I'm thinking about doing this but don't know anythnig about it. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Tried googling it but actual recs would be good.
I'm thinking about doing this but don't know anythnig about it. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Tried googling it but actual recs would be good.
ta
It's a little more complicated than learning to drive a car, but not much.
I'm presuming you're over 21 and have a car licence with motorbike entitlement on it?
In which case you'd have to do the Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) first, complete your theory, then either the normal bike test (which restricts you to a bike with a power output not exceeding 11kW) or since you are over 21, do Direct Access (which is on a more powerful bike and means you are allowed to ride anything).
If you don't do Direct Access, after two years you are automatically allowed to ride any bike without sitting any additional tests.
CBT is just a day course that is pretty much impossible to fail - it basically just teaches you how to ride and makes sure you're not dangerous on the road. It only lasts two years, so if you haven't completed you test by then you'd have to do it again.
how much and many lessons would you need as a regular car driver?
also what's insurance like?
i've thought about it too, but it sems more costly than driving a car, despite the petrol savings
I did my licence 4 years ago now, but lessons were slightly cheaper (at Two Wheels at Pefermill btw Jock, a great place to do it. Or there is that place on Seafield Road too).
t's a totally different ball game from driving a car (either exciting or dangerous depending on your view). You could take your knowledge of road signs and all that with you - but riding style, road positioning, hazard perception, etc are all very different.
Insurance is obviously dependant on how long you had your licence and what kind of bike it is. If you got a commuter hack or similar, it'd be pretty cheap. For example, I had a 150cc scooter as a commuter at 19 and my insurance was something like £160 TPF&T a year.
With petrol it would again be dependant on the bike, and the tank range is significantly less (circa 100 miles on some sports bikes)
Jimmie wrote:
And remember to treat every car driver like a total idiot, and assume that they have not seen you, even if you have your headlights on.
It is totally different to driving a car.
For one thing, you lean over going round corners, and fall off if you don't put your feet down when you stop.
The only similarity is that you drive on the same roads !
Jimmie's bang on too! You are almost completely invisible on a bike, if you aren't the one being cautious you are the one that is going to suffer. If you crash or skid in a car you'll prob survive - on a bike you'll be lucky if it's just a trip to A&E.
We had a beautiful old Honda 500 sitting in the warehouse last year shouting 'buy me, buy me' all day. It was old, but only had a genuine 12,000 dry miles on it.
I did take it out for a test drive, but in the end decided not to buy it.
