Some notes on motorcycles, aiming to provide info for you to decide whether you should/should not get one too, and make the whole process as pleasurable as possible if you do. Written a couple of months into owning my first bike. Many parts are from a UK/London perspective, but also lots of information that will be generally applicable.
Getting your motorcycle license is far trickier than getting your car license. Not only are bikes harder to ride, the regulation around them is much more strenuous. Here’s the full process I went through to be able to ride my motorbike:
This is a lot of tests and a lot of expense. What’s more, each stage blocks the next one (you can’t do mod 1 until you’ve passed your CBT and theory, you can’t do mod 2 until you’ve passed mod 1). The whole process took me about 3 months, this being particularly slow due to learning in the summer (the busiest time) and the UK having lots of instructor strikes while I was learning.
The CBT is a combination of basic safety training, some off-road riding to get you to grips with the basics of bike control, clutch and shifting gears, and then an on-road segment where you are assessed to be safe enough to go out on the road and ride. Passing this will let you ride a 125cc scooter/motorcycle with L plates for two years.
I had assumed that the CBT was impossible to fail. In practice, out of the four people in my group, two failed completely, one was coming back to retry after a previous failure, and one passed first time (me). I suspect this varies a lot by instructor.
The theory is the most straightforward test. It’s half multiple-choice, half hazard perception (clicking when you spot a hazard in a video of driving along the road). I’d recommend downloading one of the driving theory apps and just studying the flashcards on there. I booked mine about five days in advance and got nearly full marks from about half an hour of studying a day. Although it’s easy to pass, you need to study as they ask you for some obscure knowledge that you’ll never encounter otherwise (e.g. what do you do with a sidecar on a motorcycle, obscure signage). There’s also a knack to passing the hazard awareness tests.
Mod 1 tests off-road bike control. You’ll do a series of pre-defined manoeuvres such as figures of eight, u-turns and emergency braking.
Mod 2 is the on-road test. You’ll ride around for half an hour, followed by an instructor, and your task is more or less not to commit any road offences. If you’ve passed your Mod 1 and have driven or cycled before (I.e. have good road awareness), you’ll probably find this test quite easy.
This is the straightforward path to a full A license (the license where you can ride any size bike). If you’re under 24 or think you can only handle a smaller bike, you can also take your test on smaller bikes and, subsequently, only gain an A1 or A2 license that will restrict you to smaller engine sizes. I’d really recommend going for the full A if you’re old enough, as you’ll only have to take more tests later and I found the full A bikes I learned on relatively easy to manage.
Riding around on a 125 for a year once you have your CBT is also a reasonable idea as this can increase your odds of passing your test, keep your insurance down when you get a big bike, and let you get comfortable with riding at a lower cost. I ruled this out as, at 6’4”, a 125cc bike was a no-go.
How long it will take you to pass your tests will depend on a lot of factors. Here is an incomplete list of things that will help you learn to ride, ranked roughly in order of importance.
A day of mod 1 training and a day of mod 2 training is probably the smallest amount of training you could get away with. With decent cycling and car experience and no motorbike experience, I had two days (10am-4pm) of mod 1 training and one day of mod 2 training. I passed everything the first time. I might have passed with a day less of mod 1 but, as I had time to kill waiting for my test, booking an extra day in for confidence was a no-brainer.
You’ll find some schools give pay-as-you-go lessons, others book an intensive week. I went for pay-as-you-go as this offered lower risk if I failed anything, meant I’d only take the lessons I needed, and because this is what the school nearest to me did. An intensive week probably gives you the shortest calendar time to pass, but I don’t think which route you pick is a big deal.
When I started learning to ride, I thought that my motorbike would be the practical urban mode of transport of my dreams. No traffic! No train cancellations! Direct to where I want to go! Cheap!
In reality, none of these features materialised. Although filtering makes you much quicker than a car, you don’t have access to bike lanes. London one-way systems are a nightmare, taking you on more indirect routes than on a bicycle. Everywhere is 20mph and covered by speed cameras. You have to pay for parking in many boroughs. You can’t use your power in tight, London traffic. You won’t be able to ride when your bike is in for a service. Insurance, gear, lessons and maintenance (never mind the bike itself) are all incredibly expensive.
You probably can’t justify riding a motorcycle in London on practical grounds (ride a bicycle instead). That said, I’m incredibly glad I’ve learned to ride. The decision has shifted from a practical one to an emotional one. My life feels so much better. Riding my bike is the most fun I have, and I get up before work so I can sneak out to the quietest roads I can find to ride.
