How long should it take realisticly to complete the IBT?

AMKC

I ask this because I started the course on a weekend in April of this year. I done a day and a half and yes it was my first time driving a bike. I drove 3 that weekend. They said I would have to come back to do more before getting out on the road. It was an age before this happened anyway and last month or the month before they had me back for a day. Then said I needed more and it woukd be within the next couple of weekends but nothing has happened since. It's ridiculas. I have tried to contact them a few times since with no luck. I was really hoping to be on the roads in my Trike now. I paid big money for this and the service has been very bad. I could have done it with another IBT training company and maybe have been finished months ago but I went for this one that has its base in Kinnegad because one of the instructors is local to me.

I am just very annoyed at this stage. I do not even have an actual motorbike I have a Trike with 3 wheels and know it's limits. It's not even very fast only 48kph which is perfect for all I want it for driving around town, doing my shopping bring my dog for a walk and going to my friends house.

I am sick of having to walk everywhere.

Bluefoam

2 days... Start on Saturday, finish on Sunday. I did it with the team in kinnegad too and there was one person there that was doing some extra on bike time and another who they offered more time to... They're unlikely to send someone out on the roads who isn't ready. I was very impressed with their professionalism.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121504248#Comment_121504248

At the plaza was it? So you know Tony the boss. Be next year now by the looks of it before I get it 😞.

Yes they are very good. I would have been ready by now if they just gave me the time but at this rate it will be a year since I done my first weekend with them. How is a person supposed to keep goals when they will not help out?

Some dog you have, if you can bring it for a walk at 48km/h

Bluefoam

Yeh, Tony is sound! He was following me during the road section and gave me some really helpful tips on riding position and posture...

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121504494#Comment_121504494

Yes he is and that's good.

Bluefoam

They have an opening before Christmas:

https://www.facebook.com/100042132942416/posts/pfbid0224Rrcux2fy3craJJDJxZPfjWUvKg4xLcNRmcCV26PfnoMwQeH5Ct2dWb5ZtYausLl/

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121505033#Comment_121505033

Thanks but even I could get it done them two days there would be no way of me getting taxed and insured before the 25th would there? It would also mean me paying a second time again. I will just have to wait now 😞 .

Zebbedee

You can drive a trike on a car license if you have one.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121508133#Comment_121508133

Working on it.

Henry Ford III

If they keep requiring you to do more training wouldn't that suggest your bike control and other skills aren't of a high enough standard?

tom1ie

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121508133#Comment_121508133

Can you drive a moped on a car licence?

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521568#Comment_121521568

yes, but you still need an IBT

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521535#Comment_121521535

Its why i had to do another day.

I kept hitting the front brake in slow riding and dropping the bike

Bluefoam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521783#Comment_121521783

They obviously want you to slow down, practice & get the IBT when you're ready for it... You are not safe to be allowed onto the roads. Do you have access to a private space and a bike that you can practice in safety? TBH, I think its a good thing they are holding you back for the moment. To me it sounds like you've done an entire IBT weekend, then an additional day & are lined up for more... What do you expect from them? You need to get yourself to a stage where you can safely ride on the roads, with confidence and not be in a state where you are pulling at the brakes or dropping the bike... This is up to you to get control of & it seems that the instructors are being supportive.

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521840#Comment_121521840

In the middle of Dublin at the time, no i didn't have access to a bike (I did, but it was a r1200gs and Dad told me to feck off) The issue was the bad weather at the time too. I had 3 days of IBT because my first two days were 2 weeks apart due to Ice on the road

This was nearly four years ago btw, I think you're mixing me up with the OP who is doing it now. My problem at the time was tapping the front brake instead of using the rear brake and the front forks would Dive.

I practised the safety checks and all that on a bicycle to get use to it. (Mirror, indicate, over the shoulder, mirror and turn). I had a full car license for years so clutch and gear control wern't an issue

I've done several solo cross european trails since on my bikes and goen from knowing nothing about bikes to rebuilding and fine tuning vintage motorcycles xD

But I am using the rear brake alot more now.

Bluefoam

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521928#Comment_121521928

Sorry, I did get the posts mixed up... I still believe the OP needs to get some practice in whatever way they can.

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521955#Comment_121521955

haha no worries!

I do 100% agree though! the bicycle helped alot for me could practise slow riding and all that.

