I'm in need of a bigger motorbike, my SR125 just isn't quick enough, and am in quandry. I need a bike that has room for luggage and is comfy for long distances, however at the moment I only have a CBT. So, do I:

1. Rely upon on my SR125 till next August when I'm 21 and then do my DAS?
2. Get an A2 license right away and ride a slightly smaller bike for two years, if so, which? (Want a GS1200 as it'd suit my needs perfectly but would it work restricted?)

Any advice would be great Definitely need the comfort and luggage space of the GS1200 as I'll be riding all over the country shooting Premiership football and carrying too many cameras.

well u could do ur restricted test now and buy the bike u want then restrict it then take das next august and deristrict ur big bike
all bike shud be able to be restricted ive got my wife a vz800 and thats been restricted still does 90mph though ( with protective gear on ( see other thread) )

Yea....think I might have to, depends on how much difference to the bike the restriction would make - surely it'd affect its performance in all areas massively? Going from lots of bhp down to 33bhp!

yes it would affect performance but it would be faster than ur 125 and in august u could deritrict it

Am I right in saying that the A1 test is just a refrined version of the CBT? Maneuvers and then ride safely with life savers etc.?

If by that you mean that you could pass your test after just a CBT and no other training, then.... Nope

Ah, I didn't realise, very helpful! Been piling on the miles, so not exactly fresh out from my CBT, so technically my riding is alright, just not 100% safe by test standards.


What's different?

take some lessons they will iron out ur bad habits well worth it cos we all have them the test is the same no matter what bike u on 500 or 125

If u can remember everything from your CBT and pass a test with no other training and without picking up bad habits, then ur a better.... erm... person than I Gungadin
take a couple of lessons with an approved instructor then book yer test... at least an instructor will be able to tell you what yer doing wrong before you waste yer test money

That seems a hell of a big bike for what you want to do. Plus you have the added weight to deal with, which your SR125 hasn't really prepared you for. Good bike though. Just remember that a lot of 600's will do what you want.

When me and the lad go away for the weekend, we carry the tent, two sleeping bags, air beds, trainers, clothes and loads of other stuff. Plus the lad is around 6 foot and it'll happily cruise around 90 to 100mph all day. The 750 copes easily and that's without any hard luggage. With the gear off, it would do around 150mph and 0 to 100 in under 10secs.

You don't need to go to the litre class bikes for huge power outputs.

Something like a BMW F650 can carry a fair amount of weight and can be restricted to 33bhp without altering performance too dramatically

Thanks for the advice, fortunately I have a mate who is a DAS instructor who can give me some free, or discounted, tuition

Only reason I reckon the GS1200 or 1150 would be ideal is that I'd be carrying loats of cameras, which can easily weigh 50kg total, so it'd lke riding with a pillion 24/7!

I dont think that many people use their bikers to the full bhp potential, so i dont see restricting a bike as a big problem. Have you thought about the insurance side to owning 1000 cc bike as compared to say a 500 or a 600?.....and are you talking hard or soft lugage?

I'd be using hard luggage, probably some touratech stuff so should I drop the bike or something my uber-expensive kit won't get wrecked.

have you done any insurance quotes for the bikes you're looking at?

if not, i think you're going to be in for a shock!!

The quotes, for 1000cc+ bikes, with a restricted license, under 21, are going to be phenomenal!!

I think you'd be better going with the other's advice and going for a 600cc bike, at least for a while until you have built up your experience and your no claims

also, nobody on here would reccomend going straight to a 1000cc+ bike, just after doing your test! Especially after only doing your test on a 125! The power and weight compared to a 125 is going to be a huge leap + you'd be much better doing it in smaller steps!

+ to reiterate, yes, the restricted test IS a full test, just done on a 125 instead of a 500. + no matter how long you've been riding on a 125, you do pick up bad habits, and they do not teach you everything you need to know on your cbt!

anyways, good luck with it all + hope you manage to find a bike out there that will do what you want it to do!

I'm sure a 600cc bike will do fine, at least for the moment, as theyre's many bikes out there that will cope fine with luggage + pillion + long distance, like the bandit, used to work fine for us for rallies!

Ive been pondering a similar question. Being over the age of 21 (only just ) I can take the DAS and go straight onto a bigger bike.
The general plan in the house is that when I am legal I get other halves Thunderbird and he can go and get a shiny new bike (working on around two years from now when we can afford shiny new bike). Should I go for the DAS or the 125? If I pass the 125 test it may be possible to get a smaller runaround for me (and him for work/winter etc) but finances are very restricted at the moment. If I pass DAS I can then ride the Thunderbird when he isnt (and he can get to have a drink down the pub) without having to pay for another bike as the 125 really cant cope with both of us adults !
I want to pass the test as soon as possible so I can take pillions and become second chaffeur for the kids (not as many pounds as the adults so 125 can cope with that). The training school said the 125 test is slightly easier, and now Im just sitting trying to decide which to go for.
Any suggestions or opinions?
Snowy

AFAIK the DAS is the same as the 125 test, you just do it on a different machine. So all you'd have to do is get used to a 500 or such and if you'd pass on the 125 you'd probably pass on the 500.

