Learner/Newbie Sticky **All Learner/newbie/Starter Questions Go here!!****

MunchkinKid

Great advice everyone, thanks. I'm an experienced cyclist and very road aware (I think anyway), so that at least may help me!

frozenfrozen

MunchkinKid wrote: »

Great advice everyone, thanks. I'm an experienced cyclist and very road aware (I think anyway), so that at least may help me!

coming from a push bike the big difference is your arms are just for steering and controls on a motorbike not for supporting your body at all

get used to having all your weight downwards on your arse and not much on your legs (compared to cycling) your feet will have weight on them in a more inward direction and absolutely no weight on your arms and try keep them loose. If you ever feel like the bike isn't doing what you're telling it to just waggle your elbows like you're trying to fly and you'll find that your arms have tensed up without you thinking

grip the throttle like a screw driver rather than with a fist

but the biggest thing is to not be stiff and tensing every muscle in your body

if you are doing slow speed stuff open the visor. early on you'll be breathing heavily because you will be trying to muscle the bike around rather than ride it and you will fog up the visor

MunchkinKid

frozenfrozen wrote: »

coming from a push bike the big difference is your arms are just for steering and controls on a motorbike not for supporting your body at all

get used to having all your weight downwards on your arse and not much on your legs (compared to cycling) your feet will have weight on them in a more inward direction and absolutely no weight on your arms and try keep them loose. If you ever feel like the bike isn't doing what you're telling it to just waggle your elbows like you're trying to fly and you'll find that your arms have tensed up without you thinking

grip the throttle like a screw driver rather than with a fist

but the biggest thing is to not be stiff and tensing every muscle in your body

if you are doing slow speed stuff open the visor. early on you'll be breathing heavily because you will be trying to muscle the bike around rather than ride it and you will fog up the visor

Very useful advice. Thanks. I wear glasses and I'm a bit conscious that they may fog up under the helmet.. anyone had experience with this? Not wearing them isn't an option :rolleyes:

frozenfrozen

MunchkinKid wrote: »

Very useful advice. Thanks. I wear glasses and I'm a bit conscious that they may fog up under the helmet.. anyone had experience with this? Not wearing them isn't an option :rolleyes:

Me again answering I wear glasses and contact lenses. I wore glasses for my IBT one of the days (I did mine spread out) and it was awful because it was around this time of year, raining, freezing, and they stayed fogged up constantly. I spent the whole time looking over the top of mine and working with the blur because my sight isn't too bad at all in the greater scheme of things

If you can do contact lenses absolutely wear them without a shadow of a doubt

if not, clean your glasses to be absolutely immaculately, try use an alcohol wipe if you have one, leave the helmet visor cracked open slightly at all times if not completely open or 1/4 open if it's raining. Open all vents on the helmet if there are any.

there are sprays you can get for glasses to stop them fogging but if you're going today it's probably too late. I've never used a spray so can't comment on them anyway

cantdecide

Paulw wrote: »

Even though it wasn't covered, you were still able to corner?? You must have done it, even without fully knowing you were doing it. If you over think countersteering and if you focus too much on doing it, then you loose focus on other parts of riding (like observation).

I would lean into the corners using a combination of tentative steering input and shifting body weight to prompt the bike to turn and the bars would follow. I was literally restraining the bars from going where they wanted in a vain attempt to keep the bike under control.

It's just about confidence with steering input (as a raw learner). I feel if I had known the very simple principle, it would have saved me bumbling about for two weeks with white knuckles. It's the only thing I wish someone had told me about when I started but no one bothered.

Observation is incredibly important obviously but I think it's at least as important to know how to make the bike go where you want it to go in the very first days of riding in order to deal with the things you're observing. Otherwise you're kind of a passenger, right?

You can't argue that lots of riders have problems with [not] countersteering confidently. I have a buddy with a big touring bike and believe it or not, he doesn't do it at all. He corners like a sack of spuds as I did when I first started. I didn't grow up around bikes, or motocross and I didn't have a bike as my first vehicle - I learned on a Bandit 600 in my mid twenties and I was apprehensive about leaning into the bars because I was afraid of what would happen if I overdid it.

