Psychybikey

Well done! Almost the best thing is not having to spend your evenings doing mock tests and reading the Highway Code. I found the more I practiced, the worse my results became. Theory was never a problem as I've been driving for 41 years, but I was surprised that the hazard perception was so tricky. However, on the real test I got 62/75, and I think the best thing I did was to stop practising a few days beforehand because I was just getting more and more disheartened. The real thing is, as many have said, rather easier than the mock ones. I think it helps that you are seeing the clips for the first time.

I re-read the certificate later - my hands were shaking so much I completely misread it at first and thought they were percentages, not scores!

Somehow scraped through. And much to my surprise, did better on the hazard perception part than I did on the theory part. There were a few questions that flummoxed me. Still, a pass is a pass, and one more thing out of the way. I got 47/50 for the theory and 62/75 for the hazard perception.

Very true, wildmaurice, I had some most off-putting experiences at the first school I went to and it's only looking back now that I can see there were a couple of things they could have done differently and it wasn't all my fault. My bike won't start if it's in gear, even with the clutch in. Not always easy to remember in the panic situation of a stall in traffic. Especially as the neutral light is a bit temperamental so I can't always tell unless I go back down to first and work my way back up. I'm getting less bothered, though, about traffic behind me if I do make a mistake. That's what my L plate is for.

More info, please, about getting started on bigger bikes. I haven't had time to practice much on my 125 and have most of the problems described in his thread. Getting away from junctions and feeling as if I'm going to stall (and actually stalling going up hills). I've booked my theory test and the plan is to go for a lesson on a bigger bike to see whether I could manage a few more lessons, prior to going for the DAS (I haven't got enough years ahead of me to do a progressive access thing). I'm not going to be able to afford this until next year but I'd like the encouragement at the back of my mind, to know that I could do it. I can't understand why car drivers would be so hostile to L riders - surely the L plates should protect you from that attitude? Everybody has been a learner at some point. Wouldn't it be more the case that if you're riding without Ls, they assume that you know what you're doing, and therefore make fewer allowances for you, give you less space and so on? And what does it feel like that first time you get on a bigger bike and start to pull away? And will I be more likely to wobble, and drop it? And how on earth do you ever manage a U turn, bearing in mind that I can't even do one of these on my 125? What about stopping? Am I more likely to wobble then, too?

Hi guys, not been on for a while because most of my laptop time is now spent attempting to learn how to pass the hazard perception test. Theory - no problem, and I'm surprised I don't always get 100%, but that's usually because of something very urban like the stop sign for a tram, or contraflow in a one-way street (what the heck is that all about?) The hazard perception, both the DVSA one and one of the commercially available ones, are not only stupid and unrealistic but inconsistent, too. Sometimes it fails me because I haven't clicked on a dot on the horizon. Sometimes if fails me because I have clicked a tenth of a second too soon - if you leave it too long, like counting one or two after you feel as though you should click, you get a 1 or a 2, and this just doesn't leave enough margin for error - you need to be scoring an average of over 3 per clip to scrape through, so you need plenty of 4s and 5s to make up for those where you score 0 for having failed to inhibit your natural reaction. However, people keep saying the actual test isn't quite as bad as you think it's going to be, and I seem to have gone as far as I can with the practice sessions (and I don't always pass those, even though I am familiar with most of the clips now). So I've decided I will just have to get on with it. It's for very early in the morning one day next month.

My brother in law, who is a traffic warden, was talking to just such a person a few weeks ago. A middle-aged woman, so he was about to say well done for learning now, just like my sister in law - and she said O no, I just do my CBT every two years! 1. I can't understand how anybody would want to be permanently on Ls, even if they didn't want a big bike 2. The CBT was stressful enough - why not do your bike test and get it over with once and for all?

Thanks for the link, Marky, that explains it well and is quite reassuring. •include updated ... surroundings so they look modern And that accounts for the girl in the miniskirt who looks as though she's about to start twerking.

This is more or less what my husband says - the rules are made up by some Eurocrats sitting in an office somewhere who've maybe never even ridden a bike. I DO agree that the CBT is currently insufficient for the majority of young riders - I have said before that it is quite ludicrous that a teenager can get on a bike with no experience at lunchtime and be allowed out and about everywhere except motorways later that same day. It is usually but not always the case that older learners have more sense and probably more road experience, too, certainly if they are car drivers already. In that sense I wish it wasn't such a lengthy and expensive process to take it further. But I certainly needed more than one day to do my CBT, as many of you will know.

