Starting to drive/ride... should I get a bike?

[APMerry]

A bike is a great way to commute, give the CBT a go and see how you feel about it. If you do commit to a 125, buy a used one. Things like the CBF and YBR hold there value pretty well. I would recommend getting your full license still, the extra hours training will be really valuable and seeing as you don't drive you're much more likely to have an accident jumping straight onto a bike with no road experience. There's also the itch that will inevitably come of wanting to move up (which is why i said buy used). I did a year on a 125 and have had my 500 for nearly 2 years now, the itch is there again.

 

If you're on any roads that are national speed limit or even 50mph a 125 isn't great. Sure it can do those speeds but you'll be at the peak of it's power and it's a bit hairy (especially in winter).

[Rob_D]

If going the car route, i take it you'd be considering an automatic? (not using it much,easier/quicker to learn in etc?) Would make more sense to me (you can get a lot of old, low milage automatics, for quite cheap)

To buy/drive: Yeah, go for an automatic, they're great, and a really smooth ride.

To learn in: I'd say, go manual unless you have specific reason not to, then you can drive either. If you learn in an auto then you're limiting yourself only driving automatics. And, you never know when, later in life, you might end up needing to drive a manual. Say, a rental or company provisioned vehicle.

[dry]

Electric pushbike to get you going?

 

I started as a cyclist, got my car license and then did my CBT. Having cyclist mentality of lifesaver looks, leaning into corners, foreseeing potential collisions etc certainly helps on the motorbike. CBT really isn't strenuous and I'd say for the sake of ~£100 it's worth doing just to get the chance to try a motorbike out for the day!

 

These days I'm generally a wimp and will take the car if there's a chance of rain.

 

You say you won't use the vehicle for non-work purposes but I can almost guarantee you will Need a pint of milk from the shops at 1 in the morning? Big, bulky things to pick up from a friend/shop?

[just_david]

To buy/drive: Yeah, go for an automatic, they're great, and a really smooth ride.

To learn in: I'd say, go manual unless you have specific reason not to, then you can drive either. If you learn in an auto then you're limiting yourself only driving automatics. And, you never know when, later in life, you might end up needing to drive a manual. Say, a rental or company provisioned vehicle.

 

I'd second this, learn manual, i love my slushbox, but a lot of autos are awful (the old ones), or just plain expensive (the actually decent ones).

not to mention way worse mpg from all but the newest autos. like double figures worse.

 

plus most bikes 125 or above are manual.

 

but at the end of the day its one of those things where its far easier to have and not need than to need and not have. its not as if the test is any different or costs any less in an auto.

[localzuk]

Thanks everyone, you've made my decision much more difficult. Clear as mud now. Haha.

[Garacesh]

Maybe I should take into account our site manager has been off his bike 3 times in 4 years though...

For what it's worth: My mum has come off her motorbike at speed, and the only damage she's got is a bit of a bum ankle* - and she still wants to get back on!

As long as you shell out for decent leathers, boots, gloves and a helmet, and don't drive like a maniac, you should be alright (though the maniacs are usually other road users, so...).

 

* The ankle is actually because the bike came to rest on her ankle and trapped her foot. Had it not, the worst injury she'd have had would have been to her pride.

 

I'll be getting a motorbike when I finally decide to bother with some form of motorised transportation. I keep saying I should get on that but I'm really just not bothered.

[HBPS]

in a previous life i used to do School IT support on a motorbike, was fun dont get me wrong but when you walk in to a school absolutley soaked wet through for a meeting.......

[foofighterjim]

Do you also drive then? Or do you catch the bus in those conditions?

 

Yes, I drive too. A nice cheap 56 plate Yaris 1.0 as equally useless as a bike in ice or snow but at least I'm not falling off it.

[X-13]

Get a bike. Bikes are cool.

 

I'm thinking of getting one as well. We can start our own biker gang of roaming nerds. [emoji14]

Edited May 11, 2017 by X-13

[witch]

If you are used to cycling on roads then maybe the experience of being out there with all that metal whizzing past you won't terrify the leathers off you. In which case I would probably go for a bike, a 125 or similar that has some power but is cheap to buy and run.

I would learn to drive anyway - an important life skill that will always be useful. You might need to borrow the school minibus to transport some new kit or something like that.

I learned without a car to practice in - I just had to have a few more lessons.

[Garacesh]

I would learn to drive anyway - an important life skill that will always be useful. You might need to borrow the school minibus to transport some new kit or something like that.

 

Pedant: Doesn't Minibus require different licensing?

[DJ-1701]

Pedant: Doesn't Minibus require different licensing?

 

Some do, it all depends on the type of minibus, number of seats, etc. Though those that passed when the license was a paper license and no ID card were able to drive these as well.

[pcstru]

Can anyone comment/advise? The idea of going from being a bus user to being a car driver so quickly is a little overwhelming, so my thinking is to get used to being on the road with something small and then move up.

It depends on your attitude to risk. If you are entirely comfortable that YOU are responsible for everything, including other peoples mistakes - a nice little 125 would be great. If you want to mitigate a bit of the risk (mostly on the consequences side), a nice little cheap 4 wheel runabout will help to keep some mistakes from becoming lifelong friends as scars, limps and perhaps missing bits on the extremities.

 

I was of the view that people should ride a bike before getting in a car but experience comes with experience (weird I know) and lack of experience on a bike is likely to hurt, in a car it might but it is somewhat less likely (so on a bike, late braking on a damp road might see you sliding down the road, in a car you skid, stop, take a deep breath and think how lucky you are, then carry on.

[unixman_again]

Pedant: Doesn't Minibus require different licensing?

At the first school I was fine to drive the minibus, but I wasn't allowed to carry students - something to do with insurance. We used it to get new or dispose of old IT kit. It was OK to drive apart from the digital clutch.

