Honda offers a one-stop shop to get on two wheels
By Ben Purvis
Has written for dozens of magazines and websites, including most of the world’s biggest bike titles, as well as dabbling in car and technology journalism.
09.01.2024
If you’ve had your bike licence for a while you’ve probably long since forgotten how much hassle it was to get onto two wheels – or perhaps you got it in the days of simple, three-day CBT-to-full-licence courses – but the barriers to getting a motorcycle entitlement are higher than ever today and can be off-putting for people who want to ride but not to jump through so many hoops.
That’s where the Honda School of Motoring’s New Rider Programme steps in with the aim of simplifying the process, all the way from undergoing Compulsory Basic Training to passing your test even picking and paying for a bike and riding kit. The company’s new package lets you spread the cost of training, testing, and riding kit, and even to buy a new bike and a service plan, as well as offering tailored packages for riders who already have a CBT or a restricted licence and want to step up to the next level.
Honda’s School of Motoring has branches all over England, Scotland and Wales, with a branch locator on its website. These can take you from no experience at all to a full licence in as little as six days, starting with basic instruction and the CBT, followed by experience on bikes of increasing engine sizes and then the Module 1 and Module 2 test to get a licence. They also provide step-up courses to take riders with restricted licences to the next level, including an offer of £500 towards a new bike.
What’s new about Honda’s latest New Rider Programme is its all-in-one finance offering, which offers deals on the entire range except the CBR1000RR-R Fireblade and GL1800 Gold Wing – which is probably sensible, as neither would be ideal for a rider with as little as six days’ experience. As an example, the firm shows how it could provide PCP finance on a brand new CB750 Hornet, plus training, test fees and a set of riding kit for as little as £134 per month without an exorbitant deposit.
That breaks down to £89 per month for the PCP on the bike over 37 months, with a £1643.55 deposit, and a payment of £44.83 per month (over 36 months) to cover £1400-worth of rider training, test fees and riding kit. That equates to an interest rate of 9.42% on the bike and 9.48% on the training, test and kit. However, the numbers will all change depending on the kit you choose, the training you need and the bike you buy. You can also wrap a service plan into the bundle (prices vary depending on the capacity of the bike and the mileage covered, ranging from £299 for an annual service plan for sub-350cc bikes to £739 for a scheduled service plan for a bike over 801cc, but each includes three services).
The Honda scheme isn’t completely unique – BMW’s Rookie-to-Rider package takes a similar approach – but the ability to pool the cost and complexity of getting a licence and buying a bike and kit into a single package is likely to be very tempting for anyone new to riding.
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