But just doesn't let you get a hang of gears

knucklehead6

@goblin59

I've done several solo cross european trails since on my bikes and goen from knowing nothing about bikes to rebuilding and fine tuning vintage motorcycles xD

Someday when i have time, space and money i'd love to do that type of stuff. I know enough about bikes and cars to know that i know NOWHERE near enough to do self maintenence... which is something i feel embarrassed about when i meet up with lads on a spin.

knucklehead6

As for the OP, if the IBT guys are saying you need more time then they are saying it with a view of keeping you and other road users safe, they are not trying to get extra money out of you, and i'm not saying that you were implying that.

A while back we had a poster on here who insisted that his IBT instructor told him to go out the road and drive up to his local supermarket car park to practice... without a valid IBT cert. Any instructor i've spoken to would disagree with this. At the end of the day their professional reputation is also at stake when you are out.

My stepson had to go back for a third day on his IBT course, but he accepted that it was safety related and knew himself after day 1 that he wouldn't be ready for the roads on Day 2. He also did his in Kinnegad with Tony, Ger and Eric

Varik

I did mine spread over a decent time span. Price was normal for full thing same as if I'd done it over a weekend. The 2 classroom bits were each a separate weekday evening, and then the on bike part was spread over 4 weekend days over a decent time.

I'd to do more than the 18 or whatever as with all the stopping and starting as I spent a little each time in yard to refamiliarize myself after time off the bike so didn't have enough on road.

The extra time was all road at the end and that was extra but very cheap (like me asking are you sure cheap).

Just on this bit

"They said I would have to come back to do more before getting out on the road."

Do you mean to get the cert or did you only do yard time, how much time were you on the road during the training.

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522073#Comment_121522073

I got thrown in the deep end for it tbh!

I did my test 6 months after the IBT and went over to my parent house to help with some bricklaying work for my Dad.

was there for about 3 months helping out as he told me he'd give me a DR650 if i did. Turned out it was a rolling frame and a crate with an engine in it from Ebay.

I'd never even done an oil change myself before this, so if I wanted the bike I had to learn to do the wiring, Carb tuning and engine rebuild on the bike. After that we booked a ferry to do a bit of the TET and then I travelled on solo into Italy and done several trips since.

Rebuilding the DR650 in January, I'm putting a navigation mount onto it and redoing the wiring, which was damaged from a few off road crashes. Also changing the headlight and fairing back to the original Suzuki style and then going to do Greece or Croatia ACT

goblin59

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522098#Comment_121522098

I rememeber that thread. He was very **** you attitude. Didn't care he was putting others at risk and had no insurance

Henry Ford III

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522171#Comment_121522171

Very entitled and overly confident.

Hotblack Desiato

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121508133#Comment_121508133

Depends on when you got it. It must have Class A with code 79.03.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521776#Comment_121521776

No you can't unless you got the car licence before Oct 2006. You will need to have Class AM on the licence.

OP what is the trike, it sounds very odd indeed? Is it type approved? has it been registered? Whether two or three wheels, if it can't break 50 km/h you are going to get run off the road sooner or later, a 50cc or anything similar isn't safer but is a liability on modern roads.

Itineoman

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523768#Comment_121523768

Brother in law has a trike on the road with insurance. Has a 79.03 license. It’s based on a Kawasaki Vulcan. Not a fan myself of them. Scared the hell out of me when I tried it for a spin.

Hotblack Desiato

Trikes cunningly combine the disadvantages of a car with the disadvantages of a motorbike 😁

I did see an interesting one at a rally years ago though, a Mini power unit mounted (transversely, natch) at the rear instead of the usual VW stuff or GoldWing.

My wife has class A 79.03 on her licence. She's never ridden a motorcycle or trike of any description.

The whole "passing a test in class X gets you class Y but we don't put that on the licence" thing is gone. Your licence will now (or will, when you renew it) explicitly say what categories you got "for free" and what the restrictions on them are.

Cue lots of people with 79.03 thinking they got a free motorcycle licence... but in the end doing it this way is a lot more sensible and can accommodate weird stuff like people who exchanged UK car licences which allowed them to ride A1 motorcycles but only up to 12hp.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522098#Comment_121522098

As for the OP, if the IBT guys are saying you need more time then they are saying it with a view of keeping you and other road users safe, they are not trying to get extra money out of you, and i'm not saying that you were implying that.

