ApolloMozart

Always black americano when at work. Good cup of black tea with a slice of lemon when at home. When not feeling good - camomile tea.

No anchovies but some very "hot" chilly peppers! Double pepperoni and olives. Still not decided what beer would be the best to enjoy "the end". Definitely not Stella.

This happens all the time, so there's no specific car I can point my finger at so here it is: When we go to Tesco Extra in Watford there is a small roundabout. Test is on the left, some other shops straight ahead and petrol station on the right. So when there is a queue of cars going to Tesco, some very clever folks go right on the roundabout, do a circle then exit to the left. Obviously, people entering the roundabout have to give way, which just adds to the delays. Sometimes I just want to get out, grab a crawl bar and smash those "smart" people's cars... But I always remember the highway code: ignore and try not to react...

Looks like we're covered. No need for Willy & drilling team. US and Russia work on asteroid deflection plan. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2463153/Russia-U-S-sign-nuclear-agreement-protect-planet-asteroids.html We can sit back and relax, with a pint of cold beer and a slice of Domino's finest...

I suppose it will be a lot hotter and we will pay less for gas.

Different asteroids. a big one in 2032 and a smaller one in 2048.

A pretty big bunker would be needed, who will want to leave the bikes out?

According to some Ukrainian boffins, we may be hit by a big asteroid in 2032 and then again in 2048! (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ukrainian-astronomers-discover-1300-ft-asteroid-heading-for-possible-devastating-2032-impact-with-earth-8888672.html) Is anyone considering any contingency plans for such events? Digging a bunker or Noah's ark? I may get some cold beer and watch how the world ends (or not)... Feel free to join me!

the test area is usually larger then the places you trained, so it is easier to do all the manoeuvres.

this may help - Damaged Screw Remover Set - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Trend-GRABSE1SE-Damaged-Screw-Remover/dp/B000X2GMXY/

I wear glasses, so the internal visor may get in the way. But I'll check anyway.

Do all the helmets have same field of view, or some have larger visors than others?

Just did a search online and couldn't find that many motorbike shops near where I leave. The closest is Lloyd Cooper Moto Direct in Watford, then Honda in Ruislip and that's about it. A few more custom shops around but the choice is very limited. So on Saturday I'll head over to Lloyd Cooper and try some helmets. Maybe I won't buy from them, but will just find one that's right, then get it online. Or maybe I'll buy it in the shop. If they offer a reduction.

Bushey, Herts. I need to tidy up my sig and other bits...

Thanks for everyone's input! I'll go a motorcycle shop this weekend and try as many helmets as I can. Maybe I'll find one that ticks all the boxes. Looking to spend in the region of £100. Don't need something too flashy or extravagant, just something that works well.

I got my first helmet from Amazon, on the recommendation of a colleague (who rides a scooter, and never goes above 40 mph). It's a cheap helmet (Shox something, £30) but has got good reviews (5 stars) so I thought I can't go wrong. But, I started now to think that this purchase wasn't the best. Because: - it is matt black, so not very visible - the visor fogs quite a bit - the liner is non removable - has no pinlock visor - noisy - I doubt it is waterproof - doesn't look nice... So I'm thinking about getting a new helmet. I want a helmet with a pinlock insert, waterproof (as much as possible), safe, removable liner, bright colour and reasonably quiet. Question one - are all pinlock inserts the same size and one will fit all the helmets? Question two - any recommendations for a good helmet at a reasonable price? Many thanks!

My MOD 2 test (category A). Test was scheduled for 1055 on 10th of October. To get to Oxford test centre I had to drive to the training base first. The drive from Bushey to Aylesbury took a while, A41 can be very busy at times, and I spent about 20 minutes at the last roundabout before Aylesbury (near Ashton Clinton). Got to the “base” at 0900 and at 0915 set off for Oxford. Thursday was a very windy day. And cold. On open stretches of road I could feel the bike being pushed around by the wind blasts. At 1030 (ish) we arrived at Oxford test centre. Took the remaining time to warm up and get rid of bad thoughts. At exactly 1055 the examiner, Rob, came out and invited me to the briefing before the test. Paperwork checked, radio set-up, out we go for the show me tell me part. How check that brakes are working, how to look after the chain and what to do when riding with a pillion were the questions. My instructor told me the day before the answers and with me being good enough with motoring stuff I sailed through these. On the bike then! Radio check, all fine. The quality of the link was surprisingly good, after the bad experience with my instructor’s radio. Out of the car park and the fun begins! The roads near the test centre are OK, there’s very little traffic and this builds up some confidence. Somehow I managed to misunderstand the directions at first roundabout and the examiner repeated again. After three roundabouts we went to a 50 mph country lane, rode for a couple of miles then turned left into a road leading to a small village. Stopped for a controlled stop, moved off then had to go through a few traffic restricting measures and avoid a bus making its way on a narrow street with parked cars on my side. Stopped again, but this time for a start from behind parked vehicles. The road then went uphill and at that time a large number of kids from a school were marching along the road. The teachers moved them to the left side and I kept going at a slow 5 mph. At the top of the hill messed up the instruction and got corrected again. The road went downhill with a 180 degrees bend to the right. Easy. Back to a 50 mph road towards Oxford. Then the examiner asked to follow the signs for the ring road (independent driving) but he was kind of directing me by saying “it would be good to stay in left/right/centre lane”. Central Oxford is quite busy and there are a few 20 mph zones, but I managed to stay calm and just carry on. A couple of roundabouts followed and then we hit the 70 mph dual carriageway. Light twist of the throttle and my Gladius 650 is at 70. And then I get the news that I need to follow the signs independently for the stadium. If I have to, I have to! Taking the exit, get in lane, doing all the checks as learned before and in a few minutes I arrive at the test centre. Still unsure whether I passed or not, I walk to the door to get back inside as outside is very cold and windy. The door is locked and examiner told me to wait while he goes the other way. But before he left, he said “Don’t worry, you passed”. I forgot about the cold, the wind and everything else! I passed! I was so happy! Inside Rob told me about two minor faults, gave me the pass certificate and took my license. We had to wait for another student to do the test. While he was being tested I went to the bowling place across the car park and had a nice cheeseburger with fries and a hot black coffee – I deserved that treat! My colleague failed his test. Created a potentially dangerous situation. So we went back to the base to leave the bikes. The road back was so much nicer… the bike was purring along from its twin cylinder engine… Now I’m looking for a bike. My first bike!

