Passed CBT - Get a 125 or do DAS

[joshua725538]

Hey, new here, but been enjoying the forum last few weeks and signed up today!

I passed my CBT and doing my theory in 2 weeks and I'm debating whether or not to get a 125 getting more practice or just go for the DAS (27year old).

I have some background in riding ATV's, Dirt bikes and did good in the CBT, my only concern is that I'm not too smooth on gears, as with dirt bikes it's always quite aggressive and high rev's. I've also been driving since 17 & cycled in London a lot, so lane placement is not such a concern.

Interested to see what people think here - any input would be appreciated

[Easy-X]

Get a 125 - doesn't have to be anything nice if you're intending to get a full licence in a few months but get all the experience on the road you can. It's either that or end up shelling out more money to the riding school...

When I did my Mod 2 there was another guy who didn't take the training - just came along to do the test. Thing is, not only was he not used to the particular bike we were using (MT07) he didn't even own a bike Turns out the last time he'd been on two wheels was ~3 weeks before when he'd failed his last Mod 2.

So which one of us do you think passed that day?
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[Andy_Pagin]

I rode around for a year on a 125 before doing DAS, it's well worth it for the experience you gain, the full A test is then just a ride on a bigger bike.
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Yamaha Vity -> YBR125 -> FZS600 Fazer -> FZ1-S Fazer

[Teflon-Mike]

Go talk to some schools.
CBT is Compulsory Basic Training, the emphasis on the BASIC. CBT + 'L' plates is a hang over from the old days before practicable bike-to-bike radio and letting you loose to go it alone and learn by falling off... take note, FALLING OFF, was really the only ways about the job! ~It hurts and costs.
Do a DAS course and you get some-one who has hopefuly done the falling off for you to tell you what you need to do, to s) ride a motorbike, and b) pass the tests to get a licence. Can save a lot of pain, and potentially money, bending someone elses bike you dont have to mend or flog, or try swapping over insurance on.

AND it's that time of year again..... bike training is rather seasonal, most folk want to do it in the summer when the sun is shining, so this time of year, you likely stand better chance of getting a convenient course place, and it may even be discounted on price to keep the books full over the slow-season.
So its all 'win'.
I say 'Time on a a tiddler, ie 125 is rarely wasted, they are great training tools and dont suffer fools eadily not having surfeits of power or weight to lety you get away with so much, but, you dont need be on one very long to get up to scratch to get a licence. Even going ot alone you should have got all you can from a 125 in two or three months, leaving you with a dilemma over the early cancellation penalties on insurance, when you get the full licence and inevitably want to buy a big bike the ;licence will let you legally ride.

So, I would likely point you at a DAS course for various reasons, but especially this time of year. Remember its a ride-What-you-Like licence at the end, you don't have to jump straight on a mega-monster, you are still allowed to ride a 125 on it, if you want, and there's plenty of good reasons, that will likely allude many to so.. like crap winter weather and trying to right 250lb of motorcycle rather than 125lb, when you have discovered that ice tends to not melt in the shade of trees.... but still... I recommend DAS go get the training, and hopefully a little learning before taking on the half asleep idiots in cars. If you plan on a full, unrestricted licence ultimately, you are virtually obliges to do a course at some point, so NOT doing one isn't saving you any time, or money, or doing much that is in anyway 'helpful', its just letting you loose without the know-how or qualification to go learn by falling off for however long.. so you may as well do the course sooner rather than later, and if you can get one a few quid cheaper and maybe a few weeks earlier, this time of year, what's stopping you? You KNOW it makes sense.
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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?'

[WreckTangle]

100 % agree with the others.

You will def need to get a 125, as you will learn so much quicker on your own bike, than have a lesson then and now on someone elses bike. (you can spend as much time as you want on it, where are lessons are probably, like once a week)

My driving school said getting a 125 makes a massive difference, as on a 125 you get way much more time to learn, learn at your own pace and you can use the thing for commuting to work (like I did)

[ThunderGuts]

My vote is go for the DAS - that's what I did. I *nearly* did the 125 on L plates thing, but my instructor said I was ready to go straight into DAS after CBT so I did and I loved it.

Gear smoothness - you'll be on a different bike (again) when you do DAS and you usually get a "conversion" day, i.e. a day of just getting used to riding the big bike. You'll get the hang of it quickly enough.

One thing worth considering; from what I can gather, insurance on a 125 with L plates is disproportionately high thanks to typical track record of such riders (likely to crash/drop it compared with a full licence holder, plus loads of youngsters pratting around on 125s with little or no road sense), so it might actually cost you a bit more than you think. That said, I also gather that 125s are good at retaining value so unless you bin it you'd probably get most of the money back when you sell the thing.
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TG.

