I have been wanting to get myself a bike for years now and I have finally decided I'm going to do it, I pretty much have no idea on how to go forward on this so I have a few questions:

1. I understand that I have to do my CBT first, once I have done this does this mean I can ride up to a 125cc with L plates for 2 years? Also, will I need to apply for a provisional bike licence or is my current driving licence fine?

2. After getting my CBT I can then move on to getting my full licence. I see that there are two options being a Direct Access and Staged Access, what do these mean and what's the best route?

3. Seeing as I'm only 23 it seems the highest licence I can get is the A2, is this right? How would I then go onto getting my A licence?

4. Learner bikes, any recommendations? I have been looking at getting either a Honda CBF or CBR.

Thanks :)

I passed my bike test a year or so ago and before they changed the rules about going for it so I have a year left on restrictions. However u will have to different test to go on different size bikes and have to be spaced out a year or so. you are car licence is fine to get your cbt. I would have a look on the dvla website to see the different licenses. I would suggest doing your cbt and waiting until your 25 and go direct access u will get on a faster bike quicker. I have a cbr 600 and I must say its a great bike more than fast enough and handles awesome with decent tyres

I've got to admit, I really don't understand the new licences in full, but the way it sounds is your best bet is to do your CBT and do a couple of years on a 125, then go for your full A in a couple of years.

As for what bike to get, I'm a Honda man (though my only bike recently is a Yam DT125 field bike), they're not always the most exciting bikes, but they're dependable. Beyond that, the question depends on where you want to ride, what style of bike does it for you, and to an extent, your own height and build. Personally, I like a high riding position because I learnt to ride off road first, and aren't too bothered about sportiness, but you could be totally different. The best thing to do is put your leg over a few bikes and see what you like the feel of.

Cheers for the advice guys!
According to the DVLA 24 is the age for the direct access for the full A licence, so I guess I will just mess about on a 125 for a year and then go for that.

If your gunna play with a 125 for a year witch is very sensible the amount of people that go straight out do there test and get a 600 then end up in a ditch and wonder why is endless. But get a two stroke an old dt 125 is a perfect example great fun bike had one my self pretty reliable if looked after could pop wheelies all the time. I then got an rs125 and regretted it I tuned it and ragged it blew it up then sold it then done my test and now rag a 600 within mm of the edge of the tyres so much fun and u will never regret getting a bike unless you get hurt.

Agree with the above!

Love my DT125R!

Is so fun to bomb around on and will do 85mph so great for commuting to, just I can never be bother to drag it out the garage at 5am everyday

I'm getting a A2 direct access course for my 21st and can't wait to build a xv535 bobber

A2 restricts you to 47bhp, that's more than enough for what I want :)

Edited 2 October, 201312 yr by MaxVW

You can never beat 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds while on one wheel though. :) I have always wanted a bobber though or a mad chopper with huge rear wheel. But its mostly about speed for me. Playing with people who think there car is fast. My favourite being a mate who had a tuned vxr astra and couldn't resist be telling him I restricted the bike and he wanted race so we found a nice twisting road with a long straight in the middle I gave him a few seconds head start then overtook him on the third corned and had to pull over and wait for him when the road finished. Its all fun till you crash though. Fell of my ped a few times showing off even at slow speeds the tarmac pulls chunks out u skin. All ways where a bike jacket and jeans and gloves and the minimum.

You can never beat 0 to 60 in 3.5 seconds while on one wheel though. :) I have always wanted a bobber though or a mad chopper with huge rear wheel. But its mostly about speed for me. Playing with people who think there car is fast. My favourite being a mate who had a tuned vxr astra and couldn't resist be telling him I restricted the bike and he wanted race so we found a nice twisting road with a long straight in the middle I gave him a few seconds head start then overtook him on the third corned and had to pull over and wait for him when the road finished. Its all fun till you crash though. Fell of my ped a few times showing off even at slow speeds the tarmac pulls chunks out u skin. All ways where a bike jacket and jeans and gloves and the minimum.

