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Hi everyone, I hope that you are well. My name is Christian and welcome to my channel Backpacking Bananas. I have been living in Sydney on a working holiday visa for 6 months now and whilst I am insured on my boyfriend's car to drive around, the time has come where I really want my own vehicle to bop around the city in. I know I didn't want to buy another car straight away, mostly because of the parking situation in Sydney. It can often be really hard to find a parking spot on the streets, at the beach and also just having two cars for the two of us feels a bit excessive. So, I was then torn between getting an e-bike or a moped. In the end, I have settled on going for a moped. Mostly
because there are Lime bikes all over the city which are super affordable and convenient. So, if I do want to cycle anywhere, I already have access to that. But, getting a moped will allow me to get around quicker and further and I can park them so easily squeezing into any spot that a car cannot fit. Now, I have been riding automatic scooters for over 10 years, mainly in Thailand and Bali. I also owned my own scooter in Mexico and the rules in those countries are very relaxed. I was renting scooters 250 cc without any issues. But, the truth is with a full UK car driving license, you are actually only technically allowed to ride scooters up to 50 cc. And riding a 50 cc scooter is like riding a portable
hairdryer. As you can imagine, Australia is a country which is very strict with its rules meaning if I wanted to ride a scooter over 50 cc, I would need to get my motorcycle license. So, in this video, I'm going to take you through the process of me getting my motorcycle license to show you what's involved, how much it costs and also I want to get a bike as soon as I get my license. So, you're coming with me on my bike hunt as well. The first thing that you need to do is book your pre-learners course. This is a practical course over two half days. The most popular and well-regarded company to do this with in New South Wales is Stay Upright. And here's the amazing thing, this only costs $114. That includes all the equipment, your
instructor, it's a small group of just five people, your motorbike, your certificate. That's because in New South Wales, this course is subsidized by the government. If you were to do this in Victoria or Queensland, this would cost around $700. So, this is a huge win for New South Wales. They have lots of locations, but I chose the Botany Bay one as it is closest to the eastern suburbs, but as you can imagine, that also makes it the most popular. So, I had to book about a month in advance, and the only time slot available was 6:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. So, on day one, I arrived before the sun came up. We had a quick classroom session, tried on a helmet, and got straight out into the
range. The course is designed for complete who have never even touched a motorcycle before. So, we started with total basics of safely getting on the bike, turning it on, stopping and starting. I've never driven a manual before, so using the clutch and accelerator and brake all in harmonious unison was completely new to me, but by the end of the session, we were driving in circles around the range and getting up to second gear. It was actually quite nice to have finished at 9:30 a.m. because it meant I still had loads of time in the day. We took the dog out in the afternoon, and I went for a run around Centennial Park.
Back for day two of the learners. It's just our little break now. We're not allowed our phones actually on the tarmac. Uh but today, we've been doing more of switching gears, being in the tension position, and then just using our brake to allow us to go very, very slowly and controlling the bike and going through cones. It's challenging, actually. It's definitely not easy. I'm really glad that I already drive a manual car because that makes my understanding of it so much easier. I remember when I was first learning to drive a manual car being like, this makes no sense at all. But, it's good fun. I'm glad to be learning a new skill. By the end of the second session, we were completing a simulation circuit around the range,
having us indicating, giving way, stopping and starting, switching gears, going around corners, merging, and at the end of the day, we received our pre-learner certificate. Sorry for the noise here. There is a lot of construction going on outside, but I have arrived at my new little 2-day house sit from Mad Paws. The cute little kitty is just over here who I'm looking after. Hi, gorgeous girl. She's a little bit shy, um but I have actually booked my driver knowledge test theory test for today because I just want to be able to drive as soon as possible. And I can't actually, even though I've now done my pre-learners, I
can't actually get my L plates until I've done the theory test at Service New South Wales center. And then they finally give me my learner's license. It's a whole process. Now, fortunately, on the Service New South Wales website, you can take practice tests. I haven't had time to even read the whole handbook, so I'm just going off literally what I've learned over the past 2 days and my common sense. I've taken two of the practice tests so far. I did not pass the first one. I think I was maybe one or two points off. But I've just taken a second one and I have passed. I think I only got two or maybe three questions
