Redeagle

I put a deposit down on a 2010 Suzuki Gladius 650 yesterday and get it next sat!! Wohoooo!

The Suzuki Gladius 650 I've been riding is a nice bike but maybe a bit expensive. Maybe Yamaha MT 07, Suzuki bandit, Honda cb600. See what's out their second hand when I'm looking really!

Just to say I passed mod 2 today, first time and 1 minor!! Mod 1 was just horrible, mod 2 was fine and quite fun Gotta wait a few weeks til I move before I can buy a bike tho doh

Thank you I'm not so worried about mod 2, I felt like I was ready that well before mod 1! I found the mod 1 stuff bloody hard but I am much smoother riding in slow traffic now. I take corners and roundabouts pretty damn slow tho hmmm My instructor keeps saying about 'making progress' on the road ride. If it's safe to do so then 'crack on' lol. I haven't been filtering but have been over taking on dual carriage ways, so presume that's ok? I need to swot up on info about the bike as atm I know where to check the oil and break fluid and where indicators, horn & pass light is and that's about it.

I passed!!!!!!! 2 minors, had to do e stop & swerve twice. Was so stressed before!! Waiting on a mod 2 cancellation now

Today we went riding about doing lots of roundabouts as these are my weakness, windy country lanes to sort my leaning a bit and dual carriage ways. Then to a quiet road for u turns, which I nailed and emergency stop which I skidded first two times but then did good. Riding back I was a lot smoother on the roundabouts and leaned better on country lanes. In car park once back I did slalom & fig 8s. Although I got a little wobbly and didn't feel totally great a few times, I did every one! Then we did mock test for the slow stuff and I did it all! Today for the first time I feel like I can do it! Wasn't totally confident but as I said I actually did it all to test standard. My test is quite soon but I won't say when to keep pressure off. Also out a guy my instructor trained dropped his bike on mod 1, and as he had a clean first pass record i now also feel less pressure there. But thanks so much everyone for all the tips and encouragement as I'm def a better rider overall now!

Yeah that's when I fell off on slalom, wasn't gonna make the turn so rather than skip the cone I turned too sharp. Thanks a lot for your replies!

Oh ok my body swayed left but then fell back down right. Just tried on my push bike against wall. Pushed right pedal and bike lent right but body pretty much stayed up right So pushing the foot peg is a way of helping to lean the bike and help turn?

I thought it would be opposite on fig 8 & u turn As if I'm turning tight left my body weight needs to be tiny bit right? Wouldn't pushing on the left leg put my weight left?

I haven't started on the u turns yet lol. But I find fig 8 not as bad now so hopefully I will be ok on u turns Yeah I'm basically ready for mod 2 now! I am a very tense person tho, when I had drum lessons my tutor was always telling me to relax my arms even tho I felt relaxed lol

I don't have a motorbike so gone out on push bike doing fig 8, u turn, slalom. Figure it's better than a visulation walk through and although obv different I'm imagining I'm on a motorbike and saying 'turn' out loud making me turning my head all the way around and looking at correct points of reference at the different stages trying to drill this into me. Hopefully it may help a little

I do look where I want to go on road riding, it's more I turn my head say 60 degree and I'm ok but turning it anymore to full neck lock and I feel unbalanced. He hasn't mentioned anything about shifting weight tho . Woke up today feeling anxious about the test and I'm not even training today!

Today that horrible instructor was back. I was off with him so he said "I'm here to help, not tear you apart" and he did give me a good tip that helped on the faster stuff but also basically through his bad communication and interfering, made my instructor have to suddenly stop me which made me drop the bike and break the front break lever. They got me riding realllllly wide fig 8s without cones to get me turning my head more (when I turn my head more than a little bit I feel like I'm going to drop the bike) and loads of slalom again and again and again without stopping, starting with the cones wide and gradually bringing them closer. I was starting to get my speed about right for emergency stop. Slow on swerve atm. Didn't try u turn today. My instructor says on Monday we'll do a long road ride dual carriageway up to 70 etc as he says I need to become one with the bike. But I'm concerned about this as I'm fine riding on the road, it's the mod 1 stuff I want as much practice with as poss.... Tho I don't turn fluidly atm and I don't lean the bike much, so I think he feels I need to sort this to progress with slalom etc tho I'm not so sure. He thinks I have a mental block as soon as I enter the practice pad as I'm fine on the roads. I do feel a bit more confident each time I train but still got a long way to go and just over a day training left

I have 3 hours training this afternoon, split between the slow stuff and the emergency stop and swerve... I had a few hours last week and didn't drop the bike but knocked a cone over on slalom once, kicked it but it didn't fall once and completed it and the fig 8 properly a few times. So improving! A horrible instructor was there alongside my instructor. The first thing he said was 'when's your test?' I said not sure being rescheduled. He said 'good coz you've got a LOT of work to do', just what I needed to hear. Made me feel shit & more nervous. Then when I said I was good on the road but terrible at slow stuff he said 'yes I heard about your escapades' (ie dropping bike)... Horrible man, how not to inspire confidence! Luckily my own instructor was calming me down But silly as it is, I'm nervous now about training in a few hours... Proper anxiety symptoms,wtf will I be like for the actual test!!

I know I won't get rid of intense nerves for the test no matter what. I want to feel confident doing the manoeuvres with just my instructor watching tho. Was starting to get there this morning with flat cones. I will visually mentally go through them using your description (and the picture that was kindly posted earlier) several times before I'm back practicing on the test pad Sat tho! And then again each day until a cancellation comes up. My mod 2 is booked week after next so hoping get a cancellation before and don't need to cancel mod 2, fingers crossed

Had a Google and seems to be no where that rents out motorbikes within 50 odd miles of me anyway! That's the thing though, I know I'll be extremely nervous for the rest, so I want to be confident before I go for the test. My instructor has drilled lifesavers into me, every single time I pull away on the bike, mirrors and shoulder checks. And then on the u turn before turning as well. In my practice today was with flat cones, it was with proper cones I struggled more yesterday and came off. Bloody perception!

Thanks so much guys! This morning I started off with half hour on a 125 to get used to biting point etc slow control laps and then he got me started with just 3 cones for slalom, got me better at clutch, keeping revs steady etc then onto fig 8. Then back onto the 650. I still need more practice but I'm feeling better than I did yesterday. Didn't drop the bike He cut practice short today, but booked me an hour on the test pad sat morning instead. Plus he's letting me follow him and his mod 2 student Friday so more time on the bike in general too. As I didn't go for my test today I have to wait for a cancellation. Depending how I do sat I'm thinking of hiring a 125 and finding a car park... What do you think?

Hello, I can't do the slalom especially or figure of 8. Yesterday I dropped the bike twice on the slalom. I'm trying to keep the revs up as my instructor said and use the clutch and back break. I managed to do the slalom right once, dropped the bike twice, skipped some cones a few times so as not to drop it... Fig 8 not quite so bad, messed up by few times and foot down few times. U turn, sometimes ok, sometimes not. I always feel like I'm going to fall off the bike when turning. Scared to turn my head right round coz again, scared of falling off! Had day of training sat when I was much better but they were flat cones then, yesterday where I was terrible and back today. Had my mod 1 booked today but not ready for it. As no other dates to September my instructor said see how I feel today whether I want to give it a shot anyway but I think I need way more practice on slow control and some more practice on swerve & emergency stop (I was MUCH better at these though and I'd be ok for mod 2) Any advice for mod 1 slow stuff. I woke up today feeling defeated and now so worried of dropping the bike yet again, it's embarrassing... And so frustrating! And expensive... £160 day of training, £80 for road ride to and from a test.. Thank you