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

Jimmy Bottlehead

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Great point, I’ll be starting riding in two weeks so I’ll need waterproof gloves, I’ll have to skip them so for these next two seasons, anything you’d recommended yourself, budget about €100.

Unfortunately not, I've a pair of Richa Artic GTX as my winter gloves and just treated myself to Held Air 'n Dry for warmer (but maybe wet) weather.

Personally, I love Richa gear though. Have a look on Sportsbikeshop, they're great for finding good suitable gear. Then if you can buy local/Irish, do. If ya can't, go with SBS or whoever.

Banana Republic.

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Unfortunately not, I've a pair of Richa Artic GTX as my winter gloves and just treated myself to Held Air 'n Dry for warmer (but maybe wet) weather.

Personally, I love Richa gear though. Have a look on Sportsbikeshop, they're great for finding good suitable gear. Then if you can buy local/Irish, do. If ya can't, go with SBS or whoever.

Thank you, much appreciated. I’ll try but local as much as possible, I don’t mind paying 10/20 in the difference to support local where I can also fit the gloves on myself or any issues I can go back in the road. I’ll check SBS there in a bit.

Banana Republic.

https://youtu.be/tsLsWU_Y1Mk

Just watching this atm, it actually tells the story much better of a first time rider. I felt that fear last week and three one thing I learnt is you have to trust the bike and once you can do that, that’s a major hurdle, I was a much better rider once I started to trust the bike. Thinking back I was taking corners with no issue when I looked where I wanted to go and counter steering was automatic, even slow speeds I rarely put my leg down I had so much trust in the bike but the fear is a real thing and everyone is different so don’t put your ego before your riding skill/limit.

PCeeeee

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Great point, I’ll be starting riding in two weeks so I’ll need waterproof gloves, I’ll have to skip them so for these next two seasons, anything you’d recommended yourself, budget about €100.

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/381977

I have these for a year. Never got wet. Comfortable. Not too hot even the likes of today and did me up to October end last year. Put them back on in March.

You will need winter gloves imo but you don't want to wear winter gloves all year round

Banana Republic.

PCeeeee wrote: »

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/381977

I have these for a year. Never got wet. Comfortable. Not too hot even the likes of today and did me up to October end last year. Put them back on in March.

You will need winter gloves imo but you don't want to wear winter gloves all year round

They look nice, Yea I’ll need winter for the next couple of months anyway and might but the REV IT ones in the drier seasons. Thank you.

Jimmy Bottlehead

PCeeeee wrote: »

https://www.sportsbikeshop.co.uk/motorcycle_parts/content_prod/381977

I have these for a year. Never got wet. Comfortable. Not too hot even the likes of today and did me up to October end last year. Put them back on in March.

You will need winter gloves imo but you don't want to wear winter gloves all year round

Great choice. The goretex lining will keep you dry.

steven087

Here pic of the bike I just bought.
03 suzuki sv650s

horse7

Like new, enjoy.

nigeldaniel

Banana Republic. wrote: »

https://youtu.be/tsLsWU_Y1Mk

Just watching this atm, it actually tells the story much better of a first time rider. I felt that fear last week and three one thing I learnt is you have to trust the bike and once you can do that, that’s a major hurdle, I was a much better rider once I started to trust the bike. Thinking back I was taking corners with no issue when I looked where I wanted to go and counter steering was automatic, even slow speeds I rarely put my leg down I had so much trust in the bike but the fear is a real thing and everyone is different so don’t put your ego before your riding skill/limit.

Yes, I would go along with this too. Took me a while to work out what he meant by countersteering. Gaining confidence is the big issue, when I started off doing IBT on a bandit I was so nervous I used to squeeze the grips way too hard. My instructor was forever telling me to relax or I would end up with painful wrists and arms.

Jimmy Bottlehead

nigeldaniel wrote: »

Yes, I would go along with this too. Took me a while to work out what he meant by countersteering. Gaining confidence is the big issue, when I started off doing IBT on a bandit I was so nervous I used to squeeze the grips way too hard. My instructor was forever telling me to relax or I would end up with painful wrists and arms.

I kinda hate the term counter-steering as it's not as instantly understood. I prefer to conceptualise it as "push the direction you want to go."

Banana Republic.

nigeldaniel wrote: »

Yes, I would go along with this too. Took me a while to work out what he meant by countersteering. Gaining confidence is the big issue, when I started off doing IBT on a bandit I was so nervous I used to squeeze the grips way too hard. My instructor was forever telling me to relax or I would end up with painful wrists and arms.

