Numberplate spacing?

[Ian H]

On the CBT he said to be confident and hold a road position 2/3 or 3/4 to the right of your lane to put car drivers off overtaking you.

One of the guys was almost riding on the yellow lines in the afternoon and the instructor said that’s asking to be overtaken.

 

[Mottie]

Yes, you ride to the right of the centre of your lane. Also handy for when some pillock opens their drivers door as you are passing! You can ride like an idiot on a CBT, even crash and/or fall off and still 'pass' as it’s not actually a test. AFAIK, you can only ‘fail' a CBT on poor eyesight.

 

[motorbiking]

For the Learner test they are looking for you to be in 2/3 or 3/4 - correct. The aim is to maximise your distance from hazards. You can fail CBT if you can't demonstrate that you've grasped the basics to progress to the road section of the training. i.e. the instructor didn't think you were safe for the second part of the days training. In effect you fail to complete.

The biggest thing that makes people want to overtake you is the learner plate. Even on a 500cc bike people will think they need to get by you.

 

[Ian H]

I had a taster on a 650cc bike for my birthday so have now decided to get my full licence

 

[Burnerman]

Welcome to the biker fold, Ian!
Calming down a bit, I’m enjoying my new Honda VFR 800 vtec......no where near the boom power I’m used to, but a lovely bike just the same.
Out for a run tomorrow.
Ride safe
John

 

[motorbiking]

eyes up

 

[Ian H]

I must have been looking for neutral

I like the Kawasaki Z900RS bike but may be a bit fancy for a first one.

 

[Burnerman]

Its a fab looking retro styled bike that will be a cinch to ride.....just over a hundred brake will make it fly when you want it to but it'll be docile too.
The seat height (835mm) is too high for a short house like me, but maybe the suspension will compress a bit. Book a test ride!
John

 

[Ian H]

If they hold their money as well as the original ones it could be money well spent.

What if I don’t like it after a test drive? There are so many bikes, how do you ever find the right one?

 

[Burnerman]

Choosing the right bike is indeed a minefield, best to have a think and decide if you want a naked bike or a faired one which maybe influenced whether or not you want to tour - the same applies regarding luggage capability.
If you like retro, Triumph have a huge choice and they are British. Honda have the best build quality, Yamaha are the most forward thinking at present.
Seat height and width could be important.
If you test ride and dont like it, theres no problem - youll soon tell if you like the riding and handlebar positions.
I wouldnt recommend lower capacity machines unless revving the nuts off them is your thing!
John

 

[alan333]

When buying a bike a while ago I researched how to lose the least money if I sold it after a year or two. Generally speaking they depreciate a bit like cars for the first few years, but then the depreciation settles down. Once they get down towards about £3-3.5k the depreciation really slows down, and even years later that £3k bike is still worth £2.5 or 3k. Try to buy a low mileage (and therefore only needing light maintenance) bike a few years old, with a full service history, from a private seller, at the start of winter.

I did this in 2009 - bought a 5 years old minted Triumph Tiger 955i for £3200 with about 4 or 6k miles on her, only did servicing as per the schedule (it never needed anything else), then sold it 2.5 years later, in summer 2012, for £3050. My mate had bought an older Honda VFR a year or so earlier for £2600, spent a few quid on repairs as he went along (I remember it needed a new exhaust for example), then sold it about 1.5 years later for £2100. Mine cost me £150 overall, his must have cost well over a grand.

Hope this helps