MunchkinKid

IBT done and gear on the way. Thanks for all the advice.
Sourcing a bike at the moment. Any L plate vests going?

IrishGrimReaper

Hi folks, I'm looking to get a learner permit for category A (I'm 29), I have a full Irish car license which I've had since January 2017. Is there a separate theory test for motorcycles I'll have to do? I did one for the car about 2 years ago. RSA takes ages to reply.

cantdecide

IrishGrimReaper wrote: »

Hi folks, I'm looking to get a learner permit for category A (I'm 29), I have a full Irish car license which I've had since January 2017. Is there a separate theory test for motorcycles I'll have to do? I did one for the car about 2 years ago. RSA takes ages to reply.

Yes, there's a category 'AM' theory test that you have to complete - this covers all motorcycles and scooters.

LeakingLava

Hi guys, I've just booked for a theory test. I'm looking around for what the ideal bike would be. I've had a lot of experience with motorcycles so, although in a different country, I think I would be comfortable enough with a large-ish bike.

I'm 6"2, and have a bit of weight. My main concern on a motorbike would be reliability and price. I am not planning on purchasing a motorbike before my IBT at the very least, I just wanted to ask so I know what sort of price I should be saving up for. Thanks!

cantdecide

It mostly all depends on how you're planning on using your bike - is it for commuting or leisure or touring etc. IME, you're highly unlikely to get a reliable bike that suits you and in some way appeals to you for less than €1,500 unless you just stay ridiculously wide open about all kinds of criteria.

'Reliability' is also a relative terms. The thing to remember about bikes is that they 'nickel and dime you to death'. Even if you get something that doesn't suffer any failures, for any large-ish bike, you'll still end up spending a couple of hundred minimum for tyres every few thousand miles, a couple of hundred for chains and sprockets, servicing intervals are much shorter than for cars, shock and linkage rebuilding, headstock bearings, valve clearances, and so on, all of which can add up. That's before any customising like heated grips, panniers, upgrade saddles etc etc. With no hyperbole, you could literally run a small car cheaper than a LOT of bikes.

I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm just trying to explain that if you haven't thought about the kind of motorcycling experience you'd like to have, I'd suggest start there. If you have thought about it, please share some details.

LeakingLava

I definitely have thought about it. It's definitely for commuting. I am currently spending around 400 a month on petrol alone on my car and spending so much time on traffic which is pretty much the reason why I would like to get on a motorbike. I am having to wake up 2 hours earlier than I should normally just to try and dodge the rush hour. If the cost is on par with a car, I really think I would go with the bike and just keep the car for when it's necessary. Just so that I could keep my sanity and not have to deal with as much traffic as I am now. Thank you very much for all your input. It's greatly apreciated.

cantdecide

So three questions apply to all vehicle decisions, IMO. What's your budget? What's your taste? How long will you keep it.

In your case though, your annual mileage is a definite factor. Also, have you taken into account the cost of good quality gear? You'll also end up with several different key pieces of gear to cover all seasons so don't underestimate this.

LeakingLava

cantdecide wrote: »

So three questions apply to all vehicle decisions, IMO. What's your budget? What's your taste? How long will you keep it.

In your case though, your annual mileage is a definite factor. Also, have you taken into account the cost of good quality gear? You'll also end up with several different key pieces of gear to cover all seasons so don't underestimate this.

Thanks again for taking your time to reply.

Budget would probably be around 1.5k, possibly stretch to 2k. But as mentioned, this isn't really cash at hand yet. I'm looking to save up for it, so no concrete budget in mind yet. If there's absolutely great value at 3k, then that's what I will go for. If I can get similar value for less, even better.

I believe that because my budget is low, I'm quite limited in options anyway, so I'm really not going to be picky. If I had a choice, anything that doesn't have these headlights would be good to me:

They just resemble public transport tricycles from my hometown too much :P I hope I don't offend anyone :pac: :pac:

I will be keeping it for as long as humanly possible. I tend to keep vehicles for a long time. Before my current car, I had my Punto for 14 years. Gave up on it after having done 2 engine swaps. So I would try and keep it going.

