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Who rides a motorcycle? • Page 10

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  • jakuande 27 Mar 2012 15:12:33 188 posts
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    @L_Franko

    Even starting from scratch I think you can get most of it done in a one week intensive course. Takes you from CBT on day 1 -> 125cc bikes for a couple of days then onto 500cc or whatever they use at your local school for the rest.

    The last day would be your mod 1 manouvers test and once you'd passed that you could book in for the mod 2 road test within a week or two depending on availability.

    You'd have to make sure you passed the theory test before taking the mod1 but that can be done before you start the intensive course.

    Edited by jakuande at 15:13:23 27-03-2012
  • L_Franko Moderator 27 Mar 2012 15:19:32 9,676 posts
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    @jakuande

    Cheers, helpful info right there.

    I think a chap in my village did a weeks intensive training a few years back so I'll have a chat next time I see him to find out cost and loacation for my area.
  • ScoutTech 27 Mar 2012 15:57:52 2,362 posts
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    I've probably posted this before but here goes again.

    I did an intensive course. No clue to passed in a weeks lessons and a test not long after.

    Got my theory first, if you've been driving it shouldn't be anything too tricky.

    Saturday was the CBT, morning on a playground, real basics like starting, stopping, turning etc. Afternoon out on the road & they generally pass you there and then. If not then they just carry the CBT road riding on in to the week so don't panic. Sunday to Saturday was just riding different routes, learning the skills and then doing practise tests.

    Tuesday after I had my test and passed first time. I think I got 1 or 2 minors. & this was genuinely from never having ridden a motorbike and not really even being a cycle person.

    Originally I was meant to go from a 125 to 500 to a 650 (I think that is right but could be wrong) as I was over the 21 limit and could do DAS (Direct Access Scheme) but they had an issue with the 650 bikes so I stayed on the 500 but was assured that was fine.

    The school I was with had me with different instructors almost every day to give different view points and things they concentrate on and pick up which I found to be a really good idea. One guy had a thing about lights so would sing Jingle Bells at you if you left the indicators on, another had a thing about speed so would rate you on a poo potential scale he had made up & another would concentrate on riding in traffic as that was his experience. It also meant you got a range of teaching methods do you might find you didn't quite pick something up with one person but the next person would have a way that suited you.

    We'd generally stop at a greasy spoon and have lunch and maybe a cuppa at some point. Sometimes they would take you into the bike shops and give advice on gear and potential bikes.

    It was either 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 (2 students to an instructor). I wouldn't recommend any school doing more than 1 to 2

    All in all I can thoroughly recommend it. I took the course as my holiday time and it was the best holiday I had in a while!
  • jakuande 27 Mar 2012 17:34:04 188 posts
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    I did mine just over two years ago now and like ScouTech says it was good fun. Well most of the time... on the day before my first mod 1 attempt I managed to pick up a fear of u-turns and binned the school gs500 3 times in a row snapping the front brake lever off in the process. The ride back to the school was interesting as the bike had a shit rear brake and I can still remember the instructor telling me over the radio to take it easy on the approach to junctions!
  • dogbot 17 May 2012 10:22:36 2,271 posts
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    Wallop...



    Filtering on my journey into work yesterday, a van which I was alongside decided to suddenly turn right. He caught me and the bike both on our left sides, reasonably hard.

    Managed to stay on, which was a bit of a surprise, and have only got some bruising and scratching and the bike is only cosmetic damage.

    Lucky, lucky, lucky.

    The van, of course, drove off. So, skinhead bloke in an unmarked white van, when I see you again, I'mma getcha. :D
  • jakuande 17 May 2012 11:41:36 188 posts
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    @dogbot
    That must've been bloody scary, how did you stay on? Looking at the pic he must've hit you damn hard. Glad you're okay, did you get any witnesses/ plate number? Did he even have a plate...

    Those people are the scariest thing on the road when you're filtering, they never give any warning and they're right next to you so you have almost no time to dodge. Had a few near misses myself but nothing that unpleasant.
  • Chopsen 17 May 2012 11:49:49 13,727 posts
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    Blimey.

    It's so easily done. As it happens I was overtaking a line of traffic the yesterday and a car suddenly pulled out. Managed to slam the breaks on and then they saw me.

    Do you think there's anything extra you could have done to minimise the risk/avoid it?

    Edited by Chopsen at 11:50:05 17-05-2012

    Thanks for expressing interest in my signature!

  • dogbot 17 May 2012 12:48:00 2,271 posts
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    jakuande wrote:
    how did you stay on?
    I have NO idea. Just lucky.
    Looking at the pic he must've hit you damn hard. Glad you're okay, did you get any witnesses/ plate number? Did he even have a plate...
    By the time I stopped and put the stand down, he was gone. The fucker.

