Hi people.
I would like to start learning to ride a bike but have no idea what I must do.
My questions:
i) I passed my car driving test in Aug 2007 - does this mean I still need to do the bike theory?
ii) What can I ride or apply to ride for? I'm 25 and really want to look for the 600cc bikes
iii) What sort of Insurance will I have to pay annually
And finally any other advice you can give me :)
Cheers all Please take a motorcycle safety course. It made all the difference to me. I rode all the time as a youth, on bikes up to 350cc, with an occasional ride on a 750cc bike. I bought my first bike in 30 years last year, 1300cc, and I felt like a fish out of water. I took the course (they provided 250cc bikes) and it made riding so much easier and safer. I would recommend starting small, but 600cc is not unreasonable. I recommend getting a used 250-350 to learn on (cheap, and when you are done, someone else will buy it for about the same price). Then buy your dream bike.
Good luck, my friend. start with 350's till you are adjusted insurance will be less also
you will still have to pass a test also It is easy enough to ride a motorcycle,the difficult part is staying alive, I first started to ride one in 1946 and have had some mighty powerful bikes,had some very-very narrow escapes including coming within a yard of going under a doubledeck bus after some idiot at work had tampered with my back brake, finally I reached the conclusion that eventually I would have a major accident,my luck could not last forever, so I quit while I was ahead. Yes you will still have to pass a motorcycle test, but if you have already passed the theory for a car, it should not be too difficult. In the uk you will have to do the full bike test (CBT, theory and test). You will be limited to a 125 cc on provisional and on passing the test they now have a series of graduated power as you get older (see DVLA website.)
The old days of passing your test and jumping on a Fireblade are over. No part of your current driving licence can be used towards your bike test.
This has saved the NHS a lot of money. If you have never ridden a bike and want to....i suggest you try a dirt bike first. (that is if you have a friend to loan you a bike...and a place to ride..open field) Get the basics down....starting, stopping, braking, shifting and turning. By starting on a dirt bike you have the ability to use a 100cc bike in an open area...no cars or other distractions. Having been where you are, I highly recommend getting into a good MSC. This will give you your basics and excellent information.
If you are still wanting to follow this dream, purchase a mid-size used bike get out often build to your confidence - for me that was the 'key' to being a good rider - confidence.
Insurance on my 06' Road King currently runs me $504.00 a year.
I have enclosed an informative web-site for MC insurance..it is designed to provide MC riders with insurance answers...you may find many of your answers there as well as great rates.
Remember .... Live to Ride and always ride safe.
Good luck to you my young friend. As you are over 21, you can take a Direct Access Course.
This will allow you to complete your C.B.T. (Compulsory Basic Training), your theory test and your full bike test in 5-10 days. You will then be able to ride any bike you wish.
As for insurance, phone around (pick up a copy of Motorcycle News and check out the insurer's adverts at the back). There are far to many variables to give you a sensible idea how much your premium will be. Any one insurance company will give wildly differing quotes to different people. you should be able to take a motorcycle riding course.
Do that first. If you still like it get yourself a used bike. I bought my first Motorcycle in 1947. Just out of Army, with an artificial lower left leg. Bought a '36 Indian chief, modified the clutch so i could use it. Rode for 4 years. Got married, had to sell bike for money to buy a house.
FF 30+ years!
Bought an '82 Honda-matic,450A. Installed a hand operated shifter handle! Took Motorcycle safety course, using my bike, because i couldn't shift a standard tranny! Foot didn't bend correct way!
Never had an accident. Had insurance. Did regular maintenance on the bike-went everywhere-no problems any time! Finally sold it 2 years ago--wife thought it was time--i didn't, but ya have to live with them, ya know!
Any way, don't get a big powerful bike at first--get a less powerful one to learn on, then get bigger one after a summer of riding! And, wear the proper riding gear! It'll save yer skin from painful road rash! Shorts and sandles and a tee-shirt might make ya feel like a sporty guy, but road rash will certainly bring ya down off that high horse, the first time ya lay it down at speed! 1) No idea, only person who would know is the DVLA (0870 01 01 372) that is the information and booking line number they will be able to tell you. Car and bike theory are 99% similar just a few bike related questions.
2) I would do the CBT as soon as possible (about 拢100) seems average, look for your local motorcycle shop for advice on local training centres. Then get a 125 to allow you to practice while receiving lessons (About 拢600). Dont do the intensive riding courses they have a high failure rate for new riders as they try to cram everything into 2 or 3 days.
As you are over 21 you can do a DAS course this means you will get lessons on a 500cc motorbike and when you pass your test you can go out and get what ever you want. So that 600cc is in your reach.
3) No idea depends on age, location, where the bike is going to be left over night, type of bike, marriage status, driving history etc. What I do as I am looking for a new bike is go onto confused dot com and put in all my details you can then get a rough idea what it is going to cost.
Any further Advice,
Get good gear, helmet, jacket, gloves, boots and trousers. They can all be easily replaced if you come off. Parts of you cannot.
October they are changing the bike test.
and have fun and ride safe.
** Edit**
To stay within the law in the UK the following applies
Without a CBT you can ride no bike on the roads in the UK.
With a CBT you can ride upto a 125cc with 'L' Plates or 'D' plates in Wales on the roads in the UK.
If you pass on a 500cc bike you can ride what you want.
If you dont have the CBT or are riding a more powerful bike on a CBT and are caught then it will effect your insurance later on. Hi I have been riding for about 1 year and the best bike to start off on is a Kawasaki Ninja 250. You can buy one used cheap and I have found they get a lot of thumbs up on the road and nobody makes fun of it.
I'll put in steps what you should do and why.
Step 1. First go to dmv before you do anything else, and tell them you want to take the WRITTEN motorcycle exam test. I failed it the first time but the second time I passed it. Without studying its really easy. I think they let you take it 3 times on one appointment without having to reschedule. Do that first.
Step 2. Once you do that you are now allowed to ride. They will put restrictions on your riding. Normally you can only ride during the day and only you can be on the bike no passengers allowed. Also they won't allow you to ride on freeways just roads,streets.
Step 3. Now once you have the written test done sign up for the MSF school. It's not embarrassing and they teach you how to ride the bike with real bikes. Now..THIS IS THE IMPORTANT PART why you must do this. If you don't do the school then you have take a RIDING test at dmv and that sucker is hard! Very hard to pass and the fact is MOST people fail it.
STEP 4
However...If you register for MSF school (costs money but not too much and worth it!) this allows you to SKIP the dmv riding test. That's right!! Skip!!!
At the msf course they'll teach you how to balance etc.. and its very good.
STEP 5
ONCE YOU PASS...the msf school you then get a certificate from them. You are done!! You now simply go to dmv and show them the certificate and they approve your drivers license to drive a motorcycle whenever you like.
Step 6. Insurance is a joke, I mean, its really cheap. Get a cheap bike and then when you get insurance tell them you want basic liability, no theft insurance etc.. You can pay as low as $100 per year - $300 per year max. Also the higher the cc of your bikes engine the higher your insurance.
In other words a Kawasaki Ninja 250cc is less insurance than a 500 cc bike.
You have to do it in these steps or it will drive you crazy. You won't be able to get insurance as they will ask you do you have the motorcycle designation on your license yet.
However if you do it this way you will love it. Within about 5 days or less you'll have your full motorcycle license.
The items that you need to ride legally are:
Helmet (and clothes of course you can't ride naked)
The items you SHOULD get and you can get them over time are..
1. Helmet
2. Motorcycle pants with ce armor (See ebay to see pic)
3. Motorcycle mesh jacket with ce armor (again ebay)
4. High top boots preferably with no laces but velcro instead I'm part way through the process.
You will need to do your theory test again but you can do your compulsory basic training (CBT) first.
On your CBT you will ride a geared 125, it is a one day course and costs about 拢100 including your bike hire.
The main part of the Direct Access course then takes about another 4 days including the test and costs about 拢450 including bike hire. At the end of that you are qualified to ride any size motorcycle.
I'm a bit older than you but got quoted 拢232 for a 拢3500 Kawasaki 650cc. Just go on Bennetts website and put some details through to get an idea.
Good luck. hi i ve been driving bikes for 12 years when i was 18 i got my first bike it was a Honda cg125 1979 i loved it to bits still have it. i would recommend that you start off on something around 250cc anything smaller can be very light especially when you are trying to get used to taking off, i would also recommend that you invest in good quality gear spend as much as you can on a helmet try and go for a full shell some of the cheaper ones are two half's and wouldn't have the same protection, i would also recommend leathers if you did come off bike they are more inclined to go with the road rather than jeans meaning less road rash,a couple of years ago i had a bad crash , skidded on gravel hit a seven foot wall, both wall and cbr600 had to be rebuilt,but thanks to good gear and excellent helmet i was eventually fine, safe ridding and stay between the ditches! Try taking a riders school, I took the one Harley Davidson has since I bought a 1200 XL. The school will teach you proper riding skills as well as emergency maneuvers. Then you don't have to take the road test, the only test you take is the written test. Oh, yeah, as we Harley riders say... keep your wheels down and your chrome up. Good Luck. Let me know how it goes. you will need to do another theory test,a bit of a bum i know but there are some differences in braking distances etc.
the best thing for you to do is do a direct access course,during this you will do you cbt where you will drive around a car park and learn basic machine control and simple maintenance.you will then go out on the road when your instructor feels confident with your ability.then you will ride around for a few days on the road with your instructor so you get used to road positioning etc .then you will ride around on a 600cc and do the same until test day.
your best bet if you want a 600 is to get a suzuki sv 650.there cheap tp to buy and run,tyres are cheaper than 600cc sports bikes like my gsxr,they are light and very nimble and reliable my friend had 1 it was a great bike.great for a learner great for an experienced rider too,your always smiling on an sv they are very forgiving.
ring around for insurance and compare.
and finally dont rush the early stages of biking,you will constanly be learning throughout you biking time.
have fun and dont forget the life saver look |