I've done 55k miles last year. Although there was a difference in the situation(location-wise) I had during the first half of that year to what I have now, I would still expect to do possibly around 20k-25k on the motorbike alone.

What do you mean by good quality? As in to protect from the weather, or is there another aspect of it? In terms of gear anyway, I could probably source that cheaper in my country. Plus the fact that I don't mind the cold that much so I would probably be buying a thinner gear than usual for the different seasons, as long as they are waterproof.

Oh and also, I forgot to mention this, I really should've, I actually adore my motorcycling experience so far. The only reason why I would like to know as much as possible is because I have never experienced it here. :pac:

LorcanMull

I'm 24, have full Irish Car Licence. I know it need to re-take my theory but I have 1 or 2 other questions. Hope you can help! The RSA website is very confusing! :pac:

- As soon as I pass theory test, can i take to the roads on a bike or must i first complete some/all my IBT's? (I do plan to get my full bike licence ASAP)

- What size of a bike can I get from the get go? Seeing as i'm 2, can i go higher than 125 or does everyone have to start on a 125cc?

- Best recommendations for first time bikes and gear around 1500-2500euro mark?

Thanks in advance.

cantdecide

LorcanMull wrote: »

The RSA website is very confusing! :pac:

Lots of info. No help.

LorcanMull wrote: »

- As soon as I pass theory test, can i take to the roads on a bike or must i first complete some/all my IBT's?

You may only ride under the care of an instructor until you complete IBT.

LorcanMull wrote: »

What size of a bike can I get from the get go? Seeing as i'm 2, can i go higher than 125 or does everyone have to start on a 125cc?

As you're 24 or over, you can legally ride any bike you can get insurance on without any restrictions. Pretty cool eh! Just make sure you request category 'A' on the application form at the NDLS.

LorcanMull wrote: »

- Best recommendations for first time bikes and gear around 1500-2500euro mark?

I'll get back to you on this with some suggestions (must do the same for the other poster above)...

Sonics2k

LorcanMull wrote: »

- Best recommendations for first time bikes and gear around 1500-2500euro mark?

Thanks in advance.

Honestly the best thing to do here (for both of you) is to pop around to a few different bike shops and sit on, try out a few different bikes.

Bikes like the Bandit are great starters, but depending on yourself may be a bit too small/big. I personally prefer to have a more upright position, while others are happy to lean over the tank.

LeakingLava

Sonics2k wrote:

Bikes like the Bandit are great starters, but depending on yourself may be a bit too small/big. I personally prefer to have a more upright position, while others are happy to lean over the tank.

Would you say that all motorbikes are relatively the same in terms of reliability so it's just a matter of preference?

For cars, when you take the full license test in an auto, your license will be for an auto and cannot drive a manual. Is it the same for motorbikes in a sense that I have to take the full license test with an 'A' category bike to be able to drive them all? I mean, if I pass on an 'A1' category, would I be allowed to ride an 'A' category bike?

cantdecide

LeakingLava wrote: »

if I pass on an 'A1' category, would I be allowed to ride an 'A' category bike?

The power sequence is AM > A1 > A2 > A or in lay terms - scooters, slow bikes, medium bikes and powerful bikes. For example, if you pass the A2 test you will also have a full licence for A1 and AM. If you pass the A1 test you have the entitlement to ride A1 and AM bikes. If you wanted to upskill from there, you'd have to get a new learner permit and pass a test OR wait two years on the full licence you have and jump up to the next level through 'progressive access'

Trust me, though. Go for the full 'A' if you can at all (ie if you're over 24). Everything else is practically repeating the whole process from scratch and is inefficient. You can always buy an A2 bike for yourself but get the 'A' on your permit and borrow and 'A' bike from your instructor for the test.

LeakingLava wrote: »

Would you say that all motorbikes are relatively the same in terms of reliability so it's just a matter of preference?

They're are few mainstream bikes that are unreliable. Maybe some of the non Japanese bikes (eg Ducati Monster) would give you a bad time but if you're happy a bike is well maintained and you learn how to care for your bike then a professional inspection and some basic reliability research should cover you. The big question is what will suit you and your usage.

