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

With a full licence and a year or two NCB it makes it much easier to shop around.

Thanks, I'm tempted to file a case with the Ombudsman. They've already done some fairly unscupulous things, like when I upgraded my bike, they told me I needed to cancel my policy to get the price they quoted me online... so I had to start my NCB from scratch as they cancelled it...

I just don't have any thrust in them.

I passed the test in feb insurance was up in July

When I got the quote there was no difference from last year so I rang them and asked the girl on the phone said they had not noticed that I had updated my details and said she would get on to her manager

Came back a few mins later with about €70 off so in my case it made a small difference from €360 down to €290 which I was happy enough with as a 57yo

It's prob the only benefit of getting old :-) :-)

Hey everyone, have some questions about insurance that are driving me mad if anyone would like to help :)

I'll be considered a brand new driver in the A class. Had provisionals about 20 years ago, but haven't got it renewed for 15 years, I'm back to square 1.

Anyway, I've learner permit got (AM, A1, A2 and A), IBT done and I've been looking at a few machines on donedeal to see what's around.

Is there a limit in what insurers will allow you to insure first time out, with zero previous? If so, is it a KW measurement or a CC one?

I'm more or less talking about Liberty here, cos I use their online quote system, to see if I can insure a bike I spot on donedeal.

When that says no quote, I move on, but might other companies actually insure me on the same machine?

Hope this makes sense. Basically I want to know if all insurers differ on what power bikes they offer to first time customers?

Does any other company have online quotes for bike insurance?

Thanks for getting back to me :)

So it probably doesn't matter so much about CC or KW or BHP, but more to do with the area kept and how it is stored? haha

The reason I use the online one from Liberty is I'm just used to using it for checking general insurance prices when looking for new cars.

I don't want to buy the bike and not be insurable on it, you know? I can easily get quotes on 125, 250, 400 and 500. It starts getting a bit murky then. I got a no quote on a NC750S and Burgman 650, but got quotes on other 650's and 700's.

I can't ring 4 companies (there's 4 that insure bikes, right?) each time I see a potential bike on DD, so I try the online quote to see if it's even viable. My worry is that while Liberty might say no on their portal, if I ring CN, they might be fine!

I also have the potential full test to think about, from January next year and if I go and get a 125 or 250 for commuting, I won't be given a full A license then, if I use that in the test, from what I understand?

It's a pain, being honest!

You also have the option of hiring an A bike for the test, that’s what I had to do

A real life example from a few weeks back. Got my young fella insured, 16 y.o. first learner permit, IBT passed (could have looked for an assessment but no difference to insurance anyway). Bike is 2021 GSX-S125, worth about €3k. Third Party Fire & Theft, Mid-West (rural), block garage;

Principal - won't quote

Liberty €2.9k

Axa €2k

Carole Nash (with Axa) €1,250.

Things to do to bring the quote down - ask for the max excess (y'know yourself, unless its robbed/burned (even then??) I can't see us claiming, on a €3k bike they'd take it off you over and over is my sense).

Thank God for Carole Nash, if it wasn't for them I think I'd be saying - "Sorry son, they got us...." €2k would have been a lot to drop on a non-essential. Plan is to do the A1 test within year 1, I know it may or may not help with the premium but its "something in the bank", no worries about IBT expiring, make you a safer rider to have a target/reason to 'get good'. Inclined to have him do the A1 test, in due course the A2 test and then use progreessive to get A, or just A2 on progressive and A test eventually (prob depend on what bikes we have on the go at the time), but at a minimum A1 test & A2 on progressive would get him to 'commuter bikes', up to himself if any interest after that.

Fk sake, I had to wait until I turned 25 to get a 500... 😝 stuck on a poxy 125 provisional until then.

20 is the min age for the A progression but he'd still need to wait the 2 years after getting the A2.

anyone got a test route for Roscommon ?

This isn't the same trainer that's telling people not to bother with the front brake and just use the back one? Making you ride straight at a wall sounds absolutely nuts!!