wrong, but I have about half an hour to 45 minutes before I need to leave. So, I'm going to try and take this test at least two or three more times and see if I can get 100% each time and then I'll be going and feeling a little bit more confident. Okay. Third test I've done and I have passed, but I did get, I think, two incorrect. So, we're going to go again. Okay, this is like the fifth time I've done it and I got 100%. So, feeling a little bit more confident. Obviously, not massively confident in the fact that I didn't pass every single one of those tests that I just did. Almost, but not every. But it's time for me to go. This is it. So, I need to bring my certificate. I to bring my passport. I think I also need
to fill out a form when I arrive there as well. So, let's go to Bondi Junction. Okay, here we go. Wish me luck. Please wait to the left side of the door. All right. I'm just going to go over some of the questions now that I know I got wrong. I took a photo of them. So, hopefully if they come up on the test, I'll be fine. I am very proud to say I got 100% on the test. I don't think I've mentioned it cost me $57 to book and take the DKT and those practice tests that I did just beforehand helped massively because it meant that I had seen almost every single question before. So, after I completed it, I went
to another desk to speak to the driving license lady at Service New South Wales and she issued me my paper learner license. She also gave me some L plates and I got my card learner license set up to be posted to me in a few weeks and that cost $72. I just really love this area. This is Vaucluse and it's unfortunate I really like this area cuz it is one of the more expensive areas in Sydney, but it is where Ben and I are considering and actually I was having a look at some flats last night on real estate and there's one that's within our budget and they have an inspection this morning. So, I'm going to have my coffee and then I'm going to walk around. It's like a 10-minute walk from where I am staying.
This flat had two bedrooms. Sadly, no air conditioning which could be something we don't love when summer rolls around. It wasn't modern, but it wasn't outrageously old either. The lounge was a nice size and there was a balcony. The kitchen was decent too, but it's very common in Australia for things like the fridge and washing machine to not be included. So, that is something that we would also need to factor into the budget. Well, that was fun. I've actually like never really been to an open inspection like that before, so I didn't know what to expect, but I was the only person there. so, yeah. A little bit awkward. I was just like, "Hello." Because realistically, I'm not ready to actually stop doing the house sitting yet. So,
it's just really getting an idea of how like what we can get for our money. I did really like the apartment though. I like this area. It was $845 a week is the price. Two bedroom, one bathroom, and one car parking space, which is really important for us because we have a car and hopefully very soon a car park. If you know Sydney, you know how hard it can be to find a car park. And so, I just don't want to have to rely on having to find a car park on the road every single day for like where I live. That can sometimes be really challenging. And honestly, I don't want to spend my time doing that. I just want a dedicated car parking space. So, that is one of our prerequisites. How about you can see
whales here in the right season is also just blows my mind. That's so cool. I didn't see any, but it does say that they do start migrating along these coasts from mid-May, which is like right now. The cat's running away from me. So, [clears throat] I can't give her a medication right now. I'm going to have to be persistent. They do this Turkish bread at Coles. It's so delicious. I do one side [snorts] just lightly toasted with some butter. The other side I've done cream cheese and some smoked salmon. What a breakfast. So, I have been on such a roll with my
training recently and my Garmin says that I've been productive for like the past at least 2 weeks. If you don't know, I am training for a few events actually. Initially, it was just the City to Surf event, which is like a hilly 14K, the biggest fun run in the world, and it's in Sydney on the 9th of August. Then I signed up for a race uh called the Balmoral Burn, which is essentially a 420 m sprint up a big hill. And like a big hill. That's in 2 weeks time. So, I really need to do more hill training. Um and then I've also, towards the beginning of July, I have signed up for a trail half marathon in the Chilterns with my friend Cheryl. So, yeah, I've got a lot to train for. The training is going well. And like I said,
I have been productive on my Garmin for like the past 2 weeks, and yesterday I didn't do anything training-wise. And now it's suddenly saying maintaining. And I'm like, are you kidding me? I'm having I have a day off, and I'm not progressing with my fitness anymore. I'm not having that. So, it's a sunny but cool Saturday, and I'm going to go for a long run. I'm in Vaucluse, and I've just mapped out something on my Garmin, which is 14 km kind of around the whole peninsula up to the tip of Watson's Bay and back again along the cliff walks and stuff. The goal is to keep my heart rate low. So, I expect this to be extremely slow because I know that it is a bit hilly, so I'll probably end up walking
on a lot of the hills, but I need to keep my heart rate on an average below 150. That's the goal, and that's also what Garmin says that I need to do more of this kind of low aerobic stuff, building up my aerobic base. I did manage to feed the cat some of her medication. Um not all of it. I am still working on it. But my god, it's really hard trying to corner a cat who's only just met you yesterday and feed them medication that they don't want. I didn't quite anticipate the challenge of that. But anyway, let's go running. This is nearly the end. I've done 12 K's and I'm on like the final K or two. This is the Diamond Cliff Walk. It's unbelievable and it's fairly new.
