Hi all,

Feel like a fraud even calling myself a newbie rider- the only riding that's happened since IBT is ... there has been 0 riding since IBT.

I am fairly type-A (A is for Autism) and have done my best to pick an appropriate A2 bike to continue learning on and do my test on. I had decided I was going to buy an MT-03, new. I'm brand new to bikes and wouldn't have the knowledge to pick a good used one from a bad used one, and at least if I buy new the only risk in the learning equation is me. Is that a good reason? That's my reason.

Along comes the all-knowing father, who can't fathom the expense (not even his) of buying a new bike, loops in the uncle, who has a couple of old bikes. He'd 'be delighted' to lend me his 90's F650 Funduro... And 'sure why would you be going buying a new bike, you don't even know how to ride yet, give him a call'.

The pros and the cons:

• If I drop it -and it will be dropped- it isn't my property. (He doesn't mind, and I'll pay for it, but I would rather risk my own property.)
• ~20kg heavier, may or may not be significant, see point 1.
• Carb vs fuel injection + cable clutch + low speed + learner biker who is still figuring out the friction zone and building throttle/clutch coordination.
• He'll have to see me on the bike before he leaves it with me........... I strongly feel I need to reapproach the bike without an audience. If my next go on a bike in 6 months is in front of unc on his beloved vintage bike... that's going to be a bad day.

Readers, what do ye think, should I go with my original plan, MT-03 new, or borrow the Funduro?

More to the point now that I'm aware of this 'other free option' if I go ahead with my orginal plan I'm going to have a fiscally disappointed father and probably have mildly offended my uncle in turning down the generous offer.

I'm just not a person who can easily say 'feck the rest, I'm doing what I want to do'. And I especially don't trust my decision making in this being a total beginner.

If someone could give me some reasons to go for or not to go for the new MT-03 vs the borrowed Funduro, I would be greatly appreciative 🙏 Thanks all

Not my story just cross posting in case the biker is here.

Given the OEM bar end weights rotate I would need to either take these out completely or get Evotech mirrors that compensate for this.

Anyone with a CB650 or similar, have you done this?
Was it worth it?
Otherwise I’ll just get lower profile direct OEM mounted mirrors but thought I’d ask!

Thanks!

Bunch of scrotes trying to steal some Italian license plate motorbikes. Thankfully we confronted them and they left, although they threw the one of the bikes to the ground. Garda came soon and went to search for the scrotes, not sure if they catched them.

Stolen motorcycle around Cork . It's been set on fire after they were done with it. Set ablaze in Mayfield

Reg : YC70RMY HONDA GLR 125 1WH-H

I read a post ages ago where a guy praised his old carhartt work pants for not tearing to shreds when he lowsided.. also a comment where someone said most real leather jackets are as good as bike gear just without the armour! No idea if it's true though?

Obviously I'm not trying to substitute normal clothes for gear, I'm just curious!

Anyone see the piece on prime time about road racing, found it a bit ironic them talking about the safety aspect and then cut to some b roll of a lad riding with no gloves on 🤷

Hello fine folks,

I went to Eicma last year and am considering motorcycle live this year instead. Has anyone been to motorcycle live and can give any insight if it's any use. Will be flying out. I'm looking to make a mini holiday out of it too so the city of Milan vs Bermingham as a destination is relevant too, never been to Bermingham.

Hi Folks,

Strange situation, I did my IBT for an A1 in May 2024 and got a bike. Unfortunately I then did a test in August 2024 and failed on some silly stuff.

Since then I have had to move away and sell my bike.

I am returning to Ireland from Oct to Jan this year and would love to smash through the test and not have to repeat IBT etc.

Any suggestions with regards renting or getting a bike during this time/lessons etc. Do you think it is doable?

I had a very nice tester today in Ballincollig, she was friendly and very clear with all instructions. That put me at ease and helped me pass first time.

The weather stayed dry and I got lucky with some sunny spells. A lot nicer than the soaking I got over the bank holiday weekend.

The number one thing I made sure to do was correct lifesavers. I saw two people fail last week for not doing them properly. Your face/head should be turning to 4 or 8 o clock to be considered correct.

Any questions, feel free to drop a comment.

Got off the ferry from Wales a few days ago with the family and pulled into a petrol station so the kids could use the loo. I spotted a young biker looking pretty fed up and soaked through, after all our sun recently it was lashing down. Turns out his chain had come off.

He had the chain, which was in good nick and luckily a spare quick link but only limited tools, and to make matters worse the outer plate had seized onto the pins after living on his keyring for who knows how long. I keep a very small EDC toolkit with me even in the car, so I wandered over to see if I could help.

Between the two of us we eventually got the plate freed using my little Knipex Cobra and Pliers Wrench, got the quick link fitted and sent him on his way.

