Nicko

Hi, my name is Nik, I live in Portsmouth and I am a 57 year old ex long distance Lorry driver of some 25 years or so. I have been driving professionally for most of my working life, but have now had to stop due to arthritis. I am a wannabe bike rider, mainly for practical reasons. Parking in Portsmouth is a nightmare, even with resididential parking permits, and getting on and off a bike is easier for me that getting in and out of a car.

Can anybody give me an idea of the level of training it is reasonable to expect. I have spent £700 so far with a local riding school for an assessment day, two training days and a mod1 test. The motorcycle I was allocated had a problem with changing from 1st to second, and would more often that not drop into neutral, even if the indicator on the clocks said second gear had engaged. I complained about this several times only to be told to use more force (by this time my foot was sore from trying to force the shifter). At the end of the second day I was getting fed up with being told over the intercom to "pick up the speed" away from junctions and I stopped and asked the instructor to take a ride on my bike. He didn't but he did look at the shifter linkage, concluded the bike had been dropped by a previous rider, and straightened it. Surely the bike should have been checked over after it had been dropped, or even between different students? Whilst training on the MOD1 pad, the instructor constantly had his mobile phone in his hand, and at times while saying something he would stop talking, distracted by what he was reading on his phone. So far I have failed the MOD1 three times, and can honestly say I have never felt confident and prepared for the test. The instructor does not appear concerned at all about this. A days training at £200 works out at £40 per hour (excluding a 30 minute lunch break and 15 minutes faff at the start and end of the day). Am I wrong to expect the full attention of the instructor I am paying for, and it's it normal for the instructor not to give a damn if his trainees pass or fail? I started this training as a bucket list adventure, wanting to pass my test at 57 years old. I have been a professional driver for most of my working life (driving trucks all over europe and the UK), and have never struggled with training before. What starting as fun has rapidly deteriorated into a nightmare. MOD1 feels like an impossible mountain to climb and my confidence is shattered. Have I just made a mistake in selecting a riding school or is this what I should expect?