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I kinda hate the term counter-steering as it's not as instantly understood. I prefer to conceptualise it as "push the direction you want to go."

This counter steering thing is overplayed I think if you overthink it like most of the things I overthought on the morning of the IBT, I didn’t even think of counter steering I just done it naturally by looking where I wanted to go and my body done the rest. It took me ages to trust the bike and to get that clutch throttle engagement and I was bringing my leg out too early before stopping. Once I got those I was able to hop on the bike start it whizz around the track, do the slow manoeuvres better then out into the business park and onto the road on the 125. Again on the road I just looked where I wanted to go I wasn’t thinking of counter steering it was like okay I’m moving over here so just moved over without thinking much at 80kph. Pity it took me so long to get the clutch throttle piece, once I got confidence it felt natural. Can’t wait to buy a bike and learn by myself and get that road experience.

Banana Republic.

Rang up for new quotes on 125cc bikes, 3rd Party F&T best I got was €375 with CN but asked them for better quote as I’m offered better by AXA for Fully comp €381 so the girl said she’ll email me again once she gets a chat with the product team, got an email €293 3rd Party F&T from CN so again worth telling them if you have a full licence car too seems to do the trick. Principal were €331.33 which was decent too but I really like the CN DNA Kit and they get you and your bike home.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Rang up for new quotes on 125cc bikes, 3rd Party F&T best I got was €375 with CN but asked them for better quote as I’m offered better by AXA for Fully comp €381 so the girl said she’ll email me again once she gets a chat with the product team, got an email €293 3rd Party F&T from CN so again worth telling them if you have a full licence car too seems to do the trick. Principal were €331.33 which was decent too but I really like the CN DNA Kit and they get you and your bike home.

DNA kit isn't really worth a damn tbh, but breakdown assist is fairly essential. They're decent prices for a first timer too.

IrishGrimReaper

Did you enquire about larger cc bikes too? worth asking :pac:

I started on a 125cc as my dad gave me his. Knowing what I know now if I didn't have the 125cc already I would have went for a larger engine.

flashinthepan

Got the Dna kit yesterday almost a month after the insurance
Just a couple of stickers and a little vial of some liquid or other that you dab on the bike in various places and the rozzers must have some device for detecting it and identifying it bit like a liquid dog chip :-)

flashinthepan

By the way
What is the deal with waving the foot passed a few bikes yesterday when I went for a scoot around glendalough and a few of them waved the foot :-)
Is it just a hello with the foot instead of a nod

IrishGrimReaper

That's exactly what it is.

flashinthepan

IrishGrimReaper wrote: »

That's exactly what it is.

Great stuff thought i had left the kick stand down :-)

Banana Republic.

IrishGrimReaper wrote: »

Did you enquire about larger cc bikes too? worth asking :pac:

I started on a 125cc as my dad gave me his. Knowing what I know now if I didn't have the 125cc already I would have went for a larger engine.

I only got the A1 licence with hours in the back to do the A in a few months.

sm3ar

Should just do the A straight away

Banana Republic.

sm3ar wrote: »

Should just do the A straight away

Well my instructor just advised me to get road experience so it’s not always that simple, everyone has a different route to learn. I follow his guidance as he’s forgot more about biking then most of us will ever know. I trust him and that’s the main thing for me, my ego doesn’t override his experience.

zubair

flashinthepan wrote: »

Great stuff thought i had left the kick stand down :-)

You wouldn't get far if that was the case XD

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

I kinda hate the term counter-steering as it's not as instantly understood. I prefer to conceptualise it as "push the direction you want to go."

Catchy! XD

Banana Republic. wrote: »

This counter steering thing is overplayed I think if you overthink it

I disagree, slightly. Starting out it's probably too much to think about, but as speeds pick up later and you progress its very important to know how it works. 90% of the time it will just happen on auto pilot but there have been many, many times I very consciously counter steered.

Banana Republic.

zubair wrote: »

You wouldn't get far if that was the case XD



Catchy! XD



I disagree, slightly. Starting out it's probably too much to think about, but as speeds pick up later and you progress its very important to know how it works. 90% of the time it will just happen on auto pilot but there have been many, many times I very consciously counter steered.

It’s like riding a bicycle eh but yea I believe looking at where you want to go on the bike helps the counter steering massively and riding a push bike too helps. Just recalling the last few days of how I donè in the IBT and barely even thought of counter steering during it and god knows I thought of everything else in the morning session lol

Banana Republic.

