Riding a motorbike isn’t quite like anything else. It’s exhilarating, freeing and a whole lot of fun. But it’s also dangerous, and can get expensive, so should you ride a motorbike? Well let me talk you through why you might want to, why you maybe shouldn’t, and how to go about it safely at least here in the UK.
Explaining why you should ride is pretty easy. For a couple grand you can buy a machine that’ll do 0-60 faster than most super cars. You can literally hand yourself off the side while doing 100 round a corner (on a track of course…), and even join a gear community of people to do ride with, have meet ups and plenty more. It’s an incredibly exhilarating experience, you feel very vulnerable yet with the maneuverability and acceleration you feel powerful too. You are even allowed to lane split and get past all the traffic!
Why you shouldn’t is also fairly obvious. You are significantly more likely to be killed on a bike, or seriously injured. Even with the best protective gear and safe riding all it takes is one driver to not look where they are going and run into you and that’s it. Game over. I don’t know a motorcyclist who hasn’t had an accident.
But, it’s not like you crash every time you go for a ride, I’ve been riding for a couple of years now and, touch wood, I’ve not crashed yet. There are a few reasons for that, so let’s talk about it.
First, let me explain the licence setup here in the UK. To get on the road at all even as a learner, you have to get a CBT certificate, that’s compulsory basic training, basically an afternoon where you are taught the basics. You can take it from age 16 and onwards, although 16 year old can only ride 50cc bikes and scooters, whereas 17 and up can ride 125cc. A lot of people get their CBT and ride on that for the 2 years its valid, but honestly that is a terrible idea. It’s called basic training for a reason.
The next step is getting a full licence. Depending on your age, you can either get an A1, A2 or full A licence, where A1 is for 17 to 19, A2 is 19 to 24 and full A is for anyone older than that. The restrictions are either engine size or power, for A1 let’s you ride any 125cc bike, A2 is any bike as long as it’s restricted to 47hp, and full A means any bike, any power level.
To get the full licence, you need to take 3 tests. 1 is a theory test, the same type as your car licence but with motorcycle specific questions. The others are riding tests. The first, module 1, is on a closed course, basically a car park, where you do slow speed maneuvers, and an emergency stop. I actually failed that once. Then there is module 2, an on road test identical to your normal driving test, except the instructor is riding their own bike and you have a one way radio listening to their instructions.
If you pass all that, you’ve got your license. There are some loopholes, like if you’ve got an A2 licence at 19, after 2 years of on the road experience you are allowed to shortcut and retake module 1 and 2 to upgrade to a full licence. I haven’t done that yet thanks to covid, but it’s possible.
Riding with a proper licence is a hell of a lot safer, as you will have much better control of the bike, and are at least a little more likely to think ahead at situations like cars waiting at junctions. Another thing you can do is get good gear. A good helmet is really important, if you can splash out for an aramid fibre one even better, but failing that, something that’s well padded and bright will do. Well fitting gloves, level 2 back, shoulder, elbow and knee protectors too, and a good set of riding boots will all help.
Riding defensively, only riding in the dry and day time, and plenty more can help, but it’s important to enjoy your time riding, not fear every moment. It’s amazing fun, you can’t get a feeling like it, and there are plenty of other avenues of riding other than street bikes. Motocross being a great example.
So, should you ride a bike? I think so, but of course that’s me and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!
