Callling all bikers!!

[Neil]

Ok-here's the thing.....

I have a nice little 125cc scooter that I use to get to work & back. :tu:

I have had the scooter for 15 months now, & am aware that I will need to take a test with the next 9 months or so. :eek:

I am now moving jobs, & will be based in London, & am thinking that the bike may not quite have 'what it takes' to compete in London?, but I am also very aware that it is exempt from the congestion charge, & would cost me about £10.00 per week to run. :)

So here's where I need the help...:naughty:

Do I actually have to take my test?

If I take it & pass it, it will pretty much allow me to ride any bike of any size. :eek: But I am thinking that it may not be actually worth getting a larger bike to get to work (congestion charge @ £5.00 PER DAY :eek: ) ?

I could do the test & just stick with my 125 I suppose?, it's just that I have never ridden a 'geared' bike (& have no real desire to do so) :confused:

Any thoughts welcome. :)


[Edit]-Just found this on www.cclondon.com .....

I ride a motorbike/moped/bicycle (and/or sidecar) - will I have to pay the charge?

No. All two-wheeled vehicles (including with sidecars) - that is, motorbikes, mopeds and bicycles - are exempt from the congestion charge. You can ride them anywhere in the zone at any time without paying the charge and do not have to register for this exemption.

So all motorbikes are exempt from the charge....

So I could get a larger scooter? Maybe a 250cc or 500cc, which would suit me fine as I really don't fancy the idea of riding a geared bike, but know I have to do it for my test. :cry: :cry:

[Nemesis]

Ok-here's the thing.....

I have a nice little 125cc scooter that I use to get to work & back. :tu:

I have had the scooter for 15 months now, & am aware that I will need to take a test with the next 9 months or so. :eek:

I am now moving jobs, & will be based in London, & am thinking that the bike may not quite have 'what it takes' to compete in London?, but I am also very aware that it is exempt from the congestion charge, & would cost me about £10.00 per week to run. :)

So here's where I need the help...:naughty:

Do I actually have to take my test?

If I take it & pass it, it will pretty much allow me to ride any bike of any size. :eek: But I am thinking that it may not be actually worth getting a larger bike to get to work (congestion charge @ £5.00 PER DAY :eek: ) ?

I could do the test & just stick with my 125 I suppose?, it's just that I have never ridden a 'geared' bike (& have no real desire to do so) :confused:

Any thoughts welcome. :)
Train :D

[Neil]

Train :D

:rolleyes: Oh yeah, I hadn't thought of that.....

Seriously-train ticket would cost me somewhere in the region of £160.00 per month. :eek:

I hope you can see why I want to take my scooter up there now! ;)

[Ramrod]

Where will you be getting to and from?

[Julian]

Even if you do take the bike test Neil, it will in NO way prepare you for riding around London. :eek:

You are relatively safe inside the congestion charging zone, but outside it - aaaaaaaaaarrrrgghhh.

[Neil]

Even if you do take the bike test Neil, it will in NO way prepare you for riding around London. :eek:

You are relatively safe inside the congestion charging zone, but outside it - aaaaaaaaaarrrrgghhh.

I'm ok with riding in London, I regularly drive up there, & have done so since I started driving some XYX years ago!

[carlingman]

Ok-here's the thing.....

I have a nice little 125cc scooter that I use to get to work & back. :tu:

I have had the scooter for 15 months now, & am aware that I will need to take a test with the next 9 months or so. :eek:

I am now moving jobs, & will be based in London, & am thinking that the bike may not quite have 'what it takes' to compete in London?, but I am also very aware that it is exempt from the congestion charge, & would cost me about £10.00 per week to run. :)

So here's where I need the help...:naughty:

Do I actually have to take my test?

If I take it & pass it, it will pretty much allow me to ride any bike of any size. :eek: But I am thinking that it may not be actually worth getting a larger bike to get to work (congestion charge @ £5.00 PER DAY :eek: ) ?

I could do the test & just stick with my 125 I suppose?, it's just that I have never ridden a 'geared' bike (& have no real desire to do so) :confused:

Any thoughts welcome. :)


[Edit]-Just found this on www.cclondon.com .....



So all motorbikes are exempt from the charge....

So I could get a larger scooter? Maybe a 250cc or 500cc, which would suit me fine as I really don't fancy the idea of riding a geared bike, but know I have to do it for my test. :cry: :cry:

I take it from that you have the older type of licence that gives you two years as a learner for bikes.

Now then I wonder have you fallen into the same trap as many then and not got a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate as you will be nicked without it.