Yes I know that and get that.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121522117#Comment_121522117

I have so far only drove around the car park on the bikes. I knew when I started that I woukd not be put on the roads on the first weekend and have no problem with that. Its just that a whole Summer went by when I could have been doing it and they never got me back till September or October. I would like to be doing it more regularly.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121523768#Comment_121523768

OP what is the trike, it sounds very odd indeed? Is it type approved? has it been registered? Whether two or three wheels, if it can't break 50 km/h you are going to get run off the road sooner or later, a 50cc or anything similar isn't safer but is a liability on modern roads.

I don't know if it is type approved but yes it has been registered. I spent a lot of this year doing that. Not simple and not easy but I got there in the end :) .

It's electric. It's perfectly safe where I want to drive it around the town I live in and out to the Parents.

AMKC

Another view of my beautiful Trike :) .

chasm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121531418#Comment_121531418

What is the name of this trike?

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121712264#Comment_121712264

It's an LMI.

YES I finally done it. I got my IBT Cert today delighted. Tony and the rest of the lads at the Kinnegad plaza were brilliant. Just have to decide if I want go get a full bike license now or not.

Also the nightmare of getting insurance. I have been talking to Carrol Nash and will try Liberty and AXA tomorrow and decide who I go with then. Because my Trike is so rare and unusual I have to ring them can not do the quotes online. So only had time for 1 quote this evening after a lot of messing about trying to get some online.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121521928#Comment_121521928

On my IBT they encouraged using the gears to slow down and use the rear brake then when needed.

From watching some youtube safety videos it appears, at least for faster riding in bends that using the rear brake "can" be a bad idea as it can take the load off the front wheel, there's a thing called trail breaking also which means you can ever so gently pull the front brake in bends to get the bike to stop going wide if you underestimate the speed going into a bend.

A lot of the issue with brakes in this situation is people panic brake and new riders panic brake lock up the front wheel and drop the bike, same with rear brake, you can just as easily panic brake the rear in a straight line and the bike will go down, it's all about gentle braking, start with 2 fingers.

I have to say though I really like the rear brake on the handlebar of the Tmax 500 and being new to riding I haven't thought it's a clutch.

Mad_Lad

Congrats ! ride safe !

Can you send a link to the bike ?

I was originally going for A then figured out I don't want to have to ride a 50 Kw bike to pass A test so going with A2 on the Tmax 500 and then get A through progressive access 2 years after I pass the test and in fairness the max power on A2 is 35 Kw and that's still a lot of poke on 2 wheels.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961977#Comment_121961977

Its on the last page.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965601#Comment_121965601

I don't know how I missed it, never saw one before but reminds me of the Renault Twizzy.

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121965992#Comment_121965992

You can actually by a Chinese version of the Renault Twizzy. I thought about it but did not in the end too impracticle with no doors lol. Actually I think the Chinese version had doors and I seen it after I bought my Trike. Awe well. Would have loved a Twizzy.

Might go to the Canarie's on holiday in the future and drive one there if its still possible.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121966412#Comment_121966412

Twizzy was too expensive and range too limited and recharge times far too long and the batteries had to be leased.

It's a pity they didn't develop it further but it's hard to put a larger battery in a package so small this is why Auto manufacturers are focusing more on making cars larger and larger so they can fit in more battery but our roads and car parks are not designed for these cars.

One reason Motorbikes and Scooters are limited in range is due to their size, Zero make probably the best electric motorbikes out there but are handicapped by 70 miles range max to even lower if you're hard on the throttle, I built high powered electric bicycles years ago and the torque is nuts, people will love them but the penalty is range and recharge times + cost, I think currently Zero offer a 2 hr charge time with optional "fast charger" And they have limited max power ability or boost.

I'm happy with the Tmax 500 for now, can't wait to get it back, it's quite powerful.

I just looked up the specs, didn't realise it's electric :-)

I bet the locals nearly fall over looking at that passing hahaha,

You should be able to mod it for more power and speed, if it really is 1 Kw that's not much power at all.

I was running 10 Kw peak through one of the rear hub motors on my bike. In small packs LiPo batteries are king but you got to know how to handle them, they are not safe if abused lol. That and a new beefier controller, possibly higher voltage motor and you'll be flying around.

