Question: I’ve been riding now for four months. My original plan was to get some experience under the belt and do DAS summer 2010 before getting a bigger bike. However, I’m enjoying it so much that I’m tempted to do DAS this summer and get my testing out of the way.
Top of the current con list is that I’ll have a smaller budget with which to buy a new bike (assuming a pass of course) this summer, probably around £2k. Worth waiting until next year?
Does that include insurance?
You could probably pick up a very decent CBR6 or SV for around £2,000…
No, not including insurance. Hadn’t thought about that. I currently pay around £270 for my Shadow. I presume that will jump a fair amount…
id do the das now and keep on saving… so when you buy a bigger bike you have more years on a full license (might make it cheaper to insure) 
True, dat.
plus your insurance may go down if you have a full liscence, and you can take the L plates off your current bike.
If you don’t do it now and a great bike comes along, you won’t be able to buy it!
FWIW, I’m 27 and pay about £500 fully comp for insurance a year, just passed.
It doesn’t.
When I phoned my insurance company up to tell them I’d passed, the woman on the other end said “er, well done. Anything else?”. From what I gather, they don’t really care.
If you can afford it I’d do the test now. If you fail, you’ve got more time to do it again before next summer, if you pass you get to use motorways and give people lifts and not have L-Plates (drivers treat you differently when those come off). Also, as said, if a bike comes along that you want in the meantime, you can just go and by it.
2k can buy you a LOT of bike if you shop around.
What bike do you ride? £500 fully comp sounds cheap. I pay much more 
+1, that’s what I was thinking. Once you pass the test the choice is yours, but you have to pass the test before you can do anything.
Pass the test, carrying on riding the old bike, save money, and then get a new bike in the winter, as prices can drop in the winter