A note on cost. Riding is expensive. I spent approximately £1000 on lessons and tests, £1000 on gear, £3000 on a bike, £3000 on the first year’s insurance, £800 on security, £100 on tax, and £500 on 6 months' maintenance. This is excluding petrol. Of course, this is mostly first-year startup costs and I hope to be able to get total expenses down below £2000/year in a few years’ time. However, it’s still a lot of money and I don’t think I appreciated just how much the costs would rise when you add all the components up. I’ll explain some ways to make this all cheaper in the bike, insurance, security and gear sections below.
You will spend night after night on the internet, browsing for bikes. This is probably going to be the most stressful part of your journey.
Ultimately, which bike you pick is an incredibly personal decision. It will depend on your ergonomics, personal taste, use case, finances, age, location, storage options and a dozen other factors.
That said, I do have some general recommendations and advice that I hope can save you some time, money, and sleepless nights.
First, don’t buy a sports bike. I just can’t see this being the right choice for a first-time rider. You’ll be more comfortable and have more fun on virtually any other kind of bike. This is especially true for the big sports bikes (1000cc+). You can always switch later.
Second, you don’t need more than ~75HP/700cc. Anything more than this is complete overkill for a beginner. My 74HP XSR700 has more power than I know what to do with and is capable of overtaking any car in the blink of an eye. I picked a big bike because I’m tall, but I’d otherwise recommend going much smaller as this will save you lots of money in bike and insurance, and you’ll also have a much smoother time learning and filtering traffic.
Sit on your bike in person. I was amazed at how little the degree to which bikes felt like they fit was not correlated to overall bike size. You can very quickly rule out otherwise very desirable bikes within thirty seconds of in-person contact.
I’d recommend buying used as you’ll likely drop your bike the first year. I also literally could not find theft insurance quotes for new bikes.
Here is a (very incomplete) list of good beginner bikes:
Buying a new bike is obviously the lowest-risk option. Buying from a dealership means you get a machine that is guaranteed to be in good condition and can be specced exactly how you like. All of this comes at a cost, of course, and you'll pay a premium for getting a new machine. You'll also suffer depreciation costs the most, especially if you trade up soon.
As a new rider, you'll need to be mindful that you probably won't be able to test-ride any of the bikes. Without any insurance of your own, this is also true of used bikes, however.
Depending on when you buy, you might be able to get a good offer from a dealership (e.g. 0% finance, end-of-season discounts). As I was buying at a high-interest rate period, there weren't a lot of good deals to be had.
Whether you buy new or not, I'd recommend going into a dealership to get some advice.
As a new rider, you should probably be buying used. Everyone has told me I'm likely to drop/crash my bike in my first year, and you'll lose lots of value on a new bike for doing this. For an old bike, this is less the case. As a first-time rider, you're likely to want something different relatively soon while you find your feet and you don't want to be paying more than needed on depreciation for a new machine.
There are four main places you'll be able to buy a motorbike in the UK:
Auto-trader is the best place to start looking. It will give you a good idea of what the market is like and, as a motorcycle-specific site, will give you the best options for browsing. Generally, I found it a bit overpriced vs Facebook and eBay.
Auto-trader will link to lots of second-hand dealerships. These places will also give you a bit more peace of mind when buying a machine as their wares will likely have been serviced and inspected to a higher level than Autotrader/eBay/Facebook private machines. You'll pay a bit of a premium for this. Second-hand dealerships are a great place to visit if you want to try on a large number of machines for size in a short amount of time.
eBay's auction format means you can get some real steals (indeed, this is where I bought my XSR700). I saw multiple machines go for 10-30% below market value due to high competition/badly timed listings. The flip side here is that you'll probably be bidding on a machine you won't have a chance to view in person.
I suspect that most motorcycles are priced according to a simple function of model, age, colour and miles. This means you can get some real deals if you pay attention. Notably, I found that accessories, garage/outdoor storage, service history, tyre wear and other such factors were barely taken into account at all. If you can find a machine which is the wrong colour, high-mileage but well-maintained and looked after, you can get a lot more than you pay for. Looking from the other side, you can get stung by not factoring in maintenance when you buy. I had to fork out £500 for a service more or less as soon as I'd bought my bike, and tyres a few months later.
A bonus tip: buying bikes at the end of the year is cheaper as few people want to pick up riding for the winter.
