Lesson recommendations?

Dirk Gently · 17-10-2008 3:49pm #1

Can anyone recommend the best place for lessons? Just got my provisional and want to get a few lessons before I hit the road. Prices seem to be very expensive. quotes of €140 for single lessons and €600ish for courses. Would a full course be necessary or would I be better off doing a few single lessons and going back for a pretest before my full test? I want to put as much money into the bike as I can so am looking for value if I have to spend that kind of money on a course.

(I know the importance of lessons, just looking for the best value for money option)

cantdecide · 17-10-2008 3:52pm

If you already drive a cage, the days course will suit you. If you're new to motoring you should settle in for a few months, I'd say. What's your location...

Dirk Gently · 17-10-2008 4:01pm

Dublin 11.

I got the above prices from Irish school of motoring today. Training centre is in fitzgibbon street so handy enough location.

Hotblack Desiato · 17-10-2008 10:04pm

cantdecide wrote: »

If you already drive a cage, the days course will suit you.

Nonsense. Driving a car and riding a bike are completely different skills. Sure, you know the rules of the road and the signs, but cyclists are supposed to too, does that qualify them to drive a car or ride a motorbike?

Skimping on lessons is a quick route to casualty, or worse.

Clown bag, I presume that is the ISM you are talking about, they aren't the cheapest and have been known to use unqualified instructors. Whoever you go with, make sure they are properly qualified to instruct (IAM / RoSPA / DSA in the UK, no regulation here in Ireland yet.)

A friend of mine is an instructor (RoSPA Diploma holder) and takes pity on penniless noobs, so if you want his details PM me

Del2005 · 18-10-2008 11:55am

Have to stick in Dave Lyons. Only issue is his bikes are in Rathgar.

http://www.motorbiketraining.net/

Put the money into lessons at first not the bike. You can always trade up at a later. And the skills you learn in lessons now will serve you better then a nice bike.

P.C. · 18-10-2008 2:08pm

Del2005 wrote: »

Have to stick in Dave Lyons. Only issue is his bikes are in Rathgar.

http://www.motorbiketraining.net/

Put the money into lessons at first not the bike. You can always trade up at a later. And the skills you learn in lessons now will serve you better then a nice bike.

Thanks for that.
I have been thinking about getting a bike for a while now, but have been put off by the costs involved.

Just had a look at that website, and the pirces seem very reasonable.

Now, just to get reasonable insurance.

Dirk Gently · 18-10-2008 5:47pm

Thanks for the replies, Dave Lyons certainly looks more reasonable. I think I'll go with a few lessons and then the AON assessment before I get the bike and insurance.

Don't fancy doing it one lesson a week over months though. Is it possible to do all 5 or 6 lessons in a week, maybe doing the assessment a week later? I'm still owed over 10 days holidays from work. No plans to go anywhere so wouldn't mind taking a week off and doing the training all at once if if was possible to do so.

Would mean I can get on the road quicker and hopefully insurance would be reduced after the assessment course.

gipi · 18-10-2008 6:10pm

I recently completed the Silver Star Rider Training course run by Fingal Co Council - 12 hours over 3 days (Sat x 4 hrs, Sun x 4 hrs, Sat x 4 hrs). Off-road and on-road tuition. Suitable for riders with a little experience (one participant had done one 2hr lesson, hasn't bought her own bike yet), cost €225 and worth every cent. (it's extra to hire a bike from them).

They also run a Bronze Rider Training course, which is 4 hours long, so presumably cheaper (don't know the price), which might give you enough of an introduction to get safely on the road? The courses start in the Council's depot in Swords, so not too far from you.

Contact Road Safety Office in Fingal Co Co and they'll send you details. (01 890 5824)

(disclaimer - no connection other than as a satisfied customer!)

Del2005 · 19-10-2008 11:44am

clown bag wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, Dave Lyons certainly looks more reasonable. I think I'll go with a few lessons and then the AON assessment before I get the bike and insurance.

Don't fancy doing it one lesson a week over months though. Is it possible to do all 5 or 6 lessons in a week, maybe doing the assessment a week later? I'm still owed over 10 days holidays from work. No plans to go anywhere so wouldn't mind taking a week off and doing the training all at once if if was possible to do so.

Would mean I can get on the road quicker and hopefully insurance would be reduced after the assessment course.

