New to motorcycling

shinytop

As others have said, give it a go.  And if you do it this time of year remember it's a lot better when it's warmer. 

notbritishgas

oldagetraveller1 said:

Totally irrelevant, but -

Something that puzzles me is the fact that having a motorcycle licence I could buy and ride a 1000cc bike with loads of power. Group A entitlement.

The puzzle being that I passed the test in the 1960's when the examiner was on foot and the requirement was to just ride around a short course for him to observe from various easily walkable vantage points, walk alongside briefly to check handling at slow speed and a couple of other tasks.

No CBT or anything else.

Frightening really. No, I have no desire for two wheels whatsoever!

Oh I remember that so well.I passed my test in 1960 and spotted the examiner standing at strategic points on the route, and then at one point stepped out into the road for my emergency stop !
Like the OP I was a born again biker in my forties ( 1965 Triumph Speed twin) and then again in my fifties and sixties ( Suzuki Bandit).
Too old now ! 

Mickey666

billy2shots said:

oldagetraveller1 said:

Totally irrelevant, but -

Something that puzzles me is the fact that having a motorcycle licence I could buy and ride a 1000cc bike with loads of power. Group A entitlement.

The puzzle being that I passed the test in the 1960's when the examiner was on foot and the requirement was to just ride around a short course for him to observe from various easily walkable vantage points, walk alongside briefly to check handling at slow speed and a couple of other tasks.

No CBT or anything else.

Frightening really. No, I have no desire for two wheels whatsoever!

I guess it's the same principle as some old timers driving cars that never took a test. 
My 66 year old mum can drive larger vehicles than me and carry more passengers even though she passed a fair simpler test back in the day with less traffic on the road. 

I also have a full motorcycle licence after passing exactly the sort of test oldagetraveller1 described, back in the 1970s.  When I collected my first motorbike (provisional licence, L-plate and drive away anything up to 250cc) I could barely manage to use the clutch properly and had to ‘walk’ the bike cross junctions with traffic lights!  But I somehow survived, though I’ve not ridden a motorcycle for about 30 years and have no plans to do so.
As for some ‘old timers’ never passing a test, a friend of mine has a class 1 HGV licence and has driven all over Europe and into the Middle East, but has never passed a test!

knightstyle

Use a car to get from A to B.  Use a bike for pleasure!  Go for it and have (safe) fun.

mark1959

Do your CBT and take it from there. I think you'll love it.
I also took my bike test in the 70s and the examiner walked round the block i rode round. [and then reversed the direction] I remember the car test a few years later being not much different [same route] but he was sat in the car with me.

onlyfoolsandparking

billy2shots said:

It's probably a midlife crisis (39 years old) but I'm really hankering to do my bike license. 

This is the third time in the last 15 years where I have reached this point. I've previously studied for the theory before backing out at the last minute. 
This time I really want to take the next step. 

So I'm asking here for some inspiration really. 

Are you guys happy on the roads and the freedom riding a bike can bring or is it not worth it these days with traffic, road conditions and the poor standard of car users?

I wouldn't be looking for speed as I have always loved the art of some bikes. My goal would be to tastefully mod a bobber (Triumph or Indian) to create a bike I have had in my mind since I was a kid. Then use it on nice days and social meet ups. 

All feedback appreciated. 

Can you actually ride a bike? sounds like a daft question but I know a few people that have a full bike license and really shouldn't be on anything more than a 250.

It's a difficult question to answer with certainty as there are quite a number of variables but your asking for feedback so here you go. You talk about progressing onto a bobber or similar and your not interested in speed, that will work slightly in your favour from a 'new' rider perspective as bobbers aren't quick anyway and are usually heavy lumps that don't like going round bends at anything resembling pace.

On the other hand if your not familiar with 'counter steering' 'trail braking' or even leaning a bike correctly yet then the slower bike you start with the better. Advice you've been given regarding doing CBT is of course a legal requirement but won't teach you much about riding, same as passing a Car test really, legally you can drive but your at the beginning of your driving experience and on a bike you really can't afford to be inexperienced for long. I'm not a big fan of direct access, I don't like the fact that a new rider can literally do a few days theory and practice then pass their test and jump on a 1000cc hyper sports bike with blistering performance, it's just asking for trouble (as the stats appear to show, more mid life riders injured or killed riding sports bikes) I wouldn't go down that route if you value your life but your choice.