I had a CG125 I was riding and did my DAS on a CB500, the main problem I had was that the gears were "upside down" on the CG (evil import) so I was changing gears the wrong way. a couple of days training sorts that all out though.

Snowy, having read some of your other posts about the CBT with gears coming as a bit of a shock, etc, I would strongly advise you to ride a 125 for a while, it's much more confidence building than going straight to a big bike, easier to flick around, lighter when the inevitable happens and you have to pick it up, less likely to alarm you with it's power!

Think you might emjoy your riding more if you don't try to do it all at once! I'm speaking from personal experience as I rode a 100cc bike for over 3 years, it coped fine with luggage and camping so I reckon your 125 would be ok for taxi-ing youngsters locally! If you went for a custom-styled one there would be a bit more space as they tend to be a bit longer (Kwak Eliminator etc)

You pretty much say what Im thinking. I dont want to rush into any other bike, just want to be taking pillions and the only way to do that is with a test. I intend to keep my 125 and only use a bigger bike for longer trips as I only go for poodles around the local area most of the time. I just dont know which test to go for.
I already have a custom style for the extra seat space
Snowy

sorry, I had assumed you'd had the 125 a while, making it just a matter of mastering the larger engine / weight etc before the test. (I was on the CG for almost a year)

If you can find some off road (I don't mean hills and dales just road which is not part of the public highway) and you can persuade the other half, then take the big bike out for a spin and see how you get on with it.

If it's too intmidating, then take the restricted test as you'll be more likely to succeed under test conditions with a smaller capacity bike.

If however you find the bigger bike comfortable and easy to get on with, then book a DAS but be financially prepared for at least 5 days training (spaced out to make it less intense and bewildering).

You may be suprised....A bigger capacity bike is often easier to ride than a smaller one because it has a better spread of power, better brakes and suspension.

Give it a go....Noone can really answer this one for you.

Goodluck.

I think you'd be better trying it on a training school bike rather than t'other half's, less expensive if it goes wrong.

Ooops...So did I

You could still try the DAS test, and still get through....You will need a fair number of days training though....Like I said, 5 would be a minimum.

If you weren't successful then you could try the restricted test.

However, the tests are virtually identical....I know because I have taken both.

What I should have said is, prior to my DAS I did a 1 hour conversion (they let you get to grips with a 500cc bike off road if you've only been on smaler bikes, nice and slow, figure of eights and stuff) and on a seperate day, an assessment (also an hour) to see what they thought my handling of a 500 was like on road and based on that we decided a 3 day DAS was suitable.

maybe your local school can offer an hour or so to play on a 5/600 before you comit to a DAS, and if you drop it you won't get earache for the next few years...

yeah, I was thinking that, some training schools, particularly bsm, offer you a free trial/assessment, to see how you will get on with the bike and how many days they think you will need. It would be a good idea to see if you can go to one of these!

I know your dilemna tho, as I had a similar one, not knowing which test to go for. In the end I went for my restricted test, as I am a weak girly + could not cope with the weight of the 500, for things like u-turns (I dropped it a few times), although when the training shcool let me play around with the 500, they didn't give me much time + seemed to be rushing me + trying to push me onto the restricted test

You can book on a DAS, and if they feel you are struggling with the 500 machine, swap down onto the 125.....

Many females I know did the resricted test, as they were struggling with the weight of the 500, it was easier for them to do it on the 125, but if you can do it on the 500 it would be easier in the long run!! + you don't save much money doing the restricted!

sorry, wittering, hope that all made sense.......

Thanks for the thoughts!
As I live in the middle of nowhere its just outside the door to have a go on other halves bike! I can go up and down the drive to get a 'feel' of the bigger bike. He did suggest that, so doesnt seem to mind me dropping it...maybe thats coz he has sights on the shiny new one and looks on that one as mine one day I did speak to the guy when I did my CBT (I did say how great he was didnt I?) and he did suggest doing some training sessions and then decide, so that may be how I go. Im luckier than most girlies (and some men) as I have a LONG inside leg (33") and dont have problems holding up a bigger bike due to lack of leg length. Maybe if I drop his bike a couple of times a 500 will seem light
On the one hand I dont want to be rushing into it before Im ready, on the other I REALLY want to be able to take pillion. Thats my priority! The nearest bus stop is a 15 minute walk so kids social lives are pretty limited unless other half is home from work and I want to help out on that one.
But if there is little difference between the two...oh well....ponder ponder, I wont be doing it for a while yet, I just like to have things sorted in my mind and know where Im heading.
Snowy

Thanks for the advice, think I'll plump for the SV 650 S, had a sit on one the other day and loved it, so comfy for long distances!

sounds like you've made a good choice! The av's are pretty cheap, good for beginners, + very comfy for a pillion! They're good bikes!
not sure what they're like to restrict, but I'm sure they'll be fine!

good choice!! Hope you have fun when you do get it! + good luck in finding a nice one!

There's a used, mint condition, one in my local shop for £3k. Looks pretty sweey, I even though it was new at first!


Tempted to sort out a day or two's training and get my test done asap! lol