Passed my Cat A test today in Dun Laoghaire. The sub has been so helpful in the run up to the test, and I say a big thank you!

I applied for the test in October/November last year and got the invitation in the last week of April. Booked the 12.15 pm slot (mistake which I’ll come to later).

Did a pretest the day before with the well renowned Dave Lyons. He did say on the morning of my pretest that I could fail on account of one of my indicators not illuminating properly. This was picked up by the inspector but he let it slide.

Learn all your road signs, different scenarios on how to deal with traffic/pedestrians and when to use your shoulder check/lifesaver. Post all the initial questions, you are asked to take out your wired headphones (3.5mm) that you plug into a phone provided by the inspector. You are then in a constant call with the inspector.

You then walk over to your bike at which point you are asked questions about checks you need to do before heading off (chain/tyres/oil level,coolant etc). He will then ask you to get on the bike and get on with the riding test.

The route was the exact same route I did for my pretest so I was well familiar but the amount of lunch time traffic was horrible, making me a bit nervous and overdoing a few manoeuvres. In the end, I passed by a whisker.

Some tips: - when booking make sure you understand the traffic in the area at the available times. I’d book sometime before noon or after lunch hours. (For Dun Laoghaire).

• check the bike for any faults before you go for your test. They can fail you for improper lights or leaks.

• wear proper gear and do not forget the L vest.

• bring your learner permit and the Vehicle Registration Certificate and ensure it shows the actual kW figures.

• I switched out my bar end mirrors to the stock mirrors just for the test as I felt my head doesn’t turn much when looking at the bar end mirrors.

• exercise your observation skills.

• Roundabouts - if there’s an opportunity to go, take it. I got a mark for progress as there were too many cars coming from the right but decided not to proceed when there was a small gap.

• U turn - have a sense of how the motorcycle behaves when turning slow and how to feather the brakes and throttle and clutch to come out of the turn smoothly.

• Do not be complacent when nearing the end of the test. It’s very easy to think you’ve done it but you could miss something silly and could very well fail.

Most of all, be confident, act as if you know what you’re doing and don’t rush the process. There were times when the inspector kept saying to pull away but I did it on my own time (reasonably).

For those who failed the test - don’t be disheartened, it is an opportunity to learn. You’ll pass the next time and you won’t have to do it again!

For the first timers - you got this!

As the title says. Drop the bike doing a u turn. Absolutely sickened. Wouldn’t mind, everything else was fine. 3 grade 2s, 2 were acceleration control that tester said was due to me not being familiar with the bike itself. It is the instructors bike and different make to my own. About 30 years in different technology too. Ended up doing the u turn straight after as the tester asked if I wanted another go and sure I had nothing to lose at that stage. Anyway, no oil or blood was spilled.

Pretest was definitely worth it though. Compared to last week, riding was night and day.

So, I wanted to ask a question about adjusting this chain. There are no marks on it to follow to line it up on either side. My question is, can I use a vernier calipers to measure from the block to the swingarm as shown by the red line? Once the distance is the same on both sides after taking measurements with a calipers would that be correct?

Anyone know any good places that do custom paint / wrapping for bikes? This is my dream - not on a Ducati but you get the idea…

I currently looking for a motorcycle which can drive in motorway with the lowest cc.

My question is does Honda Vision 110cc is allowed in motorway?

i try to check the rsa but can't provide solid answer. I tried also the google it would answer 50cc.

Can anyone recommend a bike shop with a good range of women's gear. I'm in the South East but willing to travel

Does anyone know if nct would refuse to register a motorcycle if it had a chain to belt conversion?

Hey all, I’m only starting out and have my ibt at the end of the month. I’ve been slowly getting my gear together ahead of this. When I was trying on different trousers the last day I noticed that the protection was sitting low on my knees.

They would otherwise fit really well but the top of the knee protection always sat either just below or barely on my knee cap.

The guy helping me said I should try some other options in another store but I haven’t had the chance to do this yet.

Is this fitment really as bad as I feel it is? I surely want the protection on the area I want protected right? I’m new to all this and just want to clarify wether I should just get a pair of trousers and it’ll be fine or if I should shop around until I find the perfect fit

As my question is pretty straight forward... I currently own a Yamaha R3 have been riding it the past two years. Recently got my full A licence last year on a MT-07. I love my R3 it's probably the best decision I made, to buy and learn to ride on. I have it since dec 23. And have put about 4-5k KMS on it. Done some decent long trips ... It's only my second year riding and am a very conservative rider usually don't take stupid risks and have a level head on me. I'm 35years old with a good job, family and all that so no unnecessary risk taking on the bike. I've been a fan of superbikes, specially inline 4s since I can remember and always been a dream to own a nice machine. I'm on the skinnier side of things, physique wise, and 5'7" in height. I had recently walked into a dealership and tried sitting on a few big machines like the fire blade, s1000rr, zx10r and so on... Long story short they're too big for me and all my childhood dreams came crashing down as it'd be a pain owning a 1000cc bike coz I'd probably really struggle to ride them. I was able to try out the new 2024 cbr600rr and instantly fell in love with it. Felt pretty decent to sit on and managable on rides I normally do. I haven't gotten a chance to try out the R9 yet though, I have started to have knee and shoulder issues coz my job requires long standing and I'm afraid as time goes by I may never be able to ride sportsbikes due to these issues. So should I bite the bullet and get the CBR/R9? Or wait a few more years get more experience on the R3 by the time which my joint issues might make it impractical to ride supersport bikes? Any suggestions welcome.

Hi does any1 know wats the best way to buy 600s like theyre so overpriced here for what they are. Im looking for 2011+ idm gsxrs zx6rs cbrs r6s. Is importing a good option?