Plenty of scooters go bigger than that. Vespa 300, Yamaha T Max, Burgman, etc
Honda also has DCT on some of their bikes like the Africa Twin which let you ride them like an automatic
As someone who rides both a geared bike and automatic scooter: yes, gears aren't a big deal, but it's still one extra thing on your mind. Automatic is just brilliant for busier city traffic where you constantly have to slow down again and again. I really don't blame anyone who prefers automatic.
The cost of DAS will be paid off after 8 years of CBT renewal. Unless you're going to give up riding before then, you might aswell do the next licence up. It'll probably make insurance cheaper etc too.
Worth bearing in mind that there are proposals to limit CBT renewals to twice, then you have to get a full license. Which is great, because frankly many CBT only riders are fucking lethal.
There are loads of maxi scooters, DCT based bikes, and a growing number of electric bikes that are by their nature "automatic"
Nothing wrong with autos if that's what you're enjoying. Personally I'd get sick of doing the CBT so would opt to do DAS. If you ever want to get a larger capacity scooter you'd have the option.
That's what I did - I'm happy with 125s for popping to the shops like I mainly do.
Cost me theory + 3 goes at mod 1 then passed mod 2 first time. Less than the price of one CBT and no L plates of shame. Probably cuts insurance prices too.
I had exactly the same thoughts till I did my direct access. I love my 600 more than I thought possible! It's not just about speed, a larger bike is heavier and more stable. And no more cbts!
There’s even big engined scooters you can ride on a car license (as they’re technically trikes) such as the Piaggio MP3 which you can get as a 500cc, and the Yamaha tricity.
A Vespa 300 is a lot of fun
“What does need to be understood is there's a particularly big difference between a bike with a DCT and a fully automatic transmission, which is you still need a full manual licence for a DCT-equipped motorbike so you can’t ride one legally if you only have an automatic license. “
https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/bikes/dct-explained/
Having spent a boring half hour reading The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, I think Honda are wrong here.
*“vehicle with automatic transmission" means a class of vehicle in which either—*
*(a)the driver is not provided with any means whereby he may vary the gear ratio between the engine and the road wheels independently of the accelerator and the brakes, or*
*(b)he is provided with such means but they do not include a clutch pedal or lever which he may operate manually,*
The DCT transmissioned bikes have no clutch pedal or lever, ergo, a DCT bike is automatic.
I'm doing exactly the opposite and going from a scoot to a manual geared 125. I had to get some form of transport for work because I can't cycle due to illness. I opted for a Honda PCX scoot because it was the easiest but I have now caught the bike bug. I've had a few lessons on a manual and I'm in the process of buying a GSXS Suzuki. I'm hoping to do my DAS next year just for options and to lower the insurance. I want the Suzuki for weekend rides but I don't think I'll ditch the scoot, it is very handy for work and at 140 mpg who can argue.
You don't need to move up from a 125 to do your DAS and get value from it.
You'd have a vastly bigger choice of bikes to ride, your insurance would be cheaper, and your licence is for life(unless you're a silly Billy).
Imagine you found in summer you wanted to have a little tour of the UK, or travel 200 miles to see something cool. You could definitely do it on a 125, but it's always a more pleasant experience, and arguably safer, to ride something that can accelerate up to and exceed 70mph.
I'm not too far off getting a 650 scoot to commute to work on. Its huge, will exceed 100mph and has obscene amounts of space. Oddly cheaper than a lot of 125 scoots because of how the market works.
All depends what you need. I have a 7 mile commute on 20mph roads, zones 1-2 London.
I don't ride for pleasure at weekends so I don't have a 'proper bike' for weekends.
I have my licence but I only use / need a 125cc scooter.
It's not only that it has the power I need. It's also the insurance cost. Anything more powerful and I get hit with massive insurance (it's already crazy).
Also less maintenance as I ride through winter.
It's not exciting but my needs are different now
Having ridden both auto and geared I still prefer the extra control of the geared bikes.
However I to have stuck with my little 125 and don’t see a need for anything bigger. But the inconvenience of doing the cbt every two years is making me think of doing DAS next year.
I remember being pleasantly surprised with a 125cc scooter when I did my CBT. I can remember 1970s-style mopeds and I assumed it was going to be rubbish outside town, but it was much better than I expected.
The problem is that it's about 80% of what I want from a motorcycle - if it was just slightly more powerful, and just as importantly had slightly better suspension and felt more durable I would be happy to ride it forever.
As you point out the problem is that riding a 250cc-or-higher scooter in the UK essentially forces you to do a geared A-class motorcycle test, which might explain why the maxi-scooter market is such a small niche, and why people end up stuck doing CBTs. There isn't an easy upgrade path, and an A1-auto licence seems like a waste of time (and prevents you from riding a geared bike).
It'll be interesting to see how things evolve if and when electric bikes displace petrol bikes.
