Rad

The spring is coming and I'm looking to get my first set of leathers. I'm looking for a place with good selection, closish to Telford. I won't mind it being further away if the ride is nice . I prefer to buy in shops as long as the prices aren't over the top. I think I'll be going for RST. I considered going full tart with Dainese (damm they look good) but after looking at their size chart I doubt they'd fit. Speaking of fit, do you have any advice? I'm 5'8 42" chest and a small beer belly . Make that 45" with Sub4, which I'm reluctant to replace with a jacket insert. 46" jacket is likely to have too long sleeves. From what I found so far the fit should be snug as the leather will give a little. How loose do leathers get when you take out the lining?

Let's see if the lucky dip is any better than on the lottery

My first big bike. I think I'll luv her long time

I passed MOD 2 on the first try! Yay!! I really don't know what happened. I was so calm during the test. I was more nervous riding with the instructor before than on the test. I got 2 minors for "too racy" angle start and getting a bit too close to the island when turning right on one of the roundabouts. I'm one lucky son of gun as the weather was perfect, warm, dry and cloudy . I'll start looking for a big bike right after Christmas

I had an accident on Mod 1 and on swerve no less. It's not hard to get it wrong but it's not hard to get it right either.

My second attempt, this time successful . On the first attempt I was doing great until the swerve. I knocked the cone, locked the wheels and went flying. Made me famous at the test centre, not the kind of fame one wants .The reason for my crash was simple. I wasn't thinking where I wanted to go. It was wet and I left the bend a bit slow, so I was thinking about hitting 50 through the speed trap, not what to do after. This time it was damp but I learned my lesson. I went a bit wide on figure of 8. No idea why, I did good during practice, my head just wouldn't turn in the right direction. The rest was a breeze until the dreaded swerve. I took few extra seconds to imprint the path in my head and went for it. After few seconds it was over and I was between the blue cones at the end. The plan to leave the bend, blast the throttle and just do the line worked. The examiner commented on the wide 8, commended me for excellent emergency breaking (did if from 53 kmh) and said that stopping after swerve was a bit too harsh. Well, my plan ended between the blue cones and I did the swerve at 59 kmh so daa . To anyone fearing the swerve: don't worry about the speed, hit the throttle and do the line, the speed will come. If not you get a second chance, as long as you don't fall on your face. So don't worry and have fun.

The spot were I hit is now "squishy" so I wont risk hitting the same side again.

Get a new one. I trashed mine yesterday. Just a small scratch on the outside but when I pressed from inside on the spot I hit, it was lose, much softer than the other side. I wouldn't risk hitting the same spot again.

Thanks. I'm not beating myself about it. If I couldn't afford it I wouldn't be doing it. Yep. Shit happens, you deal with it and you move on. As another instructor told me at the test centre: "There are 2 types of bikers in this world, those that have fallen off and those that will. At least it wasn't your bike."

I've had my ego for few months now and it was great. I wanted a fancy £300 quid helmet but none fitted. Working down from that budget this was the first proper fit. Great bang for buck. It's not too heavy and full with features. The chimney does help in the summer. Well, I "tested" mine yesterday and my head is still in one piece. Fell of the bike at 30mph, hit the tarmac with the side of my head and didn't even get a concussion. Now I'll have a second one. Pros: - fits my square head - pinlock included - built in sun visor - does it job well Cons: - sun visor fogs up easily (probably all of them do) - can't mount a camera on top (thank God it doesn't or it'd be gone)

I failed my MOD 1 yesterday. I hit a cone fell off the bike on swerve. The gear did it's job and I'm fine. Helmet went to the bin, jacket needs a patch. Bike hire + test fee + new helmet + jacket repair = almost 400 quid down the drain F**K IT

- I bought my wife a fur for £20k and she stopped talking to me for 2 week. - Why? What happened? - Nothing. That was the deal.

If you have a bike than you need your own stuff. Helmet, boots and gloves are must. Add jacket and trousers as soon as you find a good bargain. Don't buy used helmet or online. If you go straight to DAS course then the school my be able to provide you with gear. If you train by yourself, make sure you know all observations you need to do, even for mod 1. Otherwise you'll get bad habits. Lifesavers before starting are my bane. As for the theory there are plenty of free practice exams online, including hazard perception. Complete few and see how well you do.

I called them today. Unfortunately they no longer operate . The lady told me that a new school will be opening next month but she didn't have any more details. So it looks like Shrewsbury it is. I found 3 schools Fast-Track, Bike Wise and CBT. I'll give them a call tomorrow. Did anyone hear anything god or bad about them?

I've done CBT few months ago and passed theory last month. I've been practising on my 125 and feel fairly confident. Mod 1 should be a breeze, mod 2 probably not. I'd like to get the full license before it get's too cold so I can start looking for a big bike for the spring. The only school I found in Telford is 'Approved Rider Training' but that's just a phone number and an address in Leegomery. Not sure if the details are correct. There are few schools in Shrewsbury. I guess that's because the test centre is there. Can anyone recommend a school close to Telford?

Same oil I use in mine YBR. Can't fault it.

Trying cloths on before buying is a must for me. That said, I bought a jacket that was too small. Looks great on me but after adding a back protector it got very tight. So when you try things on make sure you wear all the stuff you'll have underneath when riding, especially if you plan on riding throughout the winter.

You can try http://infinitymotorcycles.com. They have a bunch of shops around London but their online prices are usualy better.

I'm going on holiday soon. I'll start looking for a DAS course in September. Then a bigger bike in the spring or maybe for Christmas

I'd like to say relax, but we all know that's not going to happen . My advice is to learn, then do as many practice exams as you can find online. As for the clip I got done for. It's the one with cyclist coming at speed from a side road, turns in to your road and later swerves around a parked car. I've seen a very similar one in a practice exam somewhere. The advice was to click whenever situation changes so I went like this: - cyclist enters the frame, click - cyclist is too fast and close to give way (bast*rd), click - cyclist gets into your lane, click - cyclist turns head, click (I think that's the correct moment) - cyclist turns head again, click - cyclist swerves, click (last one for good measure, though it's too late) That worked out to about a click a second. I didn't click much before or after that. Total of 9 or 10 clicks for the whole clip.

I got 1 question wrong. I wish I knew which . Got 60 points on hazard perception. Should have been 65 but I got done for cheating on one clip, wrongfully IMHO. Still well pleased with myself. http://25.media.tumblr.com/f2ed495ebc47e25f50d7ae6b019e0562/tumblr_mhue02IWR01re7wsmo1_400.gif

I love it . The best thing for me is how it makes me feel. I'm new to riding. I was always had that awkward feeling like there's something missing when I was setting off. That thing turned out to be my back. Always on a chair in the office or in my car and nothing to lean on on the bike. With this thing on my back that feeling is gone. It also helps me keep my back straight. One thing I have to note, if you want it, buy it before you buy a jacket. It's a bit bulky and makes my jacket feel tight. But I'll be getting a set of leathers in the spring . Pros: - gives me the warm fuzzy feeling - oh yeay, it's a great back protector Cons: - for me, none.

Two sperms are swimming along. - Is it far, mate? We've been swimming for ages. - I think so... We barely made it past the tonsils.

In short, if you obtain a full license in your country, you will be allowed to ride any size bike in UK. Yes, if you get a big bike your insurance premiums will most probably be humongous. However, if your country is in EU it's likely to have the same rules as UK, or will have them very soon. For example in Poland we now have the same age restrictions and license categories as it UK.

Well done!