I don't see there being any problem with doing this, with any school, once they have time free. If you call and ask to do this I'm sure that the school will let you do it, but you may have to wait a few weeks for the amount of time you need to become available.

The star rider looks like what you are looking for.

Gipi is that the course given by the motorcycle Gardai?

gipi · 19-10-2008 6:26pm

Del2005 wrote: »

Gipi is that the course given by the motorcycle Gardai?

No, Del, the instructors are civilians, and are hired by Fingal Co Co.

You might be thinking of the Bikesafe course, which is assessment rather than training, and that's run in Dublin only by the Gardaí based in Dublin Castle. Know someone who's done ths and found it very informative and useful - 1-1, city & rural riding, student in front, Garda behind, and feedback on good and bad points afterwards. Best of all it's free!

RosieJoe · 20-10-2008 11:01am

gipi wrote: »

No, Del, the instructors are civilians, and are hired by Fingal Co Co.

You might be thinking of the Bikesafe course, which is assessment rather than training, and that's run in Dublin only by the Gardaí based in Dublin Castle. Know someone who's done ths and found it very informative and useful - 1-1, city & rural riding, student in front, Garda behind, and feedback on good and bad points afterwards. Best of all it's free!

Is the Bikesafe not just for people on a full license? Have seen the application form and it asks for date you passed the test, is this just for info only?

As for doing 5 - 6 days worth of training, start off with 2 days in a row to get a feel for it. You may not need all 5 -6 days.

Del2005 · 20-10-2008 11:36am

RosieJoe wrote: »

Is the Bikesafe not just for people on a full license? Have seen the application form and it asks for date you passed the test, is this just for info only?

As for doing 5 - 6 days worth of training, start off with 2 days in a row to get a feel for it. You may not need all 5 -6 days.

No Bikesafe is for everyone. I got stopped at a checkpoint when I was on a provisional and the Garda told me to come along for some pointers, was the 1st time out on the bike and messed up stopping:o As I wasn't too sure if it was tax'd*.

The Garda also said "It won't be slow":D:D

* The bike was I just didn't know

Fazer6 · 20-10-2008 3:39pm

Contact Road Safety Office in Fingal Co Co and they'll send you details. (01 890 5824)

(disclaimer - no connection other than as a satisfied customer!)[/QUOTE]

+1 for these courses.

I've completed both the Silver and Gold courses and would recommend them to all bikers.

Fazer6.

Steffano2002 · 21-10-2008 10:48am

I would definitely recommend David Lyons! He's a great chap and he'll teach you how to become a proper (and safe) motorcyclist!

I did my Bike Safe assessment last Saturday with the Garda and I passed! But that doesn't mean I'm not going to invest in proper lessons!

What is the best certification out there lads? RoSPA? I often hear people talking about this one in particular...

I'd like to find a proper certification to pass which will have a positive impact on my riding skills / safety but also on my insurance premium (although, because I'm with Adelaide, my Bike Safe assessment has already saved me 10%!).

Steffano2002 · 21-10-2008 10:49am

Fazer6 wrote: »

Contact Road Safety Office in Fingal Co Co and they'll send you details. (01 890 5824)

(disclaimer - no connection other than as a satisfied customer!)

+1 for these courses.

I've completed both the Silver and Gold courses and would recommend them to all bikers.

Fazer6.[/QUOTE]
Can you go straight for Gold? How much is it? Is there a website with more info on these particular courses?

Hotblack Desiato · 22-10-2008 1:09am

Del2005 wrote: »

No Bikesafe is for everyone. I got stopped at a checkpoint when I was on a provisional and the Garda told me to come along for some pointers, was the 1st time out on the bike and messed up stopping:o

Fair play to the Garda for giving you the opportunity to learn, not just a b0ll0cking or a ticket! And more importantly fair play to you for taking him up on it. Bike Gardai will give you a break more often than not, been there done that, the important thing when you mess up is to learn from it.

Star Rider is good, but pitched at those starting out, so their bronze/silver/gold are good to do but not really comparable to IAM or RoSPA. The standard of instruction is good but you will need more time with them to take it to a higher level.

IAM and RoSPA are pitched at full licence holders and based in the UK but do assessments here. Both are pitched a lot higher than beginner, but not a problem if you are willing to learn. Many experienced riders are not willing to learn! IAM do a one-off test which basically lasts forever. RoSPA require re-testing every 3 years to keep your grade. A RoSPA Gold is pretty hard to get and the highest non-instructor qualification you can get. A lot of the RoSPA testers especially in the UK, are ex-Police.

