Rollingskies

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.

Working the full day as usual. We don't have bank holidays in my office. Just get given a set amount of days each year. My yearly holiday is booked for three weeks from mid-September. So I'm playing a waiting game.

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.

My ER-5 had a topbox. That's fine. My ZX6r - I bought a rucksack. Nuff said.

Well I can't think of anywhere worse than prison?! I would define it as a collection of the worst members of society with a plentiful suppy of drugs and the option to learn to become a person even more vile and wicked than before all in an environment where your rights rule.

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.

lol

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/E ... 6Intro.htm All of the grounds A-G have no time limit. Obvious ones like if continuing the pregnancy would kill the mother or give a significant risk of killing her. The one I refer to is E. Ground E: There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped However, back on topic as above.

Oh and lastly: http://prolife.org.uk/category/abortion/ Check this out and other pro life sites. Watch the videos and see the pictures. There are videos out there which I will not post and will not watch that show living babies getting cut up alive by people who moments earlier might be delivering a baby at exactly the same gestation. If someone can watch someone kill a baby just about to be born, which has some abnormality, all in the name of kindness then I cannot enter that mindset. I think many people just don't understand or know what goes on. If it is right, why is advertising against it banned? Why can't the pictures be displayed? It's legal, right and perfectly kind and fair to the mother after all. We have no problems with violent films, pornography and other graphic things in this country, open heart surgery on TV. Why not have abortions at 40 weeks done on tv too? Wonder why.

We digress rather but: http://www.healthcentre.org.uk/abortion ... stics.html During 2008 nearly 200,000 women in England and Wales had an abortion, which is almost 550 abortions each day One in three women have an abortion. http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2006/ ... dwellbeing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abortion_i ... ed_Kingdom ccording to a 2004 The Times/Populus survey, Britons' feelings on abortion are:[23] * 75% of Britons believe abortion should be legal o 38% of Britons believe abortion should "always" be legal o 36% of Britons believe abortion should "mostly" be legal * 23% of Britons believe abortion should be illegal o 20% of Britons believe abortion should "mostly" be illegal o 4% of Britons believe abortion should "always" be illegal What figures?

It's a good point. The majority of people in this country approve abortion. This includes abortion at 40 weeks for those kids with severe disabilities. Yep that's the law as far as I am aware. But the same people would spit fire and brimstone if one stripe was to be laid on the backs of a child murderer of a 1 day old baby and fully support life in jail. Many of the same people will also think euthansia has a place in society, but no never execute a murderer - even if he wants execution (cite: Moors Murderer (the guy) and a recent attempt by several murderers in Italy who want to be executed). Interestingly we allow people to fly to Dignitas who are perfectly well to end their lives, but we won't allow murderers to commit suicide or attend Dignitas. A society full of hypocrisy IMO. I think it's simple: No-one has the right to take any life ever except for: 1. Self defence 2. Just war 3. Execution for murderers It is murder of the unborn to kill children. It is murder of the elderly to encourage, permit or allow people to end their lives. Murderers in our society have their crime condoned by the state which doesn't believe to be that serious. My life and yours is worth just a few years in prison to the state. They have blood on their hands for the blood of the innocent not put right. I do not argue that all the above should have the death penalty btw. I'm sorry to those who have had abortions, know someone who has gone off to Dignitas or perhaps has deliberately killed someone for all I know, but that's my view. Peace.

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.

Execution isn't vengence anymore than wanting someone to go to prison is vengence. Stupid argument. I believe that the human rights arcticle which says everyone has the right to live is correct. So if someone takes away my life, which cannot be restored ever again than they have forfeited their life. For me if 1000 murders were committed a year I would expect less than 100 to get the death penalty. The evidence would have to be 100%. There would have to be no question whatsoever. So yes that might mean Ian Huntly would get life and not the death penalty (he had a majority verdict). Absolute conclusive proof would be clear video, caught holding the knife/gun on scene. DNA on a scrap of paper would not be good enough. Execution is not vengence, revenge or barbaric. Murder is the calculated wicked unjust barbaric taking away of someone's life, execution is protecting society and giving justice and is no more revenge than life in jail.

Well done Keith!

Nice work.