nickcook

If you're concerned that you're not seeing enough when you do your life-saver checks, sit on the bike on a driveway or carpark and get a friend to walk around the back of the bike. Watch them in your mirrors until you can't see them any more. Then turn your head and you should be able to see them again. Do this several times and you should find you've got all the blind spots covered.

This is what my instructor did with me. It was a big help.

Passed my Mod 2 last week. 3 minors: stalled twice, once on the hill start and went round a mini roundabout still changing down the gears.

Started looking for a new bike, but having recently been made redundant, Mrs C says I have to wait until I've got a job!

Passed my Mod 1 a couple of weeks ago. 2 minors: went a bit wide on one of my figure of 8 loops and only did 49kph on the emergency stop.

I had booked a 2 day training course on a Honda 650. That was very different to my 125 and the first day was spent driving around a car park doing the manoeuvers and getting used to the bike. Mod 1 was lunchtime on day 2. The rest of day 2 was spent riding out on the roads. Mod 2 was the following week.

Doing lots of practising on my 125 was definitely worth it even if it was different on the 650.

I've been out practising slalom, u-turns and figures of eight the past two days and finally getting the hang of clutch, throttle and rear brake control. I've also found they're a bit easier if I go slightly faster!

Haha! Don't worry about stalking. It's good to get replies to my questions. Thanks!!

Thanks for that HondaHero, I didn't think of looking on You tube. I'll get onto that straight away!1

Thanks Hoggs!

I'm a bit concerned about going 70 too. I'm not afraid, but my 125 only does 60 and that's pushing it. I'm quite comfortable at that speed so I think I'll be ok with 70 on a big bike, but obviously I haven't actually experienced it.

When doing these training courses (I'm doing a 2 day course at Lightning in Reading to include the tests), do we get to go out on the roads with an instructor or will the test be my first time on public roads on a big bike?

Hi all, a question about Mod 2.

I keep reading about only needing to signal if there's someone around who needs to know where you're going. I'm a great believer in only signalling when necessary, but I'm a bit wary abut not signalling on a test. Presumably as there's an examiner behind me, he's going to want to know where I'm going, so I should always signal. Right?

Hi, a couple more questions about Mod 1.

I know you have to do all the observations and life savers on Mod 1, but do I have to signal when pulling away every time?

When doing the figure of 8, do I have to go inside the end slalom cone or can I go round that as well as the figure of 8 one?

Ta

Been out practising this morning. Should be alright on the U turn and slalom. Probably need more practise on the figure of eight. Didn't really know about the walking pace speed, my speedo only starts at 10 mph. Practiced swerving at 32 mph, but just on the road, so don't know how it will be with properly placed cones.

And of course, I was only on my 125.

Thanks Hoggs. I've got some of those diagrams printed off already!

Do you get to choose which way round you go for the U-turn and the top corner, or is it set, or is it both?

My Suzuki GZZ125