[nyiss]

I intend to learn to drive at some point soon, but am thinking of getting started asap by getting a little 50cc or 125cc scooter thing and doing a CBT.

 

This is what I did, sorted my CBT got myself a little 125, tootled off to meetings on it and it taught me a hell of a lot about the roads, yes its sketchy if you come off but on a 125cc or less you're not exactly going the clappers, just be careful and don't trust the cagers It did the job for me and was a lot cheaper than my car now and it makes things much easier when you go for your car licence. Plus my insurers carried over my no claims from my bike so that was helpful not having insane quotes as a new car driver.

[crc-ict]

Biker perspective here...

 

Firstly, if you are out in sticks, forget a 50cc. It will be lethal on the open road, just too slow and will encourage other people to try stupid overtaking manoeuvres. Also, there is no real advantage to a 50cc anyway - used ones are generally ragged to death by 16 year olds and new ones aren't much cheaper than a 125cc anyway. There is no difference in what you need to do to ride a 50 or a 125 on a provisional with Ls either, the CBT is the same.

 

Secondly, if you go for it on two wheels, if you simply want transportation and aren't interested in the experience or thrills, consider a 125cc scooter. It will be easier to live with as daily transport as riding it is so effortless. Literally twist and go. Also the body style tends to give you a bit more weather protection, and a lot of them have useful amounts of storage under the seat. Most motorcycles, especially 125's, will have about enough storage under the seat for a pen and a small screwdriver.

 

With the licensing, training etc. remember that the CBT is bare legal minimum. Although once you have completed the CBT you are entitled to ride, it doesn't mean you are a trained or qualified rider, it just means you know the basics and the instructor on the day was reasonably confident that he could sign you off to go out and wobble about on your own with a reasonable chance of not pancaking yourself or anyone else. If you are completely new to the roads, I would suggest some extra instruction time, preferable one to one on the kind of roads and type of riding you are going to be doing. Even a couple of hours one to one with a decent instructor will make a world of difference.

 

And finally, even as a biker, for work travelling all year round, in all weathers, I would actually say go for the car route - if you have the time. Obviously with the CBT and L plates, it is much quicker to get into a position where you can ride a bike on the road unsupervised, whereas you are looking at a good few hours of car lessons before you can consider taking a test.

 

Another consideration is the fact that insurance for a car with a newly-minted licence is likely to cost you somewhere around £2k, so by the time you have paid for the lessons, test, bought even a cheap car etc, you could easily see off £3-4k. With a scooter or bike, you could probably get on the road for £1200-1500 without too much problem (about £600-700 for a decent used 125 scoot, £200ish insurance, £120 CBT, £100 decent helmet (don't buy a £30 job off eBay - unless you have a £30 head that is!), £150 reasonable jacket and trousers, £25 gloves, £50 boots)

 

Sorry for the long post, but final pearl of wisdom, if you go with bikes, about this time of year Lidl sometimes do motorcycle gear, which is usually quite highly rated and keenly priced. This would be an exception to saying don't buy a cheap helmet. I bought one last year from Lidl for £40 and it's very good for the money. Aldi do stuff sometimes too, but that's already happended this year. Lidl haven't done it so far, so might well be coming up soon.

Edited May 11, 2017 by crc-ict

[FN-GM]

Just had I though, I bet you can't get insurance for business use on a CBT.

[localzuk]

Just had I though, I bet you can't get insurance for business use on a CBT.

MoneySuperMarket disagrees

[crc-ict]

Just had I though, I bet you can't get insurance for business use on a CBT.

 

Common practice for the likes of pizza delivery etc.

 

They are almost always youngsters riding on L plates with only CBT.

[mjk]

Common practice for the likes of pizza delivery etc.

 

They are almost always youngsters riding on L plates with only CBT.

 

Almost always without the correct insurance too I bet !

[Theory]

Biker perspective here...

What license have you got?

[arwen]

Go do your CBT, if you enjoy it then get a geared 125cc bike. Yes scooters are easier, and possibly more practical as they offer more onboard storage. But

1) You will want something bigger, or simply to remove the L plates eventually, and you cannot sit your full licence on an automatic scooter. Get used to gears from the start will help passing your full test.

2) Bikes look better than scooters.

 

Since you used to cycle on roads, you are probably used to the vulnerable feeling of being around cars and buses and such, so it wont be too big a shock. Stay away from 50cc things, they simply cannot keep up with traffic these days.

[arwen]

Also, get a Grom/MSX and everyone will talk to you about the cute little bike when they find out it is yours :-)

[Garacesh]

Go do your CBT, if you enjoy it then get a geared 125cc bike. Yes scooters are easier, and possibly more practical as they offer more onboard storage. But

1) You will want something bigger, or simply to remove the L plates eventually, and you cannot sit your full licence on an automatic scooter. Get used to gears from the start will help passing your full test.

2) Bikes look better than scooters.

 

Since you used to cycle on roads, you are probably used to the vulnerable feeling of being around cars and buses and such, so it wont be too big a shock. Stay away from 50cc things, they simply cannot keep up with traffic these days.

 

Personally I'd echo the advice of my Uncle and say if you want to get an actual bike (at some point), don't start off with a scooter.

His reasoning was that you don't want to ingrain 'twist and go' into your head, then upgrade to something with proper gears and get confused whilst you're on the road.

[Bompalompalomp]

Never get a scooter if you want to ride something bigger one day.

 

Scooters are more dangerous. Their balance is far worse, they're more unstable and their smaller wheels make it terrifying to try and get out of situations. A 50cc scooter is barely able to keep up with side road traffic, please go for a 125.

 

(Also they look pants)