The CBT certificate is valid for 3 years or 2 years if you got it after Feb 2001.

I reckon your 125cc Scooter will cut it in London and be ample for travelling back and forth etc.

Your best option would be to go for the A1 Licence which after your Pass with a CBT and Practical will allow you to ride your current machine on a full A1 Licence and any other machine up to 125cc without "L" plates and allow you on motorways (my how things have changed they only used to let the big noys 250cc or above on them).

Alternatively you can go for the full A Licence which must be taken on a geared Bike above 125cc which is the full licence with no restrictions up to any cc.

From what tou say you will be using the bike for though I would stick to the A1 Licence and leave the geared bikes to the big boys :p (GPZ900 Ninja Rider Here).

As for the costs well the practical will set you back £48 on weekdays and £57 on evenings or weekends and can be taken on your own bike for the A1 licence.

The theory will set you back £20.50p and is along the same lines as the Car test with 30 odd multiple choice questions etc.

The last cost then would be when you pass and have to upgrade your licence from provisional to full for £12.

Obviously forgot to add if you pass you take pillion passenegers as well.

Hope that helps.

Good luck with the tests if you go for it.

:)

[ZrByte]

I take it from that you have the older type of licence that gives you two years as a learner for bikes.

Now then I wonder have you fallen into the same trap as many then and not got a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate as you will be nicked without it.

The CBT certificate is valid for 3 years or 2 years if you got it after Feb 2001.

I reckon your 125cc Scooter will cut it in London and be ample for travelling back and forth etc.

Your best option would be to go for the A1 Licence which after your Pass with a CBT and Practical will allow you to ride your current machine on a full A1 Licence and any other machine up to 125cc without "L" plates and allow you on motorways (my how things have changed they only used to let the big noys 250cc or above on them).

Alternatively you can go for the full A Licence which must be taken on a geared Bike above 125cc which is the full licence with no restrictions up to any cc.

From what tou say you will be using the bike for though I would stick to the A1 Licence and leave the geared bikes to the big boys :p (GPZ900 Ninja Rider Here).

As for the costs well the practical will set you back £48 on weekdays and £57 on evenings or weekends and can be taken on your own bike for the A1 licence.

The theory will set you back £20.50p and is along the same lines as the Car test with 30 odd multiple choice questions etc.

The last cost then would be when you pass and have to upgrade your licence from provisional to full for £12.

Obviously forgot to add if you pass you take pillion passenegers as well.

Hope that helps.

Good luck with the tests if you go for it.

:)


Pretty much everything I was gonna say but so I dont need to make a long winded post :D

dont know the numbers but you have three different Motorbike tests now.
1.) on a 124cc - 125cc (Dont know why they bother counting 124cc as it jus gets rounded upto 125 anyway :shrug: ) this will allow you to ride any bike upto 125cc without L-Plates and allows you to take a passanger.

2.) Different test wich will allow you to ride any bike upto 350cc for the first 3 years then unrestricted therafter (Not sure what size Bike you need to take this one on)

3.) 500cc - instant access - This can only be taken if you are over 21 (Ive got to wait until 3 months before my CBT is up for renewal to take mine because im not 21 yet) this will allow you to ride any bike of any size from the time you pass. The only big difference between this one and the one above is that the test must be done on a much larger bike.

4.) Dont know if there is anything special about London not allowing L-plates but if there isnt you could always just retake your CBT and stay on L-Plates, the downside is that this is more expensive than taking your full liscence (£70 - £85 depending where you go) the upside ofcourse is that the only way you can fail the CBT is if you crash into a bus or if you kill someone ;) :eek:

Not sure if my info is 100% correct but this is what I was told when I done my CBT.

[Graham]

I'm sorry, this is totally :notopic: and probably rather naughty :naughty: but for people in areas related to my business, signs that say "CBT £20" in bike shop windows cause much amusement :rofl: because the abbreviation means something else to us...

It stands for c*** and b*** torture...!! :D:D:D

[ZrByte]

I'm sorry, this is totally :notopic: and probably rather naughty :naughty: but for people in areas related to my business, signs that say "CBT £20" in bike shop windows cause much amusement :rofl: because the abbreviation means something else to us...

It stands for c*** and b*** torture...!! :D:D:D

Who exactly is 'us'?? Sados Annonymus??

[Nikko]

Did the reply 'train' actually refer to railways, or enrol on a bike test course?

I would recommend the latter - whilst you may not feel the need to ride a geared bike, Neil, look on it as a passport for the future. Enrol on a course, get a full licence, and never look back.

