Need some advice please - complete beginner

Hi All,

I would be grateful if you could please share some advice on which license I should get as well as what bike I should purchase.

Background

I am 32 years old and have always wanted to learn how to ride a motorcycle, but, well.. life got in the way! I am now at the stage where I feel that if I don't do it now, I will never do it esp since I am getting older.

Before looking at this sub, I initially thought I would just do a CBT license and ride around in a 125 bike (which some say is plenty, others disagree). Now after reading the posts on this sub I am having second thoughts, and I can't really decide what to do. Money is also a big issue.... Anyhow, below are some of the options I am considering (but feel free to suggest your own thoughts).

Also for reference: I will probably only do less than 1k miles per year, i.e. going to the gym, taking it to the town etc. I am also not sure how long I would have the bike for.

Below are the options I am considering:-

Option 1 - Do CBT and get LXR 125 (Immediate)

Option 1 would be do a CBT, and buy a Lexmoto LXR 125 SE as my first bike. I would then ride it for two years, and then maybe do my A license and sell the bike.

Now I know that most of you will say that Chinese bikes aren't so great, but I feel like the Japanese equivalents are so expensive. I can't find any Japanese 125CC bike (under 5 years, less than 5k miles) that has the same features and looks as an LXR and is the same price range. On top of that, if I go for the LXR, I will have a 2 year warranty with Lexmoto should anything break down, so there is that assurance too.

This is the bike I am leaning to, whereas the Japanese equivalents for the same price point seem to be at least 6 to 10 years old and often will have15-20k miles on the clock.

Looking at insurance for the LXR, I am getting quote for £350 per year third party only. With fire and theft its £550.

Option 2 - Do DAS course, wait 4 to 5 months, get a 300 to 500CC Jap bike.

Option 2 would be do a full DAS course now (my local school offers the course for £1.2k). Once this is done (and after I have saved some money again, so likely a 4 to 5 months gap between DAS and getting my first bike), I could get a CBR500R or a Ninja300, 400 etc. This assumes that my insurance will be relatively cheap (i.e. £300 ish), if not, then I will need to save up a bit longer...

Bonus Question

What equipment is an absolute must I should have in addition to a helmet? Where do you normally buy your stuff from where the prices are reasonable? Also, how much should I expect to budget for this?

Finally..

Am I missing out something here? I feel like this is all a bit overwhelming for me so would appreciate some insights, tips and advice.

Oh, and one more!

What I also noticed is that bikes in general hold their value quite well (as compared to cars). Looking at autotrader, even after significant miles the depreciation seems to be small, even where the bikes are 4 or 5 years old. In some cases, the difference between these and new can be £1k

Thank you in advance to all of you!