Chunk's Biker Journey from nothing to full bike license

[Chunk11]

I have always wanted to ride a bike but never had the time/money/commitment to actually go through with it.

I have now decided that I definitely want to do it and I have devised a little plan, let me know what you think.

1. Pass CBT course as I have never ridden a bike in my life. This will give me a definite feel of if I actually like it (I am sure I will)
2. Buy a 125cc bike (Yamaha Yzf?) and all the safety gear. Ride around on this for approximately a year to get my bearings/experience of riding a bike on the road.
3. Do a direct access course to get my full license and then upgrade to a bigger bike.

And just to add into the mix I am 31 years old married with a couple of kids. The bike will be a summer/nice day thing with minimal use in the winter.
Please let me know if you think the above would be a good way to set about it or if you think there is a better way of doing it?

Cheers,

Chunk

 

 

**Update 21/03/16**

 

And a little breakdown of my journey so far:

 

13/7/15 – A taster hour with the bike school as I didn’t even know how most of the controls worked and I had never even sat on a bike before.

26/7/15 – Completed my CBT in a day. Enjoyed it I found it a little bit daunting being out on the road to start with but soon got used to it.

5/8/15 – Decided to go down the route of buying myself a 125cc bike and riding around on it to gain experience rather than going straight into a DAS course.

7/10/15 – Theory Test passed

21/2/16 – Having saved up a bit of money decided to do a half day lesson and look towards doing my test. This involved starting on a 500cc bike and then moving up to a 600cc bike with a small amount of Mod 1 practice and getting out on the roads on a 600cc bike which I would be doing my test on.

6/3/16 – Another half day lesson and some practice ready for my Mod 1 the following day.

7/3/16 – Mod 1 completed and passed with 1 minor for doing 48 mph on the avoidance manoeuvre

20/3/16 – Another half a day lesson to keep up the practice ready for my Mod 2 test the following day

21/3/16 – Mod 2 Test day! Felt quite happy with everything so far and passed with 2 minors! I was really happy now onto looking at bikes…

 

A breakdown of costs:

Taster Session £35

CBT £130

Buying a 125cc Yamaha YBR £1250 and insurance £150

Buying my own kit: £400

Theory Test £23

Lessons £505

Mod 1 and Mod 2: £90.50

 

Total so far: £2583.50

 

Now time to sell my Yamaha YBR 125 and buy something bigger and better…

Edited 21 March, 2016 by Chunk11

[RedRooster]

At the age of 26 I did my direct access, the day after I  passed I bought an R6, I've done several trackdays, had several 600's, a 750 and now an R1.

 

Do your direct access, a 125 will bore the living daylights out of you, several people I know have done the 125 thing and hated it, then done a direct access.

[BlueMonster]

Chunk,

 

If it helps at all, your idea / plan is exactly what my wife and I did when we got our licences and it will without a doubt get you used to riding a bike / road experience as it is very different from driving a car.

 

Choose a 125 wisely and you may not even lose any money on it when you come to sell it on.

 

One thing I would ask you to think about is that the laws have changed in recent years to prevent young riders from obtaining their license and jumping straight on to a 600 or even a 1000cc bike and ending up dead or seriously injured within no time due to lack of experience combined with a high powered bike. Doing your direct access course with no previous experience (even though you are 31) & then jumping straight on to a big bike could be a recipe for disaster. Just my opinion.  

[fabiamk2SE]

Youre going about it the right way.

Its all very well doing direct access and jumping on a big bike, but youll have no idea how to ride it, and probably end up in a mess.

I see quite a few big sports bikes on the road with seemingly useless riders.

Learn to ride properly, then upgrade. A 125 will teach you alot tbf.

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Personally I'd skip the 125 bit.

 

I was considering it last year but for the price of a tidy non thrashed 125 I could do my direct access and pick up a little CB500. 50 odd BHP, enough to be fun but no the kinda power that'll make you **** yourself, because it's a little twin it doesn't weigh much more than a 125 either and cheaper to insure. 

 

A decent training school will teach you to ride properly, I personally think you're better off on a slightly larger bike with some proper training then on a 125 with more or less nothing. 

[littleade]

+1^^^^ Training is so much more important on a bike because of your vulnerability. Go direct access then think about doing some advanced training after that. Good luck.

[kevberlin]

Training should not be a means to an end, namely getting a big bike.

Training should be part of ongoing and continual development of your riding skills.

You have one life. Your kids have one dad. Make sure you do everything possible to protect your vulnerability on a bike. Proper training will also help you enjoy your bike and exploit its capabilities.

Bikes are great but need to be respected.

I am sorry if this sounds like a lecture. My next door neighbour lost his life some years back having discovered biking in his 30s.

