Advice re starter bike

Chipboard

Would appreciate some advice on this.

A friend of mine who is not a biker has decided to have his mid life crisis early (he's 33) and wants to buy a bike. He's leaning towards something along the lines of a Virago or a Maruader which I hate (no offence to any owners but they just don't do anything for me). I am on my 4th bike but I've had the current bike for around 5 years so I'm a bit out of touch with the latest models. I think he's a bit big for a 125. Whats the biggest bike he can buy given that he only has a provisional A licence?

Dorsanty

See, http://www.magireland.org/33bhp.htm

That link taken from thread, http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055118924

Should give you all the info you need.

Chipboard

Thanks a mill Dorsanty -thats exactly what I wanted.

Idleater

Dorsanty wrote:

See, http://www.magireland.org/33bhp.htm

That link taken from thread, http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055118924

Should give you all the info you need.

That's not big,

This is big:


Your friend can drive any sized bike he wants to on a provisional A licence (as long as it is restricted down to 25kw).

L.

Hotblack Desiato

nereid wrote:

Your friend can drive any sized bike he wants to on a provisional A licence (as long as it is restricted down to 25kw)

...OR is below the power to weight limit of 0.16kW/kg (e.g. a full power GL1500 has 100hp but is below the power to weight ratio because of the black-hole like mass of the thing)

A word of warning on the MAG 33hp bikes list, it's several years since it's been updated as the manufacturers/distributors won't release the info (bizarre but there you go) and some have been known to claim that bikes way over the limits are actually learner legal... Also some of those models were only sold in the UK, not here.
Best bet for a beginner starting out is a factory restricted bike because of the insurance.

Idleater

ninja900 wrote:

...OR

lexical? exclusive? inclusive? ...... ???

murphaph

Honda Bros

Hotblack Desiato

nereid wrote:

lexical? exclusive? inclusive? ...... ???

I take it you already know the answer! Been done to death here and on every other bike forum in Ireland.

Meeting either or both of
(a) the 25kW power limit
(b) the 0.16kW/kg power to weight ratio

satisfies the Irish legislation.
Now, that wasn't the intent of the legislators, nor the intent of the EU directive, but you can't enforce the law on the basis of "they wrote A but they really meant B, therefore we'll convict you for doing B".

Defining how the power and weight of the bike are to be measured is left as an exercise for the reader... no, really, they don't specify how this is to be done, which (combined with lack of dyno facilities, set procedure for doing a dyno run, what happens if it blows up? etc) makes enforcing the legislation al but impossible.

Unenforceable law is bad law, and even in other EU countries where 25kW is an absolute limit, it doesn't do anything for the accident rate anyway.

Insurers don't have to wait for you to be convicted of breaking the law to refuse to pay out, though, so insurance would be the real worry.
Third parties have to be compensated if you are at fault, but the insurer can then sue you for their loss if, in their opinion, you broke the terms of your licence.

murphaph

I don't care a hoot about that restriction tbh. Latest bike is 100hp and falls outside but I have no belief that the insurance would take it on. If the bike is crashed I can make sure it's untestable. A 100hp bike leaving the factory might only make 50hp a few years later. Who's to know? The law doesn't specify manufacturers specs or dynos or anything. Sh!t law.

Idleater

ninja900 wrote:

I take it you already know the answer! Been done to death here and on every other bike forum in Ireland.

I do, hence the ":D"

Actually, a problem can occur if you insure it as a FR bike (eg group 6), pay them for that grouping, and then derestrict it (i.e. change it to a group 11) and not tell them.

In this case you are in fact in breach of the terms and conditions of your insurance policy regardless of the EU law regarding the OR, and the insurance company is entitled to claim back their expenses should a claim be made against you.

For example, my bike is €500 as FR and €700 as full power.

Anyway, Aon are the only insurer that will insure a FR bike and give a discount as the other companies will charge you for the higher grouping regardless.

Hotblack Desiato

nereid wrote:

Actually, a problem can occur if you insure it as a FR bike (eg group 6), pay them for that grouping, and then derestrict it (i.e. change it to a group 11) and not tell them.

Absolutely, just as if you whacked on a turbo or tons of bling which would have bumped it up into a higher group if declared.
Fear of getting burned by things like this happening is probably the reason the other insurers don't discount for restricted bikes!