LeakingLava wrote: »

Budget would probably be around 1.5k, possibly stretch to 2k...I will be keeping it for as long as humanly possible... I would still expect to do possibly around 20k-25k on the motorbike alone.

I think buying something with low enough mileage and learning how to mind it is the key. You will put lots of miles on your bike and it will be hard to sell on after a couple of years because of that so committing to one good bike is a good idea, IMO. You should be able to get something for your budget but €2k bikes would be much better than €1500 bikes IME unless you really know what you're looking at.

You need something with a decent engine for motorways but not so big, you're stuck buying high performance consumables forever. You need something fairly comfortable in terms of sitting position- have a look here to 'sit on' a few different bikes virtually by entering your personal dimensions...

On the lower end, you could try something like this CBF 250 but I'd argue that you'd quickly get bored and underwhelmed- it's not very capable at motorway speeds, IMO.

Regarding more substantial bikes, here's a few random examples that I didn't look very hard at but are just examples to get your juices flowing... all should be reasonably insurance friendly (stay away from sports/ race bikes with lots of 'R's in the name eg CBR600RR) unless you really like shopping around for and paying for insurance.

SV 650

Firestorm

Dragstar 650

Fazer 600

LeakingLava wrote: »

What do you mean by good quality [gear]?

Gear you can wear day in day out, week in week out, month in month out without wearing it to pieces. Cheapish gear is actually fine for most riders who only use their bike occasionally. If you're riding to work every day, you need gear to be comfortable, weatherproof (for year round conditions), durable and practical. For example, a cheap helmet will protect you in the event of a crash but if you use it every day, it may be poorly ventilated, visors may wear out and snap, liners may quickly fray and fall apart, padding may flatten down and so on. So you will have the choice of buying good gear (well in excess of €1,000) or a wardrobe full of cheap gear.

LorcanMull wrote: »

Best recommendations for first time bikes and gear around 1500-2500euro mark?

Is your budget for both gear and a bike? You'll be stretched if that's the case. There is a wealth of second hand gear (maybe not a helmet) which may work for you if you're using the bike for leisure use. I recommend a budget of about €200 for a new helmet and about €300 for jacket/ pants/ boots/ gloves second hand.

The above bike examples would apply to you too.

LeakingLava

That's some great advice! Thank you very much. It's greatly appreciated.

Definitely looking to get the A license. That's the reason why I asked. I wanted to make sure that I will be practicing on an A bike and expressing my interest to my instructor that I will be taking the A exam.

I see what you mean regarding the difference between 1500 and 2000. I am definitely going for 2000s. The two that caught my eye straight away are the fazer and the firestorm. Great examples visually. Thanks a lot.

That's great to know regarding gear. I am definitely going to invest on good quality in terms of longetivity of the gear. I am going to my home country soon so I think it's perfect timing. I will definitely be getting some gear there. Hopefully a helmet will fit in the large suitcase, otherwise, I'm bringing home a big box instead of a suitcase

What would you consider as low mileage? I know it's somewhat relative to year or whatever other criteria, but for the budget that I have(2000ish), would you consider 12000miles (in one of the examples above) as low mileage as the seller instigates?

cantdecide

LeakingLava wrote: »

What would you consider as low mileage? I know it's somewhat relative to year or whatever other criteria, but for the budget that I have(2000ish), would you consider 12000miles (in one of the examples above) as low mileage as the seller instigates?

For your purposes, yes, starting with a 12k to 25k mile bike gives you a lot of room to put miles on for your usage. If you're starting with a bike with 50k miles, then you're going to possibly be looking at a bike starting to get tired, rattly and burning some oil within a couple of years depending on the type of bike and the life it had before you. Lots of bikes have hard lives. Realistically, if you treat the whole bike very well and maintain and repair everything as you go, the worst case scenario is that the engine starts to get tired and needs to be replaced. If the bike is in otherwise very good condition (which is fairly easy to stay in this place) then an engine replacement alone isn't the end of the world, IMO.

You can never be sure that the mileage is true on an older bike (it's very rare to get full service history) but if the clock shows a reasonable number and a mechanic decides it appears plausible and is in otherwise good condition, then go for it. Bikes can have short but tough lives but also they can can have high mileage but be maintained and not abused. It's very subjective.