Any provisional licence is time dependant, so best to grasp the nettle and pass the test.

Modern 125 scooters are fine for London traffic - just get a few extra pairs of eyes and do what taxi drivers do - pretend to look anywhere but at whoever they are in 'conflict' with! - they are aware, just trying it on......

Ex London dispatch rider - current CBX1000 rider

HTH

[ZrByte]

Did the reply 'train' actually refer to railways, or enrol on a bike test course?

I would recommend the latter - whilst you may not feel the need to ride a geared bike, Neil, look on it as a passport for the future. Enrol on a course, get a full licence, and never look back.

Any provisional licence is time dependant, so best to grasp the nettle and pass the test.

Modern 125 scooters are fine for London traffic - just get a few extra pairs of eyes and do what taxi drivers do - pretend to look anywhere but at whoever they are in 'conflict' with! - they are aware, just trying it on......

Ex London dispatch rider - current CBX1000 rider

HTH

Well aside from the London Riding bit (Perish the thought :D ) im planning on doing the same, im taking my instant access course when im 21 just 3 months
before my CBT is due for renewal. Hopefully I will pass first time otherwise the waiting list is so long I will have to retake my CBT before I will be allowed to do it again.
This will allow me to ride any size of bike even though Im not planning on using anything other than my 100cc scooter, infact my next vehicle will be a car im not even thinking of buying another bike for a long time (Though I am planning to keep my scooter).

Im looking at what Ive just typed and I dont think it makes sense but im too tired to care now and im up in six hours, nighty night all :D :zzz:

[Marge]

Who exactly is 'us'?? Sados Annonymus??

If I remember rightly, Graham works in the "adult industry" :naughty:

[Graham]

Who exactly is 'us'?? Sados Annonymus??

See http://www.affordable-leather.co.uk for more details!!

[Marge]

See http://www.affordable-leather.co.uk for more details!!

So I was right then ;) lol

[ZrByte]

hmm, Just replied to this thread again and it doesnt seem to have gone through :shrug: could be due to all the problems Im having accessing the site at the moment (Probably end up with a Double post now)

Just checked to see if anyone had replied before finally going to bed (Had more to do before I could sleep than I realised :eek: ) and I noticed someone has negative rep'd me for my earlier post, c'mon sureley you coudl tell it was a joke right? I forgot to put a smiley in at the end but im never normally that harsh am I?

[Neil]

Ok, thanks all for your comments. :)

Carlingman/ZrByte-that is exactly what I need to know. :tu: Although I am a bit confused about tests/costs, as I was under the impression that it would cost me lots more than that, having been looking here the last few days: http://www.genesisridertraining.com/

Thanks again all, much appreciated. :)

[Edit]...

Direct Access

†¢ This course enables you to ride ANY MOTORCYCLE once you have passed your Direct Access Test.



Direct Access Intensive £590 :eek:


†¢ 4, 5 days intensive training - depending on your experience. (Must be 21 or over)
†¢ FREE ASSESSMENT
†¢ CBT - generally 1 day
†¢ Part 2 Direct Access test
†¢ Intensive on road radio linked training on larger motorcycle
†¢ Lunch, helmets, gloves and waterproofs provided
†¢ Larger bike hire available (see below)
†¢ Comprehensive Insurance
†¢ Guaranteed Pass
†¢ Excludes - Bike Hire and theory test :eek:

How much??

Is that what I'm gonna have to pay? :cry:

[Atomic22]

nowadays its very expensive to be a biker , and the gov seem to be intent on forcing us off the road to keep accident stats down.....
if you do decide to venture into the land of the "big boys bikes" as someone put it earlier , when you see a bike you like , phone a few insurance companys to see how much they want to insure the big bike you like , and you can listen to THEM laugh on the other end of the phone line after they have "quoted you happy" and you have to have a sit down to get over the shock of it.......as a vastly experienced rider with no claims my whole life they ONLY quote me prices of around £750 to insure my 1200 bandit ,which i only use to commute to work 2 miles away.....a quote for a newly test passed novice on said bike would be over £1 a cc at least......
because of the size of the bike ,and the way i ride it:naughty the bike is also less economical than my car.......
stick to the scooter mate :)

[ZrByte]

Ok, thanks all for your comments. :)

Carlingman/ZrByte-that is exactly what I need to know. :tu: Although I am a bit confused about tests/costs, as I was under the impression that it would cost me lots more than that, having been looking here the last few days: http://www.genesisridertraining.com/

Thanks again all, much appreciated. :)

[Edit]...
Direct Access

†¢ This course enables you to ride ANY MOTORCYCLE once you have passed your Direct Access Test.