I'm going to take a short break and then do a few days of training for Mod 2. the days before Mod 1 were quite demanding and I feel a little tired. Usually I was starting around 0900 and finishing at 1500 the earliest. Quite exhausting but well worth it. Some beers over the weekend and then back to learning! Thanks a lot for everyone on this forum, there's a lot of info that helped me.

Passed Mod 1 on Wednesday, what a relief! Done the test in Oxford, in the stadium car park. Had to by car travel from Bushey, where I live to Aylesbury (riding school) around 0700 and got in the middle of a torrential rain. I was thinking that if the weather in Oxford is the same then I have slim chances of getting everything right. However the ride from Aylesbury to Oxford was in the clear weather with no rain at all and by the time we arrived in Oxford the testing grounds were all dry. The day before I had some issues with the figure of 8 so the instructor asked me to do some practice in the car park near the testing site. I just couldn't do it! Either because the car park was sloped or for some other strange reason I still don't understand, I couldn't do the 8 figure! So I stopped my practice and decided to just relax before the test. I was third for testing so had plenty of time to observe others doing it. To my surprise the testing site is way bigger that what I was training on, so I was feeling more confident. Then came my turn. Sorted the paperwork and off I go. After riding to the "parking box" and putting my feet down, a red light on bike dash comes on and the bike engine turned itself off. My heart stopped for a second, but then I select neutral, switch off the ignition, get off the bike and rest the bike on the stand. The examiner approaches and tells me to move the bike to the other bay, which I do without any issues. Then he's telling me about the slalom and the figure of 8. I get myself ready and hope with my imaginary fingers crossed that the engine will fire. And it does! It's alive! I do the slalom without any issues and then do the 8 two times without any problems. The slightly bigger space definitely gave me confidence. Then slow ride. Selecting first gear, revs go up, slipping the clutch off I go. Applying slight pressure to the brake pedal to shave some speed and in no time I arrive at the line. Job done. Comfort riding. Turn the bike around and ride to the end of the circuit, transmissions goes into first, accelerate, then second gear , accelerate and in no time I have to brake for the finish. Easy on the front brake and then I see that I'll be stopping before the box, so slightly release the brake then reapply. Bike slightly dives in, but the wheel is in the box. Job done. Now the fun. Ride to the start line, accelerate in first then in second and as I pass through the timing gate I decide to look at the speedo - doing 31-32 mph. A fraction of a second later I look at the examiner and see him with his hand raised. OOOOOPS! had to brake but didn't want to lock the wheels so I don't squeeze the lever too hard. So my emergency braking distance is shorter than my normal stop but not by much. My heart stops again as I was already thinking that I messed up and all is gone. Nevertheless, I prepare for the avoidance test. First gear, accelerate, clunk into second, accelerate! This time I don't look at the speedo as I don't really care. Timing gate whizzes past me, lean to the left, lean to the right, brake, clutch in first gear and I'm stopped with the cones next to my feet. The examiner comes over and tells me to park the bike, which I do and then red light on the dash comes on and the bike stops again! But I don't care, I either did it or screwed it. I did it!!! Three minors, one for the slow emergency stop, one for a speed run (48KPH) and one for something else I don't remember. With shaking hands I took my pass paper and folded nicely to keep it safe in my pocket. I did it! What I learned from the test is be relaxed and do your best. If you feel something wasn't quite right, don't despair, just keep going and finish the test. I never rode before, so on Wednesday, when I passed the test I only had four days of training "under my belt". So not a bad achievement I'd say. More training now and Mod 2 test. Looking forward to it.