First time buyer

irishman_abroad

hi all

Im looking for advice on getting my first motorbike. Im 27 and have a full car drivinig licence. I am looking for answers to a few questions:

Can I drive under my current licence?

Are AON and Carole Nash the only places for insurance?

What would be a good startoff bike(Im thinking Suzuki GN 125 or similar)?

Do I have to drive under the 125/limited bigger bike rule?

Can I have the bike licence added to my current one or would I have to get a seperate one?

Any other insights would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Slaanesh

Can I drive under my current licence?

No.

Are AON and Carole Nash the only places for insurance?

Yes

What would be a good startoff bike(Im thinking Suzuki GN 125 or similar)?

The bike I got is doing pretty well, Yamaha YBR 125 but I think the GN was a great bike even though I ran it into the ground. 120km/hr I got out of the GN on occasions, hard to touch 100km/hr on the YBR.

Another note, the YBR brand new is a good 500 euro than a GN125 or a Honda CG125.

Do I have to drive under the 125/limited bigger bike rule?

Afaik on an A license you are restricted to max 33bhp, not sure on this, I'm sure Seamus or someone will clarify.

Can I have the bike licence added to my current one or would I have to get a seperate one?

You need a seperate provisional license starting off, when you pass the test you can get it added to your current full car license.

Any other insights would be greatly appreciated.

You suck,

Come again.

tk123

You can go staright to the A prov once you're over 25 so you're limited to 33bph...have a look in Motorcycle faq...

seamus

tk123 wrote:

You can go staright to the A prov once you're over 25 so you're limited to 33bph...have a look in Motorcycle faq...

You can go straight to the A prov once you're over 18 actually.

The limit for the A licence is 25kW/33BHP (that's an AND, not an OR btw) which applies for the duration of the provisional licence, and for two years from the date of issue of your full licence.

Other than that, Slaanesh is spot on.

Other things to note;
You will have to do a driver theory test before you can apply for your provisional.
If you buy a moped/scooter < 50cc, you don't need a new licence, the car licence automatically covers you, although the insurance companies won't count your NCB on the car.

irishman_abroad

Thanks guys

Cept Slaan --- Why didnt you tell me all this when I asked ya, ya monkey:rolleyes:

japanpaul

You can get some nice japanese import 250's that will fall under the 33bhp if you don't want to get your bike restricted. I brought this bike in from Japan in April and found it perfect for Dublin motoring and big enough to go on the occasional weekend away.
Try and do your test as soon as possible before you pick up any bad habits and it will bring down your insurance too.
BTW, I'm paying E2000 TPF&T with Carole Nash since passing the test, was E2200. It still works out cheaper than car insurance/servicing and getting the bus.

Slaanesh

irishman_abroad wrote:

Thanks guys

Cept Slaan --- Why didnt you tell me all this when I asked ya, ya monkey:rolleyes:

I did you monkey.

irishman_abroad

arse all i got was uuuuuuuuuum yeeees sure mebbie I dunno ... ya twunt

Another note, the YBR brand new is a good 500 euro than a GN125 or a Honda CG125.

what the hell does that mean??

Supercell

Definately go for a bike with gears you'll only regret not doing this initially if you go down the scooter route.

You will stall ...a lot ..probably starting out..though some bikes are a little more forgiving than others (cruisers are nice bikes to start with..pleasant ride and you learn the basics safely..and look great!!).

When i got my first bike I was living in the city centre..somehow made it to the Ind Est in Phibsbourgh (stalled bloody bike about 50 times on the way..that bike had the clutch from hell!! and was kickstart..flooded engine fun!! ..dont get a kick start bike if you can avoid it!!). Then drove around the estate all afternoon practising starts , stopping etc, at least with bikes you don't need to worry about parallel parking!!

Good luck, and don't buy a cheap helmet, broken heads are harder to fix than broken bikes.

Slaanesh

irishman_abroad wrote:

arse all i got was uuuuuuuuuum yeeees sure mebbie I dunno ... ya twunt



what the hell does that mean??

Hehe, I meant to put the word cheaper in there somewhere

Tomohawk

Originally Posted by Longfield
Definately go for a bike with gears you'll only regret not doing this initially if you go down the scooter route.

