Learner Bike

[jonc]

New here, so firstly - hello all

My girlfriend is doing her CBT soon, ans so will be looking for a learner-legal bike to ride on L-plates. She likes classic bikes, being fond of everything from BSAs to superdreams, but we know little about them and are basically going on looks.

Are there any bikes which would be especially suitable for this purpose? Want somthing reliable (or at least reliableish), with good spares availability should it break, and able to do 50mph. And, the final stipulation - available for under £1000 (although the cheraper the better!)

Does such a bike exist? I hope so

[V4]

I'am in Canada so some of the good learner bikes may not be available in the UK or elsewhere.

I'd check out the 250cc models from Honda/Suzuki/Yamaha.  Honda sell a 250 cc parallel twin here in Canada called a 'Rebel', cruiser style and is a well proven motorcycle at 300 lbs and a good training bike.  Air cooled and was originally belt drive in 1983 it is now chain driven.   It is also marketed as a 'Nighthawk' in a standard style bike.

Another entry level is perhaps Suzuki's GS 500.

[V4]

Jonc:

Strange differences in 'learner requirements'.  Here in Canada a beginner is not limited to the size of the bike as I believe is the case in England and other European countries where one must progress through the engine size in a graduated program.  In Canada there is a graduated rider program but it excludes the engine size and limits a new rider to riding at night and carrying a passanger etc and restricted to certain motorways.  In other words a new rider can walk out of a ministry office of transportation (licensing bureau) and ride off on a liter sport bike, believe me it's true.

V4  

[lxmlvll]

Hello jonc and gyra,

Cheap to buy, maintain and run at well under a grand for a good 'un?

Appreciating classic?

Learner legal?

An early '70's Honda CB125S will tick all your boxes.

Look for the best, cleanest (no rust or rot, look under the dust), most original one you can find, take someone who really knows what to look for when buying a bike, and when you find it make it good and keep it.

Spares are not too difficult to get, and quite cheap.

When you are ready for a bigger bike, keep the wee Honda. You probably won't want to sell it anyway.

Another little bike which may suit is the CG 125 Honda, which although a sibling of the CB model and a "classic" in its own right, is fundamentally different and does not carry the same status in the eyes of many of the classic bike fraternity. It would, however, be readily passed on to aid the purchase of a more desirable mount after successfully clearing DOT hoops.

Alternatively, borrow, make roadworthy and road legal, something to practice on; and do the test on a school bike saving much of your budget for something larger.

There is a possibility that 250cc machinery over a certain age may be used by learners, but if so you should bear in mind that larger machines with more than one cylinder will be correspondingly more expensive on all counts.

I wish you and gyra all the best of luck.

Keep between the hedges

A.

[L.A.B.]

There is a possibility that 250cc machinery over a certain age may be used by learners

A UK learner is restricted to riding a motorcycle "of up to 125cc and a power output of 11KW (14.6BHP)" there being no exemptions for machines "over a certain age" as far as I am aware? .
It is apparently still legal for a learner to ride a motorcycle of any capacity provided that it has a sidecar attached.  

And the rules regarding 'Direct Access' (for those over the age of 21) probably does not apply in this instance

DOT hoops

= DSA hoops (Driving Standards Agency) http://www.dsa.gov.uk/

[V4]

Jonc.

I didn't realize until reading a couple of subsequent posts that you are limited to 125 cc displacement in England as a 'learner'.  I knew there were some differences from here in Canada.  I would think that it would be important for a new 'learner' to be able to put both feet flat onto the ground when the motorcycle is stopped.  There is some security in being able to do this.

John

[lxmlvll]

Hi,

In Northern Ireland (still part of the UK although rules have at times been different and, to some extent, still are), when the 125 limit was introduced replacing the old 250 limit, older qualifying machinery could still be used to learn and take the test on.

I think the same applied in the rest of the UK since it was not seen as fair or practical to disqalify everyone who for any reason did not want to buy a new bike, although I remember "leaning" sidecars being sold to keep 250,s learner legal.

The last person I knew to take the test on a 250 did so in the early '90's (in NI) on a 250MZ which was old enough at that time to qualify.

I have little to refer to except my memory, although I will at some time run across this person (not literally   ), and have the opportunity to check my facts.

My point is that it may be worth checking thouroughly the rules and regulations in this regard, as exceptions may be found.

Good luck.

A.

[L.A.B.]

I think the same applied in the rest of the UK since it was not seen as fair or practical to disqalify everyone who for any reason did not want to buy a new bike,learner legal.

Well, I certainly don't remember that happening on the UK mainland as the change in the learner law was well publicised many months before it came into force, giving every learner with a machine between 125 and 250cc more than adequate chance to pass their test.

[jonc]

I've started looking around and a cb125 is the favoured bike at the moment. Just got to find a good one now!

[Panzergranate]

A UK learner can also ride a 350cc motorcycle of no more than 33 BHP if it is attached to a fixed non-leaning sidecar.

However, the learner is not allowd to carry a human passenger in the sidecar.

Up until 2 years ago the rules allowed learners to ride any capacity bike on L-Plates with a fixed non leaning sidecar attached. This loophole has now been sensibly closed.

The CG125 is Honda's only truly reliable on bomb proof engine.

CB125s do have that famous Honda camchain tensioner problem.

Avoid the Yamaha SR125/XT125 as the camshaft chain sprocket breaks off with age. So far I've seen 3 do this.

ALas, all the fun and fast 125s are all two strokes, and, needless to say, generally abused.

Ironically 2 stroke 125s have to be detuned to under 15 BHP and 4 stroke 125s struggle to make this amount of power at the rear wheel.

Two strokes rule!!

I bought my son a 1988 CZ125, which had been through 18 owners in its life, the last but one being a young girl, and he is happy with its 76 MPH top speed.

It is faster than the majority of the slow 4 stroke Japanese and Chinese 125s now on the roads around here. However it is still slower than the odd Aprillia RS125 or Cagiva Mito that are still around.

It does for his needs and requirements as a learner, keeps up with the bigger bikes when travelling hundred of miles to bike rallies and carries him to college and back again.

If he wants to carry anything big and heavy, he borrows either my sidecar outfit or a friend's flatbed outfit.

Yes, they are both within the learner law requiements.