Decisions, decisions...

[DRider]

Hey folks,

So, I've been really stressing out over my finances over the last few days, and, I'm not entirely sure why.

Currently I'm unemployed, 17 (18 in April!) and I'm still running my 125. I've been told by my brother-in-law to thinking about booking my full test with the DSA, which would cost something like £121 (so that's theory test, MOD 1 and MOD 2). Now, I'm not entirely sure if I'd be able to pass the MOD 1 (I've recently read up that they changed it over the past year or so, and I've seen loads of people saying they failed at the obstacle avoidance test. :/), but that's not what bothers me.

In August my insurance is up, and it'll cost me between £4-500 for 3rd Party F&T, which is pretty pricey for an unskilled unemployed kid like me'self. My main concern at this point is trying to gather up enough money to get my insurance out of the way, as without that, I can't drive anyway. So I'm wondering; is the full motorcycle licence really that important to get? I'm not bothered about getting a bigger bike, my bike is more than enough for me, can get up to 70 on a good day, etc. and I really don't see what the full licence would really do for me (aside from me being allowed to take off the L plates).

So yeah... should I really bother with the full test right now? I know it can improve your safety 'n' all, but there are different free courses that run around here for that sort of thing, and I could really use the money for my insurance. Any thoughts? :/

Cheers.

 

[Bikermole]

Insurance is a legal requirement, so make sure that you can afford that, no matter what you do.
A full licence would only make a real difference to you if you were upgrading to a bigger bike, or using a motorway. however, ugrading to a bigger bike will be more costly to run/insure.
I'd always recommend getting lessons before you take your test, especially if you are uncertain. There are many riders on here who didn't, but If you dont think youre going to pass, you probably wont! And of course, lessons arent cheap :lol:

Get insured, and any left over can go on lessons. You dont have to pay the £121 all in one go. So you can always get theory done (£32) and then a few months later, Mod 1, followed by mod 2 when you're ready.

However, £400+ seems a lot for you on a 125, mine was £330 with 1 year no claims

 

[DRider]

Ha, true that.
That's true. I've been told that you can't use a 125 on a motorway anyway, but, I'm not entirely sure that it's the truth; I suppose a Google search would probably suffice. Yeah, my bike's a big 160kg (dry) cruiser, and it's plenty powerful. A bigger bike isn't even in view at this point.

Well, hopefully I'll get some dosh from some rich grandparents for my 18th. heh-heh-heh... I'll just have to see how it goes. It would feel great to be able to drive freely without having to worry about when I'll need to next take my CBT, or have the L plates hanging behind me, but, I get what I get.

Really? I put it through comparethemarket, and £410 was cheapest, followed by £508. I guess maybe it's because my bike is pretty big, and it cost about £1600 even pre-owned. I dunno. It would only drop down to about £350 with a full licence.

 

[BritishMotovlogger]

you dont have to do your test if you dont want. I know someone that has been riding on L's for over 4 years and isnt planning on doing his full test. Passing your test also allows you to ride on motorways and carry a pillion. However, a CBT costs £100 every two years, and if you have worked out the full test is £121, it could be financially beneficial to do the test, depending on when your next CBT is due (I would do the test a few months before it runs out). But if you do want to do the full test I would do it sooner rather than later because after feb (?) 2013 you are going to have to jump through a lot more hoops to gain your full licence!

 

[BritishMotovlogger]

Sorry, I wrote that last post as bikermoles was being posted.
Mine was £180 with 1 years NCB on a YBR for 3rd party only
I believe you cannot ride 50cc or below on a motorway, which means you can ride a 125

 

[Yarek]

You can ride a 125 on the motorway I believe, just not with 'L' plates.

I think that Bikermole and Mealexme have covered the main points. If you have to renew your CBT soon then you could consider that wasted money when you could put the money towards the full test. If you start going through your tests in 2013 onwards (not sure what point in 2013, but April would be a good guess) then you might have to jump through a lot more hoops than getting it done this year.

Biggest advice is though - try and get a job, any job and your financial decisions over riding the bike and paying £125 for the test won't seem so daunting.

 

[LeedsRider93]

Just get your insurance sorted, don't worry about your test. I was in the same position last year, finding money to pay for insurance is a pain. I had to save up every penny for six months, but I got there. Now paying for it isn't such a pain, having money coming in really makes a difference (even though it only is an NHS bursary). So I agree with Yarek, try to get a job. I don't know your personal situation, whether you are in full/part-time education or not, but surely you can do weekends on the tills at a supermarket or something.

Just bear in mind that the motorcycle test changes in Jan 2013, so if you could get your licence sorted before then it would be beneficial. But it isn't like they are banning motorcycling, so it isn't necessarily a problem.

Hope you work something out.

 

[AZZ3R]

My main concern at this point is trying to gather up enough money to get my insurance out of the way, as without that, I can't drive anyway.

I'm not bothered about getting a bigger bike, my bike is more than enough for me, can get up to 70 on a good day, etc. and I really don't see what the full licence would really do for me (aside from me being allowed to take off the L plates).

You've answered your question at the top with the paragraph below, sort your insurance, get a job, then when you feel ready take your test.

You can only ride on the M/way if you have passed MOD2 & have a bike over 50cc.

Hope this helps.

 

[Friz]

I recommend doing your test when you can afford it. With lessons too, you'll learn so much about riding a bike.

 

[NastyEvilNinja]

Try and find out what your insurance will be after you've passed your test. I should imagine it will come down...

 

[DRider]

Thanks for the great replies guys. I'll just get my insurance out of the way, and then have a look at my situation and see when it's best to do my full test. My CBT is up in about a year and a half, so it's not like I've got a lack of time to make the decision, I just don't know how the finances will go. haha I feel like a prat for getting the motorcycle without having the job to pay for the insurance, though I honestly expected to have had a job by now. Cumbria certainly doesn't have the best employment rates, considering even McDonalds gets 100+ applicants within the first couple of days of advertising, and even my dad is unemployed and doesn't even get interviews. But anyway, that's not really important; thanks for putting my mind at ease, you wonderful, rational people! ha