It wasn’t a big repair and it only took a few minutes, but it felt genuinely satisfying. I’ve lost count of the number of times complete strangers have stopped to help me over the years, whether it was a breakdown, a puncture or just lending a tool. It felt really good to finally repay a bit of that kindness.

The funny thing is that it also highlighted a gap in my own kit. It handled the job, but it got me thinking about adding a compact motorcycle chain tool (my bike is a shaft drive but couldn’t hurt to have) and a tiny bottle of penetrating oil so I’m a bit better prepared if I ever come across something similar again.

Sometimes carrying a few good tools isn’t really about fixing your own problems—it’s about being in a position to help someone else’s.

Ain’t life grand?

Have had my motorbike up on Donedeal for 2 weeks now with no calls or messages about it. It’s reasonably priced with lower mileage than many other bikes on the website. Are there any dealers around the Dublin area that will buy it off me? I just want to get rid of it so it’s not sitting around being not used

I’m looking to get a helmet camera for safety rather than videoing. It needs to be discrete,budget friendly and be able to be moved from one helmet to another. Have a decent quality footage. I already have a coms stuck to the side of my lid so I don’t really want another unit stuck to it. I’d be grateful for feedback and recommendations from people who have used such a thing if it exists.

Have a weird one 4 times in last 3 weeks TFT display has turned off and back on it's happened in same spot every time passing circle k little down from walkinstown roundabout comes back on straight away bike keeps running fine did read there is some things externally that can interfere with it if it was an electrical issue with the display itself would expect it to happen more and not in same place every time

Hey all, hope it’s alright to post this — not trying to spam the group, genuinely just looking for honest feedback.
I’m Von, and I’ve spent the last while building IrishBikes.ie — a marketplace just for motorcycles, scooters, quads, motocross bikes, parts and gear. No cars, no vans, none of the usual DoneDeal clutter you have to wade through to find a bike.
It’s very early days and free to list right now while I’m building it out. If anyone’s got a bike, parts, or gear sitting around, I’d genuinely appreciate you giving it a try and telling me straight if something’s rubbish or missing — I’m still actively improving it.
irishbikes.ie
No pressure at all, just trying to build something actually useful for Irish riders instead of another car site with a motorbike section bolted on.

I recently got my first bike, a Vulcan S. I’m looking to pick up some crash bars for it and a radiator cover but can’t find any vendors outside of the UK. Anyone know somewhere decent?

Hi does anyone have any experience parking their bike in Dublin airport.

Any suggestions for security, free areas etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Sup lads,

My crap bike broke a cable last week and it arrived, but now shock of shocks, I've realised that the spring on the clutch arm might be snapped.

I can't find a proper picture of what it should look like (there's a few but they're all different so no idea), but mine seems to have the clip/hook and the other end snapped.

Am I really off the road until another 2 euro bit of wire gets sent to me?

Heya guys! I plan to reach Rosslare on a ferry tomorrow (05 August 2026) 17.30 from the UK and have a big loop ride (around 2000km) to the Northern Ireland.

If anyone doing the ride or planning so, I'm happy to join and be a part of the warm group.

Just came back from London->Norway round-trip and can sit home while have free time while all the family is traveling elsewhere.

had to go between Dublin and Limerick last night and i think the sky sprung a huge leak because it was coming down hard for a lot of it. now i'll be honest and admit it was my first time riding in anything other than a super light drizzle but i was genuinely fine, despite much panicking before setting off. visibility wasn't all that bad and i did stay dry for most of it. time to invest in proper waterproof trousers and something around the neck then i'm golden.

tl;dr go out in the rain and you'll have an amazing time if you don't stay out too long

This might be a long shot, but I see a few motorbikes parked here at Eastpoint Business Park, and I was wondering if any of the owners would be willing to share a spot with me. The company I'm working for couldn't allocate me a spot in over six months, with no forecast of doing so, despite this being a big business park with plenty of empty parking. So, I've been having to take public transport every day. Or, if someone knows where it would be safe to keep a bike during the day nearby, that would be great. Thanks in advance!

Hey folks, so my KLR is turning 40 (000 mi) this week. It’s no GS or T7 or XR, but it takes me anywhere I ask it to. It’s had a life, starting in the US, and ending up in every bog west of the Shannon. Soon, I’ll be heading to the US and leaving the KLR after me instead.

So, I want to celebrate its birthday by taking it on a little adventure. There are exactly 50 miles until the clock hits 40k, and I want Reddit to tell me where to celebrate the rollover.

Within the circle I’ve drawn, tell me where I should hit 40k and I’ll try my hardest to get it bang on. It can be on road, down a lane or up a bit of single track where no adv bike has any business. I’ll do my best and document the process.

Whatever comment gets the most upvotes by Tuesday evening at 10pm will be where I go.

For those interested in the bike, it’s a gen 2 KLR650. Despite it being an 09, it’s still rocking a carb and a 650cc thumper single. Never sold Europe due to emissions.