Further looking into the specs the system is actually 2 kw 72 volt and 45 ah battery, but uses Lead acid ? wow, WTF ? well the lead acid would have to go and upgrade to LiPo :-)

were there no Lithium options ? if those batteries are not deep cycle batteries they'll probably have a very short life.

Might be worth a thread in the ev section ?

AMKC

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121966543#Comment_121966543

"Twizzy was too expensive and range too limited and recharge times far too long and the batteries had to be leased."

I agree.

"Further looking into the specs the system is actually 2 kw 72 volt and 45 ah battery, but uses Lead acid ? wow, WTF ? well the lead acid would have to go and upgrade to LiPo :-)

were there no Lithium options ? if those batteries are not deep cycle batteries they'll probably have a very short life."

I never got the lead acid battery. It never came. Am glad too. I got two Smart Propel Lithium ion 72volt 45ah batteries for it.

https://www.smartpropel.com/

Only have one in it connected to the trike with Anderson connectors. Would love to have two connected in it together but maybe its just to risky. I thought about trying to do it for ages and then decided it was too risky.

Maybe someone like you might know what you are at but not me. You are welcome to come look at for me anytime.

My plan is to have the two of them in it and when one goes low just change over the connectors. That should give me 100km of range. It can only do 47kph do. Maybe that's a good thing do. Over 30kph and a sharp turn in it is not good. Becomes unstable like at T junction turning right or left at that speed would lift a wheel. I would love to get it to 60kph but then it would need new tyres as the tyres on it are only rated to 50kph.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121967395#Comment_121967395

That was clever getting the lithium, no I wouldn't connect the two of them in Parallel due to the BMS without them Specifically mentioning whether or not they can be connected in parallel , I looked them up and it doesn't mention it.but if you got the 2 in there it would effectively double your range, worst case just put the 2 in and swap over the connectors when one runs low.

AMKC

Thank you. I thought so.

Well the person I dealt with and who I put the order in foor them with said Paralell is OK but not in series. Still he is going to say that anyway. He also said it would not damage the motor or controller but he is not here and does not know there specs. If it did its not him who is then without a vehicle to get around.

I was also thinking of some way to keep both batteries in check if I did join them together maybe some sort of regulator but it turns out a DC battery combiner is what would be needed,

The current from my batteries is 30amps. Not sure if this would work.

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121968923#Comment_121968923

No you shouldn't need anything like this, just make sure if you do connect them in parallel that they are both fully charged, you don't want to connect batteries of different voltages.

Also, Lithium has higher voltage when fully charged than Lead acid so you need to make sure the battery when hot off the charger doesn't exceed this max voltage.

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121961977#Comment_121961977

bear in mind if you pass your test on the TMax, your licence will be marked as 'automatic' only…..

Mad_Lad

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121997928#Comment_121997928

Yes I was aware getting the Tmax but suppose I just wanted to get used to bikes, balance and all and twist and go is a lot easier starting off. It's pretty nippy too.

The idea was that if I pass the test and have the license 2 years I can get A through progressive access which will allow me ride the NC750 DCT. Or I could just stick with the maxi scooters.

Are the honda cubs considered automatic and could I ride one on auto license ?

galwaytt

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121999361#Comment_121999361

the rule is, if it doesn't have a manually operated clutch (lever), it's an Auto, so yes, a Cub would be classed as an automatic.

Tbh, and I ride automatic bikes most of the time, low speed control and balance is easier to learn on a standard 'manual clutch' bike, especially on bigger ones. I say this based on 3 x DCT and 3 scooters in this house, as well as some standard clutch bikes.

I've never seen the operation of a clutch be the deciding factor in someone passing/failing or struggling for a test. It's usually other factors which would be common to autos anyway (speed, position, signalling, observation etc etc).

Hocus Focus

I did my IBT with Eric in mid-August (it was unbelievably hot in all the protective clothing!). It took the full two days, with the afternoon of the second day devoted to a ride out to Trim and back. No problems whatsoever, and I even got a 4-month wait before eligibility for applying for a test, but, admittedly, I have been driving 4-wheel vehicles of various sizes for over 50 years, and I did have motorcycles between the ages of 17 and 27, though without a full licence.

I found the tuition I received was excellent and if I had been told that I needed to come back for more I would have taken that judgement at face value.