Why do people get restricted licenses?

[dirtydog]

Originally Posted by Luckypants

Sorry folks I'm not following the argument that a restricted licence is just as expensive to get as a full licence via DAS. To do DAS you need to accompanied have lessons on a (usually) hired bike, which is not cheap. Locally a full DAS course to test over a week or two is £600 odd, surely you can do restricted test for less than this?

When I was 17 I got my 125 and then did my test on it shortly afterwards. I paid for 1 day of training just to make sure I was doing everything the way it was meant to be done etc cost of tue training was about £90 add on my cbt from the previous year andthat takes it upto about £150 for me to get my restricted licence.
So yes it is cheaper if you do it that way but surely the quickest way is to do one of the 4/5/6/7 day courses.
I paid for my ex to do one of the 5 day courses about 8 years ago and even back then it was about £450 or there abouts.

[dirtydog]

Actually it's probably more like about 10 years ago I paid for the ex to do her test

Originally Posted by timwilky

Costs... hmmm buying a 125 and farting about on that till you pass your test would probably cost more than paying for a DAS course?

Not sure thats true Tim, 125 holds value and you could sell a £1000 YBR125 after a year for the same you bought it for, so cost is just really cheap tax and a years insurance, which you would have to pay for on any bike, and CBT, a days training, test fees.

My wife recently rode a YBR125 at a bike safety event and really enjoyed it. I'm planning to buy her a CBT as a present (even if she never rides again, 80 quid for an 8 hour experience day doing something new isn't bad value, you pay more for a red letter days type of thing). She doesn't actually hold that much interest in riding a bike, but is not enjoying pillion as much nowadays, and she is jealous of the Portugal trip I am doing this year and wishing she could join me, so a license would just be so we could ride together from time to time and she could share in my hobby, and it's also a bit of a long term plan so when my son is old enough he can go pillion, and when he is grown up the two of us can go on biking holidays together. After passing a test my wife would use my XT600 (43 bhp, but only about 32 at the back wheel on a dyno which is what matters), but would have no interest in owning her own bike. So 33bhp is all she really wants or needs, and after 2 years that wouldn't matter anyway.

TBH I'd be worried about my wife on a 600, she'd need a 125 for a time to get her used to biking IMO, she's just not a natural with these things, including driving a car, a bigger bike would be a liability to start with (she doesn't read the forum, nobody tell her I said that!).

Originally Posted by hongman

DAS if over 21, restricted is kind of pointless imo. Unless you're one of these people that are 100% they will never want nothing more than 33bhp within the next 2 years, and prefer/feel more confident doing the test on the smaller bike at the time.

Exactly, she has no interest in riding anything more than 33bhp, not for the first two years anyway, if it can do 70mph and overtake stuff, she'll be happy.

Wifey did the DAS when it was fairly new, about 14 years ago. She passed fine, but then succumbed to pressure not to get a "big" bike straight away. Hey presto - CBR250RR grey import revvy little monster which lasted about a week before it nearly killed her. She then didn't really ride again until I was learning. When I was learning, I bought a 125 to learn to ride on on my own and then found a brilliant local instructor who was happy to take me out for a few lessons on a 500 to see whether I was ready for a test yet (cannot recommend Jerry highly enough - if you're Chichester/Bognor area and want some lessons click here http://www.thomasmotorcycletraining.co.uk/ ). Did Mod 1 (twice) and Mod 2 on one of his 500s to get my full licence. Doing it that way definitely cost me less than doing a full DAS "course". Still kept the 125 for six months improving my general roadcraft before I traded up to the SV. First couple of days back on a big bike were officially interesting (!) but loving it again now.

because i was 17 and its cheaper than a car and insurance and much faster

now then how many of you 33bhpers actually stuck to 33bhp for the 2 years

[dizzyblonde]

the majority, as they all prefer to keep their licenses only idiots remove restrictions, and those that do, wouldn't be bleating about it on here.

lol ^ funny because i think its well over 50% of people arn't restricted when they should be i dont know one person thats supposed to be restricted that has a restricted bike


ps im not on a restricted license any more so dosn't concern me im just saying

Originally Posted by barwel1992

because i was 17 and its cheaper than a car and insurance and much faster

now then how many of you 33bhpers actually stuck to 33bhp for the 2 years

I did and everyone I know that was on 33bhp did. Like Dizz says, we valued our licences!

[yorkie_chris]

I of course stuck to the letter of the law religiously.

However the attitude among my peers (i.e the people lumbered with this bullsh*t and unable to take DAS) was very much "don't worry about it, nobody checks".

I really don't see the point of the 33bhp restriction anyway and I am totally against the whole idea of it. I sell new ER6s and suchlike to young people who've just done their tests. By law we have to restrict their bikes for them, but the law doesn't stop me showing them how it only takes 30 seconds to properly derestrict them. Whether they do or not is up to them, most of them do within a few days; none of them has had an accident that is remotely attributable to having more power than they are allowed.

There are very few restricted bikes around our way in the hands of those not old enough to do DAS, yet we've sold loads of ER6s to people in this age group. To date I've only heard of one 18 year old lad being done for it... but he's a genuine nobber who was well known for wheelying his supposedly restricted Z750 at every opportunity. Doing it in front of an unmarked police video car wasn't his smartest move. Funnily enough we hadn't shown him how to derestrict his bike, he and some mates sussed it out for themselves.

The 33bhp restriction isn't about safety, it's about making it more unappealing to get a bike or a bike licence and hopefully killing off motorcycling. It was obviously dreamed up by some geriatric Eurocrat who hasn't the foggiest idea of what riding bikes is all about, nor did they have any idea of what actually causes young people to have accidents. Of all the crash damaged bikes we deal with, about 1 in 20 is damaged as a result of inappropriate speed. You'll note I use the word "inappropriate" and not "excessive".