[linuxyeti]

My vote is ride a 125, gain some 'bike' roadsense, then, if need be do the das course, or, go it alone and book your mod 1 & 2 yourself
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[annemarie]

I did something in between as I got a 125 for maybe 2 months but in between I've had a day with my school on my 125 to correct bad habits etc and then went onto my big bike training.

Depends on what you need, I needed that extra road sense, probably done around 400 miles before my mod 2 following all the test routes alone.
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HD Street 750, Honda CBF125

[joshua725538]

Thanks for the great advice and options, I'm likely leaning to DAS, as I do have some experience riding and I think with winter coming, I could find a good deal!

[TravisBickle]

Based on what you've said from your previous experiences sounds like you're probably ready to do DAS. I'd get some professional tuition though and be guided by them after the first day as to how many days tuition you will need before taking the practical tests. Most likely 1 to 3 full days should be ample for most people. If you go blundering into the practical tests without any professional tuition you may be disappointed on the first attempt and have to re-take it :-/

I don't think getting a 125 would be a complete waste of money as ThunderGuts said you'll likely get most or all of your money back on it when you come to sell it. It just really depends on how much of a rush you're in to get on a big bike. If you're patient and happy to plod around on a 125 until the spring then do that. If you're itching to get on a big bike as soon as possible then do DAS now! One word of caution I would mention about swapping bikes half way through an insurance policy is I had a 125 insured (was gifted to me by a friend although I had category A licence I didn't get a big bike straight away as the 125 was available to me straight away) but when I came to swap it for a 600 the insurance company said they wouldn't change the bike as that policy is for 125s only so I had to cancel the policy and start a new one, cost more money than it should have plus I had to start from scratch for my NCDs.

Whether you get some 125 experience for a few month first or not, either way, I'd still recommend shelling out a few more beer tokens on getting some professional tuition. You can be a perfectly safe and competent 125 rider of many years but if you're not doing the things they're looking for in the test you may be disappointed. Even the best of us pick up bad habits as we go along. Things like mirror checks just looking over your shoulder rather than twisting your whole body around 45 degrees to look behind before pulling away, if you mirror signal manoeuvre is out of sequence I think that can fail you (I often signal before or at the same time as looking but NEVER manoeuvre before doing both, I think that would be a fail if you signal before looking), silly stuff like doing a U turn in the road and walking pace riding without putting your feet down etc. etc. etc. some stuff that's inconsequential in the real world has to be spot on to satisfy the examiner.

I booked in for the DAS straight after doing the CBT but my riding school hired me a 125 for 3 days, can't remember the cost I think it was about £45 per day, just so I could plod around and do some joy rides while I waited for my DAS dates to come up just to get some extra practice on a bike. They didn't push this on me, I asked for it because I felt I could benefit from the practise and wanted to maximise my chances of passing first time as I didn't want to be disappointed.

TL;DR - If you're patient get a 125 and go in for DAS in the spring when the weather is more conducive to taking the DAS course. If you're not patient then do DAS now. Either way get professional tuition and hiring a 125 for a few days before the DAS course is an option.

[joshua725538]

Hey guys, appreciate all the advice that was given here. I did pass my mod 2 yesterday, so I now have my full license. Few things that I would like to share about choosing either a DAS or a 125 for experience

If you have no experience with motorcycles or the road at all, I think the CBT & then getting a 125 is the way to go, as you need to learn the rules fo the road and how to read the hazards.

If you have driven a car for many years and road savvy is not an issue, I think the DAS (depending on how you feel on the CBT confidence-wise) is the way to go. It's really a personal choice, but make sure you're comfortable with a bike and keep yourself safe!

Time to get my first big bike!

[Polarbear]

Well done.
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[Ribenapigeon]

Welk done and welcome.

I think experience riding a motorbike is more usefull to then driving a car than the other way round. I think people should have to do the CBT before learning to drive.

[WreckTangle]

did you get that tingling sensation when you ripped the L plates off your bike?

I bet you were buzzing for the whole day!
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[stevo as b4]

If you need a 125 for a transport solution then I'd get one of those. But you sound like your getting into road bikes for a hobby, fun and or leisure use not as a necessary evil.

Therefore I suggest saving up and going directly to a DAS (A) licence course, as you can ride whatever you like after that. Bear in mind that if your the typical newbie you won't have a clue what sort of bike is your ideal long term machine or even what you like best or want most after just passing your DAS course.

Some people get to find out what they like/want/need within less than 3-5bikes after passing their test, and they then settle with an ideal machine. With others it's an on-going quest that can last years and dozens of bike buying and selling and experimentation periods.