Good luck to you.

[fabiamk2SE]

Training should not be a means to an end, namely getting a big bike.

Training should be part of ongoing and continual development of your riding skills.

You have one life. Your kids have one dad. Make sure you do everything possible to protect your vulnerability on a bike. Proper training will also help you enjoy your bike and exploit its capabilities.

Bikes are great but need to be respected.

I am sorry if this sounds like a lecture. My next door neighbour lost his life some years back having discovered biking in his 30s.

Good luck to you.

agreed

The test is only the start of learning to ride imo.

A mate of mine is doing his direct access. Never ridden a bike befkre and he put a deposit down in a financed R6 yesterday. Hes no idea what hes in for....

Edited 28 June, 2015 by fabiamk2SE

[Chunk11]

Okay thanks guys for all your input. I am still in two minds though as do I:

- forget about getting a 125cc bike and go straight for direct access and onto the big bikes. Main worry with this is that it might be too much too soon with no previous experience.

- get a 125cc bike for experience but then realise it is very slow/underpowered and get bored quickly and wish I had gone for the option above.

Looking at the responses above I can see there is a split between both options but I guess it comes down to which I believe will suit me best and maybe I should just have a bit of confidence in myself and go for a direct access course.

[fabiamk2SE]

Its all up to you of course.

Only you know what youd be like. Are you thr sort to get carried away, start trying to ride out of your talent zone?

You could always do cbt, get a 125, see what you think and go for direct access sooner?

Yoi shouldnt lose money on a 125 if you buy right

[Chriswright03]

Do your CBT on a 125 and then you will find out if you even like it at all.  If you do and you feel that a 125 would be too small/slow go for Direct Access.  Either way you will be receiving professional training and get a bit of a window to what biking is about.  You never know you may hate it or in fact not even get on with it.  The wife of one of the Guys in our group tried it and just could not get on with it at all and decided to give up.  No shame in that at all and at least she had a go.

 

Not too sure if any of that helps.  Biking is fantastic if you want it to be but it can be dangerous if you are not trained properly.

[J3NK0]

I've just been contemplating the same thing. Came across this site: http://www.geton.co.uk/ have signed up to get on one of their trial days.

Only experience I have so far is trying a Honda 125 at Goodwood FoS this weekend.

How do you experienced riders find running costs compared to a car if I'm considering a bike for commuting?

[fabiamk2SE]

I've just been contemplating the same thing. Came across this site: http://www.geton.co.uk/ have signed up to get on one of their trial days.

Only experience I have so far is trying a Honda 125 at Goodwood FoS this weekend.

How do you experienced riders find running costs compared to a car if I'm considering a bike for commuting?

Running costs depends on the bike, and what car youre comparing too.

A 125 will give you about 110mpg, insurance will be peanuts and so is servicing etc. £17 tax i think.

The 800 ive got at the moment does roughly 40mpg, servicing isnt cheap, insurance is about £220 a year fully comp for me, but wont be that cheap if youve just got your licence i wouldnt of thought. The top tax band (anything over 600cc) is about £80 a year (cant remember exactly).

It costs me more to run my bike than my 1.2 fabia in terms of fuel. Servicing is probably similar (car has longer intervals).

But ill look out the window and if its nice, ill take the bike every single time (unless ive got to carry something big of course).

Edited 28 June, 2015 by fabiamk2SE

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Something solely for a commuter tool a little 5/600 will be cheap to run, 50mpg out of my old CB, insurance, tax and servicing are cheap on it and it'll be quicker and more fun than a car. Of course in reality you'll either want a quicker bike for 'fun riding' or a second bike, then it all starts  

[Chriswright03]

Of course in a car you don't need several hundred pounds worth of PPE!  If you are riding you really need a good helmet gloves boots and protective jacket and trousers because even a slow speed tumble can cause injuries.  You can buy cheap but it really isn't worth it because you only have one body.

 

As for will it be cheap to run?  Well as has already been said that depends on what you buy and if you get bitten by the bug!  In general I would say my bikes have cost as much to run as my cars in the past because I have had big bikes that wear out things like tyres, chains and sprockets far too quick and I don't think that many people who have no knowledge of biking would believe you can wear a back tyre out in under 3000 miles.  I don't wear mine that quick but it still won't be more than 5000 miles and they are just as dear as a car tyre if not more so.  Luckily I don't have a chain to worry about now.

 

If you buy a smaller commuter bike you can achieve very good economy but my money is on you being bitten by the bug and wanting to buy something bigger faster and MORE expensive very soon.    Main point for me is whatever you buy make sure that you spend wisely on your safety equipment and wear it all the time even a quick spin to the shops as the tarmac between your house and the shops hurts just as much as the tarmac on the fastest A roads.

