Hey all!

We've all now noticed I'm sure, that prices have risen and service levels have dropped with First...

I'm looking for a cheaper means of travelling into town every day and thinking of getting a moped. I only have a normal driving licence so the initial outlay would be: Biking clothes, helmet/gloves, bike and passing the first stage required to drive a moped legally.
Has anyone been through this process recently, how much should I expect to pay out and do you think it would be worthwhile?

On the bus I will now be paying £48 a month to travel approx 100 miles a month, is this likely to cover all ongoing expenses on a moped - petrol/servicing/tax etc?

Any help and advice much appreciated!

hello

to pass your cbt it will be around £100, then bike clothes cost is up to you but if you shop around you should be okay at the moment powersports at claycross have some helmets at £40 reduced from £80, and hein gericke are normally well proced for jackets and trousers.

tax will be £15, i used to get 90miles out of a fiver of petrol (on a 50cc). Doing only 100 miles a month will mean you wont be servicing it very often

i have a gilera dna for sale if your interested its a 125. Alternativly piaggio zips are reliable.

you will probably want a 125 as 50s are normally 2 strokes and i found the oil costs higher than on a 125

Hi f_g

Thanks for your help. You said Tax is £15, how long is this for?

Also, would you mind giving me more details about the gilera dna - price, mileage, age etc. PM me if you'd rather...

I probably won't be buying straight away as I'll need to weight up pro's and con's etc first.
Also, what's the best way to pass the CBT. If I bought a bike before passing am I allowed to practice anywhere or do I have to do that with an instructor?

Cheers

Obviously, it's advisable to get a bit of training, but a full car licence allows you to just jump on a moped <50cc with a helmet and ride off into the sunset like Dennis Hopper.

Annual tax £15. Fuel and 2 stroke oil are next to bugger all. Insurance depends on you of course. All in all, you won't spend anything like £48 a month.

Disclaimer: I have a sneaky suspicion that the rules changed, so if you passed recently you might not have that entitlement. Perhaps one of our younger bikers can confirm or deny?

15 quid a year, and you still need a cbt even if you havea full car licence

Obviously, it's advisable to get a bit of training, but a full car licence allows you to just jump on a moped <50cc with a helmet and ride off into the sunset like Dennis Hopper.

It's been a fair few years since I did my CBT but back in 1991 I was told I had to do it before jumping on a moped - full driving license or no. I thought this was still the case.

I'm pretty sure you have to do your CBT to drive anything with 2 wheels and an engine, you just dont have to pass your driving test or biking test if its less than 50cc, and if you've got your CBT and driving license its upto 125cc I think... not 100% sure

www.dsa.gov.uk should hold the answers :)

[edit]

http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=95 there we go, thats the info you need I believe :)

a cbt allows you to ride anything up to 50cc at 16, and anything up to 125cc at 17, with or wothout gears

Your cbt will last 2 years in which you can do a full test or just redo your cbt

you have to have L plates and can not take pillions.

you have to have a cbt even if you have a full car licence.

Originally posted by f_g
you have to have a cbt even if you have a full car licence.
Not <50cc... see my note above.

Not <50cc... see my note above.

Do you get anything under 50ccs?

You need a CBT for a moped whether or not you have a full driving license. The law was changed back in 1990/91

I'll have a look into this on a government website when I get a chance. Though I'd heard you had to have a CBT whatever engine was on 2 wheels now.

Also, what kind of money would buy me a reasonable condition bike that wasn't falling apart? How about £400?

If you decide to stick with the buses, if you are spending £48 a month on bus fares you would be cheaper buying a monthly bus pass - a First Month pass for Sheffield is £39, with a further £2 discount if you buy online.

are you wanting a 50cc (30mph) or 125 (60ish) ?

you can de-restrict a 50cc so goes faster but then its classed as a modification so insurance might be higher

Everyone needs to take a CBT now, regardless of when you passed your test. It's only a half-day thing, to show your proficiency of riding round cones and operating all the instruments.

The Government finally came to their senses and noted that having a full car licence doesn't make you able to ride a machine that requires balance and a totally different set of controls!

