Quote from danowat :

Same here, 6ft 3in, and that was the main reason I got shot of my CBR600, it was just too small and uncomfortable, and one of the reasons I got the Falco, because its very tall and roomy.

Last time I went to Europe with mates, the ones on even the "comfy" sports bikes (older ZX6R) were complaining after a few hours, whilst I was pretty comfy the whole way.

You still have that Falco? If so, how's it been reliabilty wise etc. Was looking at a Tuono Factory and iirc the engines are the same

Faultless pretty much, done thousands of miles on it, all over Europe, never missed a beat.

Tuono is a mental machine, similar engines, Falco is a bit "softer", although you'd never guess, 120bhp is enough horsepower for smiles

Gah, why do i always come and read this thread when i see it, makes me want to go buy a bike every time.
Now, how much is that test?....

Quote from GFresh :

Gah, why do i always come and read this thread when i see it, makes me want to go buy a bike every time.
Now, how much is that test?....

Don't forget about the leathers, helmet and all

Test is probably about £400 all in, with training, theory test, CBT, test fees etc

Try £500 x_X

CBT is about £130, a couple of lessons at like £80-100 a day inc bike hire, test fee is £80 iirc and theory is like £38

Talking of theory. I have mine this Saturday. I'm ****ing bricking it. I have my test the following Thursday so if I **** up I'm screwed.

The best thing you can do is get hold of a bike to practice on. Get a CBT and do some months on a 125 first. The list of positives are endless.

Only a week left to go baby. Good luck.

Quote from MR_B :

The best thing you can do is get hold of a bike to practice on. Get a CBT and do some months on a 125 first. The list of positives are endless.

I'm an advocate of having some decent tuition on a bike before being let loose. CBT is a bit too basic. I certainly think going straight to DAS on 500s made me safer when I actually got out there on my own, rather than just going out and buying a 125 after CBT.

This focus on cubic capacity is a bit foolish imho. A 125 may be a small bike compared with a 600, but that does not make it intrinsically safer in traffic/general road situations. A sensible rider is just as likely to put themselves in a dangerous situation or panic on a 125 as they are on a bigger bike if they lack experience. A 125 may only do 60 or so mph, but does that make it any safer at sub-60mph speeds than a 600? Of course not, and it doesn't somehow make the rider better either.

I had 2 1/2 days of good, largely 1 to 1, training (plus the CBT) before I rode the roads solo, it wasn't all about passing the test. I think everybody would benefit from that, regardless of what they intended to ride, be it a 1000 blade or a cg125 on a cbt. Particularly people with no road experience in a car, of course.

I went out and bought a 650, and because of DAS I was much more prepared to ride that than I would have been the 125 I contemplated after just the CBT.

On a side note, and for no particular reason other than it got me thinking about it, my instructor was killed at the Isle Of Man during TT week this year, sadly. Bike on the wrong side of the road coming the other way over the mountain.

Oh deffinitely, decent tuition is the key! But by having something to actually practice on is very helpful. You can then learn in-between lessons and it's all hours in the saddle so to speak isn't it.

Also, DAS isn't an option for young chaps like myself.

Back to bike choices now, and I'm 95% positive that i'll be riding an F650.
I saw one today in a shop, white, 46,000 miles (ouch i know!), sat on it, and that was the desicion maker.
It fitted me perfectly, knees still slightly bent when my feet are on the floor which is very important for my confidence building. And it just felt wonderful.
Nice wide bars, upright seating position, low comfy seat with a high tank which added to the feeling of "in the bike not on the bike".

Much easier to move than expected too!

Won't be buying that particular bike though as the shop looked a bit...dodgy, and of course, the mileage is hefty.

If you've got your heart set on a BMW, have you looked at the F800s? Also has a restrictor kit availible, apparently it's very easy for begginers, with enough power to move but not so much that it'd scare you crapless, has a good riding position, sporty yet comfortable, and has half the stuff you'd get in a BMW car, trip computer, heated grips, all the accessories and stuff.

But whatever you buy, I suggest you buy before January/Febuary. Bike prices are slightly lower at the minute because of the time of year.

If you are set on an F650, you might want to have a look at the Aprilia Pegaso, pretty much indentical bike, but you are likely to get a newer/less milage model for less money.

So.. ****ing.. scared!

Have my theory test in like an hour

Hope I don't fail >_<

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

So.. ****ing.. scared!

Have my theory test in like an hour

Hope I don't fail >_<

Let us know how you get on and good luck

Well, I arrived (got lost trying to find the entrance -__-), went in. Blah blah blah.

Multiple choice screwed me over. I haven't read the highway code (just know about stuff from being in the car/on the bike so much), and alot of stuff threw me, such as what must you do to tow a trailer on your bike (who the **** does that anyway), but, crap questions aside, I passed

Scored 44/50 on the questions (thought I'd failed on those), and scored 65/75 on my hazard perception.

Practical test this Thursday FTW

Nice one good luck

Top scores congratulations! First part of the plan complete. Good luck for Thursday!

Congratulations mate! Can't wait to see the results of your practical test!

Mini bump.

So, first lesson today.

Went pretty well overall, in the 5 or 6 hours we did on the road, only a total of about 5 'serious' errors that would fail me.

3 of those were missing the 20mph limit, but that's something that you'd be concentrating extra hard on if it were the real test.

1 was one of my U-turns, I lose my balance before I do the final shoulder check when moving forward at walking speed, and the other was pulling out in a gap that wasn't really big enough (He said a mean tester may fail me, wasn't 'dangerous')

In my eyes, the biggest problem was the fact I hate CG125's. Nor can I ride them.

