SometimesSansEngine

I'm definitely not in the 'longer than I care to remember' camp, but have had the few shocking days on the bike. I find if I focus on slowing things down (mentally and physically) & focusing on the basics on the next ride it all comes back together again Hope this is the same for you [mention]elizabethf[/mention] Remember on the day to take as much time as you need between exercises too and do a quick mental run through of what you're about to do. I think that's especially useful after the manual handling where you need to transition from pushing the bike to doing the slalom!

My bike school had two ER6Ns but even those rode completely different to each other. I know as I rode on both. I did my mod1 training day on the newer one and the clutch felt quite sensitive to me, but was very nice to ride at higher speeds. It was that I rode on my first test day. Then later on that day (after I had failed) I rode the older one they had whilst me and the instructor were playing in the car park, because like he said since I didn't know what bike I'd be riding on the day I needed to ensure I was happy riding it. The clutch felt heavier, but it was almost like it was "set and forget", you just got it in the friction zone and the bike was very settled and not jerky. But at higher speeds it felt and sounded rough as Ended up doing my second mod1 and my mod2 on the older one. The bike school retired it about two weeks ago and replaced it with two newer ER6Ns. But see the fact that you're getting experience on a few different bikes as a bonus

Did you read my mod1 experience? https://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/viewtopic.php?p=1048653#p1048653 My first mod1 test day was a disaster. I think I struggled from the transition from 125 back to the big bike. They feel very different to handle, at least to me anyway. Still do now when I move my wife's 125 for her (I find it hard to believe I ever thought a 125 was heavy!). Do you think yours could partly me the same? As another example, when I got back on a big bike I found coming to a controlled stop a bugger due to the strong disc brake on the rear and would end up coming to an ungraceful stop until I got used to the brakes again. That would then dent my confidence. If you can avoid riding your 125 between now and Monday that might help?

I went for click [one second] click [one second] click I was often clicking too early, doing three clicks but not overly quick seemed to get it within one of the scoring windows and wasn't detected as trying to game anything. Worked for my wife the other week too!

They deserve to go to jail just for that website H’mm really? I am aware of someone who installed one of these for when they did track days, apparently it has been known for insurance companies to take down the plate numbers of those taking part to use in evidence in any future claims cases. I pointed out that it was only 2 screws to take the plate off but apparently that is too much hassle. So you may or may not see this as a legitimate use of a flip plate. He sold the bike after a few years before it needed a Mot so don’t know if it would fail or not. Don’t know if it’s illegal to have one fitted or just to use it on the public highway. I was talking about the website design job.

My eldest did it last term. He kind of did the opposite. We went to Weymouth and he kept pointing at all the trawlers and said "what if that boat ends up sinking like the Titanic" several times as if it was a joke, to the point I turned into grumpy dad and reminded him that since over a thousand people died it was a bit tactless even if it did happen over a hundred years ago For your son I don't think it would have been too dry if a lot of the lessons they were taught when doing the subject were focused on what changes were made as a result.

They deserve to go to jail just for that website

Only advice I can give is go to a shop and try them on, plus make sure an assistant advises you on what the fit should look and feel like - it's what I needed as a total newbie. You need them a touch more snug around your cheeks than you would think (which will soften up after a few rides as it moulds to your face)

And to be fair I rode a 125 for a few months. But I do also lump my cycling experience (c. 5k miles a year) into my road use experience. Yes the speeds are different but in terms of anticipation, positioning yourself to be seen etc there are a lot of parallels (if you're doing it right at least) So to help out the original poster a bit and add my 2p: I did my CBT in March and bought a 125, riding it around for a few months. I'm in my mid-thirties and to this "old man" it seemed sensible, and still does. I totally get the counter views here but that approach just suited my nature. Yes I got bored of the 125 (I originally planned to ride it for about a year) but the 1000 miles I did were still really useful. My wife has done the same (CBT in March and now riding a 125) and is taking it a bit slower. I don't think there's any harm in doing your CBT and then taking it from there. Until you've sat on a bike you won't necessarily know how you feel about the whole thing.

I've only just signed up. I emailed the membership secretary of the local group asking how much experience they generally recommended and they said it was up to the individual. Although I did go on a taster ride and got some initial feedback, the idea was I could see if I felt it was for me and if I felt ready. I guess there they would have had a chance to politely put me off if they felt they should

IAM haven't for me...