Considering the steepness of some of Sheffield's hills, a 50cc moped may be very frustrating!

in your cbt you will have

ride at walking speed
ride in and out of cones
do figuers of 8 and U turns


then the second part you go on the road

mine lasted from 9am - 4pm with an hour brake

I am sorry but the fact is that if you hold a full driving license you may drive a moped of less than 50cc WITHOUT a CBT!!!

DSA says: The requirement to complete CBT does not apply to those riders who are:

learning to ride a motorcycle and who have already obtained full moped entitlement as a result of passing a moped test on or after 1 December 1990, or

riding a moped with full entitlement given automatically with a full car licence.

here. (http://www.dvla.gov.uk/drivers/rdmcycle.htm#2.%20Compulsory%20Basic%20Training)

If you call the DSA on 0115 901 2500 they will tell you exactly the same thing!!!

EDIT: I'm prepared to stand corrected. As I read it again, I think that it may only apply to licenses issued before February 2001.

From 1 February 2001, a person passing a car driving test will be required to undertake a moped riding course before they can ride a moped on the road. A code number 122 is printed on the driving licence. This is only valid after a driver has successfully completed a basic moped training course.

Persons who already hold a full car licence, or who passed a car test before 1 February 2001, are not required to take training before riding a moped. But they are encouraged to do so.

I also found this on the Motor Cycle Industry Association website:


What sort of bike do you want to ride?

MOPED: To ride a moped you must be aged 16 or older with Category P entitlement on your driving license. Mopeds have engines smaller than 50cc, their maximum speed is restricted to 30mph and they are not allowed on motorways.

I have a P on my driving licence and can therefore buy a helmet and a 50cc moped and set off into the sunset today!

yep, I can voucher for that one re the licence, mine is pre 1990/1, unless of course the law has changed in the last couple of years since I bought my scooter.

I was in exactly the same situation and blew the price of my bus pass (about £500) on a second hand Piaggio Zip, haven't looked back since. Costs are minimal to say the least, even garage bills are a pleasant surprise when and if they occur.

Don't forget the time you will save, no more sat in gridlock traffic, the novelty of cruising thru stationary traffic in the city still feels great! Also, if you're lucky, you can park pretty much outside your work place, great!

No more waiting in bus queues and constanstly moaning about buses being 2 minutes late etc or not appearing.

I love this type of year, weather is getting warmer, all the scooters appear on the roads again!

Get a good lock though, sad but you've got to chain everything down nowadays.

One last thing, respect all other road users!

Cheers,

Dave.

Originally posted by webkey
yep, I can voucher for that one re the licence, mine is pre 1990/1, unless of course the law has changed in the last couple of years since I bought my scooter.

I was in exactly the same situation and blew the price of my bus pass (about £500) on a second hand Piaggio Zip, haven't looked back since. Costs are minimal to say the least, even garage bills are a pleasant surprise when and if they occur.

Don't forget the time you will save, no more sat in gridlock traffic, the novelty of cruising thru stationary traffic in the city still feels great! Also, if you're lucky, you can park pretty much outside your work place, great!

No more waiting in bus queues and constanstly moaning about buses being 2 minutes late etc or not appearing.

I love this type of year, weather is getting warmer, all the scooters appear on the roads again!

Get a good lock though, sad but you've got to chain everything down nowadays.

One last thing, respect all other road users!

Cheers,

Dave.

Thanks for that Dave... one more question I have but forgot about earlier. Is there a weight limit on Piaggio Zip's and similar mopeds?

(I'm not the lightest built bloke on the block!) :heyhey:

100 miles a month? If you travel into town Mon-Fri then that's only 2 and a bit miles each way. It would only take you half an hour or so to walk each way. Probably not much longer than it takes by bus by the time you get to the stop and wait for one to come along! Will save you money and keep you fit too!

Originally posted by Zamo
100 miles a month? If you travel into town Mon-Fri then that's only 2 and a bit miles each way. It would only take you half an hour or so to walk each way. Probably not much longer than it takes by bus by the time you get to the stop and wait for one to come along! Will save you money and keep you fit too!