As a middle-ground between brand-new bikes and used ones, many dealerships will have great deals on ex-demo bikes. These will more or less be brand new, often with only a few hundred miles on the clock, but can save you thousands off the asking price. I very nearly bought an ex-demo Yamaha Ténéré that was an absolute steal. I found stock for these bikes to be pretty low so you may have to travel for what you want to buy.
The biggest price shock I had on my motorcycle journey was insurance. Insurance prices were insane, reaching into the thousands a year when I had expected hundreds. Of course, as an under-30, new rider in London on a full A bike, things were going to be about as bad as they could be.
There will be lots of things that contribute to your insurance price. Here's roughly what I found the factors to be, ranked from most to least important:
Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, this list is also ranked more or less from least changeable to most changeable. You will not be able to adjust your no-claims bonus, location or age when starting.
I found that random combinations of things would affect the price in drastic ways. For example, pillion cover and theft insurance ended up being only a marginal amount more for the bike I ended up getting, but could cost multiple thousands on other plans. My advice is to throw as many quotes as you can at the wall and see what sticks.
As a rider in London, security on your bike is essential. In this part of the country, motorcycle theft statistics are terrifying. I never leave my bike unlocked anywhere and have taken multiple steps to ensure my home lockup is as secure as it can be. I consider the initial setup costs well worth the effort in what they will save me in peace of mind, insurance and potential thefts.
As a base setup, I'd recommend a minimum of a chunky chain and lock at home. From there, a chain and disk lock for on-the-go, and a GPS tracker are your next best investments. Of course, if you can keep your bike off the road in any way, that's also a huge advantage.
Now, for some specific gear recommendations. For additional information, I'd recommend checking out Bennet's guides and videos.
I got my security chains from Pragmasis, and could honestly not recommend even considering any other options. These chains are solid, pass the highest security ratings, and the service I received from the team was exceptional.
The main choice you'll have is which chains to go for. I opted for a 1.2m/13mm chain for on-the-go and a 22mm beast for at-home. Although the 13mm is a little heavy, it's still manageable in a backpack, aided by the clever noose design that helps keep the chain short. Crucially, 13mm is the smallest you can go while still being resistant to most bolt cutters (thieves will still be able to get at your bike with an angle grinder if they're determined). Save for someone attacking with multiple angle grinder disks, the 22m chain is basically unstoppable.
If you don't have a solid fixture to put your chain around, you'll also likely need a ground anchor. I also got one from Pragmasis which I'd highly recommend. Make sure whatever anchor you get fits the size of your chain!
If you're getting one of the Pragmasis chains, I'd also recommend their clever Roundlock. This fits tightly into the chains, making it tough for a thief to get at. They're reasonably priced and can be keyed-alike so you can unlock multiple locks with the same key.
I also have a Pragmasis D-lock. This is a well-rated lock, and it's nice that I can share the same key with the Roundlocks. However, if I were buying again today, I'd probably splurge and get the Litelok X1 or X3. These locks have incredible resistance to angle grinders which is a big deal in London.
When running the numbers, a GPS tracker is one of the best security investments you can make. BikeTrac, one leading brand, promises a 94% recovery rate. After spreading the ~£300 cost over a few years and taking into account the cost of your bike and London theft rates, this is almost certainly a positive return on investment. You can also transfer the tracker to a new bike should you sell your current one.
Note that you will need a monthly subscription for many trackers. Although this is an additional expense, it does cover 24-hour tracker monitoring and will mean you can send out a recovery service should your bike ever go missing and police are unable to get there.
Unfortunately, a tracker is invisible, so won't act as a deterrent to thieves. I've also heard of people's bikes getting stolen and recovered, but being badly messed up in the process. Best to combine it with chains and other devices.
DataTag is a set of security markings that go on your bike to make the parts easier to track and thus harder to sell on the black market.
You'll get a set of stickers to warn off thieves and a kit to make all your bike's parts identifiable. Your unique markings will get put in a database and ensure that any parts that show up will get linked back to you.
What gear you need will be determined by what kind of riding you're doing, your budget, and your risk tolerance.
A helmet is the only protection legally required on a bike. Additionally, you'll need solid boots, gloves and a jacket, at a minimum. I often see people going around London without these items which I consider insane. Falling off at even 20mph without this basic protection is going to mess you up. With it, you'll be fine.
If you're riding faster, outside of London, or want to be safer, you'll want some kind of protective trousers and an armoured jacket. Even in slower London traffic, this is probably a good idea.
The main thing I'd look out for on a helmet is fit. Maybe I have a weirdly shaped head, but was surprised by how much this mattered. Seriously, try on your helmet in person before you commit to buying anything.
