how do i

[keith565]

ok, got theory over with, now to sort out DAS. not knowing much about the way to go on, a few questions.

what do i do first, book lessons then book test or get date for test then book lessons.

as I've been riding for a year now and feel very confident on my 125, should i risk having just a few lessons on a 500 (i can't find anyone up near me that does the all in one block lessons then test) or should i get as many lessons as i can afford (£25 per hour).

your thoughts very welcome.

[Susieque]

Maybe see if you can get an assessment session with a bike school, who could then tell you how much tuition they think you'll need.

Of course there's always the risk they'll tell you X number of hrs just to get your money, so you could try a couple of places to give you an idea.

[scanty]

try a few places. I booked my DAS with the school, had 1 lesson and they moved my mod 1 forward (as they'd already booked the space) i booked an extra lesson before hand and they booked my mod 2 too.think most places you just need to tell them you want to do your DAS and they book everything for you

[getready]

I did a two day DAS and the school booked the Mod1 and Mod2 for me.

As mentioned, ask for an assessment ride (I did this as part of my CBT and they recommended the 2 days DAS training) and go from there.

If you've been riding a 125 for a year, you will have good experience, but it's worth having practical experience on a bigger bike and someone to critique your riding as you may have gained some bad habits that you don't recognise yourself.

[OhJay]

Can't add much more. When I phoned my local school they did an assessment ride out with me (on new year's day!!!) and said they didn't think I was suitable for an intense course and they reckoned about 12 weeks of lessons to get me ready.

He said I'd picked up a few bad habits which I could get away with on a light 125 but would lose against a bigger, heavier bike.

[keith565]

thanks guys, i will ask about this weekend and let you know.

[keith565]

found a place near me who seems very good. DAS is £25 per hour. the first 2 hours are spent doing cross over (from 125 to 500 as i have never been on a 500 before). then i spend 2 hours practicing the mod 1 on the actual test site before doing my test. reckons he has a very high pass rate now he is using the official test site.

then for mod 2, about 10 hours, may be a few less, may be a few more.

does this sound ok to you guys.

[getready]

That seems reasonable, althought I'd expect you to need less than 10 hours mod2 training if you've been on a 125 for a year already, especially if your road positioning, manouvre routines etc are all up to scratch. I did 8 hours (two x 4hr days) and I had no experience other than a CBT on a 125. By the end of the second day my instructor took me off to some country lanes for practice/experience as he said my riding was at the standard required to pass mod2.

Going from a 125 to a 500 will feel quite different, the bike is more planted and you'll need to make sure you plan ahead much more than a 125, but overall a bigger bike is easier to ride.

The mod1 training is a very good idea, as lots of people have failed on this and waiting times (esp this time of year) are quite long.

I'd go for it, and see how your progress goes with the mod2 training.

Good luck!