It's actually nearer 3 miles each way, which takes me about 3/4 hr to walk, which I am not interested in doing. I am also moving another 4 miles further away from town in the next couple of months or so.

However if I was interested in walking, I would have named the thread "Bus price increases and walking..."

Thanks for your input though... :rolleyes:

Anyone any ideas what the weight limits are on mopeds?

Also, what kind of clothing would you wear on a moped?

:confused:

Cheers :thumbsup:

ive seen som big people on scooters so i would worry abount that and if you go for the 125cc its still going to pull.

Get a good helmet with a blue sticker if possible. I would get a armoured jacket textile of leather (textile might just last one crash). Get some decent gloves aswell if you crash you will probably put your hands out.

All you could become a ped boy - nike tracksuit bottoms and top gold chain round your neck, no gloves because your alot stronger than tar mac! and off you go

To add to the CBT confusion, it's also worth making clear the differences between scooters and mopeds.

Mopeds are your 49cc twist and go types.

Scooters have bigger engines (80cc, 125cc and upwards) and usually a manual gearbox.

Regardless of which you go for, please get some CBT training. If you take away nothing new from the training and are the safest biker on the roads you'll at least be warned and given some scare stories about how idiotic and blind other car drivers are.

We don't want to see you in another forum thread "Another biker injured".

most of the newer scooters are still automatic.

Ped boy doesn't sound like it's for me... they're normally the kind of people I aim for in my car!! :hihi:

I've been looking at several 50cc Piaggio Zip's and similar, they seem closest to what I'm after. I also won't be going for the CBT thing... I know what you'll say but I refuse to pay £100 for something I could do myself in a car park/quite cul de sac. I'm not stupid and I've certainly done enough pushbike riding to know what the roads can be like.

The gloves suggestion I certainly will follow! But what's the blue sticker thing all about?

I've also just done an insurance quote online for this kind of bike and it came out at nearly £500!? Is this normal?

Originally posted by Briano
I've also just done an insurance quote online for this kind of bike and it came out at nearly £500!? Is this normal?

It all depends. My missus bought a brand new 125cc Scooter last year. It has four gears, she took a CBT (despite passing her test in 1990) and her insurance was £120 - the bike was in the back garden - no alarm or lock.

Originally posted by Briano
It's actually nearer 3 miles each way, which takes me about 3/4 hr to walk, which I am not interested in doing. I am also moving another 4 miles further away from town in the next couple of months or so.

However if I was interested in walking, I would have named the thread "Bus price increases and walking..."

Thanks for your input though... :rolleyes:

Bicycle then... I cycle to work as part of my beergut management programme.

If you still opt for the motor version then go to a bike insurer if you want a sensible quote. Perhaps someone like www.http://www.bennetts.co.uk/.

Originally posted by Zamo
Bicycle then... I cycle to work as part of my beergut management programme.

If you still opt for the motor version then go to a bike insurer if you want a sensible quote. Perhaps someone like www.http://www.bennetts.co.uk/.

That's who I got my quote from...

Have you tried Carole Nash?

http://www.carolenash.com/bike_Qintro.asp

when you buy a helmet they will either have a green or blue sticker or a gold racing sticker, my helmet was £70 and has a blue and gold sticker.

The gold one just means its sutible for using on a track while racing so tend to be good.

the helmets with blue stickers and made out of something different than the green stickers which is ment to be better.

its worth going into a shop and trying a few differnt makes on as the size can sometimes differ slightly

I'm not sure if one insurance company will be cheaper for everyone, it seems to depend on who you are. For me though, I just can't find cheaper than these guys:

http://www.biketeam.co.uk/

They're 3 times cheaper than my most expensive quote (Bennets I think it was), and a third cheaper than the next nearest. They don't do instant online quotes but will email you back soon enough. And no, I'm not on comission!