Only last night I was thinking "Wow it'll be so easy", when it actual fact, it's not. The mirrors are less useful than on my RS, as they're mounted to the bars, rather than onto the fairing, so when you move the bars, you can't see behind you. The riding position is shit, I get arm ache after about half an hour.

The 125cc 4stroke engine is also a gutless piece of shit, running out of steam at about 55mph. Clutch is another bugbear, the biting point is so close to the normal level postion, that when I am trying to downchange (I blip the throttle), I end up missing a gear. Talking of throttle, the throttle itself probbably rotates a good 300 degrees from 1% - 100%, meaning that smooth downchages are very hard to do. As well as that, when going from 1st to 2nd, I get the gear selector trying to stab my foot, as I can feel each one of the cogs engaging, (very clunkily) which makes my foot feel like it's bleeding.

But saying that, it's a much 'easier' riding position, even if it's less comfortable, the clutch is pretty light (although as said above, it's still a pain in t'arse).

Aside from my excuses, I'm told I'm going to fast round corners (), namely when coming off roundabouts and the like, and that I need to be more aware of the lanes on what are called "spiral roundabouts" (these are the ones that have like 4 lanes and go into 3 different places, you probbably had something like this on your tests), and the rear observation before the U-turn (I lose my balance, otherwise they're not an issue).

I have one final lesson tommorow, and hopefully, I will be able to overcome these, let's face it, niggly little faults. There's nothing seriously bad about my riding (so I'm told by my Instructor), and he says "You shouldn't have a problem with your test", so, nerves allowing, it shouldn't be a problem.

Didn't you do a CBT on a CG?
I had nothing to compare them with at the time, but apart from the fact that I couldn't turn the bars very far without swinging my knee all the way out to the side (making following bikers expect some serious knee down action I'm sure) I thought they were very comfy and user friendly, which I guess is why they're so popular.

Sounds like you have a lot of the typical learner issues. Try some better boots, and keep your head up on the u-turn. If you start blaming the bike you'll struggle to put your faults right in a day.

Tomorrow is another day, perhaps you'll gel with it from the out set.

U-turns ARE hard, period, some people can breeze them, but many people do struggle.

The biggest tips I can give are, use LOTS of rear brake to keep the bike stable, and keep your head up, don't look down at the front wheel.

I would say a big majority of fails are down to the u-turn.

If you think the CG is bad, I did my CBT and first day of DAS on an SR125!!!!, the CB550 I did the rest of my DAS on was a MUCH easier bike to ride.

Quote from sinbad :

Try some better boots, and keep your head up on the u-turn. If you start blaming the bike you'll struggle to put your faults right in a day.

Tomorrow is another day, perhaps you'll gel with it from the out set.

Hopefully, that's the plan. (Hopeing for some Sidi Vertigo or Sidi Rains for Xmas^_^)Once I get going round in a U-Turn, it's fine, I can turn it round in half the space allowed (on those CG125's, anyway. Try getting someone on a Gixer 6 to do the same ), it's just when you have to look over your shoulder before you actually do the manueover (spelling!), is when I get caught off guard.

Quote from danowat :

U-turns ARE hard, period, some people can breeze them, but many people do struggle.

The biggest tips I can give are, use LOTS of rear brake to keep the bike stable, and keep your head up, don't look down at the front wheel.

I would say a big majority of fails are down to the u-turn.

If you think the CG is bad, I did my CBT and first day of DAS on an SR125!!!!, the CB550 I did the rest of my DAS on was a MUCH easier bike to ride.

Yeh, was advised to use the rear brake, but in the moment of truth, I failed .

Always keeping mah head up, looking round to where I wanna be going, or I'll be "AHHHH **** THE GROUND <footdownfail>"

CB500's (sameish bike?) are pretty nice, another fellow who was doing a DAS alongside me was riding one, said it was a lovely bike! I feel jelous.

Quote from S14 DRIFT :

it's just when you have to look over your shoulder before you actually do the manueover (spelling!), is when I get caught off guard.

It can be tricky, I reckon Dan's probably right about it being a major cause of test failures.
As you say, the thing to remember is that you want to look where you want the bike to turn to, you want to look a long way round to the right anyway.

With this in mind, you're almost doing a "double take" when you add the necessary "lifesaver" check to the right. Just a really quick glance and back to satisfy the examiner, then immediately turn you head back round to the right and start your turn at the same time. Helps to have your feet well and truly up and a bit of speed up already too, the back brake is your friend when it comes to controlling it. Higher revs, clutch slippage and back brake all make for a more easily balanced and controlled bike.

I always think that if you can't make your turn because you saw something alongside you in the lifesaver, then you should be failed for poor observation in the mirrors and over your shoulder before you set off, perhaps you would be. Make sure the road is completely clear before beginning

Low speed handling is probably the hardest part of riding a bike, nobody is as good as they can be immediately, everybody benefits from practice, you'll probably be a lot better tomorrow.

Remember to enjoy it too.

I ride a cg125 currently Strangely getting attached to her. She's slow, doesn't like hills, nor wind, nor corners, nor any high speed riding, nor any form of luggage/passengers. But she's got a character about her, and a true workhorse. She'll lug me through anything. Managed to get me from Southend to brands hatch and back too! I'll miss her when she's gone on to some other person who'll probably break her...

Fab's her name... (FAB is the plate )

Just a point I wanted to make about lifesavers.....

My training school hammered into us, lifesavers, lifesavers, lifesavers, while my test examiner said that I did too many lifesavers, and it was almost to the detriment of my test, so just be a little carefull of over egging the lifesaver pudding.