Learning to ride a motorbike

[Mawsley]

Enjoy it, and learn from your mistakes

Let's hope there's not too much learning to do then!

I have a garage full of engine sizes and gain enjoyment from them all.

You will only be bullied riding a 125 if you let yourself be - good road position and a confident manner makes car drivers behave better.

The biggest problem learners have is remembering to put their feet down! : D

[blackbike]

I've started riding a motorbike again after many years and have a 1979 Honda CB100N.

For an experienced motorcyclist, or even an experienced cyclist who knows how to ride assertively, small motorbikes are perfectly adequate for urban riding. They are easily able to keep up with traffic on city roads where speeds are moderate and drivers just trundle from one set of lights to the next.

A small motorbike is also quite easy to manoeuvre at slow speeds in and out of small gaps in and around lines of stationary 'rush-hour' traffic. Bigger ones aren't, they get very heavy and cumbersome at low speeds. I've noticed many riders of larger machines sitting like dummies in the queues with the cars, making it pointless to be on a motorbike at all.

[kwackers]

Plus after a couple of weeks of slow speed manoeuvring in heavy traffic big bikes run like a bag of the brown stuff.

[MikeC2C]

Some 125s are quite capable, I've got a Varadero which feels like a big bike and enough grunt to easily cope on the A roads and dual carriageways. I've owned bigger bikes (Kwak ER6) and as great a bike as it was, I prefer my little Vara as it runs on fumes and costs pennies to tax. It's also incredibly comfortable and capable.

Each to their own though, biking is great fun and as long as you ride with the mentality that every other road user is out to kill you, you'll be fine.

[beachcomber]

I've ridden various capacity bikes for some 35 years. Present bike is 916cc.
I agree if you are confident on a little bike/scooter you shouldn't get pushed around. Likewise I wouldn't see an experienced rider is any more at risk on a small bike rather than a large one.
Accidents involving small bikes? I reckon this is a bit of a red herring. I suspect the higher accident rate is more likely to be due to the inexperience of the rider who happens to be mounted on a small bike. Many of the young people I know who have small bikes/scooters only have them until they can afford a car. Most have had little or no training and have no real experience of using the road as a motorcyclist or driver.
As Meic said a big bike won't save you money. You'll go through tyres at a silly rate compared to a car and good bike tyres are not cheap. Big bikes are not particularly fuel efficient.They are costly to service and repair.
I used a 250 MZ two stroke for commuting. Cost 2nd hand £250, insurance (added to my big bike cover) £10. 1000cc bike £9K. Insurance £300+. Tyres on the bigun lasted 3500-4000 miles. On the littleun I think about 12K but bought a second bike for £50 so used tryes and bits off it. Sold the littleun for £250 after 5 years ownership. Bigun px after 3.5yrs £3,600. The insurance excess on the big bike was by coincidence £250. I rode the little bike in all weathers all year round.
There was no direct access when I learned to ride, the limit then was 250cc. Ah the smell of the two stroke from my KH250
Go for direct access. Get the experience but buy a bike which suits your needs, don't cave in to sales pressure.
As for little bikes being slow my wifes Aprillia Sport Pro could do a ton with ease. Sounded like a wasp in a jar but handled like it was on rails.

bikes,sport pro.jpg (31.46 KiB) Viewed 337 times

Notice L plate beneath registration plate.Great fun