[matt_theforce]

I have always wanted to ride a bike but never had the time/money/commitment to actually go through with it.

I have now decided that I definitely want to do it and I have devised a little plan, let me know what you think.

1. Pass CBT course as I have never ridden a bike in my life. This will give me a definite feel of if I actually like it (I am sure I will)

2. Buy a 125cc bike (Yamaha Yzf?) and all the safety gear. Ride around on this for approximately a year to get my bearings/experience of riding a bike on the road.

3. Do a direct access course to get my full license and then upgrade to a bigger bike.

And just to add into the mix I am 31 years old married with a couple of kids. The bike will be a summer/nice day thing with minimal use in the winter.

Please let me know if you think the above would be a good way to set about it or if you think there is a better way of doing it?

Cheers,

Chunk

 

My thinking was exactly the same as yours 1 year ago, I'm no stranger to 2 wheels and road positioning as I cycle around 3-4000miles per year so my main concern was being over excited with a lot of power, hence, bought myself a YBR125, do I regret it and not doing my DAS? No, not at all. My bike puts a smile on my face everytime I go out on it, living on the Peak District border, there are some fantastic roads to get out and ride on

 

Matt1Chelski is correct about finding a good/unabused/written off 125, I spent a lot of time looking at sub £1000 bikes and being disappointed by almost all the ones I went to look at, in the end I spent double my budget and bought a 3year old bike with very low milage (1500miles).

 

I don't disagree with going DAS and buying a big bike, what suits 1 person, doesn't suit another.

 

FYI.. My YBR125 is up for sale http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/334288-yamaha-ybr-125-2011-4200miles/#entry4247047 , I'm not far from Manchester if you were interested. I've just dropped it off for its Service & MOT

 

 

Edit.. Road Tax £17 per year, Insurance £130 per year, Service £130 (Main dealer), 120mpg average since I bought it

[Aspman]

Direct access doesn't need to be a 5 day intensive course.

 

When I did mine (admittedly about 12yr ago) I paid for the course one the basis of "as many lessons as it takes" and one shot at the test.

 

I usually did a couple of hours a week for a few months.

 

The lads that ran the school were pretty rough and ready (proper beardy bikers) but really very good with the pupils. If they were quiet they just used to hand over a couple of 125s and tell us to being them back before 5.

 

Personally I always felt safer on a bigger bike and I'd suggest you might be as well to just do the direct access and get a bigger 'sensible bike'.

If you want to start off tame any 500 twin makes a good bike and you won't feel underpowered on NSL roads.

 

Fundamentally the bike is only as fast as your right wrist and you'd probably be surprise just how easy something like a CBR600 is to ride.

On the flip side it's also easy to get in trouble with a CBR600 because everything is so easy.

 

Think about the sort of biking you want to do. I got a ZXR400 after passing which seemed sensible because it was a lightweight sports bike with only 60hp but it was a little ****** to ride because it was really very focussed. I thought it was a polo GTI but it was more like a Lotus Elise. Very rewarding on a track with skill but a bit of an uncomfortable **** if you're new to the game.

 

So choose carefully.

 

And bikes aren't really cheap to run, insurance is quite a lot to start with although it drops quickly. MPG is often on a par with cars if not worse, tires are expensive and don;t last long and servicing isn't much different than cars either. So it's more like running a second car than you think.

Edited 29 June, 2015 by Aspman

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

Direct access doesn't need to be a 5 day intensive course.

 

When I did mine (admittedly about 12yr ago) I paid for the course one the basis of "as many lessons as it takes" and one shot at the test.

 

I usually did a couple of hours a week for a few months.

 

The lads that ran the school were pretty rough and ready (proper beardy bikers) but really very good with the pupils. If they were quiet they just used to hand over a couple of 125s and tell us to being them back before 5.

 

Personally I always felt safer on a bigger bike and I'd suggest you might be as well to just do the direct access and get a bigger 'sensible bike'.

If you want to start off tame any 500 twin makes a good bike and you won't feel underpowered on NSL roads.

 

Fundamentally the bike is only as fast as your right wrist and you'd probably be surprise just how easy something like a CBR600 is to ride.

On the flip side it's also easy to get in trouble with a CBR600 because everything is so easy.

 

Think about the sort of biking you want to do. I got a ZXR400 after passing which seemed sensible because it was a lightweight sports bike with only 60hp but it was a little ****** to ride because it was really very focussed. I thought it was a polo GTI but it was more like a Lotus Elise. Very rewarding on a track with skill but a bit of an uncomfortable **** if you're new to the game.

 

So choose carefully.