Hardly see like people on here. I guess still one of Sydney's hidden gems. Can we call it that? Before I go and visit or test drive any of these cycles, I'm going to need my own helmet and so today we are going shopping to a shop called MCAS warehouse. Um I think there's a few of them over Sydney. We're going to the one in Alexandria cuz that's closest to where we are now and the goal is to buy a helmet at the very least. Hopefully some gloves as well and maybe a jacket. But it means that when I go and test drive all of these different bikes that I will be fully equipped. I don't need to rely on anyone else's equipment. Okay, here we go.
MCAS 50% off all women's motorcycle gear. Hell yeah. Wasn't expecting that. Right, Ben has said that he wants me to get one which has like a chin guard as well. We shall see. See, I just want one of these ones. This is extra small. It fits. Yeah, it fits but can you see my cheeks like this? So I think maybe it's too small. I think that's better. It There is a little bit of room. Do I really need like this like Ben is nodding. I do need something like this.
It's just safety. I just feel like I'd like really low visibility here which is even more dangerous. Medium actually just feels more comfortable. But again, this is I can't see. This is too much. So, this is a small size. You can see so much better. I quite like the colors though. I wasn't planning on going for a red one. I thought I'd go for a white one, but again, this is affecting my vision more than the other one. I think the red and the pink clash a little. I'm really just debating on whether to get the jacket or not. Okay, I ended up not getting a jacket just because I didn't love the ones that I tried on and I know that they're safe and all and
I would like to continue searching for one that I do really like. The thing is, I just know that if I purchase one that I don't love, I will be less inclined to wear it, which then completely defeats the point in having one at all. Um, so, we're going to wait for the right one. But, I've got my helmet and I've got my gloves in my bag as well. Today's a busy day, so we started early, but not that early, maybe like 7:00 a.m. We've got our coffee, we're taking the dog for a walk, and I have managed to book in five different viewing / test drives for scooters across Sydney. So, that's literally what I'm doing with my entire day. And most of the scooters are actually they're all
different makes and models, which I'm looking forward to because it's going to really help me decide what one to go for. And they all vary in price as well because I don't want to spend that much. Like, I don't want like a brand new Vespa. That's something that I'd like to work towards in the future. Ideally, I do want something that's cheaper. However, I have gone for a few kind of like mid-range ones, which are $4,000-ish, and I would be willing to spend that if I do really like that bike. So, we'll see what happens. I first drove up to the center of Manly to view a 2020 Kymco Agility RS 125, which has done 30,000 km and has a listing price of $1,400, which is the cheapest scooter
that I will view today. Apart from one crack in the right wing mirror, this bike was in very good condition. Driving this thing, however, I did not enjoy. The bike feels really small, like a kid's bike. I did not feel particularly balanced going around corners, and I got up to about 40 km/h on the test drive, but felt like I was going much faster than that because of the instability and big hairdryer syndrome. If I didn't know that this thing was 125cc, I would have guessed it was closer to 50cc based on how it feels. But actually, the thing I disliked most about this scooter was the sidekick stand because
it does not fix into place when you kick it out, meaning it flips back up as soon as you lift the scooter a little bit, which in my eyes is a big fat risk for this thing falling over very often. I've had a bit of time at home before the next scooter viewing, and I've actually just got changed into jeans because I was wearing my flared leggings before, and I was slipping and sliding around on that seat. And so, I don't want that to happen with the future ones. And realistically, I shouldn't always be wearing my jeans for riding anyway, but at the same time, I know that's not realistic for me for the future. So, a part of me is like, "Should I stay in leggings just to see if riding in worse conditions is still
good?" But anyway, no. I've gotten into jeans, and now I'm off to a suburb called Ashfield, like 20 minutes from here. Scooter number two is a 2021 SYM Classic 125cc, which immediately wins the award for the cutest-looking bike. It looks like it came straight from the streets of Kyoto. There were muffs for the handlebars, a medium-sized windshield, and even a little hat to shield the sun from the phone holder. A massive bonus for this one was the ready-mounted 39-L Shad top case. I definitely want to have a top case for my future bikes, so having it included is a big bonus. Now, riding this thing, it had a much comfier riding position and felt very sturdy and balanced.