I'm struggling with the hazard perception, like a lot of experienced drivers. I have noticed that it seems a wee bit easier with the CG clips, although they look downright weird (a bit dreamlike) and it's distracting to see the same pedestrians turning up in Cardiff and Milton Keynes. The visuals do look slightly clearer. However, the real world doesn't look like a CG world. No matter. I will do what it takes to get through this silly, misleading test. Do you get offered a choice between the two when you do your test? Because obviously I am going to choose the one that looks clearer. I've got the official DVSA cd, which I didn't know existed until last week, and the Focus one.

Same for me. I have been driving for 40 years and find myself clicking way too early. I mean, come on, how can you spot something too early? At other times I have been unable to see the hazard until the 1 or 0 point stage even when I've reviewed the clip. which is completely contradictory. I've tried leaving it a wee bit longer (which goes against all my feelings) and clicking 2 or 3 times. That seems to work a bit better. But it does sort of make the test seem a bit inaccurate.

Thanks, Miguel, that is a possibility but so much hassle! If I were to have to send something back it would be a pain wherever I sent it. The German site I looked at was by far the cheapest and the girl who recommended them to me sounds as if she is a similar fitting to me. She kindly offered to let me try hers if I was anywhere nearby but as she is in the south of England and I am in North Wales that's not really an option. So I'm going to see if I've got any money left after all my standing orders etc go out on the first of the month and then order the Lady Pilots from Germany.

Well how else are we supposed to be strong enough to stand up in our heels?

Thanks, littlecat, something else to look at.

I'd forgotten about Everything But Bikes, thanks, I could give them a call.

They have velcro fastenings so you can adjust the calf fitting. Nobody round here seems to stock them Besides, if they are specifically designed for women they are not going to be like skinny male calves, are they?

Somebody has recommended Daytona Lady Pilot boots, they have a 6cm heel and lots of other features I like the look of, and I've found the best price (even with the shipping) on a German site. I've pretty well made my mind up they are the ones I want, so just asking if anybody has any experience of them before I commit to buying them?

I do.....................

When I get to your might status, Throttled, I might think about that. But I'm low in experience and high in anxiety and not ready for slippery, skiddy, slithery roads. So not yet. Not yet.

Attempted to delete a duplicated post and couldn't so adding words because it won't let me post a blank message.

I've got them now, whitedevil - a Christmas present, same idea but by Givi. They do look pretty bizarre but I don't care if they do the trick. If a day off work ever coincides with a day without ice or pouring rain, I will try them out

The last ride I did, I was pulling my gloves on in the porch and thinking "Oh, no, what if all this has been a terrible mistake?" And when I got out I enjoyed it. It is so icy on the roads today, I had to use the 4x4 function on the car, first to get out of our drive and then up the road to where I keep the pony. Totally unsuitable for a beginner and not advisable for anybody. Infuriating because it is otherwise a lovely, bright, sunny, dry, perfect winter's day and I could have tried out my new muffs! And at stupid work for the rest of the week, including overtime on New Year's Day.

I was having a conversation with somebody the other day who said completely out of the blue that he's got muffs and likes them, so I'm happy with that. As it has been too wet, cold and slippery on the roads I haven't had chance to try out my Christmas present yet. I hope I won't be like my children's primary school headmaster, who got a pushbike for Christmas in 1962 and never got the chance to ride it till Easter 1963! Cpt_Tact, I did try using my own ski gloves the other day but I couldn't feel the controls so abandoned the attempt before even pulling away. Well actually they are snowboard gloves so I suppose they don't need to be quite as sensitive.

Well, I'm going for gross. I had a look at a set today and my husband is getting me them for Christmas, he says if I can't get on with them he will have them. It was a bit difficult to get my head round the concept but you're not really supposed to look at the controls anyway. I'm not too bothered about appearances. I often get teased for wrapping up in the winter but I'm never cold. The ones sniggering are also shivering.

The other thing about that is there is so much extra traffic about at the moment with the enforced extra spending because of Christmas. These drivers are already pre-annoyed and stressed and therefore in a hurry and not concentrating. They know where the rat runs are, too. I simply cannot believe the speed that somebody drove up our lane this afternoon. When he saw me (I was unloading the car) he slammed his brakes on and skidded a bit, and still screamed round the bend with his tyres squealing. I was just so glad I wasn't on the bike as my avoiding reflex isn't yet highly developed. Also a lot of frost and ice about today and the only couple of hours that were safe, I had to do something else. Let's hope for a better day tomorrow than the forecast says.