    He probably just thought "oh, he's not down, off I go." Generous perhaps, but being angry at him won't help me, eh?
    Those people are the scariest thing on the road when you're filtering, they never give any warning and they're right next to you so you have almost no time to dodge. Had a few near misses myself but nothing that unpleasant.
    First time I've ever been hit by another vehicle, in... oh, more years than I care to remember, honestly.
    Chopsen wrote:
    Blimey.

    It's so easily done. As it happens I was overtaking a line of traffic the yesterday and a car suddenly pulled out. Managed to slam the breaks on and then they saw me.

    Do you think there's anything extra you could have done to minimise the risk/avoid it?
    Not much. I could have not been filtering, I guess, but it was safe to do so. It sort of happened in slow motion, I saw him start to move and reacted, but the next thing I knew was the noise and the contact.

    Need a new fairing on the Kawasaki, but nothing worse than that.
  • p3rks 17 May 2012 13:07:04 1,083 posts
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    Been riding for a few years now, currently on a KTM SuperDuke >;) - Am commuting along the A40 every day at the minute, its interesting.

    Bit of advice to people thinking about doing their DAS etc.. I wouldn't advise what I did and go straight into it. Get your CBT, spend a few months on a 125, then do the DAS. Slow speed riding often catches people out on the test and the only way to get good at that is by doing it. But do do it, bikes are awesome.
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 11:05:58 23,448 posts
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    I want to learn to ride and I'm in the unusual (for me) position of having the cash to do it, but I know fuck all about how one goes about it.
    What's the order of events? What do you buy before you start? Do you read up on the highway code first? I know nothing - fill me with knowledge.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • billythekid 22 May 2012 11:10:12 10,263 posts
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    Can you drive a car? Have you ridden a motorbike before?
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 11:14:13 23,448 posts
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    I have only driven cars in lessons (stickshift) and discovered I didn't like driving cars (although if you have to drive one, London Black Cabs are the awesomest things to drive ever, turn on a dime, feel like a tank).
    Aside from that all my biking has been of the pillion variety, or the pushbike variety.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • Deleted user 22 May 2012 11:19:27
    I can't drive anything at all, is that bad for a 36 year old?
  • FairgroundTown 22 May 2012 11:25:41 2,522 posts
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    You have to do "CBT" (Compulsory Basic Training???) before you ride at all on the road, so you need to book yourself into a training school to do that; and they will loan you a bike to do it. This has the added advantage of being a 'taster' for whether you really want to go for it!
  • billythekid 22 May 2012 11:27:29 10,263 posts
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    Direct access course with an instructor school would be my advice.
    CBT first, then lessons, theory test and finally practical test.

    Do it on a bike with at least 35bhp and when you pass you can then ride anything you like. If you pass it on a smaller bike then you'll be restricted somewhat afterwards.

    http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/motoring/learnerandnewdrivers/ridingmotorcyclesandmopeds/dg_4022568
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 11:28:32 23,448 posts
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    Cheers Fairground. Should you buy safety gear before you do CBT? And do you need to brush up on the highway code before that or after?

    Thanks also billy

    /reads

    Edited by MetalDog at 11:29:18 22-05-2012

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • dogbot 22 May 2012 11:31:38 2,271 posts
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    MetalDog wrote:
    I want to learn to ride and I'm in the unusual (for me) position of having the cash to do it, but I know fuck all about how one goes about it.
    What's the order of events? What do you buy before you start? Do you read up on the highway code first? I know nothing - fill me with knowledge.
    This link is pretty good at explaining what is required:

    http://www.geton.co.uk/content/getting-started

    Basically, you need a provisional or full (car) license, to take a theory test, and then to take your CBT, which will allow you to ride a 125cc (for two years).

    If you then want to go onto a bigger bike, you'll need to do either the A1 test (which means staying on a 125), Accelerated Access training - which is the full training & test on a bike less than 46bhp but after two years, you can move onto a bigger machine, or the Direct Access training, which is the same as A2 but on a 46+ bhp machine and you can immediately ride a big bike once passed.

    Probably worth looking on the links at the bottom for local testing centres. Some do packages where they provide everything, others will require you to have some of your own gear (helmet and so on). That will usually affect the cost of courses.

    -----

    Rode from Bristol to Hitchin, cross country, this weekend for the BMF show in Peterborough. Had an ace time, got about 500 miles in over 3 days and got some really nice bargains at the show, too. Mate got a set of brand new Draggins for £30. Mine cost £130 a year ago. Git.

