A question...(for those old enough to do DAS). Those who have taken the restricted A2 test, did/do you feel inferior in any way for not doing DAS?   Same question to those who took the full A test, did/do you feel superior in any way to those taking the A2 test?   Any other thoughts or feelings on the matter?                                                                                                                                                                               

For me its horses for courses if you dont feel you can handle the power & weight of a bigger bike & want to ride restricted till you feel you can or such time as your kit comes off then you do the A2

If you can handle it then do a DAS. 

Even more so now as no matter which test you do, the 1st part of your MOD 1 you have to man handle the bike out of one space & into another, why bust a gut to do a DAS ? 

However the new rules for the 3rd directive will eliminate the auto progress so to ride a bigger bike you will have to do the bigger bike test, even to ride restricted will require a restricted test if Europe have their own way.                                                                                                                                                                               

When I started on bikes like many others on here it was on feilds from about 12/13. When I went on the road bikes were alot slower and had alot less power than todays bikes if you take your DAS now and think you can handle a top of the range bike your off your trolly, that is why so many born again bikers get killed on the road thay had a bike in the 70s and think thay are the same . yes 2 wheels a seat and handel bars No todays super bikes as you all know are 100 mph in 1st top end 180mph                                                                                                                                                                             

Was just wondering if there is a stigma attached to *only* passing on a 125 or a pressure to *must do DAS*.   This gets discussed at our RoSPA meets, the stigma of *only* achieving a bronze or silver rather than a gold.                                                                                                                                                                              

I'd agree with that JP. Not to take away from anyone's achievement of passing their direct access but the schools do generally use the easiest bikes they can. Yet to see one offering a Goldwing or a Hayabusa to take your test on!                                                                                                                                                                              

But there is no grading system for your test , you either pass or fail. 

And new rules mean to step up a 'power level' you have to do a new test, I cannot see why anyone should have a stigma because of passing on a 125, rather than doing DAS. 

It will be interesting to hear from anyone who did a 125                                                                                                                                                                             

I took my test some 28 years ago so it doesn't apply to me. 

However, my son and I had a similar conversation and he decided to do the DAS. His reasons were that although he could pass his test and buy a Gixer thou (for example), he concluded that he would rather have the choice of whatever bike he wanted; than feel his choice was limited due to the restriction (if that makes sense).  

He passed and decided on an SV650S to give him the experience and confidence needed before he went all out for a Gixer thou. If he feels he's ready to progress then he can rather than wait for the two year restriction to be up.

At the end of the day it is down to personal choice and like Shell said, it's horses for courses. I did offer son and heir a go on my gsxr but he turned it down.....phew,                                                                                                                                                                              

Well like the RoSPA corrolation, a lot felt that any stigma of *only* getting a bronze was self imposed which is why I asked if those passing on a 125 felt inferior.   I passed on a 125 and I have felt inferior at times. Why? Because I felt like I wasn't good enough.                                                                                                                                                                             

When I took my bike test the powers that be had just introduced the 2 part test and reduced the bike from a 250 to a 125. The part 1 test was known then as the Silver Star Rider.  Although I admit that I couldn't wait to get a big bike, I felt no stigma riding about on a 125. Had loads of fun and even rode from my home town to Newcastle in one trip. Took me over 6 hours but I enjoyed the experience and had a grin all the way. 

there is definately an attitude of I`m better than you because I`ve done DAS and you havent, even on here, its subtle but there have been digs over the years and Im not getting drawn into a discussion on that. Its good that the option was there for me and I`ve feel that it was the right thing for me to build up gradually to the bike that I always wanted. I really feel that everyone regardless of age should be restricted to something like a 250 for a year. Dont all scream at once but I am convinced that this is more of an issue with girls who seem to me to be more competitive! gonna run and hide now!                                                                                                                                                                             

Roachy as you say regarding RoSPA the stigma is often self imposed, I get the feeling your feelings are the same, self imposed ? (unless someone has said otherwise)

I know a friend of mine felt she was not good enough for a while after doing her test on a 125, but that was because as she admitted, she had rushed to do her test before the new test came out & so only had the chance to do it on a 125, and for her, she felt like she had cheated doing the 125 test cos she knew it was the easy option.                                                                                                                                                                               

Yeah, as with most things, I'm my own worst critic.   Out of interest, your friend. In who's opinion was taking the old test the easy option?   Is a bad thing to be restricted?                                                                                                                                                                              

Gixergal - I'm really glad that your son didn't get a Gixxer thou or similar after passing his test!!  Sounds like a new rider with some common sense to me!

New riders buying the latest superbike is half the reason there are so many accidents with new riders and I do feel that DAS has a lot to answer for.

I'm with Julie on this, I do feel that everyone should be restricted for a period before being given the option of moving up to a more powerful bike.

This has been said so many times on this forum, but the fact is that things are far different nowadays than they used to be.  People used to pass their test and get a 500, then after a couple of years trade up to a 750 and then after a few years more trade up to a thou ... if they could afford to do so.  Very few had the pennies to pass their test and get a "big" bike.