Anyway I digress, having ridden myself for over 30 years on a wide variety of bikes from mopeds, crossers, tourers to absolute rockets they all give a very different experience, my latest bike is the BMW S1000R Sport, fantastic machine handles like it's on rails with superb performance and brakes to match, so different from my last bike Yamaha MT09 which was just too light and handled awful and that's what I'm sort of saying, much more to biking than just passing test and jumping on one.

I would invest in finding a decent bike training centre, do the necessary CBT and get out on the road for a while, see how riding feels for you, I'm not saying spend months and months giving the riding school your money but if you want to really enjoy riding then then you shouldn't rush into taking your test, the best and safest riders are the ones that are learning constantly, that is the golden rule with biking and 39 is not old to start biking properly.

A lot's changed a lot over the last 30 years (more traffic, more potholes, more ignorant drivers imo) but the basics are still the same for 2 wheels, your much more exposed on a bike, other road users don't see you as easily, weather plays a big part in bike handling and you MUST have the right gear, nothing worse than getting caught in rain with summer gear on, makes a ride miserable instantly. On the plus side modern bikes have come a long way with safety, they handle better, better brakes (most are ABS these days) traction control, anti wheelie, rider modes etc etc all helps.

To summarise and If I were in your position as I said I would do the CBT, get out riding with a decent instructor/s maybe buy a cheap 125 for extra practice, then when ready do your test, maybe buy a cheap 600 as you will notice a big difference between 125-600 and move up from there to your dream bike. I've had about 25 bikes over the years and they were all very different, some good, some horrendous but it's all part of biking. Good luck with it all and know that if you do eventually get the bike you want, going out with the 'boys' on a Sunday morning for a tootle OR a Marquez qualifying lap (track only of course) is great fun and the biker community is the best.  

    

    

billy2shots

Thanks for that we'll thought out reply onlyfools, and thanks to everyone else. 

Driving home from work last night and 2 guys were alongside me on a 50mph dually. One had a 'L' plate on and was riding a 125cc race replica both appeared young.  I was watching them closely and they seemed to be riding safely. We pulled off together and stopped at a roundabout with lights. This is a large roundabout with a flyover and solid centre making visibility quite poor.  As soon as the lights changed they took off like the start of a Moto GP race. On to the large roundabout, knees were almost down they were rounding it that quick. 
Then boom, as I made my way around the roundabout I saw him on the floor , an old man had  pulled out  and the 'L' guy had hit into the side of his car. The old man's junction was not light controlled but must have seen the bike. 

I didn't stop as the guy got up and pushed his bike to the side without obvious injury. I also didn't see the collision and there were two cars Infront of me who should have witnessed it. 

In 22 years of driving I've not been at a bike down scene. The day I ask a question on tinternet this happens. 

A gentle reminder to ride safely and defend against other road users or a message from the universe not to pursue things.....

AdrianC

onlyfoolsandparking said:
Advice you've been given regarding doing CBT is of course a legal requirement but won't teach you much about riding,

The suggestions were to do CBT first, then pause and think about going forward - perhaps getting a 125 - rather than the OP's plan of booking in to do everything from CBT up in a single block.

Were_Doomed

I started out with a Fizzy (Yamaha FS1E) when I had my provisional licence. After passing my car test I got a Yamaha RD125LC, which I kept until passing my bike test (then getting the Kawasaki GPZ600R). So I had almost two years of riding experience prior to taking and passing my bike test.

dipsomaniac

billy2shots said:

dipsomaniac said:

£900???? Not very MSE.  CBT £100ish, Theory £23, Mod1 £15.50, Mod2 £75, 6 x lessons £150 = £363.50ish
Just go for it and pass on the largest bike you can so you don't have any restrictions when you pass. Good luck 

Going that route would require initial outlay on a bike plus insurance. If things went bad and I couldn't pass or hated it then I would lose more than the £437 difference in your above example. 

You don't need to buy a bike until after you've passed your test as the bike and insurance is included in the lessons and also provided for the tests