houltmac

I guess I'm out of the club then! Unlucky man, that's as close as you can come to passing without actually passing. I'm sure you will be fine next time. I personally did use the back brake. Touch the front, steady with a touch of back and then slowly pull the front to a controlled stop. Just as the front is about to stop turning at all, yank the clutch in. It's pretty simple with a couple of practice runs. That's how I did it anyway. Worked for me first time (sadly).

I was trying to help everyone feel better. You had to go and spot it didn't you!?

Wouldn't it be more inspiring if you came out of it rubber side down? I think the guys have given good advice here, Ben. I'll tell you the other side of it. I did a DAS course though nowhere near you. Having never ridden before I did my CBT on the Monday, took my Mod 1 on the Thursday passed both first time. I had 2 more half days during which I passed my Mod 2 the second time. I took a couple of bikes out for a test ride yesterday and felt supremely confident in minutes (though I was scared stiff of looking stupid in the car park). Tuition certainly worked for me, though it was mostly just being followed and being told I was doing well because we both knew that I was already beating myself up for any mistakes and I didn't need someone else to tell me. Still, ever mile I travel I get more confident. I think it's natural to feel comfy in a straight line and take time to work up courage/confidence/skill around a bend. Oh, and I'm taking most roundabouts around here in second also; nothing wrong with that.

I remember sitting in showrooms and drooling over the bikes when I was a kid. Dirt bikes, sports bikes, tourers... I loved them all and would bug the life out of the staff with questions. There was just a draw to bikes I never found with cars. I never got a bike or a scooter because I never had the cash. Last November I quit smoking (started at 16) and have used the money for DAS, clothing, insurance and a deposit on a bike. Awesome.

Congrats on passing! I personally went for an Arai. It's a bit more expensive but super comfy and fits like a glove. After wearing it for hours and hours at a time I don't feel uncomfortable, hot or any pressure points. Great lids. I found the Shoei very similar but couldn't find any other brands locally that felt good at all. I fancy trying AGV but I am really impressed with the Arai so far.

Congrats! Are you looking at riding larger bikes or sticking with that one for now?

Good luck man, you will do it I'm sure.

Congrats! It's a great feeling isn't it?

I wanted to make a point about how my training went from scratch. I had never sat on a bike before this and had only taken a couple of lessons in a car years ago, yet today I passed. I have already written this up in the other thread, so I'll keep it short. 2 weeks ago today I failed with no minors for a bad indicator (didn't turn it off in time) but today I passed! I had 2 minors but am still chuffed. My training went as follows: 24/08/2009 - CBT passed by 2PM 25/08/2009 - 125 training went badly and considered the day a write off. Different instructor and just poor form me. Learned nothing. 26/08/2009 - CBT instructor back and on a 500. Learned very quickly and went well. Rode from Gloucester to Kidderminster and back among other Mod 1 things. 27/08/2009 - A couple of hours warming up then Mod 1. Passed first time with 1 minor after a gearbox issue. Day 2 instructor said I must have been a bag of nerves because it was like a whole different rider (still with CBT instructor, the other guy just came along for the ride). 07/09/2009 - Another instructor, different bike, bag of nerves, failed Mod 2. Rode well on test but my fault for one bad indicator. 21/09/2009 - Mod 2 re-test with new bike and CBT instructor. Went smooth, felt good and natural. Feeling confident and passed with 2 minors. Loved every second of it. So... ignoring day 2 which was mostly spent off the bike trying to calm down (lack of sleep and nerves got the best of me) I spent 5 days (never finishing later than 3PM) going from zero experience to passed DAS rider. I had heard some not so great things about Motag between booking and taking the course but it was excellent. Rick especially was amazing; I really enjoy riding with him and we take the mick with hand signals more than he bothers to talk on the radio since I know when I mess up anyway. I never thought I'd pass so quick. It took a month because of my momentary lapse on my first Mod 2 but it was really only 17 hours on a bike total (as in ever!). Preparation was excellent, and all the instructors were human and friendly. I am seriously chuffed and would recommend all aspects of what I did to anyone.