Thoughts on going to buy for the first time? I’ll have a friend who rides aswell but little nervous on taking it for a spin and possibly driving it home 50/60 mins. What are yer experiences? Cheers in advance (not the car repair shop lol) buying hopefully in the next 8/10 days.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Thoughts on going to buy for the first time? I’ll have a friend who rides aswell but little nervous on taking it for a spin and possibly driving it home 50/60 mins. What are yer experiences? Cheers in advance (not the car repair shop lol) buying hopefully in the next 8/10 days.

Considering how unsure you are about your riding ability (and the instructor not signing off on an A learner permit?), I'd get your mate to drive it home. Then you can find a nearly quiet space to practice and get more comfortable. It's better than driving it yourself and perhaps making a catastrophic mistake on your first ride home.

My experience was NOT doing the above, driving it home myself and having a few brown trouser moments. And I'd been passed on the A learner permit.

flashinthepan

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

Considering how unsure you are about your riding ability (and the instructor not signing off on an A learner permit?), I'd get your mate to drive it home. Then you can find a nearly quiet space to practice and get more comfortable. It's better than driving it yourself and perhaps making a catastrophic mistake on your first ride home.

My experience was NOT doing the above, driving it home myself and having a few brown trouser moments. And I'd been passed on the A learner permit.

+1 for that
You really need a little time to bond with the bike and find a quiet little spot to ride up n down and get the hang of it

When I got mine I had a spot just near the beehive where there was a stretch of road 1/2 km long with a roundabout at either end and spent many hrs just going up n down that stretch till I got my confidence back and getting some practice before the IBT
having been away from the bike for 25 Years

Hotblack Desiato

Deleted User wrote: »

Should you really be worried about "entertainment" when you are first starting off? A 125 can still do the speed limit on everything except motorways. I'm still of the opinion that no matter what your age it is perfectly acceptable to learn on a 125.

In reality they will start to struggle a lot lower than their theoretical top speed, especially with any sort of a headwind. It's really not mechanically sympathetic or any fun flogging the hell out of a bike just going home on the commute trying to keep up with the traffic.

Due to the licensing laws at the time, I started on A1 and couldn't move up for 15 months (hitting 25) but I had no trouble at all adjusting to my second bike which was over triple the power, or to my third bike which was triple again. Starting on a full on 600 sportsbike would have been a bit much, but insurance would have (and still does) rule that out anyway, the 500cc would have been perfect as my first bike. Especially as I didn't look like an elephant sitting on top of an ant on it.

flashinthepan wrote: »

So I nursed it back home and found the 27mm nut on the front sprocket was loose torqued that back up and it seems fine now

Did you fit a new lockwasher, or use an unused tab on the old lockwasher? You can't reuse the same locktab again.

flashinthepan

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

Did you fit a new lockwasher, or use an unused tab on the old lockwasher? You can't reuse the same locktab again.

Reused the old washer but bent over a new tab

I was surprised that the nut was loose as they are supposedly a bugger to undo if you wanted to :-)

Sprocket looked in good condition and probably not that old hence why I did not attempt to change it

But now that I know it can be undone I have ordered a new Sprocket and will change it out some Monday afternoon when there is not much happening
Will also get a new washer €8 on flea bay unless someone knows where I could get one locally and not have to pay another 8 to post it
Cheers

HD_Cooney mush

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Rang up for new quotes on 125cc bikes, 3rd Party F&T best I got was €375 with CN but asked them for better quote as I’m offered better by AXA for Fully comp €381 so the girl said she’ll email me again once she gets a chat with the product team, got an email €293 3rd Party F&T from CN so again worth telling them if you have a full licence car too seems to do the trick. Principal were €331.33 which was decent too but I really like the CN DNA Kit and they get you and your bike home.

25 y/o male
1995 Harley Davidson XL1200 Sportster
Cat A provisional held 1 year
No no claims bonus
No previous riding experience

After a lot of back and forth and playing them all off of each other, I got a fully comp quote with Carol Nash for E491.93.

I was delighted

happy cookie

HD_Cooney mush wrote: »

25 y/o male
1995 Harley Davidson XL1200 Sportster
Cat A provisional held 1 year
No no claims bonus
No previous riding experience

After a lot of back and forth and playing them all off of each other, I got a fully comp quote with Carol Nash for E491.93.

I was delighted

Nice one!! I'll have to start ringing around next week to get quotes. Good luck to me. I'll take all your advice and see what I can get it for. I'll be on an A2 license, smaller bike, wonder does that make a difference or do they just pull numbers out of thin air...