You'll have to redo parts... Have you called them for a cancellation?

My son had this very problem back in May. Solution was to take a test venue somewhere else (we went to Roscommon). RSA won't renew or extend your IBT Cert.

If you ring them up I've found them most helpful.

OK, today's Learner question on licences is this:

My daughter has an A2 LP and has been on a waiting list for 6+ months to get IBT. Not bothered about that too much, as she spent the time taking and passing her HGV test........she passed today.

The issue though is, she will be 24 in the Spring. As her current LP is A2, it has occurred to her/us that may be she should wait until then to do IBT and just do it on an A instead. The thing is, that means she'll need to renew her LP by then. Can she renew her A2 LP as an A, if she's still not got her IBT done ?

There's no way she can do IBT for A at 23, is there ??

There are a few of them who work out of Kinnegad Plaza. My stepson was down there earlier , he only had a week of waiting.

I assume you’re in Galway going by your name but Kinnegad is relatively accessible.

I used the RSA app... €12, but it was worth it.

I'm not sure you're doing it right... you don't pay for it on the RSA website, you pay for it on the Google Play store (or apple store) and pay for it through the Google system...

Young fella passed his A1 test last Tuesday, delighted for him. Thinking we might go for A2 test Spring/Summer 2025. He only turns 18 next June 2024, can't get A2 provisional until then, then it looks like needs to wait for 6 months (though already passed a test). There's an RSA diagram that's a bit confusing, if you start on A1 and get test it seems to say you'd need to have full licence for 2 years before get A2 learner permit (August 2025 & then wait 6 months from there), but if you go direct at age 18 you can get a learner permit straight away (after IBT), say July 2024 and only have to wait 6 months (so in his case December 2024, 6 months from when turns 18).

Seems odd to me that they would penalise you for having already passed a test... My guess is he'll be given a learner permit for A2 at age 18, wait 6 months (again odd that rule should apply since you're already licenced), and then go for A2 test.

Advantage then is that he can do progression (IBT module) to get full A at age 20 (assuming 2 years after passing A2).

There's probably an argument to say don't bother doing A1 test, wait until 18 and start on A2, but it might help with insurance and, probably most importantly, I think a test forces you to get good, learn good habits, get some road knowledge into you.

Anyone any experience of the whole A2 learner permit off the back of a full A1??, is a 2 years or a turn 18 thing?

TBH not entirely sure the whole system makes sense, I ride an A class bike and sometimes the young fellas A1 class - around the urban test routes there's not much difference (as compared to the open roads). Repeatedly testing people on slow roads, with just bigger capacity bikes..... not sure anyone is really learning anything new. I agree with the whole "slow release", as you get older you're allowed more powerful bikes, just not sure the repeated testing adds anything.🤷‍♂️

My local Intreo office does PSC walk-ins according to their website, but when I tried that a few months back I was told to come back at a specific time the next day...

Yep and I read an article on the FEMA website the other day about this.

A category A2 vehicle is defined as a motorcycle without a sidecar, with a cylinder capacity of at least 245cm3. It has an engine power of at least 20 kW, but not exceeding 35 kW. It has a power/weight ratio not exceeding 0.2kW/kg., and is not derived from a vehicle of more than double its power.

I think both bikes listed fails the kW in bold.

Is that for the license or the test?

The NDLS just lists the max kwh, not the minimum (https://www.ndls.ie/about/motorcycles.html). I had understood (as of last night) the minimum kwh requirement apploed for test purposes, but a bike fell below this but above the A1 limit would still be considered A2. The Royal Enfield 350s are certainly sold as A2.

Otherwise wouldn't they fall in a no man's land since they would be too powerful for an A1?

I booked lessons and pretest with Eric Dalton and he allowed me to use his bike for the test without additional charge... my bike is basically an A bike, but doesn't quite meet the criteria for the test.

It might be a worthwhile approach for you so that you can get the bike you want and not just something that works for the test.

Where i was they did them every day from 2pm, but when I was waiting for mine the guy at the door turned away some people looking.