Re-took my Mod 2 today... successfully! Turns out that the examiner I had last time is now known as "the nazi" and failed nearly everyone, even though I failed myself. It also turns out that the bike I had (and hated) last time was ticking over too slowly due to some engine fault and was now written off, so I got a nice new one which pulled a lot better. Finally, for good luck, I booked my original instructor who took me for everything but the Mod 2 day the first time round and felt much better for it. Very friendly and chatty examiner this time (Scott in Gloucester - really nice bloke) who asked me about the oil and brake fluid before asking about effects on the handling of carrying a passenger. I carried on talking about carrying a pillion until he said thanks (bored I think) and walked off. He followed in his car with an examiners examiner with him. I felt way more relaxed because the couple of hours warm up had felt so good (only mistake being doing 70 in a 30 - long story). We went to turn left at the major set of lights just by the test centre until he spotted the bridge was up and didn't want to wait. Felt a little nervous jumping over so many lanes of traffic to go right not left but still - he asked me to. I went on and even though I had kids run out on me twice and a couple of bus incidents similar to Josh it seemed to be going well. Time flew and I quite enjoyed it. Had a couple of tight squeezes and temporarily lost the car at a roundabout, some lights and behind a bus but not for too long. Hill start was easy enough and only got pulled over one other time I think. I don't remember too much except getting stuck behind a slow car down the NSL country roads which was good for me because I can never remember where the one super-tight creeps-up-on-you bend is. Made it back to the test centre in about 45 minutes and listened to the examiner joke with my instructor outside a bit so assumed I had passed (though I couldn't remember indicating or shoulder checking one time). I had passed - with 2 minors. One for no signal off one roundabout (went straight over and it was fairly small so not a huge deal) and one for being slow on a short section I thought was 20 not 30 (good job though because of the kids running out). Scott was excellent and my instructor Rick was also brilliant. The ride home without the radio was smooth, quick, natural, relaxed and oh so satisfying. Now I just need a new bike!

I am a huge fan of buffs. They are always useful and come in many designs.

I did my theory one Saturday a while back before I could get time off work. Then: Day 1: CBT Day 2: 125 practice Day 3: 500 practice Day 4: Mod 1 Following week due to it being the first available slot: Mod 2 (without practice between) - Failed 2 weeks to the day later: Mod 2 second attempt (hope to pass) I had never sat on a bike or scooter or driven a car before my CBT and had no time on any bike or scooter other than those days mentioned. Days 1, 4 and 5 were half days due to the tests being around lunchtime.

I'll add my name to the hat too. I had a bit of an arse for an examiner; the kind of guy that was obviously picked on when he was a kid so he gets a job where he can ruin other peoples days and enjoy it. Hoping to get the friendly guy next time and pass!

Congrats Keith! I hope to follow your path soon. Have fun with it.

Thanks for that ikonoklast, it sounds like I got screwed all round. Still, it's good practice just in case I guess. Seemed like my guy was overly judicious (seemed over the top at the time) and generally going to be a pain from the outset so hopefully that stands me in good stead.

There is no problem there; I don't think I'll be over confident. It will be 2 weeks since I got on a bike and last time was a week and a half and I felt really rusty until the test started. I will have a couple of things on my side though; I'll have my good luck instructor (made sure to specifically ask for him this time), my original Mod 1 examiner (who I feel more comfortable with and my instructor knows) and I'll have "my" bike (which idles higher, has a better clutch and just feels much better than the older one I had the other day). So yeah, I guess it all balances out. I feel quite good on a bike and I know I can pass, but I also get quite humbled by the situation. I think I will benefit from having done it though and know it's not going to chuck up something unexpected as such. One last thing though: did everyone else get pulled over as much as me? I made the indicator mistake on the last pull-over but other than that they were all by the book. Even the hill start was pretty flat so I don't get why we did it so much.

Hywel just reminded me about another tip I was given. Instead of listening for the correct speed or looking at the tiny numbers on the speedo I glanced at the rev counter. I practiced and found that doing 35mph in second gear (yeah, stick to second only) was around 5000rpm (or 11 o'clock) on the bike I used which is much easier to spot at a glance.

Hi Paul It's a little complex for sure. You will need the following: 1. CBT - probably just 1 day on a small bike/scooter (I'd suggest a geared bike but the argument rages) 2. Theory test - now includes hazard perception for which I'd suggest getting a DVD (we may be able to help you there) 3. Mod 1 - You need both of the above first, along with your driving licence. This is the manoeuvres section which is done in a closed environment 4. Mod 2 - You will need all of the above, along with your driving licence. This is the road test which is basically the same as the car test. Additionally there are a couple of questions first and you are only allowed 10 minors not 15 as you are in a car We can go into more detail, but that's the basics. I gave up on the DSA website and went down the route of getting my instructors to book everything for me. This way I have a bike and instructor also. BTW: Your current licence should be fine for all these things, just don't forget both halves if you have a new style one. Also check that you have the the provisional entitlement as mentioned above.

Annoyingly it happened after a stop that was completely unnecessary. Pulled into the side of a road that was straight and narrow with no turn offs. Everywhere I indicate to do something (other than pull away that one out of about 8 times) I cancelled twice at least. I just feel a little dumb for not doing it once out of how many times must I have indicated in that 45 minutes (it went a little long because the examiner was half-lost most of the time not being from around here).

