Learning To Ride

That’s right I’ve decided to jump feet first into it and learn to ride a motorbike. I’ve mentioned this to a few friends over the last few weeks and thought I would start posting about my experiences.

I’ve spent the last three weeks reading, writing and generally pestering various folk about the whole process of getting your licence and think I have now finally figured it out…..possibly.

3 Stages

Basically there are 3 stages to learning to ride.

1, Compulsory Basic Training (CBT)

This is basically a 1 day course taking you through the basics of bike riding. After this you can ride a 125cc on the roads (No motorways or pillions). You’ve then got 2 years to pass your test.

2, Practice, Practice, Practice

Basically with lots of practice there’s no way your gonna pass you test. Usuall this is done on a 125cc on the road over a few months/years, along with maybe some lessons.

3, Profit (well Practical & Theory Test)

Once your ready, your final Practical & Theory Tests.

The Theory is similar to the driving theory test (mulitple choice questions and the new Hazard Perception Test)

The Practical is similar to a driving test but on a bike you have 2 main options.

i. A2 Licence: Do your test on a 125cc bike, if you pass you can then ride any bike up to 33bhp or 25kW for 2 years. After this you can ride anything you want.

ii. Direct Access Scheme (DAS): Do your test on a 500cc bike. If you pass you can then ride any bike you want.

So which one am I going for? Well I’m gonna try for Direct Access. I don’t fancy buying a smaller bike to grow out of it in a couple of months and then have to go buy another one. Besides I can’t be seen riding around on push bike while my girlfriend swans by on her 650 BMW