Starting at 24 going straight for unrestricted licence

Hi I'll be 24 soon and want to learn to ride a bike. I actually wanted to start since I was 23 but when the new rules came in I didn't see the point. So my question is what bike should I get? I really like cruisers by the way so that would be the style I'd be going for. I'll be doing my theory test and IBT before I buy anything but just really have no idea what would be a good first bike big enough to get an A licence with. Also do you think I'll be hammered with insurance?

LookBehindYou

Do your ibt first, after you get your cat A learner permit, and you will end up more informed on what type of bike would suit you.
People come in all shapes and sizes, and all have different needs, so thats why there is a big choice of bikes out there.
You can ride any bike you can afford to get insurance on after ibt, but for your rsa test you will need a bike that is a minimum of 595cc and weighs 175kg and has a power output of 50kw.
Sv650s, Bandit 600, FZ6, etc would be all ok for your test.
gixxer 600 etc are not heavy enough.

Thanks. Do you know if I can do my IBT before I turn 24 or will I have to wait? I've a fairly small frame 5'10" an 65 kg so I'm a bit worried I might be overwhelmed on a large bike especially starting off. Maybe I should get something smaller and when I'm ready to do the test (in a year or two I'm in no rush) get something bigger. It's pronbably no harm anyway.

Pugzilla

MAXFANTANA wrote: »

Thanks. Do you know if I can do my IBT before I turn 24 or will I have to wait? I've a fairly small frame 5'10" an 65 kg so I'm a bit worried I might be overwhelmed on a large bike especially starting off. Maybe I should get something smaller and when I'm ready to do the test (in a year or two I'm in no rush) get something bigger. It's pronbably no harm anyway.

If you do IBT before 24 you will have to get an A2 permit. Better to wait until you're 24.

If you wait and get the full A learner permit, you will do the IBT on a bike that's atleast 600cc. Wait until you finish IBT before getting a bike. You will probably be comfortable with a big bike by the end of it and won't want a smaller bike.

LookBehindYou

MAXFANTANA wrote: »

Thanks. Do you know if I can do my IBT before I turn 24 or will I have to wait? I've a fairly small frame 5'10" an 65 kg so I'm a bit worried I might be overwhelmed on a large bike especially starting off. Maybe I should get something smaller and when I'm ready to do the test (in a year or two I'm in no rush) get something bigger. It's pronbably no harm anyway.

To save yourself money, you should wait until you are 24, then do the A unrestricted ibt.
If you do it now at 23, you would be restricted to 35kw.
You would have to do an extra bit of ibt (module 5 = 11 hrs) to upgrade to an unrestricted A.

The 65 kg bit is not a problem because you should have good length in your legs cos you are 5ft 10inch.

DubVelo

MAXFANTANA wrote: »

I've a fairly small frame 5'10" an 65 kg so I'm a bit worried I might be overwhelmed on a large bike especially starting off. Maybe I should get something smaller and when I'm ready to do the test (in a year or two I'm in no rush) get something bigger. It's pronbably no harm anyway.

You're worrying too much! A normal bike is way heavier than a normal person, a few kilos here or there doesn't make much difference. With most bikes the weight is all low down anyway.
It's skill that makes the bike go where you want it, not bodyweight.

I had similar worries to yourself starting out but my current bike is over 200 kg and it just feels like a big 125 to handle, I have zero problems with it.

Having been talked out of a small bike I'd say that unless you just want something for nipping around the city, it's more or less pointless to get less than a 400 or 500 cc.

IBT gives you a better idea anyway.

Thanks for that, I feel a bit better now. Yeah I'll be using it mainly for cruising around on nice days so your probably right. When I do the IBT I'll know exactly where I stand.