    :D
  • billythekid 22 May 2012 11:31:54 10,263 posts
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    They'll lend you helmet and gloves for the CBT which takes place mainly in a car park aside for one small road ride at the end.
    Do it first before buying any gear, as Fairground said just to see if it's the thing for you.
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 11:39:10 23,448 posts
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    Excellent - thanks guys. I'll let you know how I get on.
    Can't do any worse than my dad - when my uncle tried to teach him to ride a motorbike he came back in with shredded jeans, skinned knees and vowed never to pilot a motor vehicle again :)

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • billythekid 22 May 2012 11:48:11 10,263 posts
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    What sort of bike do you want eventually MD?
    I'll take a guess at a Harley.
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 11:57:36 23,448 posts
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    My ex-dispatch rider uncle has instilled in me a firm opinion of Harleys as poser bikes only. He also told me never to ride anything I couldn't pick up.

    I dunno. Something unwanky and relatively economical and not to eco-unfriendly. Definitely not a scooter of any description. Something upright, rather than lean forward, probably.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • glaeken 22 May 2012 11:58:48 10,366 posts
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    On clothing for the CBT I would say jeans, a good jacket and some sturdy shoes/boots should be fine. It's pretty expensive to get all the gear or even some of it really when you may not even like it.

    For the CBT you will mainly be just on a private car park type area getting the hang of control's and I think you just get a 30 minute ride on the road at the end of the day if the instructor thinks you are ready for it so I don’t think having all the gear is that important for it.

    Edited by glaeken at 11:59:43 22-05-2012
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 12:04:13 23,448 posts
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    Looks like I need to sort out a provisional license first, then I'll book in to a CBT that provides helmet + bike and see if I take to it.
    Thanks guys.

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • dogbot 22 May 2012 12:06:02 2,271 posts
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    What you want is a nice ER6, MD.

    Lovely to look at, comfortable, reliable, cheap, economical, capable of carrying a TON of luggage...

    :)
  • jakuande 22 May 2012 13:43:14 188 posts
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    @MD I'll second the ER6, it's an awesome bike: easy to ride at normal speeds but more than fast enough to feel like a "proper" big bike. The older models have quite a low seat and it's light too so you should be able to pick it up on your own per your uncle's very sensible advice!

    @dogbot Sounds good, nothing like a good long ride to put an accident behind you!
  • Chopsen 22 May 2012 13:50:48 13,727 posts
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    Don't really know Kawasaki's range, but looked up the ER6 and.....luggage? Really? Where?

    Thanks for expressing interest in my signature!

  • glaeken 22 May 2012 14:16:17 10,366 posts
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    The ER6 is still 180 odd KG so would still be pretty tough to pick up. I remember having to pick up my KTM 950SMR and at 190Kg that was a real killer. It was right on the limit of being able to do it on my own. Mind its a tall bike so that might make a difference.
  • Salaman 22 May 2012 14:19:24 16,590 posts
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    I think a Honda Deauville might be a sensible choice for you as well MD.
    http://tinyurl.com/dyqzdgv

    I bought one 3 years ago. It's not too massive. It's got a fairly upright seating position. Should match what you;re looking for.

    A big bouns I found is that it's got quite a bit of storage with the built in side boxes. Add a top-box and you've got quite good storage capacity.
    I found it quite useful that I could store all my riding gear in it. On a hot day, you don't want to to drive somewhere and upon arriving spend the rest of the time in heavy, cumbersome motor gear.

    I was able to get fully suited up in a sturdy jacket and cover all trousers, boot, etc. Then once I arrived where I had to be, I could get the helmet, trousers + jacket in the top box and the boots in the side boxes. If you remember of bringing a pair of trainers, you can stroll about at your destination in a comfy jeans ans shirt.
  • MetalDog 22 May 2012 14:19:28 23,448 posts
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    Well, I meant pick up from lying flat on the road, I'd imagine having to physically haul them without the aid of the wheels is a much rarer occurrence than just dropping the bike. Although I hope I don't do that either.

    I shall have to pop back in here and peruse the bike recommendations when I'm nearer a decision on buying one :)

    Edited by MetalDog at 14:20:58 22-05-2012

    -- boobs do nothing for me, I want moustaches and chest hair.

  • dogbot 22 May 2012 14:37:02 2,271 posts
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    Chopsen wrote:
    Don't really know Kawasaki's range, but looked up the ER6 and.....luggage? Really? Where?


    There. :)

    I've done 30k on mine, including some fairly substantial touring. It's a great bike.

    Regards the weight thing, you're not going to find many bikes > 500cc that weigh less than 150kg. But low speed handling is something that comes with practice and under drive (even at like 10mph), they essentially balance themselves. You'll have similar issues picking up a GS500E from the road as you would a Harley or a Busa, most likely. Not something I'd worry too much about wrt to influencing your choice of machine.

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