Rollingskies

What bike do you have? My ER-5 was fully comp for £187 and I was only 22 at the time with no no-claims. Wicked quotes that was. A year later and with still 0 no-claims and a "accident not settled" I got £399 TPFT for my ZX6r with MCE.

OH well done!! Whoooo!! So pleased for you. Well done for sticking at it. We all knew it would come.

I got two minors for not pulling away quick enough after doing the works on my stop and starts. So remember after that lifesaver, no fiddling around - go!

If you approach a right turn with the indicator on and turn at the next one that is a fail. If you go and indicate for the second right turn while on the 1st turn (presuming they are very close together) you will be fine. If you want extra time to indicate then slow down. I haven't seen two right hand turns that close together though except on a roundabout.

The best way to understand a blindspot the safe way is to ask someone to stand as if they were a car overtaking you, but perhaps a little closer. Ask them to walk towards you in a straight line. If you stay still watching your mirrors they will disappear just as they reach you. The blind spot is not (on a bike) 10m behind you, it's very close just beside you and why it is so vital you check it. People who don't do lifesavers will eventually get knocked off. It's only a matter of time. Remember in a car you are not wearing a helmet and have a much better view of what is around you. The not so safe way is if you are in town and you have those 30mph dual carriageways and cars are always passing watch a car come up to you on your right or left and just as it approaches you you will see it disappears from the mirror. That said I have several times saved my bacon with a life-saver from incidents outside of the blind spot. Having checked mirrors, signalled and as I was a fraction of a second away from pulling out I did my lifesaver only to see a Suburu Impreza driven by a complete dumb idiot overtake the entire traffic queue and me doing about 120mph.

I did day 1 CBT having never ridden a bike before. Day 2 was extra practice on a 125. Then the next week I did Day 3 on the big bike followed by day 4 big. The following week I did day 5 and mod 1. I was ready for my mod 2 test. Unfortunately it didn't take place until 6 weeks later because of the snow up here and my exams. So I did an extra day of lessons and then passed the test. So not your 7 day no-bike-to big-bike rider DAS, but roughly the same bike time over a period of time. Worked for me.

Whooo! Nice one. Well done.

http://www.themotorbikeforum.co.uk/view ... 47&t=40668 Always have a quick check down the forum. It was almost right besides this before you posted to it.

Review very similar to mine of my ER-5. I think they must be very similar bikes with this one just being a bit more "sporty" if we can call it that.... I'm sure they share a lot of parts though. Good review.

I remember being "failed" on my training for doing just that. I didn't fully stop. It's tempting when you see it clear.

Gutted for you toon. Don't give up, you are almost there. It really is worth it.

The CBT isn't really a test. As long as you can ride it safely you'll get it. Some people manage it all in one full day (having never ridden - like me) and others need to do it in two days - my sister. Never heard of anyone doing it over 3 (full) days. Just enjoy it.

Yep, very much from experience!! Though you will see familiar stuff in MCN. Not really any surprise though - something would be wrong if it was way different from them!!