Today however, bikes are relatively cheap and it is far easier for someone to pass their direct access and buy a GixxerZXBlade or whatever.  And a lot do!  A lot do a few days intensive training, pass their test and then jump onto a machine capable of going from 0-100 in a few seconds.

Which is very scary.

Yes, you could argue it should be each person's choice.  But I don't think it should .. when there is a correlation between new riders and a much higher risk of fatal or serious injury accidents, each costing society an average of several hundred thousand pounds (or a few million for fatality accidents!), then some decisions should be taken away from us for the economic good of society.  Not to mention heartache of friends and relatives.

I'm not a fan of DAS, can you tell lol?                                                                                                                                                                              

I took my test a looooong time ago (not long enough to be on a 250 but pre DAS etc),once passed I got a 72 bhp CBX550 followed by a 36 bhp GPz305-The other way round would have been far more sensible,lack of experience meant I scared myself more than once on the CBX,the 305 was much less scary,proper modern stuff is loads quicker,getting straight on a Fireblade,GSX-R Thou etc straight after passing the test strikes me as a bad idea. That said there's nothing to stop you passing your car test in a Micra and hopping into a Lamborghini (if you can afford one!)                                                                                                                                                                             

Geoff...I too am glad that my son didn't get a gixer thou or similar. 

Sprint... referring to your comment "That said there's nothing to stop you passing your car test in a Micra and hopping into a Lamborghini (if you can afford one!)". Perhaps the powers that be should also restrict those who pass their car licence.  Education is needed on both sides.

Oh... and I too bought a CBX after passing my test but what puzzled me is that it was 572.5cc...how do you share 0.5cc between four cylinders?                                                                                                                                                                              

Roachy by her own admission she did not feel she could do the new test, she is 4ft not a lot and a size 8 ... She did also try aspects of the new test and was unable to do them.

As for DAS ok yes I did a DAS however I feel that intensive courses have more to answer for than If it's 125 or DAS ... My bike was a 650 same size as what I planned to ride after passing, it was a heavier than the bike I planned to ride and I had lessons for 8 months in total., so feeling comfortable and confident riding my SV once I passed.
Saying people do a DAS then get an unsuitable bike, is it not just as bad passing on a 90kg 10bhp 125 and then getting 180kg more powerful bike even if it is restricted to 33bhp

we are always complaining that the government make decisions for motorbikes because of the stupidity of a few, surely to say all should be restricted to what they can ride because of the ones who go buy a stupid bike after passing their test is just doing the same?

I passed my test (DAS) in March this year and purchased a Suzuki bandit 650.  As I am 5' 7", I didnt want a big bike that I would find hard to handle.  I will keep this bike until I have enough experience, then think about something bigger.  So not all people who pass their DAS go off on a Fireblade, but you will always get people that dont think and end up in a hedge.

Inferior/superior doesn’t really come into it. You ride what you can afford and are capable of handling, as was said to me by the salesperson before I bought my current ZX-6R, two weeks after passing MOD 1 & 2, two years ago. He went on further to say similar to Running Man’s comment; try and follow the experienced and you’ll end up in a ditch.   In my view the ‘superior element’ are the ones that wear proper kit against the ones that don’t.                                                                                                                                                                              

ok now i feal realy old thanks
i past my teast 30 years ago
the man who teasted me sied ill stand here u round the block ill jump out if u hit my u fail lol
then he put this foot behind my back tyer and sied run over it u fail
then he asked whitch braeks is best in the wet
got some pic out and sied what dose this meen
then shouk my hand and sied u passed

I passed my (DAS)in October last year but given the weather (snow and ice) until Feb didn't actually ride.  I bought a Sprint GT and rode it home a day or two after my Mod 2. By Feb I was too intmidated to "learn" on it and bought a second hand Bonneville as a learner bike.  Have now done 6k on the Bonny and its great. Still have the Sprint GT and will gradually swap over.

2 things I'd say:

I'm a beginner/novice and neither feel superior nor inferior, it's all about being honest with yourself - self confidence and a big dose of modesty.  Have found all bikers really helpful when I explain how little I know and how much I still have to learn.

Second point is that the system is currently far too complicated and putting a significant number of people off learning.  It's having a detrimental effect on the whole industry.  The most important goal in bike safety should be ensuring that we maximise the number of bikes on the road by streamlining the test process without compromising standards and focussing on continuous learning like the IAM's course. Cyclists are safer on the road without testing given the explosion in cycling in recent years. e.g include dedicated cycleways.

It's true for motorcycles as well.  We need so many more bikes/bikers if are our road users are ever going to become bike aware.  I'm off to do IAM's training.  You will never prevent the idiot who wants to be reckless but at the moment most of my friends have an engrained attitude - bikes are mad death traps.  We need to make bikes popular again and there is a huge market out there, from the young to the middle life crisis brigade (me ).