IrishGrimReaper

Hey guys, I've applied for a category A learner permit that should be here during the week. My dad has a bike which he can't ride anymore due to a bad back, it's an 03 Honda Varadero 125 with around 8k miles on it; last serviced a few months ago.

I'm currently doing my research for an IBT trainer, see one in Galway it's a €670 for the whole thing but gonna ask one in Cavan also. In regards to the Honda, is this bike suitable for me to practice on back home? (It's Monaghan beside the border). Or should I just complete the IBT first on a larger CC bike? Or would using the Honda with an A permit be no different?

Thanks a bunch in advance folks.

cantdecide

Complete IBT on your instructor's cat A bike. Practice on the Varadero away no problem, take some pretests on your instructor's bike and then take your test on that too. That would be my advice.

There would be an argument for having a bigger bike for general usage purposes - you'll get to the end of the Varadero pretty quickly in Ireland on mixed roads but it's a bird in the hand and it's got a spacious frame, weighs reasonably close to some 400 - 600s and is generally a practical runabout, IMO. Realistically, once you're on the move on any bike, it's more technique than manpower so if you become familiar with the bike you use in the test through lessons, then I think you'll be golden.

MrBlack93

Hi,

very quick question, sitting the theory test in a few weeks time. With regards to revision material i have 5th edition book. Just wondering is there significant differences in the newest book edition to warrant buying it?

Goose81

MrBlack93 wrote: »

Hi,

very quick question, sitting the theory test in a few weeks time. With regards to revision material i have 5th edition book. Just wondering is there significant differences in the newest book edition to warrant buying it?

No mate I wouldn't think so, those books aren't cheap either. You will be fine, there is motorbike specific questions though so just make sure you have them

Cian_ok

MrBlack93 wrote: »

Hi,

very quick question, sitting the theory test in a few weeks time. With regards to revision material i have 5th edition book. Just wondering is there significant differences in the newest book edition to warrant buying it?

Have a look in your local library. They may have the latest edition.

IrishGrimReaper

Hey guys so I got my learner permit and had my first try on the Varadero over the weekend, was only first gear job doing circles of a house but it felt great, I'll keep practicing away.

I'd like to know more about the workings of the bike and to understand them more, I'll search youtube when I get home from work but off the bat does anyone have any suggestions for videos etc where they go over the parts of the bike, what they are for/servicing videos; I know the basics of servicing a car and would like to know similar for the bike.

Thanks folks!

cantdecide

It's an excellent question - some new riders approach riding as if it's pretty much the same as driving the car but that's a good way to hurt yourself. Riding your bike means knowing pretty much everything about your bike always.

A good place to start is knowing the POWDER pre-ride checks... and do them. Literally every time. But remember the POWDER checks don't emphasise the brakes and chain adjustment, IMO. Also, looking thoroughly at the bike inspecting for leaky forks, shocks etc etc.

You first in-depth daily routine skill you need is learning to check, clean, adjust and lube your chain. Chain lube and adjustment is essential. I'm reluctant to share videos regarding this kind of safety crucial area - my suggestion is watch a few different videos and decide which one(s) resonate.

The next thing would be delving into checking the condition of your headstock bearings.

MrBlack93

Goose81 wrote: »

No mate I wouldn't think so, those books aren't cheap either. You will be fine, there is motorbike specific questions though so just make sure you have them

Cian_ok wrote: »

Have a look in your local library. They may have the latest edition.

Just wanted to follow up with this.

I did my theory test yesterday and passed.

MrBlack93

Now that I've got the theory test the next thing I've to think about is the ibt.

Has anyone any recommendations with who do the ipt training ?

Feel free to PM

Dread Pirate Roberts

Hi folks.

I am about to apply for the learner permit category A.

I have two questions.

1. I have a full car license for 13 years. When I apply for the learner permit on the motorbike do I forfeit my current card and receive a new one with both full car and learner permit A on it? Or will I still have one card with full car license and another separate card with learner permit?

2. Can I get learner permit A and then in the interim 6 months opt to sit the test to a lower level ?