Looking at getting my Bike license for the Up to 350CC motorbikes, 
Beats traffic 
Anybody got a bike and what is the thoughts of this, i do intend on keeping a car.
Thoughts please. 
Trev H on here uses a bike for work, he would be the best one to ask
Are you over 24? If not you have to go through two stages. A2 & A as well as CBT. That gives you a full licence.
My mate was shafted as his birthday falls on 19th January and the laws changed on the 13th, so he has got a Z7 in the greenhouse which he cannot ride for 2 years 
Wheel Nut:
Are you over 24? If not you have to go through two stages. A2 & A as well as CBT. That gives you a full licence.My mate was shafted as his birthday falls on 19th January and the laws changed on the 13th, so he has got a Z7 in the greenhouse which he cannot ride for 2 years
Even worse - they changed on the 19th, his birthday!
i voodoo i got tdm 850 that i use in the summer when it,s not raining bit off a thaf getting wet gear on
Im 19
But i only want a 350cc sports bike
I will drive when its wet in car,
But is a 350 underpowered ?
350 good size bike for commuting all depends if its a road or motorway i use to travel 15 miles on little yam 100 tryed to stay off bigger road that was in the sticks .tryed my mates 50 scooter once on a19 round sunderland that was under pant changing moment
i did a couple of months commuting from scarborough to whitby, then scarborough to driffield, both great biking roads
the first job i didn’t do many nights out and the truck was only driven by me, so moving my gear about wasn’t an issue.
the second job…first day it was bouncing down, so spent most of the day drying out 
i had as much gear with me as i could carry on a gsxr750! as it was a tramping job, but day one i was with someone else getting trained up, they gave me a bag of stuff, the other driver advised there was nowhere safe to leave anything. so i loaded up and went to get my bike, which now had a flat rear tyre
i didn’t have any rush hour traffic to contend with, so i didn’t save much time, if any on some days by the time i got my boots and helmet on, getting the bike in and out of the garage.
it was ok except for the need to carry loads of gear
I comute everyday on my 125 scooter, I have a full licence but this is the first scooter I have had and is perfect for comuting. It does 110mpg and does 63mph which is just right for comuter speeds unless going on the motorways. I tend to find on bits of dual carriageway there is now enough traffic lights and roundabouts on them to keep slowing traffic so you can get to the front of queues and then in town its just great. However if you’ve got the horn for a motorbike then a scooter wont do it for you but if you just want to just use it as tool to comute then the tool for the job is a honda pcx125 its 4stroke so no meesin with mixing oil and all that and loads of under seat storage
voodoo1:
Im 19But i only want a 350cc sports bike
I will drive when its wet in car,
But is a 350 underpowered ?
A nice Ninja 250 will suit you sir.
The rules surrounding the motorcycle licence changed this month, but there’s still a great deal of confusion about what they mean, and anger at their implications.
The rules have been imposed on Britain by the European Union, even though the British government voted against them for being too complex and not achieving the objectives they set out to achieve. Yet, on the face of it, they’re not as unfathomable as many in the bike industry are making out.
First, you must complete a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) course before being allowed out on the road. With this, and a provisional licence, you can ride a moped (defined as less than 50cc and restricted to 28mph) with L-plates.
If you’re 16 and want to ditch the L-plates and move up to the first of four full licences, known as AM, you must take a theory test followed by a two-part practical test comprising Module 1, an off-road manoeuvring test, and Module 2, the on-road exam. It should be noted that at this age you can still only ride mopeds, which are pretty dangerous on today’s roads as they’re too slow to move at normal traffic speeds (which makes it strange that the law allows the least mature and most inexperienced road users to ride them).
By waiting until the age of 17 (even if it means riding a moped on L-plates for a year), you can go for the A1 licence. With CBT and theory in the bag, passing the two modules of the practical test now entitles you to ride any bike up to 125cc without L-plates.
Only when you are 19 or older are you allowed to go for the A2 licence category, which covers motorcycles up to a power output of 47bhp. This includes some decent and interesting bikes, many of which have more power as standard but can be restricted to 47bhp (as long as their unrestricted power output is no more than 94bhp).
Finally, there’s the full A licence, which you can apply for either if you’ve held an A2 licence for two years (in which case you can get one from the age of 21) or, if you’re coming in fresh, you’re at least 24. As with the other licences, the A licence first demands CBT and theory, followed by the two-module practical test.
This might all sound reasonably straightforward, but the problem is how it breaks up rather than encourages the path into riding larger-capacity motorcycles. I was super-keen on bikes as a youngster, and took the typical route of starting out with a moped at 16, then progressing through the capacities into big bikes. My full moped licence was unusual but not unheard of, nor the fact that I took a moped test and a motorcycle test with zero training.
To do the same today some training would be forced upon me, which is a good thing. I would need to train to get my CBT, learn The Highway Code and other road-related information for the theory part of the test, and train some more for the two-part practical test.