I didn't find it a problem at all. Check out the DSA website for a PDF showing you the dimensions of the cones you have to go through and avoid. It's basically swerving round the inside cone for the emergency stop. It's a minor swerve and then braking not too harshly at all (double the distance of the emergency stop) and land your front wheel in the box. The tips I had were to hold 20mph if I could around the bend and then hammer it down to the speed trap. The second the front is through the speed trap (and not before) throttle off completely. Swerve (don't forget that), and then do an very gentle emergency stop after you are upright (though you never have to lean that much). A quick nip on the front brake at the end will give you the precision to stop in the box perfectly. I know some people find it tough, but don't get as close to the cone as possible and you will be okay. Just don't clip anything.

So I saw this pair of motorcycle trousers I wanted, but no local dealers carry them. I found that DemonTweeks online had them in stock and could deliver today (ordered late Thursday). Great! I looked at the size chart and it said a 32UK was a 38US, so I ordered a 38US - or so it said. They arrived today and are huge on me. I couldn't wear those. I look at the order and it says 38UK. I've attached a screenshot to show you I'm not going mad. I'm having them swapped out but it's costing me postage back. Just be aware of this if ordering from DemonTweeks. Very misleading (as I have pointed out to them on the phone an in email). Just a heads up as I say. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3527/3896909050_b20c6f9cb9_o.jpg

Thanks everyone. Turns out I failed for one mistake (no minors); leaving an indicator on. Circumstances were I thought I'd get a minor and I knew I was going to forget it. I wrote it up here if anyone is interested.

Well done. I got a major for leaving mine on today. Damn it! Other than that I was totally clean. Well done you though!

Having passed my Mod 1 comfortably I was feeling good for the Mod 2. I arrived this morning before 9AM and shortly after another guy arrived. That wasn't the plan. He was taking his Mod 2 for the second time. Then the instructor arrived. I didn't know him and he said it was just the 3 of us. Damn. I got a different bike too. It was still an ER-5 but it was older, idled really low and I just couldn't get used to the revs. The choke was broken too. We went through the Q&A stuff (which I learned from this forum; thanks guys) and were warned that the normal examiner (Steve) was on holiday and some new guy they didn't know was doing it. Damn again. Went for a ride feeling really rusty. Nothing was as smooth or as controlled as it was before, but it had been a while. I had also warn waterproofs because the BBC said it was going to rain but it didn't so I just got sweaty wet instead. Yuck. Stuff felt not so bad after a while but it was still not as good as when I did my Mod 1 (2 weeks ago Thursday). I started the test and they examiner seemed like a bit of a... well... I didn't like him. He asked me to show him how I'd test the horn, then how I'd check the tyres and finally how carrying a passenger would effect the handling of the bike. Okay, and off we went. Radios were crackly when close together but okay otherwise. Got out and for some reason felt good. The first corner was a little nervous (quite tight and not a favourite) but after that it went well. I felt really smooth and was convinced I hadn't picked up a single minor. We ended up in this dead crap-hole part of town with cars lining the thin road on either side. For about the 8th time I was asked to pull in, then pull away when ready. It was getting on my nerves. I was going to so I put my indicator on and checked around. When I looked forward again the blue car that had passed was reverse parking just ahead of my on the other side of the road - no room to pass. About half way through waiting for her I spotted the car in front of her had pulled over. A learner she was doing the same as me. "Don't forget to cancel the indicator" I thought, knowing it was going to be a minute before there was any point moving away at all. I moved off and about 200 feet down the road, as I thought about aproaching the T-junction I realised I hadn't cancelled that damned indicator. I cancelled it and thought back. I haven't passed a side street, this is a side street. Maybe I'll get away with a minor. I put it out of my mind and carried on. We were heading up a small but very well used road that I knew lead near enough to the test centre. Time must be up right? "We'll turn left at the first lights and right at the second" I thought. The next thing I know the radio goes off saying exactly that. I get into the left turn lane (with filter light and slip) and watch the examiner in my mirror as he goes into the right hand lane. What!? He pulls across and looks mad. I figure I'm screwed and carry on. He changes the second direction to left and we go left. 1/4 of a mile down the road we turn around in an entrance and go the way I thought we were going to in the first place; the test centre. I'm really mad by now and leave him at the lights by the test centre. I pull up and figure I've failed for mis-hearing him or pissing him off somehow or something. Other than that it felt really good. I thought he'd have me on the last couple of sets of lights somehow and a minor for the indicator. Turns out I had a major for the indicator and nothing else! WTF!? I mean, I know technically but it seemed harsh. I kicked the life out of myself for an hour and headed home. Thoroughly annoyed at myself I am re-booked for a couple of weeks and have requested my old instructor for good luck. By then my Mod 1 examiner will be back and I hope for better vibes from him too. It's frustrating and old and tired but it's true. Think indicator every 10 seconds and check again even if you haven't used them. (Oh, and the hill start was the flattest hill ever. BS.)

Cheers, Yammy! I don't know why but I smile every time I see that name. It's like the name Charlie - people just like it