 

And bikes aren't really cheap to run, insurance is quite a lot to start with although it drops quickly. MPG is often on a par with cars if not worse, tires are expensive and don;t last long and servicing isn't much different than cars either. So it's more like running a second car than you think.

 

Boom, post full of win.

 

As far as the training goes it's not easily possible to do it all in 5 days now. Because you have to do the mod 1 and mod 2, unless you're super confident you'll nail the first one, you need to leave time to cancel the mod 2 if you fail mod 1.

 

I done a 4 day course, it was a bit higgledy piggledy, I was expecting to do mod 1 stuff, figure of 8s etc first but once I'd done a couple of laps and a controlled stop we were on the road My instructor explained that a lot of the mod 1 stuff was helped by just time in the saddle, out on the road, start stopping etc. So I think I done 2 days on the road, 2 hours of Mod 1 practice the day before the test then another day before my mod 2. 

 

Agree with the feeling safer on a bigger bike, people do take the **** when they see L plates on a bike, plus on a 60/70mph road you're at V max more or less the whole time. I passed my test and within the week had taken my mates 160bhp Fireblade out, I'm not for a second suggesting one as a first bike but just because a bike is capable of the speed it is doesnt mean you have to use it all. 

 

As I said, I think direct access and a decent 5/600 bike is the way to go, something upright and comfortable, easy to ride. 50-60bhp is a nice amount of power, you can have tonnes of fun with it but at the same time smashing it open isnt going to end up with you flipping it into a hedge. Not only that but it will last you a good year or so, then you can work out what direction you want to go with the next bike. I learnt on a Fazer 600, about 90bhp I think, by the end of my 4 days training I was really enjoying it, the last ride on it back from the test centre was a right laugh, nice quick ride down some B roads, my instructor ahead with a few tips in the ear as we went along. I couldnt imagine doing that then getting on a 12bhp 125! 

 

All that said, everyone is different, only you yourself will know for sure what was is best suited to you, I'd agree maybe knock out a CBT first and see how you feel. 

 

Also, here's my thread I made as I was doing it all if you fancy a read;

 

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/303446-my-journey-learning-to-ride-a-motorcycle/?hl=%20journey%20%20learning

[Chunk11]

Okay thanks again guys CBT booked for the 13 July and I can't wait.

I have still not made my mind up on the best route to go I think I will let my CBT course make my mind up.

Just out of interest any tips on the best place to get leathers, gloves, boots and a helmet from?

I have done a Google search but there are so many places! Would second hand eBay items be a good idea?

[fabiamk2SE]

I go to j&s Accessories in northwich. Nice big place (:

[Aspman]

Would you buy second hand pants?

 

If money is tight look at fabric jackets.

 

Get an ACU gold helmet, doesn't need to be a £400 shark lid.

 

Get your stuff from a proper shop too not worth taking a chance on rip off stuff.

Edited 29 June, 2015 by Aspman

[fabiamk2SE]

Would you buy second hand pants?

If money is tight look at fabric jackets.

Get an ACU gold helmet, doesn't need to be a £400 shark lid.

Get your stuff from a proper shop too not worth taking a chance on rip off stuff.

Fabric isnt just because of the pricepoint

Its cooler in summer, waterproof in winter, plenty of pockets, less restrictive etc etc.

[matt_theforce]

I bought Buffalo trousers and jacket online from Ghost Bikes, I'm very happy with them, boots I bought online too, my boots are Frank Thomas and wearing extremely well, as for my helmet, I found a website similar to euro ncap but for helmets, I narrowed down my budget and highest safety rating then tried them on in a local bike shop and bought the bed fitted one from them. Gloves can be bought online too

[Chriswright03]

Don't buy second hand.  Have a look in any of the bike shops around your area and get an idea on what you want and a price and then shop around for a good deal.  Helmets are really difficult to buy for me as my head is obviously a strange shape!  You need to try some on and buy what is the best fit.  They can be bought for reasonable money with the proper rating and you should always consider function over style.

 

Clothing is another big expense to think about.  Leather is great for protection should you be unfortunate to come off but aside from that it is too hot in the summer, too cold in the winter and it soaks water up like a T bag!  Textile is actually more comfortable to wear better in all conditions and usually has some form of protection for mishaps.  Don't rush into buying and have a good look first.  Avoid second hand like the plague.  Helmets should never EVER be sold second hand and if you buy clothing second hand and it leaks you have no come back.  Shop around there are bargains out there.

[countryboy]

Everyone is different, many years ago I did my direct access and got a Suzuki GSX 600 F. A great all round bike and good for a starter. If that is not for you then do the CBT, which is compulsory then you can ride around on a 125 on L plates for up to 2 years and then go for the direct access test to go up to the bigger bikes.

Ian