Moving up on an Automatic license

[Gerard C]

Gn2 - the whole point is that if you are riding a 125 already on the road, especially if you take your test for the experience. Then riding a bigger capacity Scooter is a small step to take. So why is it so complicated to move up?
Gloria is a case in point. Someone who has no desire towards being a proper. "Biker", can, with very little cost and trouble move upwards on similar bikes. All that's needed is a biking friend to help get to the test centre. Oh and a bike to do it on. It's not a disaster if you fail because you learn and can still keep riding your smaller bike.

I can think of one long term learner who could do this route so easily. I bet he could borrow a bike for the exercise.

[gn2]

Getting a manual licence needn't be anything to do with aspiration to a "proper" bike.
Take servicing.
All bikes/scooters need servicing.
If you have your bike/scooter serviced at a dealer and have a geared licence you have a much better chance of getting a courtesy bike.
Geared licence = courtesy bike
Auto licence = the bus
Recently I have ridden two bikes I had no interest in whatsoever.
The fact that I have a geared licence meant that I was able to ride an XV950 and an R3 while my Forza was in for service/warranty/recall work.
Ordinarily there's no way I would ever choose to ride either, but the fact that I had a geared licence allowed me to learn that both were actually rather fun to ride and I had a real hoot on both.
Seems to me that advocacy of a limiting automatic licence is more narrow minded than encouragement to do the test on a geared bike.

[gn2]

So why is it so complicated to move up?

You would really need to ask the government that one.
The costs are the same whether the thing has gears or not.

[roygib]

You have to pay hundreds of pounds,plus many training hours to get a bike licence,than they let anybody with a car licence who past there test before Jan,2013,just take to the road on a mp3 500 or fuoco 800 with no test at all.Totally unfair.

[Gerard C]

Gn2 I'm. Not advocating anything, all I am illustrating is way of increasing the range of power of the bikes you want to ride. You. Could do the same thing on a geared bike. Steps along a path that saves going to a School.
To forestall the next comeback - training, all training is worthwhile but there's no need to make the assumption that everybody aspires to the full license and what's worse don't offer any stages. It seems its CBT then pressured - because nothing else is available, onto a large capacity, geared bike. That cannot be right.

How about you going to a Driving School and them insisting they will only train you up to drive a HGV on the basis that you might want to someday and its worth having.

[Gerard C]

Absolutely right Roy.

[Funkycowie]

theres a fuoco 800???

[victor]

You were lucky your scooter was ok and on the list for the test centre, lve seen the list some years ago and not every bike or scooter is on it, just because its a 400 cc does not mean that test centre will recognise it simply because its not on their list.

[Gerard C]

That's a very good point Victor. I had forgotten that other strange quirk in getting onto two wheels.

[Deleted User 4154]

You were lucky your scooter was ok and on the list for the test centre, lve seen the list some years ago and not every bike or scooter is on it, just because its a 400 cc does not mean that test centre will recognise it simply because its not on their list.

Good point. Here is the list for anyone interested.