Hello All,

Can anyone give any advice on taking / passing the bike test, instructors etc

I live in S11 (Millhouses / Ecclesall area) in Sheffield.

Thanks in advance..

Cheers

JPFQ

yes, save plenty of money up! seriously what age are you?

ATB in Darnall are excellent

KK rider training.....

ATB without a shadow of a doubt and definatly not those at the owlerton stadium

ATB without a shadow of a doubt and definatly not those at the owlerton stadium

Why not? I found them to be be really good, and they get my recomdation.!

jt

get a car they are more safer than a bike trust me i know.

Good advice on here..

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/forum.asp?h=0&f=74&mid=48927

or go on the Bike specific forums.

Colleague of mine did the intensive course over 5 days I think. Cost approx. £600-700 all in and you can ride any bike after it.
He had never ridden a bike before but he's the type who picks things up very easily. Also he's an excellent MTB rider which helps with balance & control.
Straight after he bought a Fazer 600, rode it for a few weeks, then decided it wasn't for him and sold it. Hasn't ridden since and that was 2 years ago.

Don't wheelie it on your test.

buy a car..live longer.....

There was a recent thread on Sheffield Bikers about this, which may be worth a read (http://www.sheffieldbikers.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=25163). Starts off about ATB, but opinions about all the local ones in there.

What prices are charged?

i looking at doing a bike test i had a scooter a bit back but i wona do the direct accsess course as i want a big bike

35 although 36 next month.

Thanks for the replies I will take a look at the links and google ATB.

KK rider training , wouldn't go anywhere else.

Certainly not owlerton!

Another vote for Kyle here!

well when i get new provisional how long does it take to do direct accsess and cbt and rough cost

I did mine with Bikesafe (http://bikesafe-sheffield.co.uk/) about 7 years ago and they were great!

Did mine at bike safe 6 months ago,direct access cost about 700 quid not cheap,shop around mate.guys there are ok

can anyone tell me why they would not use owlerton? ive always herd good feedback on them, plus im good friends with the owners daugher.....

Should get big discount then.:heyhey:

Should get big discount then.:heyhey:

no you would never catch me on back of a bike. i was just wondering why people was saying dont go, when i thought it had a good name.

Yeh it was good, got put in for tests asap. worked around me as i do shift work.Big steve was a good laugh :thumbsup: just not cheap but what is.

why do direct access just do the 125cc test and after 2year you can ride any bike you want to legally obviously jumping on a 125 for 2 years then on to a suzuki 1100 gsxr
isnt really a wise move unless you dont value your life are others

A 125 wouldn`t pull me out of bed !

there is plenty of decent 125's its alot better to ride one for 2yr than to go straight onto a rocket and lose your legs all depends how quick he wants a big bike if he as kids i would say get a smaller bike untill you get some experience under yr belt

I took a direct access course with Bikesafe at Owlerton and was highly delighted with the style of tuition used by these guys. Ihad ridden a motorcycle in my youth but had not been on one for over 30 years and with help from Bikesafe I passed my mod 1 & mod2 first time. It is quite expensive to do direct access but I wanted to take a pillion and needed to get a larger bike so you makes your choice and pays your money but I would definately recommend them.

can anyone tell me why they would not use owlerton?
Hear a lot of bad stuff about them but from personal experience;
General crap practice and attitude in my eyes, teach 'em to pass the test and nothing more.
While I was there I saw a bloke crash his bike and they didn't bother to check it over, just expected him to jump back on and keep up. Remember a young lass being told to ride a foot out from the curb as they do tell you to ride on your test (or did then) she said "my dad says ride out near the middle of the road" bloke responded to this with "well your dad's not sat here wearing the high-viz vest is he" !
I don't know if it was just a bad joke or whether he was that much of an ar5e but in my opinion at the very least he should have explained why he was asking her to ride near the gutter.
They also take a lot of pupils out per one instructor - since leaving them I've never had anything but one on one.
And to boot- they're expensive.

there is plenty of decent 125's its alot better to ride one for 2yr than to go straight onto a rocket and lose your legs all depends how quick he wants a big bike if he as kids i would say get a smaller bike untill you get some experience under yr belt

Strange, I did DAS and both my legs are still attached.

I wouldn't recommend Bikesafe either as they got rid of one of the instructors when she became pregnant.

why do direct access just do the 125cc test and after 2year you can ride any bike you want to legally obviously jumping on a 125 for 2 years then on to a suzuki 1100 gsxr
isnt really a wise move unless you dont value your life are others

I`m not sure where you got your info but riding a 125 for 2 yrs does NOT entitle you to ride any cc motorcycle after that period !!!

After passing your cbt your allowed to ride a 125cc for a period of upto 2 yrs on a provisional licence will L plates but you must take and pass your mororcycle test within this period .... as far as i`m aware ..... I took the direct access route myself with bikesure behind the Magna ... took my cbt & my bike test within 8 days .... tuition was great and passed both first time ..... cost approx £600

I think by "125cc test" he means A2 test

I`m not sure where you got your info but riding a 125 for 2 yrs does NOT entitle you to ride any cc motorcycle after that period !!!

After passing your cbt your allowed to ride a 125cc for a period of upto 2 yrs on a provisional licence will L plates but you must take and pass your mororcycle test within this period .... as far as i`m aware ..... I took the direct access route myself with bikesure behind the Magna ... took my cbt & my bike test within 8 days .... tuition was great and passed both first time ..... cost approx £600

Erm, it does if you do your test on a restricted bike. The routes are:

CBT -> Ride as a learner -> Direct Access -> Ride any bike!
CBT -> Ride as a learner -> Standard Test -> Ride any bike no more than 125cc capacity -> Wait two years -> Ride any bike!
CBT -> Ride as a learner -> Standard Test -> Ride any bike no more than 125cc capacity -> Accelerated Access -> Ride any bike

I'm not sure what the point of accelerated access is; I guess it fills the niche for those that did the standard test and then realise they should have gone for DAS, or they need a big bike, or "just 'cos" :-)

All the details are here on direct.gov (http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/RidingMotorcyclesAndMopeds/DG_4022568).

