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

Banana Republic.

Jimmy Bottlehead wrote: »

One word of caution lads...

Someone here mentioned buying a bike immediately after their IBT.

Just make sure you have competent enough skills to drive the bike home. My first IBT (I won't name the school) signed off on me, even though in retrospect, I was absolutely not competent. I got a friend to help me buy a bike, but I drove it home and somehow didn't have an accident wobbling all over the place, cutting out, etc.

There's no harm getting a biker to drive it home for you, then getting used to it in a quiet area on your own time, rather than straight onto public roads.

Thankfully, I topped that poor IBT up with a refresher by Aaron Rider Training and they did a very good job tightening up my skills. But just a small tip there, don't run before you can walk because a stumble on a bike can be very nasty indeed.

Absolutely man, luckily my two biker friends have offered to drive it home if I’m not confident so that’s a great tip indeed. Fair play Jimmy.

zubair

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Absolutely man, luckily my two biker friends have offered to drive it home if I’m not confident so that’s a great tip indeed. Fair play Jimmy.

What do your mates ride? Asking because of your own bike preference.

Banana Republic.

zubair wrote: »

What do your mates ride? Asking because of your own bike preference.

Suzuki Intruder M800 & Kawasaki 650 ER6F & Honda Shadow 750. My bike preference is based on my likes Aesthetically and what I’ve always loved is Cruisers for me would match my personality much better then other types of bikes.

Jimmy Bottlehead

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Suzuki Intruder M800 & Kawasaki 650 ER6F & Honda Shadow 750. My bike preference is based on my likes Aesthetically and what I’ve always loved is Cruisers for me would match my personality much better then other types of bikes.

I really wanted a cruiser starting off, bought a naked though as it made sense and never ever liked sport bikes.
Just bought a sport tourer
And may well look at a cruiser down the road if I can get one with enough pep to it.

It's one thing that's nice about bikes, there's so much variety.

zubair

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Suzuki Intruder M800 & Kawasaki 650 ER6F & Honda Shadow 750. My bike preference is based on my likes Aesthetically and what I’ve always loved is Cruisers for me would match my personality much better then other types of bikes.

Birds of a a feather. :-)

Is it today or next Saturday you're starting?

Banana Republic.

zubair wrote: »

Birds of a a feather. :-)

Is it today or next Saturday you're starting?

My mate with the Kawasaki is looking to upgrade to a cruiser too lol

Next Saturday. We’ll have our own crew, we went off last week for 3 hours around Wexford it was class as a passenger going across the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy bridge on a bike, that experience just wetted my appetite even more. Great way to see Ireland down the line.

steven087

Hi I'm 28 and have theory test next week I want to get a 600 so what are the steps after theory.. Is it book ibt... Also can I get insured before the ibt and drive or do I have to pass that first.. Thanks in advance

zubair

steven087 wrote: »

Hi I'm 28 and have theory test next week I want to get a 600 so what are the steps after theory.. Is it book ibt... Also can I get insured before the ibt and drive or do I have to pass that first.. Thanks in advance

Apply for your permit after passing theory, once you have your permit you can do the IBT, after passing IBT you can get insured and ride. *Some companies will insure you before the IBT but you're only covered while under instruction and the IBT must be completed within x weeks.

steven087

zubair wrote: »

Apply for your permit after passing theory, once you have your permit you can do the IBT, after passing IBT you can get insured and ride. *Some companies will insure you before the IBT but you're only covered while under instruction and the IBT must be completed within x weeks.

Thanks
Also do you still have to book ndls centre or are they doing walk ins

Banana Republic.

steven087 wrote: »

Thanks
Also do you still have to book ndls centre or are they doing walk ins

Book online, no walk ins at the moment. Once you apply for your Licence you can book IBT if it more then say a 3 week wait so you’ll definitely have your physical licence by then. Best of luck with your Theory Test, done mine few weeks back, just take your time and use the App is great

knucklehead6

anyone got any tips for stopping the lining of your gloves coming out when you take them off? Had to drive home this evening gloveless, cos the lining came out of the fingers when i took the gloves off to get something from my wallet.

I'm going to try baby powder in the morning, cos my hands DO sweat a bit in the gloves, plus they were still wet from the morning drive in

zubair

knucklehead6 wrote: »

anyone got any tips for stopping the lining of your gloves coming out when you take them off? Had to drive home this evening gloveless, cos the lining came out of the fingers when i took the gloves off to get something from my wallet.

I'm going to try baby powder in the morning, cos my hands DO sweat a bit in the gloves, plus they were still wet from the morning drive in

Pinch the fingers and thumb as you take your hand out so you're holding the liner, slowly. Might be time for new gloves though as the liner coming out means the waterproof membrane will get damaged. Look into Goretex xtrafit gloves, the liners are fixed to the outer so less of a problem.

knucklehead6

zubair wrote: »

Pinch the fingers and thumb as you take your hand out so you're holding the liner, slowly. Might be time for new gloves though as the liner coming out means the waterproof membrane will get damaged. Look into Goretex xtrafit gloves, the liners are fixed to the outer so less of a problem.

Thanks for that

only bought them back in June so it won't be new gloves time it's back to the shop time!!

Banana Republic.

knucklehead6 wrote: »

Thanks for that

only bought them back in June so it won't be new gloves time it's back to the shop time!!

Jesus that’s fairly poor quality to have only bought them last month n they are knackered already. Shocking.

knucklehead6

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Jesus that’s fairly poor quality to have only bought then last month n they are knackered already. Shocking.

They’re RST gloves too. About €70 worth, so I’d have expected a bit better from them tbh

Banana Republic.

Too right you would have, refund or replacement although my confidence would be shot with that make after that happened tbh but up to yourself

robbie_63

RST are well recommended on here so hopefully you just got a bad set and the shop will look after you

Banana Republic.

TobinIT wrote: »

RST are well recommended on here so hopefully you just got a bad set and the shop will look after you

Yea that’s why I was so surprised. Hopefully so.

steven087

I have my theory on Friday and I'm using the official app.. I find alot of the time same questions coming up.. Did anybof ye find that the matched what will come up in the theory..

Banana Republic.

steven087 wrote: »

I have my theory on Friday and I'm using the official app.. I find alot of the time same questions coming up.. Did anybof ye find that the matched what will come up in the theory..

Yea it did but the first question I’d never seen on the app at all, it was called a turnabout, I was unsure if it was a U Turn or not, seems obvious now but threw me for my first question. Yes A turnabout is a U-turn lol

happy cookie

Same experience as Banana Republic here. The first question was slightly differently worded than the app, which made me a bit nervous, but the rest of them were exactly the same as in the app. Don't even ask me what the first question was, can't remember. Also I wasn't expecting the whole rigmarole or teaching you to navigate through the test for like 10 minutes, and then the little survey at the end. The whole experience was very positive.

I finally applied for my permit yesterday, also very straightforward, in and out within 15 minutes!! I'll be checking the post box every day from next week :-)

robbie_63

happy cookie wrote: »

Same experience as Banana Republic here. The first question was slightly differently worded than the app, which made me a bit nervous, but the rest of them were exactly the same as in the app. Don't even ask me what the first question was, can't remember. Also I wasn't expecting the whole rigmarole or teaching you to navigate through the test for like 10 minutes, and then the little survey at the end. The whole experience was very positive.

I finally applied for my permit yesterday, also very straightforward, in and out within 15 minutes!! I'll be checking the post box every day from next week :-)

I think mine took a week or so to arrive, have you started looking at ibt lessons yet?

zubair

knucklehead6 wrote: »

They’re RST gloves too. About €70 worth, so I’d have expected a bit better from them tbh

I would consider RST middle of the road. They're above budget but not premium. I don't know if you have goretex gloves but you should consider them. For an extra couple of bucks you're in A*, Rukka and Richa goretex territory. Gloves have a very short life, they go through more wear and tear than any other item and I find that even the top brands only last a year with daily use. I wouldn't replace them with the same if you're getting a refund or credit. But you do need to treat them with care still, it's easy for the liner to come out like that even when you're careful.