Until it's production finished in 2006, under pressure from new emission regulations, the ER-5 was one of the kings ruling the "big bike" class of the riding schools up and down Britian. There are a varied amount of models, but there is little difference between them. Renound for being a courier bike it doesn't need much more to suggest that it was built to last and to handle the strains of the novice and the couldn't care less delivery rider. It's parallel-twin engine produces 48HP and is easily restricted. If ever there was a bike that "does what it says on the tin" then the ER-5 fits the tag pretty well. It doesn't boast elegance, nor does it emit prowess and lacks any agression. It's just what it is, a bike with an engine and you won't be turning many heads with it. Easy as they come to ride in it's sit up and beg riding position, it is completely forgiving if you get the wrong gear and yet has enough guts to leave most cars at the lights if you want to open the throttle. It will easily do 60-65mpg on the A roads with some respect and is easy to maintain when you get home giving it a true Japanese ethic. Reliable and useful. There is nothing on the ER-5 that's going to entertain for longer than the novelty factor. The biker who bikes for fun will quckly get bored and be left shaking their head wishing for something more fun. The rider who bikes to get from A-B will be entirely satisfied. It's not the bike that makes the ER-5 wrong, it's the needs of the rider. So if you want to get into biking (especially if you have a car) for a weekend around the country don't bother with the ER-5. If commuting all weathers to work and back with little care for biking as a hobby then the ER-5 would get near on full marks. This makes it an ideal bike to start with, especially for someone who has done DAS, without any biking background before, and has little road experience. The cockpit is pretty simple, you get a speed dial and a rev dial with a few lights indicating full beam and the indicators. ER-5's are also cheap on the second hand market and parts are quite cheap to come by. Insurance is a give away even for young riders with no experience, partly because of it's unattractive "L-plate" image. Unfortunately the ER-5 does have some negative and is notoriously prone to rusting, especially the downpipes and the bikes who all too commonly get left outside to the elements look very much the worse for wear. The brakes are terrible from the start and are what I would rate as the bikes biggest failure and leaving a 2 second gap iin traffic is especially important. Once up to speed the lack of fairing leaves a very exposed rider and even a mild wind will leave you clinging on. Fairing can be purchased for a price, but upgrades on the ER-5 is like trying to upgrade a Fiat Punto. It's just not meant to be. Save the money and get something better. If I was to rate the bike I would need to rate it for two categories of rider. The first category is the weekend fair weather biker. This rider isn't interested in fuel economy, practicality, ease of riding and long distance commuting is done in the car. For this category the bike would get just 2 stars. 1 star because it won't let you down and the other because it's so cheap to own you could afford to buy another bike too. For the rider looking for a good all-rounder, cheap and cheerful and that does exactly as it is told without ever complaining it will be looking at 4 stars. It won't get 5 because of the brakes and lack of wind protection.

I would advise you just get on your bike and go everywhere. Absolutely everywhere. Make it test conditions, do your hillstarts and pull overs. Then after a while stop and think over what you did. Did you miss any life savers? Or as you are going along be your own examiner. Tell yourself out loud. Deliberately make it difficult. Go down roads you have never been on before. Once you have done that in a ten mile radius of your test centre you should feel much better. I was lucky on my car test in that the examiner did a near identical route my intructor taught me and my bike one was very similar too. Always talk it through outloud. It really works.

You'll get there! Stick at it!

Really well done. Cheeky of the examiner to start like that though.

I actually agree with you Throttled. At the end of June this year a small vauxhall van stopped on the opposite side of a dual carriageway in the fast lane after shedding a very light and small load. The merc van behind him came to a sudden stop in time. The volvo driver behind him had almost no chance and ploughed into the back of the merc. I was really annoyed and after making the scene safe and calling for help etc I tried to say to the people and police officers what happened, but everyone just looked at the Volvo driver blood all over his face as if he'd committed murder. To think the vauxall driver who caused the whole thing didn't get the slightest scratch or blame. At the time one man came up to me and said sorry mate it's his fault because it's a rear end shunt. I would like to see more of what you describe, but the reason I say to people you can't be too careful is that you just don't seem to be able to hit someone in any circumstances these days without at least being partially to blame. The daily mail story is a horrible tragedy, entirely preventable with just a little forethought. By the way I wasn't having a go, it takes guts to put up your mistakes for other people to point out what they would have done and should do. Thanks for posting it.

Always relax, but be on your guard. The best way to pass your test and I have passed every car and bike test I've sat first time is to speak outloud in your helmet. Always slow down for junctions and be sure to get time to go through everything. 1. Mirror 2. Signal 3. Shoulder check 4. Move position 5. Turn off signal Remember if it's a right turn off a main road you will need two life savers/shoulder checks. Say that before you do any turn. Check before you move up the gears that indicator is off. Double check its off. So many people fail on indicators and the simple steps above. Believe in yourself. You know you can do it. Teach that person how to ride inside your helmet. Teaching is the best form of learning.

