Buying my first motorbike =)

[Durp]

Ive just been researching the CBT and DAS, as I understand if you go for your DAS you book a 3-5day training programme and then do your CBT day1 and then your DAS day5 and this costs about £600. Are you likely to pass your test with just a few days training, even if you have very little experience riding? And if you fail how much is the retest?

I did a few lessons when I was 17 on a 125cc and attempted (and failed) my test and tbh lost interest in biking after that for a while. Was that the CBT I was attempting or have they changed the test proceedure lately? Or possibly does Northern Ireland have different test proceedure?

So basically from what you guys have said il be paying

Bike = £2000
Protection = £1000
Insurance = £500 maybe?
Test = £600

Sorry for the 20 questions! xD

[Jasp]

Ok didn't realise you was NI, in which case half the info i have given you is mute and void, NI doesn't have a CBT or Direct Access.

Managed to find a few bits of info regarding NI and biking

http://www.dvtani.gov.uk/practicaldr...t/bikefaqs.asp

http://www.dvlni.gov.uk/drivers/lear...motorcycle.htm

http://www.dvlni.gov.uk/drivers/ride_motorcycle.htm

From what i can gather you only have A/A1/P (Moped) licenses over their, you can ride a 125cc bike on a full car license with "L" plates on public roads with no passengers or with a provisional license while you learn but you have to pass the theory, and are not allowed to go over 45mph.

Basically you want to be aiming for a A license, this will be taken on a 125cc and limit you to 33hp for 2 years after you have completed your test (Roughly a 250cc i think), in which case you would probably be best off with a 125cc, you can learn on it as long as your insured and use it for the test.

[Rave]

I got decent feeling set of textile jacket and trousers from Lidl for a total of £90 IIRC. There's proper armour on the knees, shoulders and elbows and they're made of a cordura-esque material. I haven't crashed wearing them but I have reasonable faith in them for commuting etc. Lidl tend to also sell matching boots, gloves and back protectors at the same time (which I also now own, I just don;t have a working motorbike ).

It seems a bit bizarre that NI doesn't have the same rules on motorcycle tests as the rest of Europe? I would have thought you'd be able to do Direct Access over there same as anywhere else. If you just want a bike to get to work on then by all means do the test on a 125 and ride it around with a restricted licence for two years; if you want to ride a bike that's fast enough to have some fun on do Direct Access.

You can have fun on a 500 BTW, an ER5 or CB500 will still do 0-60 in 5 seconds. When I bought my ER-5 having not ridden a bike for about 8 years it felt like a beast! Two weeks later I was used to it, though that didn't stop me crashing it twice through stupidity.

When I get my next bike on the road (or when the ER5 gets reborn as a cafe racer, which is a pipe dream of mine), I'll be joining the IAM for some training. I've not had a car accident in 8 years but on a bike I had two in the space of a month, both my fault. I clearly have a bit to learn, so intend to learn it before I hurt myself.