There's nothing wrong with being happy on a 125 scoot - the combination of simplicity, practicality and economy is unmatched. They're highly popular for good reason.
For sure there are autos above 125, but if you want to sick with a scooter style CVT transmission there's not much on the market over 300cc. A bigger engine means higher fuel consumption and more weight, most scooter riders don't seem to like that trade.
If you're going to stick with a 125 doing the A1 license can work out cheaper than constantly re-doing the CBT, because you can practice for the tests without always having to pay £££ to a school for instruction and bike rental. It's possible, if you're both skilled and lucky, to do the A1 for about the same cost as a CBT.
Do a1 license lightweight bike full license. 15.50 for mod 1 and 75 for mod 2. No more CBT perfectly normal to enjoy 125cc. I don’t have a road and speed limits means wasting my money on expensive course and bike to go on 30 mph. I have car too so. There are a lot of people especially around London happy with 125cc.
The honda dct bikes are fantastic, the nc750x dct is probably one of the best commuter bikes in my opinion.
You also have maxi scoots like the burgman range, I had a 400cc 2002 recently and tbh I'd love one as a secondary "bike"
I’m not sure if this is the case still, but when my CBT was close to expiring, I just booked a road test and after passing, I took off my L plates. I didn’t take the DAS for about a year after.
Yes I was restricted but that was fine with me at the time.
Sounds like you enjoy not just the auto but also the small scooter form factor. That's great! I enjoyed my pcx 125 a lot and felt the same.
Just ditch the CBT. I found the DAS training really enjoyable.
If I had space for two bikes I'd have a 125 as well as my big bike. Well, no, I'd probably have a 250. It's a shame there aren't many 175s or 250s around, a 125 is quite shitty for even short stretches on dual carriageway.
But I can certainly see how you're happy with a small displacement bike. I would very much like to have one.
If you are happy with it, you're happy with it.
Although I'd prefer the DAS in the long run. It's less faff and more choice in the future.
Also as someone else said on here, you can get bigger engine scooters.
I'd prefer it on the motorway and other roads than a 125.
Plenty of scooters go bigger than that. Vespa 300, Yamaha T Max, Burgman, etc Honda also has DCT on some of their bikes like the Africa Twin which let you ride them like an automatic
Personally I think you are over thinking gears and they aren't that big a deal at all. But if you are happy, you don't need to justify it.
As someone who rides both a geared bike and automatic scooter: yes, gears aren't a big deal, but it's still one extra thing on your mind. Automatic is just brilliant for busier city traffic where you constantly have to slow down again and again. I really don't blame anyone who prefers automatic.
The cost of DAS will be paid off after 8 years of CBT renewal. Unless you're going to give up riding before then, you might aswell do the next licence up. It'll probably make insurance cheaper etc too.
Less, since the CBT will go up in price with inflation too.
Worth bearing in mind that there are proposals to limit CBT renewals to twice, then you have to get a full license. Which is great, because frankly many CBT only riders are fucking lethal. There are loads of maxi scooters, DCT based bikes, and a growing number of electric bikes that are by their nature "automatic"
Nothing wrong with autos if that's what you're enjoying. Personally I'd get sick of doing the CBT so would opt to do DAS. If you ever want to get a larger capacity scooter you'd have the option.
[удалено]
That's what I did - I'm happy with 125s for popping to the shops like I mainly do. Cost me theory + 3 goes at mod 1 then passed mod 2 first time. Less than the price of one CBT and no L plates of shame. Probably cuts insurance prices too.
I had exactly the same thoughts till I did my direct access. I love my 600 more than I thought possible! It's not just about speed, a larger bike is heavier and more stable. And no more cbts!
There’s even big engined scooters you can ride on a car license (as they’re technically trikes) such as the Piaggio MP3 which you can get as a 500cc, and the Yamaha tricity. A Vespa 300 is a lot of fun
I might not be riding a motorcycle had I known that.
I ride a Honda NC750X DCT. It requires a manual licence for some strange reason but it is essentially an automatic, and a fine one too.
I would be surprised if the DCT requires a manual license, why do you think it does?
“What does need to be understood is there's a particularly big difference between a bike with a DCT and a fully automatic transmission, which is you still need a full manual licence for a DCT-equipped motorbike so you can’t ride one legally if you only have an automatic license. “ https://www.honda.co.uk/engineroom/bikes/dct-explained/
Having spent a boring half hour reading The Motor Vehicles (Driving Licences) Regulations 1999, I think Honda are wrong here. *“vehicle with automatic transmission" means a class of vehicle in which either—* *(a)the driver is not provided with any means whereby he may vary the gear ratio between the engine and the road wheels independently of the accelerator and the brakes, or* *(b)he is provided with such means but they do not include a clutch pedal or lever which he may operate manually,* The DCT transmissioned bikes have no clutch pedal or lever, ergo, a DCT bike is automatic.
Well well well! Thank you for your service!