I'll probley end up having two bikes

XV for those Sunday rides with my old man, maybe summat like a genesis for those days where you want some thrills, or late for work

Gotta be a Yammy though

Yeah my next bike will Kawasaki z750 or 1000 depends how brave I feel in a years time. All the power u could ever need and comfortable with that sit up and beg style.

Can't wait to get my bike now!

I'm going to go for the Honda CBF125, thought about the CBR but realised there's not much point spending an extra £1000 on a 125 I'm going to keep for a year. I'll just save that 1k for my next bike when I past my DA.

Don't buy a 4 stroke u will get so bored there so slow

Slow's relative. I used to have an old Superdream (250cc Four stroke), yep, it was slow for a bike, but there weren't many cars that could catch it off the mark.

I did my test on a cb125 and the dual carriageway part was a struggle I'm a big lad and had to lay on the tank to get above 60

Fair play, I weigh fuck all, so even my scooter picks up well with me on it.

The downside is, I tried to ride a Bandit 1200 once and could hardly get it round corners

I did my CBT on a cb, I was pretty impressed with it, no where near my DT but it still had abit of go. Only down side is that I kept having to pull over to let the other lad and the instructor catch up

I don't think id buy another 2 stroke, unless it's an old scoot of course. Four strokes are just quieter and don't choke you while your having a smoke waiting for your bike to warm up after work

Edited 5 October, 201312 yr by MaxVW

Yeah weight plays an important factor of riding a bike. I went from an rs125 to an er5 and the riding style was similar show them a corner chuck it in and power out the only diffrence was the 125 being two stroke u had to be in the right gear where as the er 5 it didn't. Then went from the er 5 to the cbr 600 and had to change the way I rode completely due to the weight of the being being more and higher up on the bike. I have to lean off the bike much more to get close to the edge of the tyres where as the er5 I could just lean and not move my mass if that makes sense. I would highly recomed an er 5 as a starter bike though plenty quick enough and being light weight it's great for learning. Also sit on the bike u want before you go and buy one it's not so much touching the floor when u stop its beg comfy nothing worse then being bunched up on a small bike

That is the thing I like about the DT, so long as you're in the right cog, it doesn't really matter how (badly) you ride it.

Yeah they are a great machine mine was tuned up a bit and was really fun a had a set of road wheels and off road wheels would swap em over at the weekend tear down some green lanes with a few mates and the thing never failed was ragged everywhere it where and wore the rear tyre out more then the front thanks to the smaller front sprocket it would lift the front in most gears

True, you have to be quick picking your gear, I've got nobbleys on mine so roundabouts can be quite eventful

Mines had the power valve messed about with and an exhaust, goes like the clappers though cruising in 6th is frustrating, have to change up and down constantly

My dad likes to cruise at around 55mph, this is the worst speed for a DT!

Edited 5 October, 201312 yr by MaxVW

Nobbles suck on the road I rode a few times on them and decided that was enough I would recommend getting some super moto wheels and then you have the ability to change them out so if u wanna go off road chuck the nobbles on and if u wanna go for a decent ride wake the road tyres on

Or, just don't use the roads

Anyone else got any new toys? I've been looking at Honda ST50's and Honda CB250/350's.

I fancy modding both to be honest

Just in the process of getting back on. I'm currently looking for a logbook for a DT125.

I'd love another CB250, my Superdream was great, wasn't the fastest thing by far, but you could get on it and ride it to the end of the earth.

I might just get a YBR or something for a bit and if I don't die, then think about something bigger, I'm a bit conscious that I fit into the fat, balding, middle-aged born-again biker organ donor group.

Cant beat a little 2 smoke in my eyes, I&#39;ve got a 1988 Honda H100SII, all original, shade under 10k on the clock. Done a few bits to it like brakes and stuff but thats about it. Gets loads of attention at bike meets, suppose all the old blokes learnt to ride on stuff similar. All 2 strokes are going up in value now, fancy a 250 or a 200 next now I&#39;ve done my test, but stuff like RD's and NSR's are silly money for nice ones. The sound when the crackle into life though, and the smell <3 Few pics of my Honda anyways....

Let us know what you think!

Tom

That's cool.

Automotive equivalent of a mk2 bready - proof that you don't have to go fast to have fun.