Direct Access Intensive £590


†¢ 4, 5 days intensive training - depending on your experience. (Must be 21 or over)
†¢ FREE ASSESSMENT
†¢ CBT - generally 1 day
†¢ Part 2 Direct Access test
†¢ Intensive on road radio linked training on larger motorcycle
†¢ Lunch, helmets, gloves and waterproofs provided
†¢ Larger bike hire available (see below)
†¢ Comprehensive Insurance
†¢ Guaranteed Pass
†¢ Excludes - Bike Hire and theory test



How much??

Is that what I'm gonna have to pay? :cry:

I'd suggest shopping around a bit first mate, it may also be a good Idea to take your lessons sepperatley over a longer stretch of time, not too long, 2 or 3 weeks should do, It just lets what you have learnt sink in better. (Dont forget to tell them you will be doing Direct access when you book your lessons though).

[carlingman]

Ok, thanks all for your comments. :)

Carlingman/ZrByte-that is exactly what I need to know. :tu: Although I am a bit confused about tests/costs, as I was under the impression that it would cost me lots more than that, having been looking here the last few days: http://www.genesisridertraining.com/

Thanks again all, much appreciated. :)

[Edit]...



How much??

Is that what I'm gonna have to pay? :cry:

Neil the people on that site seem to specialise in crash courses with intensive training and guaranteed pass rates hence their price.

You have been riding some time on your scooter and probably will not need any of that unless your looking for a guaranteed pass.

My suggestion would be to ask around your local area and see if someone would give you an assessment of your current riding level and then just book in for the relevant tests from my previous post and take your chances on passing.

:D

[Nikko]

I tried to post this at lunchtime, but the dns prevented me:

I think if you shop around locally, Neil, you should find someone offering 'as required' tuition, since you already have some experience. The 'Guaranteed Pass' schemes tend to budget for worst case scenario and you should get it more affordably pro-rata. (you have to buy your own lunch tho)

Seems that a couple of peeps would condone that and have posted as such.

[zoombini]

How does all these new bike licensing schemes affect me having passed my bike test 18 years ago? (given that I have not had a bike for the past 15 years?)

[Nikko]

How does all these new bike licensing schemes affect me having passed my bike test 18 years ago? (given that I have not had a bike for the past 15 years?)

As long as the licence is current and valid, you are qualified and it should appear as a Category 'A' entitlement on the vehicle groups on the front.

[Atomic22]

How does all these new bike licensing schemes affect me having passed my bike test 18 years ago? (given that I have not had a bike for the past 15 years?)
they dont affect you zoombini.......
you can still ride any bike you wish without any other tests.....
its just the insurance that will cane you because they will class you as a novice with no no-claims........

[paulyoung666]

How does all these new bike licensing schemes affect me having passed my bike test 18 years ago? (given that I have not had a bike for the past 15 years?)



i wonder as well , as far as i know WE are still able to jump on any bike WE want to , well i hope that is the case as i am hoping to get a REAL motorbike soon :D :D :D :D :D :D

[fireman328]

I'm ok with riding in London, I regularly drive up there, & have done so since I started driving some XYX years ago!

Just watch out for my driver, when we are going to a shout in the staff car his eyes glaze over and he stops for nothing. It's called "bell happy" in the trade. I always have a spare pair of trousers with me just in case. :D

[Neil]

Well I just want to say a bit thank you to everyone who replied in this thread.

I have learned a lot that I didn't know, & for that I am really grateful (I have even taken a copy of this thread for future reference) :)

I don't think I'll go for the 'boot camp' type approach, what I'll probably do is start studying for my theory test fairly soon, & get that out of the way, then look at taking some lessons ready for a test.

The only think is-as I said, I've never ridden a geared bike, & don't have access to one, so am I right in thinking that A) if I find a tutor that he will supply a larger 500cc bike?, & B) he will give lessons on some sort of 'off road' location, as obviously I'm not able to ride it on the road? :confused:



Thanks again to all who replied. :tu: :tu:

[zoombini]

What is all this about geared bikes?
I thought that they all had gears, even down to 50cc ones...

The ones that I rode did anyway.

[paulyoung666]

What is all this about geared bikes?
I thought that they all had gears, even down to 50cc ones...

The ones that I rode did anyway.



scooters dont , we used to call them ' twist and go ' bikes :)

[paulyoung666]

is this (http://www.autecwales.co.uk/motorcycles/index.shtml) any use neil , sorry i am not sure where you are in the country , so i took a guess :rofl: