Phooey

I can understand many of your comments and agree with TC1474 on just about everything. However, I am also biased. I took the RoSPA test in my car and was fortunate to obtain a gold pass from the examiner, so road laws and safe considerate driving is important to me. However, I can't help but feel that if EVERYONE followed the guidance of the Highway Code and obeyed the Road traffic Act, nothing in this thread would need discussing. I realise that not all the 'rules of the road' are sensible and sometime do disagree with some of the more pathetic laws that we have to follow but the point is if we all chose which traffic laws we should obey and which we shouldn't (not a million miles away from where we are at the moment) then we would have a country of road anarchy. Using any hand held device is potentially dangerous, but then so is loud music potentially dangerous or screaming kids in the back seat. The law is the law and it's not for us to pick and chose what we think is right or not. Middle lane hogging is the most frustrating and potentially dangerous activity on faster roads. Changing lanes is hazzardous enough without having to move from lane 1 to lane 3 on a busy motorway just to pass some inconsiderate ar***ole who chooses to sit in the middle! On motorways and dual carriageways, which are essentially one way streets, passing on the left is not allowed. The highway code says that you CAN overtake on the left in a one way street so I don't see the problem on motorways but, the highways Code forbids it so we should follow it. Bottom line is, if you don't want a £100 fine, waste a day on a 'road safety awareness day', or have you licence endorsed and higher insurance premiums then simply follow the law! Ooops! Just my opinion guys!

Congratulations indeed.

Well done Craig. Respectable scores. Every hurdle can be a 'biggy' if you are taking it! It is not so much the number of times that you click that creates a 'cheat' zero score. It is about how it is clicked. You can click 10 or 11 times in a single clip if there is a lot happening and you feel that there is sufficient justification. What causes the problem is systematically or rhythmically clicking throughout the clip. The software is written to ensure that you are responding to potential hazards and not clicking to 'edge your bets' and hope to cover the hazard.

You'll be ok. I returned to the saddle after a thirty something year break and within half hour back on the 125cc in CBT training I felt at home again. Start of Mod 1 and having a 600cc between my legs I was very nervous. But, within an hour I was totally comfortable and all nerves disappeared until the test which went well with no faults. Mod 2 went really well too, then came the test and I was convinced that I had failed but passed with four riding faults. It always feel worse than it really is. As the others have said, sit back and relax! Don't sit back too far though or you'll fall off of the back!

How old are you josh? That might make a big different in what you can do. If you are under 24 years old you wont be able to do DAS no matter how much money you have

That's an option too, oh jay. Assuming I can find a blue one! lol

I passed my mod 2 yesterday although I have to say that I am amazed that I did. I arrived at my training office at 8:30 am ready for a days training and test at 2:59 the same afternoon. Then at 12:30 we decided that it was lunch time. While we were in the cafe having lunch my instructor got a text asking if we would like to bring the test forward to 1 pm. Total of 3 (ish) hours training and test was about to happen. Not feeling at all confident but hey ... it was going to happen so what the hell. Arrived at test centre and I couldn't believe my eyes when the examiner came out and introduced himself to the candidate before me. I recognised him from my previous life as a driving instructor. I didn't even know that he did motorcycle tests. Anyway, I am now pretty convinced that I wasn't going to pass. We never really got on and on more than one occasion had some cross words with each other. Usually over pettiness like she was an inch over the stop line sort of thing. (I know it is still wrong but you have to support your students don't you?) So, added frustration to the nerves. Eventually my turn came and called my name and smiled as I made myself known. Went through the usual can I see your paperwork and which ear would you like to have the radio on etc etc ... I am now starting to think that he didn't recognise me. It was a number of years since I was an instructor and I have changed quite a bit ... grown a beard and shaved the head. 'Lead the way to your machine then ...' followed by reading a number plate and three easy show me tell me question. Brilliant I thought, he doesn't recognise me. 'Start your bike then and I'll do a radio check before we leave the centre'. He walked to his bike, put the board into his top box and hooked up the radio. 'can you hear me ok?' I gave him the thumbs up to let him know I heard him and he said 'when you're ready ride out of the test centre and turn left. Follow the road ahead ... well you know the drill'. I'm thinking, that's not right. I must have paused for a second or two too long because he rode over to me and asked if I could hear him ok. I said 'yes, I was just thrown by your 'you know the drill' comment.' 'Well, you been up here often enough with your car candidates haven't you?' smiled and waved me on. Test ... icles, I thought. Only less polite. He remembers me. Now the test was terrible I couldn't relax after that comment. I rolled back a few inches at a junction because I didn't get the bite before releasing the back brake, and then over did it and went a little too close to the kerb after turning right. I was so peeved at this that I just wanted to go back to the centre, get the radio gear off and go home. Without his instruction I decided to check mirrors, signalled left and after live saver turned left back onto the main drag back to the test centre. His next instruction was to follow the roundabout ahead and repeated it more than once as if I didn't hear him. I followed his directions through the rest of the test and just wished away the minutes till we got back. Eventually we did arrive back at the test centre and I parked up took my helmet off and went over to my instructor to tell her that I had failed. I followed the examiner into the radio room and he said 'I'm pleased to tell you, you have passed'. I couldn't believe the next thing I heard ... my voice, ME saying 'are you kidding me?' quite sarcastically. He faulted going too near the kerb but the roll back was ok apparantly! He asked me about the left turn back to the test centre and I said I thought I had heard that instruction. He laughed and congratulated me. I always said that examiner was a nice guy! lol

I'm pretty sure that you will have to do the mod 1 again too! I stand corrected if I am wrong. I thought the rule was you had to pass mod 2 within two years of your theory test or you take theory, mod 1 again OR if you are exempt from taking the theory, mod 2 must be passed within six months of taking mod 1, or you have to take mod 1 again!

Dav3y, it will be the date that you passed your mod 2 because you have the entitlement from that date and not from the date they process the licence. Imagine the uproar if you passed your test today and tomorrow you decided to go for a ride and got stopped by the police and charged with not having a licence because DVLA didn't process it till the day after? The only exception to this rule is when you apply for your FIRST driving licence. You cannot drive or ride until you receive it. All other situation are OK because you are still entitled to drive/ride on that classification. Hope that makes sense?

tmcraig, hazard perception element is easier than you might think. Put yourself in the position of the rider/driver on the vid. When you see that child running toward the pedestrian crossing you would react in real life so react in the vid ... click the mouse! All they are looking for is to be sure that you recognise a potential hazard and respond to it. Something to remember too, the actual vids on the test seem to be better quality and run slower than any practice DVD I have ever seen. Click whenever you see a hazard or when that hazard develops into more of a hazard. Example: you see a zebra crossing with pedestrians walking on the pavement toward it [click] the pedestrain looks back over her shoulder [click] she turns to cross the crossing [click] - you are pretty certain to get into the window from that. A word of warning though - avoid constant clicking just incase! This will flag a cheat because the programme will think you are trying to cheat by constantly clicking and you will score 0 for that clip. I would advise getting hold of a practice DVD, your library might have one, and go through as many clips as possible but only once each because you will learn where the hazard is and then it wont be a real test of your responces. Good luck.

Thanks guys. You are absolutely right Tango. I need to try out lots of bikes Any chance of you helping me to convince the wife that a visit to Fowlers IS essential? I saw a SV in Fowlers a while ago and sat on it but it felt too big! Well, too tall. I was on tip-toes. Not a position I feel comfortable with. I trained on the CBF600 and that felt comfortable. Both feet flat on the ground but I wanted something just a little more sporty - hense ZZR600 and Thundercat as options. Both with seat heights of around 780 which is similar to the CBF. I am not going to rush the purchase. We are really tight on money at the moment (£1500 max budget) so I want to make sure that I am going to be happy with what I get for the foreseeable future.

Thanks, GazzyG. Yes, I have never ridden one but they look nice. I have a relatively small budge (£1500 ish) so will have to get an older one but time will tell. Maybe I should be extra nice to the other half? lol

Absolutely over the moon! Just got back from mod 2 and passed. Now to find a bike ... after saving some pennies that is