The guy is right, 125 test then unrestricted after 2 years. Claiming a direct access us a bad idea is just silly, I did mine 4 years ago, bought a race spec r6 and I am still fine. All about being mature on it. Went to owlerton for my cbt before full direct access. Was quoted £500 soon as we did cbt price went up £200 each. So went to atb. Nigel is a cheeky character but a laugh and very good. Also at owlerton saw some 1 come off and they didn't seem to care.

I`m not sure where you got your info but riding a 125 for 2 yrs does NOT entitle you to ride any cc motorcycle after that period !!!

After passing your cbt your allowed to ride a 125cc for a period of upto 2 yrs on a provisional licence will L plates but you must take and pass your mororcycle test within this period .... as far as i`m aware ..... I took the direct access route myself with bikesure behind the Magna ... took my cbt & my bike test within 8 days .... tuition was great and passed both first time ..... cost approx £600

if you pass your 125cc bike test after 2yrs you can ride any bike you want to fact mate

if you pass your 125cc bike test after 2yrs you can ride any bike you want to fact mate

Just to clear up any confusion:
If you have a provisional licence or full car licence you can do a CBT, this is compulsory basic training this allows you to ride a bike of upto 125cc (if you're aged 17+) as far as I'm aware all routes to a bike licence include this as it's compulsory - also note the T stands for training not test. You must renew your CBT every 2 years, unless you have gone on to pass a motorcycle test. Whilst riding on just a CBT you must display L plates and cannot carry pillion passengers*.
Your options are now:
A1 (light or 125cc bike test) - this is essentially a stupid option but once passed you can tear up your L plates, carry passengers and ride that 125 forever more.
A - This is the standard bike test, once passed you can ride ANY motorcycle you want...however for the first two years the bike must be restricted to a power output of no more than 33bhp. (Or you can buy a bike that's power doesn't exceed this from the factory i.e a 125cc, 250cc etc.)
DAS - Providing you're over 21 years old you can opt for the direct access scheme - when you pass this test you can jump straight on a full power gsxr 1000 and giggle your tits off.

Before doing any of the motorcycle tests you have to first complete a theory test. If you've done one for a car test in the last 10 years then you'll feel thoroughly ripped off as the questions are pretty much the same bar a few (if you're lucky) noddy 'motorcycle' related ones (i.e "a biker has crashed do you a)check his airways b)stamp on his face to see if he's alive")

Some test centres try to push everyone eligible through DAS as it makes them more money, if you're happy to be restricted to 33bhp for a couple of years then it can be a much more economic option.


*unless you passed your car test pre 1990 and are riding up to a 50cc bike...or something like that.

I have my theory test at 10am tomorrow...

a bit of advice about your mod 2 test, if you are going to the rotherham test centre there is a major roundabout just round the corner which is a bit tricky. if i was you i would go and have a practice and get used to it. i took my test last week and failed purely on 1 manouver at this roundabout, the lanes are a bit hard to judge and as i had gone staight to test without tuition i had not had any practice.

Glad i took my bike test in the 80`s. So much easier then. None of this CBT direct access stuff. Bought my 100cc suzuki, had a mornings free training at granville college. Rode the bike for a few months, took my test. That was it. I could ride anything i like now although i choose a 125 as it`s just enough for work and back. Being an old gimmer though it goes away in the winter as it`s too bl**dy cold.:)

Things have changed since i first bought a Bike in the early 70's . There was no training or 'Owt' like that ...It was £1 for a Prov Licence and £3 for the M/C Test ( as far as i can remember ) ...Within 4 months of going on the road , i'd got a full licence and was riding a Ducati .Believe or not , i still have a clean Licence after 37 years , 17 Bikes and 400,000 miles on 2 wheels .Nowadays i own 2 Moto Guzzi Californias and have full no Caims Discount , and my Insurance is Fully Comp with Full Breakdown etc and costs just £204 all in ( for both Bikes ).. I've never had a C*R Licence ..(never been bothered o'er 'em TBH )
My advice to anyone starting out on 2 wheels is...after obtaining a full M/C Licence , learn to 'read the road' ..watch out for Diesel , Wet leaves , Black Ice etc ...dont pull wheelies as they dont impress anyone ..Believe me , i've been there and done it ..i've done Courier work in London , L**ds and Sheff over the years ..but these days i only ride 200 miles a week ..i've even fitted a camcorder to my handlebars for use in heavy traffic (as back-up in case of an accident ) ..Ride Defensive and you'll be OK ..:thumbsup:

Yes the test was quite easy too from what i remember. A few laps around the block. Watch out for the examiner jumping out at you. Once around the nearest roundabout. "read that number plate mate", a few highway code questions. "well done, you`ve passed"

I have my theory test at 10am tomorrow...

Went in at 10am, was out by 10.20.....

PASS :banana:

Well done mate, congratulations.... :-)

Went in at 10am, was out by 10.20.....

PASS :banana:
Nice One G/R ...Only just seen your post ....:thumbsup: .

Have to agree, they are very efficient. They were very efficient at failing me the first time!

Booked my CBT with ATB and also booked my theory :-) then part 1 and 2 after... thanks everyone for your wisdom and help...

I'm looking to do my CBT again (after coming off and fracturing my elbow at Bikesafe) and was thinking about trying ATB at Darnall, been and had a look at their place but that yard looks tiny