Other than fit, which helmet you get is mostly going to be determined by aesthetic preferences and which kind of riding you're doing. If you have a racier bike, a racier helmet will make sense so that your viewing angle matches your riding position and speed. If you're riding a trial bike, something with an open face and goggles might be more your thing.
Some other things you might want to look out for:
Gloves were my most straightforward piece of gear to buy. My only word of caution would be that things get colder on a bike than you think. Wind chill really is a factor. Even if you have heated grips to warm your palms, the top of your hands will get cold. If you're riding on colder days, you'll need winter gloves.
Finding a good jacket is achievable with a bit of common sense. Pick something with a good protective rating (CE level A as a minimum; AAA is the gold standard) that you like the style of, and you're good.
For some reason, I found motorcycle jackets to come up very small. As someone who usually wears large clothing, I found the jackets that fit best were XL or XXL.
There are lots of good used finds on eBay for £50-100. You'll also be able to find some cooler pieces with a bit of wear on them. Although judging sizing will be a pain, I'd recommend setting some search alerts for your size and seeing what comes up.
Another option is to not buy a new jacket and instead protect yourself with strap-on armour. These items will fit under any jacket and give you some added protection. Note that armour will protect you from impacts, but not from abrasion. A jacket is still going to be the safest option.
Good riding jeans are relatively easy to come by. These will look more or less like a normal pair of jeans, with the addition of protective armour and abrasion-resistant denim. I've gotten by with just riding jeans so far, although the lack of wind resistance in the winter makes me sometimes regret it.
If you want to go one step further, you can get leather or textile protective trousers that will offer a bit more protection.
I've also got a set of pull-over waterproofs for when I get caught in a rainstorm.
Although I've survived so far on just a pair of sturdy non-motorcycle boots, real motorcycle boots will provide you with a few extra advantages you may want to consider.
First, they'll be extra crash-resistant. This is both because motorcycle boots are more solidly constructed, and because they tend to come up higher on the leg.
Second, motorcycle boots are lace-free, meaning you don't have to worry about your laces getting caught in anything.
Finally, motorcycle boots will provide the most ergonomic fit for changing gears and breaking. They're designed to be both solid and suitable for the control you need on your bike.
One thing I did not fully factor into getting a motorcycle was the maintenance. Compared to cars, motorcycles need a lot more maintenance. They're more exposed to the elements and need to be tuned more often. Fortunately, motorcycles are a lot more intelligible than cars and they're easier to fix.
Your base motorcycle maintenance routine is going to be the following:
Surprisingly, I've found AirPods are the best way to do navigation on a bike. Note that this method fails on longer trips when battery becomes an issue.
I hear people talk about quad-locks for their phones which seems a cost-effective option. I like the distraction-free ride and wouldn't want the chance of notifications showing up while I ride.
A full GPS device is another option, especially if you're doing longer trips. My friend has a minimal Beeline Moto which seems cool.
A note specifically for London: your sense of direction WILL fail you. Even if you know where you are, following your sense of direction will not help you. London's one-way systems are a nightmare, and navigating on a motorcycle is a whole new game compared to navigating on a bicycle or on foot.
Buy earplugs, especially if you have a loud exhaust. An hour-long ride on my bike is enough to leave my ears ringing.
While we're talking about exhausts, my advice is to not buy one. Your money is almost certainly going to be better spent on other things: gear, maintenance, insurance, courses, a new bike. As fun as it is, you'll also piss everyone off. I bought my bike used with a loud exhaust and I feel guilty riding around. Noise cameras also operate in certain parts of the UK and can fine you.
If you successfully pass your test, you will be more than competent enough to ride on roads safely (at least in the UK where we have stringent test standards). That said, motorcycle skill progression is an infinite game where you will always have room to improve.
Some initial tips for riding fast and safe:
Here are some useful resources for motorcycle skills, gear, and general interest.
One thing I did not anticipate when learning to ride a bike was the shift in how others perceived me. I now find myself a member of a new cult.
My social world has changed. I've learned the complex rules of who and who not to nod at (no scooters, no L plates, no cruisers, no commuters). Men have begun to treat me with a touch more respect. Little boys now light up with excitement and beg me to rev my engine. Some girls find it attractive, others see you as a reckless teenager. I know the taste of a bacon sandwich at a greasy biker's café.
The shape of the world has changed around me. It's both bigger and smaller. Suddenly, the Alps don't seem that far away. I have a new skill, a new hobby. I have the freedom to go where I want.