It would be a minor for not making good progress. You wouldn't get a major for it. It would only happen in a test though if you couldn't get in gear or something as you would know where you were going on a test. While everyone should always make good progress and slow awkward drivers are a HUGE nuisance and because we know that the road is full of old dears, chavs, idiots and then your average Joe Bloggs who makes a genuine mistake we therefore MUST keep our distance and slow for hazards. If you stay back and slow down tell me how this incident can happen. You also get a clearer view of the roundabout for other hazards by staying back. The fact there are bad drivers ahead on the road is not going to be a valid reason for a rear end shunt. You will be 100% responsible every time. I'm not sticking my neck out as the perfect driver/rider as I too have to keep myself in check!! I have a bad habit of creeping up on people on clear A-roads and sitting too close behind them. It's all about identifying your weaknesses and then fixing them. This learning process is so important for us bikers if we are to minimise our risks.

Sounds like you are not leaving enough space and are travelling too fast. Try approaching the roundabout slower and double your distance. This shouldn't be happening at all. I can barely think of a single time this has happened to me and I drive through loads of roundabouts every day. For your own safety you really need to analyse today and see what you did wrong and how you can improve this. The lorry driver or the old couple in the car dithering are not doing anything wrong. They are pefectly entitled to sit there when its free to go.

It'll come. Stalling sounds like nerves. I stalled on my car driving test right at the very start. As for the indicator, sounds a bit unlucky. I got into the habit of checking for the flashing indicator before I went into 3rd gear. That way I was always able to turn it off in time. I also always (and still do) double check that it has stopped flashing. Keep at it. The reward is worth it. Speak outloud in your helmet is a great tip. I did - even sometimes in my car driving test. Who cares? Break it down out loud and tell yourself the checks. Explain to that invisible person how to ride.

Well it depends on the riding school. Some places give you a CBT, 4 days riding, mod 1 fee, mod 2 fee. When you do those is up to you. So I did my CBT week 1. Week 2 I did 4 days of riding. Week 3 I did mod 1. Then the snow stopped me doing mod 2 and I did it over a month later after another full day and a half of lessons. I know some places do it like literally all in 1 full week. You just have to ask.

Replacing broken fairing and other components on a spill would cost more than a winter run-around. I am surprised just how many people just seem to love riding in the rain, cold, ice and whatever else that man normally avoids.

A right turn would be: 1. Check your right mirror 2. Signal right 3. Lifesaver over right shoulder 4. Move across the lane towards the middle white line that divides 5. Lifesaver over right shoulder 6. Turn right 7. Cancel indicator A left turn: 1. Check your left mirror 2. Signal left 3. Lifesaver over left shoulder 4. Turn left 5. Cancel left indicator A roundabout straight over: Tricky one. Depends on where the hazards are. Assuming a simple " + " roundabout. You are coming from South to North. You would NORMALLY be in the left hand and 1. Signal left after passing the first exit (West on diagram). 2. Lifesaver should be done - but you could be failed for missing something here. If a car is pulling out from West you need to check that left side. If a car is on your outside going around the roundabout you need to do a lifesaver to the right he isn't going to run over you. In that situation slow down and show observation and awareness. The examiners sometimes comes right up and sits on one side (left or right) to try and see if you react and check. 3. Turn (left) into North. 4. Cancel indicator A roundabout turning right: Assuming a simple "+" rounabout. You again are coming from South to East. You would NORMALLY be in the right hand lane and 1. Signal right approaching roundabout 2. Immediately after passing North indicate left 3. As you tip the bike upright look over your left shoulder to check for someone undercutting you. This is one of the the most important times you can do a lifesaver! 4. Move across still indicating left into East. 5. Cancel indicator.