However, what is absurd is that to retain a full licence in my progress up to a big bike at 21 or older, I would now need to take a two-part practical test at every stage, meaning two test modules each for the AM, A1, A2 and A licences. Including the one CBT, that’s nine motorcycle tests. What’s more, these are essentially the same pairs of tests each time, so there’s no incentive or indeed need to take any more training to progress — you’re simply being re-examined repetitively.
This is all fabulously expensive — it could cost at least £1,500 — as well as being enormously time consuming and inconvenient. So in practice, no one is going to take this route. Instead, riders are in effect being encouraged to avoid taking tests and training and instead hang on at each stage with their L-plates in order to save time and money. The incentive is to avoid training and instead just wait to gain a full licence when old enough, exactly the opposite effect the legislation is supposed to achieve.
For older people interested in learning to ride, a lot of this won’t matter; if you’ve decided you’d like a bike licence then you can choose from any of the four categories. The problem is how this system obstructs entry into motorcycling for youngsters. It’s not just an issue for the bike industry, it’s snatching away fun, compelling and low-cost transport from young people.
The Telegraph - Saturday 16 February 2013
voodoo1:
Im 19But i only want a 350cc sports bike
I will drive when its wet in car,
But is a 350 underpowered ?
I can’t think of any 350cc bikes off the top of my head, it’s not a common engine size, what specific bike do you have in mind?
At your age you can take the A2 test which means testing on a bike of at least 395cc and between 33 and 46.6bhp, then you can ride anything up to 46.6bhp (as long as it isn’t derived from something more than twice that)
I’m a bike instructor so happy to help with any info. Commuting by bike is great as long as it isn’t icy, don’t worry about a bit of rain!
rd 350…legend
commonrail:
rd 350…legend
Should have said “currently”
commonrail:
rd 350…legend
Or an Elsie 
LC350
me either…then
1968kg:
voodoo1:
Im 19But i only want a 350cc sports bike
I will drive when its wet in car,
But is a 350 underpowered ?
I can’t think of any 350cc bikes off the top of my head, it’s not a common engine size, what specific bike do you have in mind?
At your age you can take the A2 test which means testing on a bike of at least 395cc and between 33 and 46.6bhp, then you can ride anything up to 46.6bhp (as long as it isn’t derived from something more than twice that)
I’m a bike instructor so happy to help with any info. Commuting by bike is great as long as it isn’t icy, don’t worry about a bit of rain!
350cc Stroker for you sir.
A nice JAWA Sport
or the Military 350
I think I prefer that one.
Wheel Nut:
1968kg:
voodoo1:
Im 19But i only want a 350cc sports bike
I will drive when its wet in car,
But is a 350 underpowered ?
I can’t think of any 350cc bikes off the top of my head, it’s not a common engine size, what specific bike do you have in mind?
At your age you can take the A2 test which means testing on a bike of at least 395cc and between 33 and 46.6bhp, then you can ride anything up to 46.6bhp (as long as it isn’t derived from something more than twice that)
I’m a bike instructor so happy to help with any info. Commuting by bike is great as long as it isn’t icy, don’t worry about a bit of rain!350cc Stroker for you sir.
A nice JAWA Sport
Oh dear! I’d rather walk.
maestro:
I comute everyday on my 125 scooter, I have a full licence but this is the first scooter I have had and is perfect for comuting. It does 110mpg and does 63mph which is just right for comuter speeds unless going on the motorways. I tend to find on bits of dual carriageway there is now enough traffic lights and roundabouts on them to keep slowing traffic so you can get to the front of queues and then in town its just great. However if you’ve got the horn for a motorbike then a scooter wont do it for you but if you just want to just use it as tool to comute then the tool for the job is a honda pcx125 its 4stroke so no meesin with mixing oil and all that and loads of under seat storage
Same here. Only two miles from home to yard, have a Honda Lead 110cc, costs next to nowt to run. Adequate for dual carriageway but better going the back way. If you just need cheap wheels, recommended.
You might find this site helpful; it’s sponsored by the motorcycle industry and has a wealth of info on how to get started.
Best thing about scooters is the extra weather protection, plus the “twist and go” driveline, absolute doddle to ride. I have other bikes too so the extra insurance cost is negligable.
As said above 350’s aren’t that common any more, most stretched to 400 which is a capacity limit for licensing purposes in Japan. I cannot advise on what bike is best for you from personal experience as for the last 20-odd years I’ve run mostly Harleys, last used Jap lightweights in the 1990’s.
.
i too recommend the nija 250R — light, quick, cheap on juice, enough poke to keep you entertained at speeds that’ll let you keep your license, cheap to insure — new ones cost around £3500. only other 250 really worth a mention is the honda vtr250 - same as the kwak but without all the plastic same price £3500ish - take your pick — shop around some dealers have offers on them. as for 350’s not seen one - unless you can find a jap import.
there’s a thread in the truckstop bar about this if you wanted a read.