New Guy!!!

[Mej]

IMO don't get a restricted licence as you willget sick of it after a few months.

[yorkie_chris]

+1 If you're over 21 do the DAS, no messing.

Nothing to stop you buying a slower bike with a full license.

[dizzyblonde]

whats the point of doing it the hard way with a restricted license if your over 21?, a bit daft!

No need IMO....unless you are truely rubbish and only just scraped a CBT, which by the sounds of it our new friend did just fine.

One thing I would say is, don't go for it straight away, you don't need road sense, as you've got that one ticked with a car license, but riding is the training you need, do a few months on the 125 then do DAS, less pressure and more confidence for you,

[Tom_the_great]

Great fast help as always onto DAS i go !!!

[Tom_the_great]

just reading the above...

whats opinions on gettin 125 for time being ? then learn DAS in month or so ...

or

just bite the bullet learn a proper bike an get it done asap ...

[Kalessin]

My last lid was a Shoei Raid II. I thought it was pretty good, it was the one which fit me the best in the shop (in budget).

Sadly, it only lasted a few months before falling from my grasp as I walked through a carpark. I have held on to it as I keep meaning to take it to a Shoei dealer to inspect for damage, but the Arai Chaser I replaced it with is far superior: softer, more comfortable padding, better pinlock fitting, better ventilation... but about £150 more :/

[yorkie_chris]

By the time you've bought a bike, insured it and ridden it for a few months you can pay for a lot of lessons.

Get a local yokel to lend you a bike in car park for a few hours, get the slow control practice sorted (time consuming bit).

Depends how comfortable you are on the bike.

[dizzyblonde]

well you wouldn't be able to ride a bigger bike until you had the DAS.
In my personal experience, riding a 125 for a while was much better than diving in. Fair dos I failed a few times from nerves, but my ability to ride was never questioned by any of the examiners.

The only downside to a 125 is they are bleddy hard work in comparison to a bigger bike. Bigger bikes work right, and so much easier to ride.
I've seen many a big headed bloke on my DAS who have gone in guns blazing thinking they could do it all in one hit, even those who had off roading experience, only to have their pride hurt when they are told they need more days training and fail over and over on the test.

I had my 125 for nearly a year, and I passed my DAS exactly one year after my CBT! I had help though, two of my friends were ex instructors so they gave me some proper road training on the side before I did the course.
When you decide to do yours is when you feel confident and comfortable enough to do it.

[Paul the 6th]

Yeah I did the das option in 2007, think it was 18 hours of training in 3 hour blocks over 2 weeks leading upto the test for about £500 all in (everything: test fee, bike hire, fuel, insurance etc..)

They also offered a 12 hr package for less but I can honestly say the extra 6 hours made the difference because bumpy trained to such a high standard.. I got 1 minor for accidentally putting my right foot down at a red light & 1 minor for missing a quick lifesaver check immediately before turning right into a side street.. top banana

[Geodude]

Originally Posted by Tom_the_great

just reading the above...

whats opinions on gettin 125 for time being ? then learn DAS in month or so ...

or

just bite the bullet learn a proper bike an get it done asap ...

I did das in around two months, so would have been a waste of cash to buy a 125 and tootle about but each to his own. I also found riding a 500 while learning on my DAS a whole lot easier than riding the 125 on my CBT, so i say bite the bullet, although i was terrified of the size jump at first within 10 minutes it was just so much better.