RoSPA Diploma is for instructors and involves about a week of practical tests, testing your ability to instruct as well as your ability to ride to the highest level. Only a handful of people in Ireland would have this qualification. Although that's not to say there are not good instructors without it. And I know a RoSPA Dip. holder who teaches (among other things) the Star Rider course to absolute beginners...

Dirk Gently · 24-10-2008 6:09pm

For anyone reading thinking about lessons........

I booked myself in with Dave Lyons. I'm due to head down to him Thursday week.

I was looking to do the whole lot in one day and Dave was able to take me in for 6 hours @ €350, including bike hire and using his gear. He uses a big open car park in Wicklow for the first few hours while he gets you use to the bike and then you head onto the road while he escorts you on his own bike using radio communications in the helmet. He has a place in Rathgar too and seems to get around a bit. He's meeting me in Wicklow after an appointment he has Wexford earlier that day.

I talked to him for about 20 minutes and told him what I needed and he arranged the day around that. He offered to pick me up from the bus stop in wicklow and bring me over to the location and drop me back after we're finished. (only a short trip down the N11 on a bus eireann bus). I'll be doing the lesson on a Yamaha 125.

I'll let you know how the lesson went after I've done it but on the face of it Dave seems to be very reasonable and willing to accommodate.

Eoin · 24-10-2008 6:20pm

Please do report back, very interested to know how you get on.

Chipboard · 27-10-2008 12:19pm

+1 on Fingal Co Co Star Rider course.

I strongly believe that every biker should so do a course immediately on getting a bike. I started on bikes aged 16 yrs and 1 week old and only did the course 2 years ago (after around 17 years riding).

I did the test a few months later and got a clean sheet despite my speedo cable being fecked and therefore having to guess my speed (like in the car test you can be marked down for lack of progress or excessive speed).

CrazyRabbit · 27-10-2008 2:14pm

Chipboard wrote: »

+1 on Fingal Co Co Star Rider course.

I strongly believe that every biker should so do a course immediately on getting a bike. I started on bikes aged 16 yrs and 1 week old and only did the course 2 years ago (after around 17 years riding).

I did the test a few months later and got a clean sheet despite my speedo cable being fecked and therefore having to guess my speed (like in the car test you can be marked down for lack of progress or excessive speed).

They let you do your test with a broken speedo cable?? :eek:

Dirk Gently · 06-11-2008 10:57pm

eoin_s wrote: »

Please do report back, very interested to know how you get on.

Was out with him today. Met him at Jack whites cross and he gave me a lift down to the car park (only 5 mins from bus stop ).

The car park is very big and completely empty. It's a seasonal car park so closed to cars at this time of the year. Was able to get up to 4th gear easily within the car park. Loads of room to ride at speed, turn and so on. It puts you at ease knowing there's no cars or people around to get in your way.

He starts off by just sitting you on the bike and going through a few things with the engine off. Brake, clutch, throttle etc. After you've got the hang of the sequences he starts the lesson proper. Too much to post everything but basically you start off getting use to the clutch, using first gear / neutral / braking. When you have the hang of that you move onto changing gears, up / down stopping.

Then he gets the cones out and you practice turning at T junctions, slowing down going into bends, use of the break at different speeds and so on.

By the end I was fairly confident and was flying round the car park just having a bit of craic really. It got dark with a couple of hours to go so didn't fancy driving round the back roads of wicklow in the dark on my first time out so we stayed in the car park for the whole lesson.

The only thing I'm disappointed about is that I didn't get the chance to get out into real traffic but in fairness I didn't fancy it on back roads at night. In the end I was happy doing the exercises on full beam in the car park. I'm glad I done the 6 hour lesson rather than a series of 1 or 2 hour sessions. Constantly repeating each manoeuvre and having the time to perfect it makes all the difference.

Overall, a thumbs up from me. I can handle the bike with a bit of confidence and it was a good day out too. If you're going to book a lesson with him try get the morning slot, that way you'll have a bit of day light left to get yourself out onto the road towards the end of it.

Steffano2002 · 07-11-2008 12:57pm

David Lyons is very goood indeed! Thumbs up!

Eoin · 07-11-2008 5:35pm

Thanks for the review Clownbag - sounds like a good course.

Lesson recommendations?

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