Sorry Longfield, but my 2004 scooter has 4 gears AND a clutch!! Also has a real, yes a real kickstart to back up the electric start...At 200cc its suitable for doing the full motorbike test on too. Of course it's a design classic to boot as well, a Piaggio Vespa PX200...

Buy a full face Helmut, good padded/protected leather gloves, and rain leggings while you're getting your first bike mate...Also a HiVis jacket for the evenings and as good a lock and chain as you can afford.

Only those 2 campanies insure bikers in the Republic of Ireland afaik.

Hotblack Desiato

seamus wrote:

The limit for the A licence is 25kW/33BHP (that's an AND, not an OR btw)

Arrrghhh, not this again, the hardy perennial of bike forums everywhere.

In Ireland the power restriction is EITHER 25kW ***OR*** a power to weight ratio of not more than 0.15kW/kg

S.I. 352/1999

Motorcycle engine size restriction.

17. A person granted a provisional licence for the first time on or after the commencement of these Regulations to drive vehicles in category A and who on obtaining a certificate of competency in that category is subsequently granted a driving licence in that category, shall, until a period of two years after the grant of the latter licence, be restricted to driving only those vehicles in the said category which have a power output not exceeding 25 kW or a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW/kg, or in the case of vehicles in the said category with sidecars, with a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.16 kW/kg.

Edit: Think I'll put that in my sig

Supercell

Tomohawk wrote:

Sorry Longfield, but my 2004 scooter has 4 gears AND a clutch!! Also has a real, yes a real kickstart to back up the electric start...At 200cc its suitable for doing the full motorbike test on too. Of course it's a design classic to boot as well, a Piaggio Vespa PX200...

IMHO you also look like a pufter riding one...(think bloke driving a pink micra with furry dice in the car world)

I you you want to ride a "cute" bike...then maybe this is for you, otherwise dont go for a scooter.

Personal opinion, that is all.

seamus

That's what I said.

^(A AND == ^A OR ^B

It's not either - you don't avail of the highest limit, you're restricted to the lower limit.

Hotblack Desiato

Nope, you're wrong. If you had to obey both limits then it would say AND. It says OR so if you obey one (or both) you're fine.

The law says I must do A or B, that doesn't mean I must do A and B.

Tomohawk

originally posted by Longfield
IMHO you also look like a pufter riding one...(think bloke driving a pink micra with furry dice in the car world)

I you you want to ride a "cute" bike...then maybe this is for you, otherwise dont go for a scooter.

Personal opinion, that is all.

15,000,000 vespa drivers worldwide can't be wrong...
Look behind ya Longfield, we're coming to get ya!! muhahaha

Tomohawk

originally posted by irishman_abroad
Can I have the bike licence added to my current one or would I have to get a seperate one?

You will get a seperate provisional licence, and then when you pass your test the bike category will be added to your existing Car licence. So you will end up with one pink licence in the auld wallet...at least this is what happened to me within the last 2 years when I sat my full "A" Licence on my "cute" little Vespa PX200 scooter.

seamus

ninja900 wrote:

Nope, you're wrong. If you had to obey both limits then it would say AND. It says OR so if you obey one (or both) you're fine.

The law says I must do A or B, that doesn't mean I must do A and B.

Oh, it's a perennial one alright. We'll have to agree to disagree.

Hotblack Desiato

The confusion arose because the EU directive is worded differently, and actually requires both limits to be met. IOW the power-to-weight thing was intended to restrict the power of very light bikes to less than 25kW - but no learner legal bike could exceed 25kW no matter how heavy. This is the situation in all other EU countries (but nearly all of them have Direct Access to soften the blow.)

When transposing this into Irish legislation they messed up, allowing heavy bikes to exceed 25kW provided they meet the power-to-weight ratio. Trust me on this, MAG studied it at length and came to this conclusion...

It still sucks though, we'd be far better off with Direct Access and it would be safer too. But the government seems to think an untrained rider with two years worth of post-test bad habits is safer than a trained rider who's just passed an advanced course from a qualified instructor...

Supercell

Tomohawk wrote:

15,000,000 vespa drivers worldwide can't be wrong...
Look behind ya Longfield, we're coming to get ya!! muhahaha

Jaysus whould you look at the jamn caused by all thoses bikes that cant make it up that little hill :eek: