We have bikesafe, Iam Roadsmart in Northern Ireland. I dont like the fact they put pressure on you to "make progress" thats fine if your on blue lights but not casual at speed limit ride. Whats that antenna at the back of ur bike? I'm looking to get the black helite version the electronic version is good if u get rear ended. Usually people on these courses are fair weather riders which defeats the purpose of going to these courses 😂 I just dont understand why ppl dont want to ride in rain its very usefull skill to have.
The BikeSafe ride encourages you to make progress to stay out of the way of traffic to stay safe. I can get that. The ROSPA/IART is about staying strictly within the law, including speed limits. This isn't always the safest, IMHO. The back of my bike has a mount point for a 360 camera. While I don't enjoy riding in the rain, I ride all year round, except when the ground is frozen. I've been out plenty of times and get caught in the rain, or go on tour where you have no choice but to ride even if it's raining. Being able to ride in adverse conditions is a good skill to have and improves your overall biking ability.
6:57 Different advice from what's in the rules of the road. I wouldn't be confident of getting away without stopping completely at a stop sign - depending on the Garda.
Thank You for taking the time to record, put a commentary over the video and explain in great detail the Bikesafe course. I note that at 30:50 as you pass the red cow the posted speed limit is 60 kph. Your speedo showed 70+ , was the Garda ok with this? Personally from a safety point you were keeping pace with the surrounding traffic and as a result were not creating a hazard for other road users in your immediate vicinity.
At the start, we were told that unless you do something absolutely stupid, you won't get a ticket. That aside, we were told that you should done up to 50kph in a 50 zone, 60kph in a 60zone, but others are more flexible. In this instance, I kept pace with the others. We were also told that it is safer for a bike to stay ahead of traffic and not get boxed in, because we are more vulnerable.
The ferry was great. The crossing was smooth. No problems sleeping and no one was seasick. The only thing about the ferry is that food onboard is very expensive.
The road are too busy with tourists and stressed/high distracted drivers, I see a lot of commercial drivers pushed for time taking chances too, it's just not safe anymore.
thankfully, the vast majority of roads I take have few, if any, commercial trucks. I agree though about distracted drivers. They are a danger to us all.
Sounds very different in Ireland than it is in the UK. Then again, RoSPA don't run the training, it's independent clubs who subscribe to their rules and guidelines. As far as I know, in the UK you have to be police class 1 qualified before you can be an instructor. The club I trained with would assign an instructor who would go out with no more than 2 students taking it in turn to be observed. There are other group rides but they're for pleasure, not instruction. When you reach a standard you would go out with another instructor for an assessment as to what grade you could expect then it's up to you to apply for the test or do some more work. I never had a problem with anyone being too slow. The only group I ride with is the London Motorcycle Riders Club who are exceptionally well organised. They have a system which ensures that slower riders do not have to push themselves beyond their limits to have a good day out and the fast riders can crack on. There's a tail-gunner who remians the last bike at all times. Then, at every option, the person behind the leader stops in a safe place and points which way to go to each following rider until the tail-gunner passes, then it's catch up time. Very rare for anyone to get lost or left behind, no one has to fear being left and no pressure to keep up with the faster riders.
ROSPA is ROSPA .. UK and Ireland are the same. When booking the ROSPA test here, it's via the UK website. I found that out last night when I booked my test. One you pass the test, there is an extra tuition course to be a ride instructor. On the group ride, my instructor did warn me that there are some riders that are not comfortable getting up to speed limit speeds and are very slow. I guess it can depend on who attends the rides, and on the enjoyment of such rides. All organised rider are under instruction, and not simply for pleasure.
12:16 - 12:23. Don't you require to obey "stop" signs in Ireland? In the UK that would be a fixed penalty and three points if the police saw it. (A generous cop might just give you a talking to but there is no guarantee). It would also be an instant failure in the ordinary test never mind ROSPA or IAM
By the letter of the law, yes, you must stop at a stop sign. However, when doing the BikeSafe course, the Gardai (police) stated that you don't have to come to a full stop and foot down, as long as it is safe to proceed, you have full visibility and you are at a slow enough speed that you could foot down and stop. Many stop junctions do have enough visibility that you can see if anything is coming. Clearly for those with less visibility, you do need to stop and have a good look before continuing. It's more about the safety than the full letter of the law. Yep, on your test, it would be a fail. But, there is a difference between the test, ROSPA, IAM criteria and then practical advanced riding. Same with many aspects of riding.
@photobiker4309 Pretty sure in the UK RoSPA test it would be a fail because it is against the law. Rule 171 of The Highway Code says you MUST stop at a stop sign with a solid white line, not just that you should. Same for mini-roundabouts, though you wouldn't think it the way everyone treats them, you MUST go around the central marking unless the vehicle is too large to be physically capable of doing so.
@@cliveadams7629 yep, for any graded test, it would be a fail. But, in general riding, you wouldn't get a ticket for not doing a foot down stop, as long as you're safe. I don't think I've ever heard of a biker getting a ticket for it.
@@photobiker4309 none of them has ever learn to drive a motorbike. They drive it like if it was a car...... First thing I learned was: it is not a car it is a motorbike. The day of exam (40 years ago...) we were told that if we were slow we wouldn't get our driving licence. I can still hear the inspector screaming: faster, faster. These 2 clowns should buy a bicycle.
@@fxdx68 firstly, you ride a motorbike, not drive. You drive a car. Bike Gardai are bikers first, and most are bikers outside of work too. The whole bikesafe was about SAFETY ... and speed only when appropriate. Doesn't matter if you're 50 years or 5 days biking - safety first. If your "inspector" was telling you to go faster, then he was in the wrong job. As for our speed, most of the time we were at, or slightly above, the speed limits. Not inappropriate, wreckless speed, but controlled responsive speed.
@@photobiker4309 you are 100% wrong, hiding your pathetic ride ( i am French) behind "safety".... That explain a lot about the bad behaviours I see everyday on Irish roads. The worst drivers in Europe and by far. The only answer you have is : drive slowly...... Find another job .
@@fxdx68 I never said ride slowly. I said ride at an appropriate speed. If you want to speed, that's your choice, but I prefer to enjoy my ride, and to ride safely. Too many bike deaths on the roads lately. You're entitled to your opinion, but you know what they say about opinions ....
They are actually the BMW OEM pannier straps - bmw.europe-moto.com/gb/pannier-and-rear-racks-moto-bmw-motorrad/2601-bmw-carry-handle-for-motorcycle-pannier-and-top-case-alu.html
The Police motorcycle that was directly in front of you. It looked like he had his blue lights on static (rather than flashing) the whole time. Was this the case or was it just a trick of the camera/sun shining on the light stick on the back of his motorcycle. I am sure I have seen police motorcycles with static blues on before. I know it looks like the blue light was flashing all the time, but I understand that one to be a trick of the cameras (frame rates or something).
I have to say that this is what we all should do every few years . I completed a course years ago in England Lancashire with the police . Roads are busyer than ever before . I am starting to train to get my advanced licence . I think that its never to late to take up training . Go for it youve nothing to loose. Great stream 👍👍👍👍from Galway
I went with the Ammo guard from A Bike Thing for the headlight protector. Hard to really notice. abikething.com/product/a-bike-thing-ammo-guard-headlight-protection/
I just did the same on my bike. Even routed the wiring similar to yours. I have them at 10% for the brake running light, and 0% for the turn signal running light. Then 40% brightness for the brake application. they are still super bright. Good kit, except for the license plate brackets, mine were impossible to screw together adequately.
Really appreciate you taking the time to do these videos 👍 Very informative. The snippets of advice from AGS are great also. Most bikers are already in their own head space anyway, makes sense to plan ahead and talk yourself through a lot of your route. I recently did my IBT and I'm scheduled to pick up my new bike in the coming days. As a means of getting out and getting time in the saddle and out on the roads I plan take part in the photo rallies and travel to each of the points around the country by only using the roads I can legally use as a provisional license holder. If you see a fella out of a T7 World Raid with a high vis L vest, give me a wave 👋
Best of luck with the new bike. Good biking community so you should get a wave from most bikers. ;-) Just remember, riding a bike is a lot more mentally taxing than driving a car, so remember to take breaks on any long rides. Otherwise, have fun out there.
@@photobiker4309 its going to a lot more than just mentally taxing for me due to other medical issues but I used to ride (30yrs ago) Now is the right time in my life to get back out there 👍
Gardai on duty are exempt from the rules of the road, for the most part. Personally, I've never seen any disregard for other road users by them. You also don't know when they are responding to some incident, since they don't always put on lights and sirens, for obvious reasons.
@@photobiker4309 Comissioner Harris gave a direct order to all Gardai to obey the rules of the road. Gardai who do not do so are Wilfully disobeying an order. If you have not witnessed arrogant driving by Gardai you must be blind. As to responding to incidents: Gardai have killed and maimed innocent people whilst responding to very minor incidents. (not that you or they care)
@@fintonmainz7845 do tell. Please add a link to the data. I'm curious. There are a crazy high number of road deaths in the last few years, so anything to improve safety, like BikeSafe, is more than welcome. On any given day when I'm out on the road (on bike or in the car), I see things that are very dangerous. People using their phones is the most common, as well as people changing lanes without looking, etc. I think the way we teach car drivers is poor. There could be a lot of small things done that would help basic driving skills.
Thanks for sharing and fair dues to our police who give up their time to share road craft. Lucky with the weather and even luckier to get a slot on the BikeSafe course…👍
riding these tyres for a couple years on GS and R, after many years on Michelin Pilot. They are better than the michelins, best tyre Ive ridden so far.
by the letter of the law, you can't, however, the only time you'll have an issue is in the event of an accident. I used to commute to Dublin city daily and passed many a Garda stopping cars in the bus lane, but I've never been stopped. As we were advised on the BikeSafe, it's safer to be in an empty lane than to be stuck between cars.
This is some BS… how many are killed around city’s ? It’s primary roads.. if ya can’t manage around a city forget about it.. go to i2i or somewhere you will actually learn how to handle a bike.
If you watched - we were in the city, on national roads and motorway. We covered all class of roads on the ride. Plus, in the city, it's also about others - pedestrians, cyclists, busses, vans, and cars. Plenty of incidents of motorbikes hitting pedestrians or cyclists. City riding is also an important skill, as is slow speed manoeuvring in traffic.
I2i is excellent at bike control but is not Roadcraft. The guards do weeks or training and it’s all about lifting your vision, observations positioning..all to keep you safe. Unfortunately the bikers who all should go on this don’t… well done on your second bikesafe. Suggest you do one outside of Dublin next time ..a total different experience
Great video pal , commentary was great too! I have mine booked for August this year and looking forward to it. He doesn’t have walkie talkies by the sound of it he just indicates and you’re meant to be keeping an eye on that to know where you’re going? 🤔
FYI, your vest subscription will not be cancelled randomly. In&Motion has publicly stated they will give 30 days notice before disabling service or you can buy it outright.
Mine did this when the battery was weak. Put it on a battery tender overnight and now it cranks fine. This cold spell we just had is hard on motorcycle batteries. Hope you got it running.
Try a Puig windscreen if you ride in cold weather a lot. I just replaced the factory windscreen with a light smoke Puig. What a difference. It protects a lot better from the wind. Looks great too. P.S. I wish I had an ability to turn off the low beam headlight whrn riding at daytime. The lit X looks very cool without the headlight on.
In my first year of riding bikes my Helite gives me confidence and some peace of mind whilst I'm learning. Expensive yes but what price safety. Great presentation.
I am 6'1. My bike is standard, and I can flat foot. But, BMW do a low suspension model GS, which, combined with the low seat would be perfect for you. I've a friend your height (he's 5'6) and he has a lowered suspension GS and he finds it perfect. A youtube example - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-2FpV718GWV8.html
I have a question, your pannier racks look like stock BMW racks, does Bumot make cases that fit the stock racks? I'm asking because I just bought a GSA and I have Bumot panniers from my Suzuki Vstrom.
