A Licence 1st Provisional

Nozebleed

Hi all.

im planning a move to bikes..im 40 years of age and sick of traffic. so ive done my research on the theory test and IBT direct access process but i cant get my head around the which bike i should learning on. ive been driving on 4 wheels for ever and never had any issues..and consider myself a good safe responsible driver..anyway

1. Bike preferance would something along these lines suzuki vstrom 650,or 650 sv, yamaha tracer 700,Honda CB500xa or honda NC750x.

2. Are these bikes suitable for the A test.

would the bike have to be restricted for the test?

3. roughly what sort of money will insurance be?

4. Should i be looking at a smaller bike while on the provisional and then transition before doing the test.

any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

zubair

Get through the rig marole of the theory test and ibt first and use a school bike. You'll have a better understanding yourself having done the ibt.

Nozebleed

ok guys so i passed my ibt today..got signed off for the A licence and now is the time to go shopping.

where do people buy their gear?

what are the essentials regards clothing jacket, trousers,gloves?

i dont really intend on riding in the rain/poor weather until i have a few months experience. so rain gear can wait for now.

id be very interested to hear what helmets i should look at. price wise im rhinking 250/300.

thanks.

cadete

congrats on passing!

On helmets stick to the big names and ya cant really go wrong, buy it in a shop and wherever ya buy they will help with fitting, 250/300 will buy a good lid, sharp ratings are worth a look but aint the be all and end all https://sharp.dft.gov.uk/

sportsbikeshop.co.uk i would say are cheapest for gear but its uk and sizing can be an issue and sending back if things are too big/small,

crossans (visorshop.com) outside newry are good in my experience

Modulemoto.co.uk in antrim are really good, great selection of gear and helmets and will throw a discount in, great service there, no hurry. Highly recommend them if you live within travel distance

For both crossans and module the pound is pretty good at the minute so decent value plus in the uk no vat on helmets...

Malolan

Nozebleed wrote: »

ok guys so i passed my ibt today..got signed off for the A licence and now is the time to go shopping.

where do people buy their gear?

what are the essentials regards clothing jacket, trousers,gloves?

i dont really intend on riding in the rain/poor weather until i have a few months experience. so rain gear can wait for now.

id be very interested to hear what helmets i should look at. price wise im rhinking 250/300.

thanks.

Congratulations on getting your IBT cert!

If you're based in Dublin then for gear shopping check:

cotters mc
megabikes
bikeworld

just to name a few.

It's never better to put the gear on and see how it fits and feels.

zubair

Try it on in the shop but don't buy without checking the price online. You can save yourself a good bit, especially on a helmet.

If you're planning on beating the traffic, you'll find wet days are the best days to take the bike. As you plan to commute and its cold now you'll probably want to get textiles and most of these are waterproof anyway.

As mentioned, sportsbikeshop or getgeared are good online shops.

Nozebleed

jaysis lads...im trying to find the right bike for me. 600cc..but the prices on the likes of donedeal for used bikes seem ridiculous. is it me or is 3/4k for a 10/12 year old bike a little nuts. where do people go for a good deal?

zubair

Initially bike lose their value early from new but then it levels off, good beginner bikes hold their value.

A used Sv650 is probably the cheapest of the usual suspects for 06ish reg.

cadete

England! irish prices are shocking for bikes.... "I have a 18 year old gixer 600 62,000 miles changed the oil 5 year ago just washed it, 5k ono"
I have a mate in scotland selling a 2009 gladius for 2 grand sterling, grand bike, good nick if it was being sold here it would be 4 grand minimum for it, and he would get it too
Just look up north or just buy mainland uk and have a courier pick it up and bring it home for ya, buy off a dealer on ebay its no bigger risk than buying of the chancers on donedeal and ya will get a bike cheaper and looked after better

Green_Martian

cadete wrote: »

England! irish prices are shocking for bikes.... "I have a 18 year old gixer 600 62,000 miles changed the oil 5 year ago just washed it, 5k ono"
I have a mate in scotland selling a 2009 gladius for 2 grand sterling, grand bike, good nick if it was being sold here it would be 4 grand minimum for it, and he would get it too
Just look up north or just buy mainland uk and have a courier pick it up and bring it home for ya, buy off a dealer on ebay its no bigger risk than buying of the chancers on donedeal and ya will get a bike cheaper and looked after better

Any decent sites or dealers you would recommend in the North or mainland UK

Thinking of changing bike and looking more towards UK as pound is good and better options for similar money to here.

Cheers,
G

OP sorry for hijacking thread and congrats on passing the IBT and welcome to the great world of biking

zubair

While I have yet to buy from the UK, when browsing UK sites I typically look at Birmingham and liverpool, cheap flight over and near the ferry for the trip back. You should try and have a few test rides lined up before you go rather than commit to one sale.

Nozebleed

im looking up north myself at the moment. phillipmacallan have a great selection of used bikes.

www.colwynbaymotorcycles.com

www.woodsmotorcycles.com

www.phillipmccallen.com

https://www.magireland.org/2010/information-sheets/buying-abroad-importing/

Muahahaha

try biketrader.co.uk too. Put BT11AA in as the postcode and select it to search nationally if you want to see UK based bikes as well as N.Ireland

Malolan

and good old gumtree https://www.gumtree.com/motorbikes-scooters/northern-ireland

Nozebleed

spent the last day or 2 looking at bikes in england..there really is great value over there. think ill source a guy to collect and deliver..but how much would you expect to pay for the service?

Nozebleed

are there any guidelines for buying a bike thats come in from eastern europe? poland and the like.

CorkCBR6

I'd recommend finding "Slampi" on Facebook. He's based in Tipperary. He regularly travels Europe buying motorcycles & scooters and sells them on in Ireland.

Be worth getting a price off him to pick up a bike on his way back.