....what make was it - an "Egshel" by any chance? No, that's what Sean Connery uses for spreadsheets

Yeah, I remember the guy who did my CBT saying he'd spent something like £65 on his helmet, but that it was the best he'd ever owned in 30 odd years of riding. I'll admit to being surprised when I first looked at helmets as I assumed that more expensive ones would be a LOT lighter. I'm sure for long days or track days the small weight saving for a several hundred pound helmet can make a difference, but the gains weren't that massive, so I was happy to go with one that seemed to fit as my first one

You might want to link us to that part of the Highway Code..... Honestly, the best thing you can do to pass next time is take it on the chin, bury it deep somewhere and on the next test be extra vigilant.

I need to grab some parts from Fowlers on Saturday, so I might convince the wife and kids it's worth the 25 minute drive in that direction afterwards

Hi Lee, I know you're beating yourself up about it today, and I get that, but it is what it is. It's always easy to say that after you've passed but if it helps I failed my second car driving test for doing 40 in a 30. The road sign was sideways in a hedge and not visible at all (my instructor took me that way a few days later to show me) and the examiner argued that I needed to use other things such as the street lights to work out the speed. It's just something you have to take on the chin, as hard as that is. I know it's all the additional cost and faff of retakes. Focus on the fact that up to now it's only two incidents that have happened to have happened whilst out and about - by the sounds of it the rest of your riding is ok. And with any luck you'll end up going the same way on your retake - it's what happened on my third car driving test when I passed!

Rip out your brake cable and use that as a straw.

I'm a new rider (less than a week) and this thread has been a good read. I shall look at some YouTube videos of counter steering One more thing to say on this - if you've ridden your bike above 20mph then trust me you have counter steered. What you can do though is fight it. Definitely try a few things like pushing a bar away from you on a quiet straight bit of road and seeing what happens to prove it to yourself. Once you head turn through a corner towards the exit (not just move your eyes, point your chin) and push the bars you'll be amazed at the difference it makes.

Check out YouTube channels like Fast Eddie and Roadcraft Nottingham on Youtube [mention]Mrbubba[/mention], really good content. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0FFFneMi9GwRHUsuBjM0jA https://www.youtube.com/user/RoadcraftNottingham Fast Eddie is growing a following fast mainly because he explains and demonstrates really well, and whilst he does some videos on things like 'how to get your knee down' he's also really big on telling you just do it for fun (eg in a car park or on a track) but that it's dumb to do it on the road where all you need to do is get your head and upper body right. I've also started reading Total Control by Lee Parks which I've only skim read a few sections before returning to the start but has some really useful bits on vision and steering.

This is good advice, and I think it's definitely a good idea to know the speed limits of the first couple of roads near the test centre. Worth looking on streetview if the images are up to date - I did and at least you know for example you exit the test centre on a 30mph and you need to be wary of a change on a certain few roads nearby.

I have a few days holiday left to take this year, and my wife usually has a random day off in the week. Is it generally worth a two hour trip to go up there for two new bikers?

To be fair, sounds like many motorcyclists I've come across.....

If you was local to me i would jump at the chance mate. Last time I did anything mechanical it was on my MKI ford fiesta back in 90-something. Similar here. Best thing I've found locally would be an hour and a half ride/drive after work, from January, to a sort of local college. Nowhere else more local seems to do similar. 7 week course, £120 covering basic maintenance. Not awful value but a few months away when it's the basics I want to learn now, plus the added three hours of travelling once a week. I know there's always YouTube but doing it hands on with someone watching & giving feedback is always a bonus.

By jove, we've just worked out how sustrans and the local councils plan their "cycle routes"

I did see a few comments about that. I'm pretty handy with bicycle maintenance but still always learning better ways of doing things, and a few months ago wondered why one of my rear jockey wheels on one of my bikes kept tightening up and seizing every few miles. Tried numerous things (and the problem always seemed fixed before reoccurring a few miles into the commute) before I finally stripped it down and realised that when I'd last serviced it I'd somehow lost a pretty vital bushing (or at least now I discovered how vital it was for such a small part!). Luckily I'd for some bizarre reason kept one from a worn one I'd replaced a few years before. We all do things the hard way sometimes