Very good leaning into turns, but that's because this thing is a big boy. He is heavy. He takes up a fair amount of space and doesn't really feel nippy at all. Especially as he also has a bad case of hair dry syndrome when I accelerated over 30 km an hour. But I was very pleased that the side kick stand of this bike did fix into place when pushed out. This bike had almost 40,000 km on the odometer and the listing price of this one is $1,850. I then traveled from Ashfield further west to Guildford to view a 2021 Peugeot Belville 200cc with only 1,900 km on the odometer. So we really moved up in the ranks, but understandably that is reflected in the listing price being the
highest of the day at $4,200. This bike was in completely perfect condition with not a single scratch or crack. The electrics of this bike were pretty cool. The indicator made a loud beep when it was on, which I actually like because it will always remind me to turn it off after turning, which is easy to forget on a moped. You could also initiate hazard lights, which I've never seen before. There was a folding bag holder on the front and also an inbuilt USB charger, which is always handy. Not only did the side kick stand fix in place, it also automatically turn the engine off. And on the test drive, she rode
beautifully. I got up to 60 km an hour completely effortlessly, which I would expect from a 200cc and she felt very stable around corners, but also still feels nippy and not too clunky. So she is expensive, but she will be hard to beat. I then traveled to Five Dock to view a 2017 Piaggio Fly 150cc, which is listed at $2,400. And well, this has thrown a spanner in the works because I didn't think it was all too special on first impressions with a decent number of scratches on the top case and the oil light was just permanently on and the battery needed replacing. She's also the oldest bike I'm viewing today, but then I rode her and it was pretty great. Noticeably way more effortless power than the 125cc
bikes from earlier today. I went up to 50 km an hour and she felt sturdy and balanced going around corners, but also light and nippy, which is exactly what I want. Piaggio are the manufacturers of Vespa, so they are very well made. The side kickstand did fix into place. It didn't turn off the engine, but that's not a deal breaker. She has done 18,500 km on the odometer, which actually isn't too bad. And of course, although it has cosmetic damage, the top case is included, which again is a big bonus. And my final bike of the day, all the way over in Bondi Beach. It's been a big day and it was dark at this point, but I needed to check this one out. This guy has listed his 2018 Vespa GTS 300
for $3,000. Now, it has done over 35,000 km on the odometer, but that's still a great price. And my question was, why? Well, the first big thing is that the speedometer does not work. It is stuck on 60 km/h, which although the owner said otherwise, that does make this scooter illegal to drive as is, but it is fixable. So, I took it for a spin. This guy felt like a beast. Being 300 cc, he is obviously powerful and effortlessly reached 50 km/h, but he also did not feel nippy at all. The whole bike just felt massive, to be honest. My hands were really stretching themselves to reach the indicators while driving. And this massive windshield was good when riding, but when I was sitting on the scooter trying to eat it forward
to come off the center kickstand, I kept bumping my helmet onto the windshield. As well as that, it does have a big fat nasty scratch on its side. So, a cheap, powerful yes, but does it tick enough of my boxes? Probably not. So, I'm curious, which scooter would you go for and which do you think that I went for? I am afraid you are going to have to wait until the next vlog to find out. Thank you guys so much for watching. If you are in New South Wales and thinking about doing your motorcycle license, I would highly recommend it. Remember, you have to book your two-day pre-learners course, then you have to book your
driver knowledge test at Service New South Wales. You need to bring your pre-learners certificate, and if you pass that, that is when they give you your paper license and L plates there on the day if you want to go out and start riding. So, it was a total cost of $243 for me to get my learner's license all up. Legally, you have to wear an approved helmet and as of July 2026, learners will also have to wear gloves and a high-vis. Something that I've also learned is that on your L and P plates, you cannot lane filter under any circumstances and you also can't have a phone out whilst you're riding, even if it's attached and even if it's for navigation, which is quite a challenge, but it does mean that I'm
getting to know the Sydney roads a lot better having to study a map time before I leave the house. I hope you guys enjoyed this video and let me know if you have any questions regarding this topic and I will see you in the next video. Bye-bye.
