Basically atm I have a full car licence and drive around my saxo VTR. However I would quite like to learn to ride a motorcycle as they are way more fun and I have the money to do it now!
Im 19 so what is the max CC I can ride and how abouts do I go about getting the licence for that CC?
Motorcycle licences seem a bit confusing compared to cars!
It's not complicated, and tbh you could find out more with google in the time it takes me to type this reply than I will type here.
Basically, though.
CBT - 125cc Restricted, L plates.
125cc Test - Any cc as long as it's limited/restricted to 33bhp, for 2 years, then no power restriction.
No accelerated/direct access available to you since you're under 21.
Well you're going to need the gear whatever bike you ride, restricted or not. Even restricted 125s will do 70-75mph and accelerate at least as fast as an average car. So get yourself a decent helmet, (don't ever buy s/h - just not worth the risk IMO), either leathers or kevlar jacket, decent boots and don't forget gloves !! You should really get some trousers too. Decent gear will last you a long time, so think of it as an investment.
The bike you can get second hand and save yourself some money for the step up once you've passed.
Like you said its an investment so would something along the lines of this not only protect me but also last?
Right final question :P I see I have to do a 125cc test, can they supply a bike or do I have to buy myself a 125cc then after I pass I can sell up and get for example a 250cc?
Sorry for the amount of questions, I don't really have any friends who are into motorbikes.
Buy the best equipment you can afford, its worth spending as much as you can on it, and not skimp, might be worth looking into a cordura trouser / jacket combo instead of leathers, as they are more practical.
Most test centres supply the machine to do your lessons, and test.
More money does not equal more quality or safety. Just be smart when you are buying.
1 piece leathers is overkill as is the balaclava. I wear cordura (well textile) gear and although i have never come off a lot of people over here have their doubts about its safety. I think the roads in NZ are a lot harsher which may have something to do with it.
But a 125cc is going to be slow so textile gear should be fine.
Your government has set up a helmet rating site here: http://sharp.direct.gov.uk/
While you shouldn't buy a helmet based soley on its rating (i tried!) you need to go into a store and make sure it fits and is comfortable.
70mph is more than fast enough to tear apart poor quality gear.
I wouldn't use one peice race leathers on the road. They're not very practical. As said a two piece would be a better bet, as you're far more likely to actually wear it. Protective gear that you don't wear is useless, as well as a waste of money.
Other than that IMO can't go far wrong with Shoei or Arai helmet and Alpinestar gloves and boots are usually a safe bet. Their leathers aren't too bad either.
However, I'm out of touch with modern gear as I haven't ridden for over 10 years now. Back in my day, the choices were traditional Leather or lightweight Kevlar jackets/trousers. I'm not familiar with Cordura so can't comment on it.
What I do know from experience though, is that on the road you need some form of impact protection. Be that some form of padding or armour etc Simple lightweight thin race leathers alone are not suitable for road use as they are really designed to protect against abrasion. On the road, you're not going to slide very far, and you're far more likely to hit something, (eg a curb or car etc). So that's what you should be protecting yourself against. Boots should have some form of reinforcement incase they get trapped under the bike as you go down.
On top of protection, there is comfort and warmth to take in to account. Especially in British weather, you'll need to make sure what you get is at least partially weather proof. Cold hands are going to loose feel. Not good if you're trying to control a clutch and more importantly feel the brakes on a slippery surface. So you'll need insulation of some form in the gloves for winter. In summer never be tempted to ride without gloves. Remember what happened to your hands when you fell over running as a kid? now imagine the result at 4x the speed on a surface thats 3x more abrasive than a pavement.
A one piece Leather Suit is Imao just a good choice if you have a second, two-piece suit.
Can be very annoying if you ride around with a group and decide to drink something somewhere and you have to sit at 30°degrees celsius with that whole suit.
Of course you can put it halfway down, but atm i prefer to use my one piece suit for racetracks or when I know that there wont be some break, for all other rides the two piece suit is much more comfortable.
Im getting to the stage now where Im looking into booking everything up but I have a little question.
If I can ride any CC, could I for example buy a nice 400cc bike and get it restricted until Im 21? Then I could get it de-restricted again when I pass at 21.
To be honest most expensive is not always the best allot of biking clothing is very overpriced IMO.
I have a helmet jacket and gloves and al that for 200 euros although the jacket used to be my dads.
The main thing to pay special attention to IMO are the gloves and the helmet because those are the two most likely spots
to hit the ground first , when you bin it.
When it comes to bikes maybe wait 2 years so you can drive without restriction.
I currently drive a 70CC old Honda bike its nice and I'm still using it since the day I turned 17 and i plan on keeping it for fun rides and wait until I'm 21 to get an actually full on bike.
Because I don't want restrictions when I buy a bike I would want to buy the bike to my liking.
Alpinestars GP Tech (~$180 USD. I would not buy any of their gloves again, though. They have issues with their stitching coming loose, notably on the side of the index finger on my gloves.)
Alpinestars SMX-4 (~$200 USD)
Joe Rocket Speedmaster (~$120 USD)
All of it's been down at least a few times, except the helmet, and the only injury I ever got was a broken collar bone from a highside. The stuff works.
But i just fail to see a lot of sense in your post
To be honest most expensive is not always the best allot of biking clothing is very overpriced IMO. -> no one said anything about most expensive and the gear talk is really aimed at the moar powerful cycles, not exactly mopeds. but once again, better safe than sorry right?
and what separates cycling (mtb and bmx for me) and motorcycling i know that the most likely spots to hit the ground first are your feet-shins-knees-ankles, and your arms-elbows-shoulders. You are more prone to going down on your side than flying over the bars :P
Well I have driven 600Cc bikes illegally:shhh: of course when I did that I had full biker gear on.
Trusty Suomi helmet some alpine star gloves SIDi suit(jacket and leg wear).
And my trusty SIDI boots and I guess you have never being hit head on.
The helmet is by far the most important part just for the possibility of hitting a car or other bike from side or head on.
How isn't suit practical? Sorry but i think that protective suit is actually protective, My aquitance lost 30-40 cm of skin from his back and different bodyparts, because of shorts and t-shirt.