As for clothing... I've got leathers but if I were riding every day I'd go for breathable / water-proof textile trousers and jacket, with CE armour. Gloves - take your pick. Helmet - so long as its got a kitemark you'll be OK although the polycarbonate ones don't seem to last as well. An anti-fogging visor is a bonus, but you can always buy an insert for about £15... stops you steaming up so much. I'd get some boots too.

If you're not needing kit immediately, wait for a sale. CMC near the wicker arches have had a couple recently and I picked up a couple of things half price. Also have a look at Jeff Hall motorcycles in Hillsborough.

http://www.cmcbikes.com/

http://www.jeffhallmotorcycles.co.uk/

I don't know if there's a sale coming up any time soon though.

Brilliant, thanks so much for all your help!

:thumbsup:

go for moped

Just been through this myself.. and saving an absolute fortune.

I shopped around for a second hand scooter and for a few hundred quid all you get is a pile of cr@p.

I bought a brand new, Chinese import 125cc scooter. I collected it and it cost me £500 brand new. I had to register it myself (which was a doddle - it took one trip to the DVLA office in town and I had my reg. number 2 days later.) and that cost £55 and £15 for a years road tax.

Insurance was £127 for the year through a specialist.

All together, £700 on the road, but I already have a helmet etc. Since I got it in May I have already saved half of the original cost on fuel alone (a full tank costs £3.50 ish and lasts about 80 miles).

if you want any advice, feel free to PM me...

Your inbox is full so i cant message you mate? Clear your inbox ok?

Your inbox is full so i cant message you mate? Clear your inbox ok?

He's probably not around any longer, the OP is 4 years old.

Blimey this is a blast from the past! :hihi:

Seems strange reading all this again. You can PM me if I can help at all hayley18?

Unfortunately I got rather addicted to biking since getting my moped, so I've now travelled through the ranks of 50cc's, a couple of 125's, did my test last year and have now been riding round on a 650 for the past 8 months. SO much better than being stuck in traffic in a car at rush hour, or standing freezing at a bus stop whilst the last bus zips straight past the stop because it's too full. I've also since gained a daughter (9 months old) and the extra time I get to spend with her due to time saving on the bike is just priceless.

:thumbsup:

I'm interested in getting lessons to drive a moped and then buy one with leather clothing, does anyone know how much money I should expect to spend?

Blimey this is a blast from the past! :hihi:

Seems strange reading all this again. You can PM me if I can help at all hayley18?

Unfortunately I got rather addicted to biking since getting my moped, so I've now travelled through the ranks of 50cc's, a couple of 125's, did my test last year and have now been riding round on a 650 for the past 8 months. SO much better than being stuck in traffic in a car at rush hour, or standing freezing at a bus stop whilst the last bus zips straight past the stop because it's too full. I've also since gained a daughter (9 months old) and the extra time I get to spend with her due to time saving on the bike is just priceless.

:thumbsup:

Sounds great you have more time to spend with your litte-un :thumbsup:

I'm in a similar situation as you were in when you started this thread which is why I'm thinking about learning to drive a moped but need to start saving some money, takes me ages to get to work and I always have to run to get the last tram from Meadowhall or it's a very long walk (or very expensive taxi journey) home.

Well I ended up buying a moped for £500 that lasted me about a year before I decided to upgraded, it would have lasted plenty longer though but I just wanted to go faster! You're likely to need a CBT (lasts for 2 years) which is about £100 and it's 1 day of training, not really a test but it just makes sure you'll be safe as a new rider on the road.
As for clothing, I started out with a textile jacket so it'd keep me protected and warm but also waterproof, it had a removable inner lining for when the weather got hotter too, cost about £100. Gloves cost from about £20-£30 upwards. I bought a pair of Doc Martin ankle boots, important to protect those ankles! Cost about £30-£40, and just wore my normal trousers but with waterproof trousers ove the top as necessary (£15-£20).

Just a tip too, I partly covered these costs by asking family and friends to donate the cost of a years worth of xmas and birthday prsents to help me out.

Hope this helps! :thumbsup:

I'm thinking of asking for alot of the stuff with my birthday and christmas, got to wait until September for the first bit but it means I have an idea on cost and such so cheers :)