5 Things To Note When Thinking About Purchasing A Motorbike For The First Time

Owning a motorbike can be a great way to relax and feel invigorated

, riding on the open road with nothing surrounding you or enclosing you in. Varying massively in price, there is a motorbike available to fit into everyones budget.

However, the purchase price of the vehicle is not the only cost that needs to be taken into consideration and before any motorbike can be taken out onto a public road, there are several steps that need be taken to ensure that everything remains legal.

1. Unlike a car, a practical and theoretical motorbike test does not need to be passed before a motorbike can be used on public roads. However, there is a course known as a CBT (standing for Compulsory Basic Training and according to the UK public services website DirectGov, was introduced in 1990 to decrease the high accident and incident rate amongst new riders) which must be completed before anyone can take a motorbike (or moped) out onto a road.

2. Should you have taken a CBT and have your motorbike ready to go (which must also be fitted with L plates at all times, until the official practical and theory test is taken or the CBT is renewed), UK law states that a valid motorbike insurance policy must be in place before the vehicle is used on a public road.

Motorbike insurance varies considerably in price depending on, amongst other affecting factors, the type of motorbike that is being insured and the individual and personal circumstances of the prospective policy holder. Shopping around is highly recommended to ensure that you receive the most affordable and competitive premium price possible.

3. Assuming motorbike insurance is in place and a CBT has been taken, it is important that you are wearing the correct and proper clothing. Although a full outfit of leather jacket, trousers, boots and gloves is not compulsory, the law in the UK states that a helmet is. Furthermore, the helmet must meet specific health and safety criteria, most notably British Standard BS6658:1985 and UNECE Regulation 22.05. It may seem a laborious process checking whether a helmet meets these criteria, especially if purchasing one from abroad, but these regulations have been put in place to ensure that the helmet is as safe as possible and provides sufficient protection to the wearer in the event of an accident.

4. It must be remembered that whenever a motorbike is used on a public road, it must be displaying a full and valid tax disc. Just like a car, the tax disc must be in date and be relevant to the motorbike that it is displayed on. Unlike car tax, however, the cost is a lot cheaper and as of 2010 stands at 15, 33, 48 or 66 pounds depending on the size of the engine.

5. Similar to tax, the motorbike must also have a valid MOT certificate in place if it is to be used outside of private land. The cost of a MOT certificate is set at a flat 29 pounds and 20 pence, although it is worthwhile to look around as some garages charge an additional fee for carrying out an MOT and issuing the certificate.

by: Christopher Reinhold

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