Banana Republic.

zubair wrote: »

I would consider RST middle of the road. They're above budget but not premium. I don't know if you have goretex gloves but you should consider them. For an extra couple of bucks you're in A*, Rukka and Richa goretex territory. Gloves have a very short life, they go through more wear and tear than any other item and I find that even the top brands only last a year with daily use. I wouldn't replace them with the same if you're getting a refund or credit. But you do need to treat them with care still, it's easy for the liner to come out like that even when you're careful.

I got my gloves on eBay and they are fine although I haven’t used them daily riding yet so it’ll come out in the wash lol but I do see myself spending a bit more then the €40 outlay I paid this time. Style wise I’ll start to form my own gear style and pay that extra when I’m not saving for IBT, Bike, insurance and all that jazz. Luckily my friend has spare gear he was willing to sell me so got a jacket and pants for €50 and they’ve great protection and fit me great.

Any tips for sweating underneath pants wise or is that just a byproduct of being well protected? I wore shorts the last time for the 3 hour spin and least that area was less sweaty

happy cookie

TobinIT wrote: »

I think mine took a week or so to arrive, have you started looking at ibt lessons yet?

I have, seeing the backlog everywhere I rang around as soon as I got the theory test done and booked trying to calculate how long the license will take to arrive (I had already booked the NDLS appointment before doing the theory test).

I'm here hoping it arrives on time because I'd hate having to cancel my first day!!

Banana Republic.

happy cookie wrote: »

I have, seeing the backlog everywhere I rang around as soon as I got the theory test done and booked trying to calculate how long the license will take to arrive (I had already booked the NDLS appointment before doing the theory test).

I'm here hoping it arrives on time because I'd hate having to cancel my first day!!

As I said before if you give it say 3 weeks you’ll be just dandy, anything less and you could be nervy lol that’s why they insist you have it when you ring up so hopefully you gave yourself enough of a cushion it’s a lovely little post when you get it and plans go to plan

zubair

Banana Republic. wrote: »

I got my gloves on eBay and they are fine although I haven’t used them daily riding yet so it’ll come out in the wash lol but I do see myself spending a bit more then the €40 outlay I paid this time. Style wise I’ll start to form my own gear style and pay that extra when I’m not saving for IBT, Bike, insurance and all that jazz. Luckily my friend has spare gear he was willing to sell me so got a jacket and pants for €50 and they’ve great protection and fit me great.

Any tips for sweating underneath pants wise or is that just a byproduct of being well protected? I wore shorts the last time for the 3 hour spin and least that area was less sweaty

As time passes you'll have a better idea of what you need and want in gear. Best to go with budget options at the start. Its probably worth investing a bit more in to gloves sooner though. A lot of budget gloves have thick liners, so reduces the feel or feedback on the controls.

Sweating lol. Do you have a removable thermal liner? Take it out. Open the air vents if you have them. I wear textiles to work over my clothes and would't have much of a problem with being too hot. But the thing with riding is you're normally either too hot or too cold.

Banana Republic.

zubair wrote: »

As time passes you'll have a better idea of what you need and want in gear. Best to go with budget options at the start. Its probably worth investing a bit more in to gloves sooner though. A lot of budget gloves have thick liners, so reduces the feel or feedback on the controls.

Sweating lol. Do you have a removable thermal liner? Take it out. Open the air vents if you have them. I wear textiles to work over my clothes and would't have much of a problem with being too hot. But the thing with riding is your normally either too hot or too cold.

Oh yea there is thermal’s inside haha might be better used when the wind is attacking me and I’m not hidden from the wind by the driver taking it all, Yea I opened the air vents which I thought were pockets lol I’llsee hope the gloves feel once I do the IBT and get my own two wheels. They are fine to start off with and have plenty of protection. It’ll be fun learning in the Autumn/Winter but it should stand to me learning in those conditions. I don’t only want to be a fair weather driver I think I’ll pay enough to buy one and insure it so I’ll make the most of every opportunity to ride.