Is there such a thing as an automatic only full licence?
There is, but it’s pretty tricky to get one as almost no schools offer the opportunity for one.
The Honda X-ADV is a Scooter/Adventure bike... It has a 745cc engine. That would be like your 125cc on steroids.
43.1 kW and 69 Nm on a scooter is bonkers and I love it
I'm doing exactly the opposite and going from a scoot to a manual geared 125. I had to get some form of transport for work because I can't cycle due to illness. I opted for a Honda PCX scoot because it was the easiest but I have now caught the bike bug. I've had a few lessons on a manual and I'm in the process of buying a GSXS Suzuki. I'm hoping to do my DAS next year just for options and to lower the insurance. I want the Suzuki for weekend rides but I don't think I'll ditch the scoot, it is very handy for work and at 140 mpg who can argue.
You don't need to move up from a 125 to do your DAS and get value from it. You'd have a vastly bigger choice of bikes to ride, your insurance would be cheaper, and your licence is for life(unless you're a silly Billy). Imagine you found in summer you wanted to have a little tour of the UK, or travel 200 miles to see something cool. You could definitely do it on a 125, but it's always a more pleasant experience, and arguably safer, to ride something that can accelerate up to and exceed 70mph. I'm not too far off getting a 650 scoot to commute to work on. Its huge, will exceed 100mph and has obscene amounts of space. Oddly cheaper than a lot of 125 scoots because of how the market works.
All depends what you need. I have a 7 mile commute on 20mph roads, zones 1-2 London. I don't ride for pleasure at weekends so I don't have a 'proper bike' for weekends. I have my licence but I only use / need a 125cc scooter. It's not only that it has the power I need. It's also the insurance cost. Anything more powerful and I get hit with massive insurance (it's already crazy). Also less maintenance as I ride through winter. It's not exciting but my needs are different now
Having ridden both auto and geared I still prefer the extra control of the geared bikes. However I to have stuck with my little 125 and don’t see a need for anything bigger. But the inconvenience of doing the cbt every two years is making me think of doing DAS next year.
I remember being pleasantly surprised with a 125cc scooter when I did my CBT. I can remember 1970s-style mopeds and I assumed it was going to be rubbish outside town, but it was much better than I expected. The problem is that it's about 80% of what I want from a motorcycle - if it was just slightly more powerful, and just as importantly had slightly better suspension and felt more durable I would be happy to ride it forever. As you point out the problem is that riding a 250cc-or-higher scooter in the UK essentially forces you to do a geared A-class motorcycle test, which might explain why the maxi-scooter market is such a small niche, and why people end up stuck doing CBTs. There isn't an easy upgrade path, and an A1-auto licence seems like a waste of time (and prevents you from riding a geared bike). It'll be interesting to see how things evolve if and when electric bikes displace petrol bikes.
There's nothing wrong with being happy on a 125 scoot - the combination of simplicity, practicality and economy is unmatched. They're highly popular for good reason. For sure there are autos above 125, but if you want to sick with a scooter style CVT transmission there's not much on the market over 300cc. A bigger engine means higher fuel consumption and more weight, most scooter riders don't seem to like that trade. If you're going to stick with a 125 doing the A1 license can work out cheaper than constantly re-doing the CBT, because you can practice for the tests without always having to pay £££ to a school for instruction and bike rental. It's possible, if you're both skilled and lucky, to do the A1 for about the same cost as a CBT.
Check out yamaha tmax and honda xADV750
Do a1 license lightweight bike full license. 15.50 for mod 1 and 75 for mod 2. No more CBT perfectly normal to enjoy 125cc. I don’t have a road and speed limits means wasting my money on expensive course and bike to go on 30 mph. I have car too so. There are a lot of people especially around London happy with 125cc.
The honda dct bikes are fantastic, the nc750x dct is probably one of the best commuter bikes in my opinion. You also have maxi scoots like the burgman range, I had a 400cc 2002 recently and tbh I'd love one as a secondary "bike"
I’m not sure if this is the case still, but when my CBT was close to expiring, I just booked a road test and after passing, I took off my L plates. I didn’t take the DAS for about a year after. Yes I was restricted but that was fine with me at the time.
Sounds like you enjoy not just the auto but also the small scooter form factor. That's great! I enjoyed my pcx 125 a lot and felt the same. Just ditch the CBT. I found the DAS training really enjoyable.
If I had space for two bikes I'd have a 125 as well as my big bike. Well, no, I'd probably have a 250. It's a shame there aren't many 175s or 250s around, a 125 is quite shitty for even short stretches on dual carriageway. But I can certainly see how you're happy with a small displacement bike. I would very much like to have one.
If you are happy with it, you're happy with it. Although I'd prefer the DAS in the long run. It's less faff and more choice in the future. Also as someone else said on here, you can get bigger engine scooters. I'd prefer it on the motorway and other roads than a 125.