want, not like you do now. More obvious mirror checks and all the other Dvsa requirements.
Then, go ride and vlog something interesting instead of a trip through a Sainsbury's car park.
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Some bikes.

[HappyDays]

Yes your right!!
I'm not one who thinks he is the best and a bat out of hell because he rides a 125,and when I did the CBT is was the first time I had some feed back on my riding.
Feedback :- some bad habits like "do you know you have a back brake!!"
So think I'll do the theory test then visit some local schools and have a chat.
Thanks again for the information.
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Liquorice Torpedoe

[HappyDays]

[HappyDays]

[Kentol750]

Yes...you can do mod 1 and 2 on your bike. Giving you a 125 (a1) licence. It's no different to the test for any other category.
Now, as your prepared to come on here and show us all your riding skills, I'd have thought you'd know that.
It's easily available to view on many, many websites what you can ride, and need to do to pass a test and get a licence.



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Some bikes.

[HappyDays]

[Teflon-Mike]

Three catagories of licence; three sets of tests;
"A1" licence, for 125 'only'
"A2" licence for 45bhp 'middle-weight'
"A" licence, for any motorcycle
You need, to pass the Theory/Hazard test for a motorcycle for all.
Mod 1 & Mod 2 practicals are the self same tests/excersises for all three licences, only difference is the ~DVSA requirements for the bike you take tests on. ie a bike complient with, and meeting power and weight requirements for licence as set by DVSA.
For ANY test to count towards a licence, you need the full set, and Mod1 & Mod2 must be passed under the same 'sceme'; Ie you cant do Mod 1 on a 125 and try count the pass towards doing Mod2 on a 600.

Tests, self booked are cheap; at last count, I think it was £120 ish for a set of all three... buy you have to provide test complient bike to take tests on and get iot there before you have licence to ride it... for A2 and A this begs using a school to hire you a compiant bike, and mother-duck you to the test center on it. This comes expensive, usually around the £150-£200 mark per test, If you only book accompanied test-lessons, on thier own, either to dodge cost of full course (if school will give test/lesson to a student who hasn't done a full course with them) or cos you failed the test that was included in the course.

Hint: DAS be expensive.. and failing DAS tests gets very so..... ALL to feed the ego to NOT ride a 125... which can go as fast as anything else is legally allowed in this country, and breakl a lot of speed limits along the way..... they ent toys, and you face same padlocks on the roads on one as you do a big-bike....

If you still have your own 125, and can ride it on L-Plates... absolutely no reason you cant, and shouldn't go for the A1 tests for a 125-only licence, DIY... self book, pay I think it's £15 fror the Mod1, and £75 for the Mod2....

If you fail the Mod1.. its a dang cheap lesson, and examiner tells you wot you dun wrong... most likely let the nerves get top you... stay calm, dont get cocky, listen to what you are told to do, and do it... shouldn't be a big deal... If you fail Mod2.. its still a cheap lesson! Not as cheap, but hey! Still get told wot you dun wrong at the end, and still good chance that test nerves will be main culpret. Book do, get the full-licence in your pocket..... if you have 125 there's no reason not do or to have pigged around with a wobbly-cam to not do so far... (no I didn't look for V-Logs, and wont.. I'd rather be on my bike, watching out for real padlocks, than some-one elses, second hand through a bendy semi-fish-eye lens and stuttering sensor!)

Pass tests on your 125 on your own, and you get full bike licence, and know for sure you can pass tests.... this is big boon when it comes to talking to schools, and trying to convince them of your confidence you 'only' need a couple of days training.... licence sort of proves it... you CAN and have passed tests once over... its just doing it on a bigger, heavier more powerful bike... and you only need the training time to get the weight and measure of such to go do tests on it; you shouldn't go to jelly on test, or make daft mistakes trying to put on a show for the examiner... it's not your first rodeo....

So, all good stuff, and good way to keep costs in hand IF you already have bike, and gear and tax and insurance on it.. and it isn't so obviousely bike-larf wannabe you will be marked down before you even begin!

As said, I no watch wideo... so no comment.. If I wanted to watch roads through a glass screen I'd drive car!!!! FFS I wear open hat and spex, so I dont have to suffer the letter-box effect!
____________________
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?'