Banana Republic.

Anyone do their IBT in the rain? Mine looks very likely with the weather forecast incoming next week.

goblin59

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Anyone do their IBT in the rain? Mine looks very likely with the weather forecast incoming next week.

that sounds like utter ****.

They could cancel it if its bad

zubair

You'll be taking it easy anyway. Don't worry.

dubal2008

It will be only cancelled if the rain is very heavy

Banana Republic.

I’m not phased by it raining as I plan to ride in all weather I suppose in at the deep end but yea I’d hate it to be cancelled. Training stays the same in the rain? Like overtaking and that?

robbie_63

Banana Republic. wrote: »

I’m not phased by it raining as I plan to ride in all weather I suppose in at the deep end but yea I’d hate it to be cancelled. Training stays the same in the rain? Like overtaking and that?

Just gives you an excuse when you drop it! haha

knucklehead6

Gloves changed for a different pair, no questions asked.

Banana Republic.

TobinIT wrote: »

Just gives you an excuse when you drop it! haha

I’ll drop me before the bike

robbie_63

Let us know how you get on with your IBT lesson

happy cookie

TobinIT wrote: »

Let us know how you get on with your IBT lesson

Ditto!!!

steven087

Theory test passed today.. Now have to wait 3 weeks for ndls appointment 😡 😡

Banana Republic.

steven087 wrote: »

Theory test passed today.. Now have to wait 3 weeks for ndls appointment 😡 😡

Congrats one of the biggest hurdles done, it’s a thing that can easily be failed if you don’t put in the work. Remember to give yourself enough time to receive the licence before scheduling the IBT.

steven087

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Congrats one of the biggest hurdles done, it’s a thing that can easily be failed if you don’t put in the work. Remember to give yourself enough time to receive the licence before scheduling the IBT.

Yes think I'll book for start of September..
Now to go and buy a bike...

robbie_63

steven087 wrote: »

Yes think I'll book for start of September..
Now to go and buy a bike...

Bear in mind you won't be able to drive the bike on the road until you pass the IBT

robbie_63

Banana Republic. wrote: »

Congrats one of the biggest hurdles done, it’s a thing that can easily be failed if you don’t put in the work. Remember to give yourself enough time to receive the licence before scheduling the IBT.

Good luck with the IBT Tomorrow, let us know how you get on,

Hopefully the weather stays fine,

Banana Republic.

TobinIT wrote: »

Good luck with the IBT Tomorrow, let us know how you get on,

Hopefully the weather stays fine,

Cheers that’s nice of you to say, it’s a Theory day I’ll keep the good weather for next wk 😂

sm3ar

Are Crash Bobbins specific to specific makes and models of bikes or are they interchangeable?

steven087

When filling up learner permit application. Which boxes should I tick just the A or all of them . I'm looking to be driving a 600cc

Banana Republic.

steven087 wrote: »

When filling up learner permit application. Which boxes should I tick just the A or all of them . I'm looking to be driving a 600cc

Tick all of them, better off having them all.

flashinthepan

steven087 wrote: »

When filling up learner permit application. Which boxes should I tick just the A or all of them . I'm looking to be driving a 600cc

I only ticked the A and when the licence came back it had them all on it not just A
took about a week to get it in the post

Banana Republic.

Anyone ever starting out on bikes and spot a bike and tell your mates about it and then one of them goes to look at it for themselves? Lol I gave him my blessing though as I said it’s better one off us have it then none of us as it’s got a whole lot of new service parts done to it. I am a bit gutted but he’s my friend so I’ll be delighted for him plus looks like I’m driving him there haha

Bit like going on Tinder n dropping your mate off on the date you chatted to first (actually it is I text the guy two weeks ago lol)

Seriously though I don’t have the cash myself till end of the month and I’m only starting the IBT. Plus I’ll get to see a bike deal and what to look for and all that so a learning experience too There’s another one in Ireland I’ve an eye on but ssssh don’t tell anyone LOL

flashinthepan

Best of luck with you'r IBT Banana? :-)