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Thanks , good shout on the jacket . Definitely appreciate the need for good gloves and kit. Winter cycling in the northern UK is not nice without proper clothing .
Ideally I'd like to rent a scooter for the CBT , then test ride a couple once I've passed , rather than biy something without trying it first
chrismanc-
sportsbikeshop.com is good for gear.
Heard their returns policy is decent, but not experienced it firsthand.Re helmets, I tend to look the SHARP rating (government body that rates the impact protection of various lids) and go for a 4 or 5 star rated one.
As said elsewhere, internal visors are quite handy (but some hate them), pinlock is an anti fog system, some think it is great, I am ambivalent with varying degrees of success.I used to wear thin running gloves inside my motorcycle gloves, all the thermal underwear, thin beanie inside the helmet, etc. to try and keep a bit warmer on my commute.
RE: CBT, might be worth finding your local rising school and book in, bikes, helmets, gloves, jackets, tend to be available if you don't have one yet.
Recommend having a go on a geared 125 as well as the twist and go, just in case you get a taste for it and want to up your efforts and get a full license, they will likely have both (and possible both out on the day you do your CBT)
DethBeard
PCX outsells rivals by a long margin and was the best selling bike last year. For some reason Yamaha outsold it the year before but in previous years the PCX has been the biggest seller. Doesn’t mean it’s the best but does mean lots of people think it’s a good bike (or just really good pcp deals), there are loads of second hand ones about and a healthy resale market when you decide to move it on.
Top selling bike list here:
https://www.bennetts.co.uk/bikesocial/news-and-views/news/2023/january/best-selling-bikes-2022
For all 125s I’d expect to top out at 55mph, despite claimed top speeds so I’d avoid dual carriageway roads above 50.
Kit: helmet is compulsory and depends on your budget, get a flip lid at your price point.
Gloves, don’t skimp here either, they take the brunt of the weather
Jacket, anything AA or above. If you have loads of cycling kit consider Knox urbane 2, it’s a mid layer so you wear whatever you want on top. I’m commuting in one at the moment with a gore windstopper soft shell that was too warm when I wore it as a cycling jacket. In the summer I’ll have the same Knox armour with just a mtb top over it.
Jeans: you can get decent jeans from bull-it for less than £100. Single layer with a cool mesh lining.
Boots: watch out for bargains (we all got £50 boots last year) but for what you’ll be doing any decent leather boot will do at first.