Module 1 - members test experiences

[Gray]

I had my first attempt at Mod1 yesterday and failed.

Had no minors at all and was all perfect until I got to the emergency stop section whereby I whizzed through the speed sensor at 59kmh and then locked the back wheel causing a small skid.

Was gutted when the examiner came over and told me we couldn't proceed with the rest of the test.

Got it booked again next Monday so hopefully should pass 2nd attempt. This time I will take a quick glance of the speedo as passing through the sensor then not so heavy with the rear brakes.

[klingelton]

I had my first attempt at Mod1 yesterday and failed.

Had no minors at all and was all perfect until I got to the emergency stop section whereby I whizzed through the speed sensor at 59kmh and then locked the back wheel causing a small skid.

Was gutted when the examiner came over and told me we couldn't proceed with the rest of the test.

Got it booked again next Monday so hopefully should pass 2nd attempt. This time I will take a quick glance of the speedo as passing through the sensor then not so heavy with the rear brakes.

 

that's a shame. usually when you lock your rear, if you take off, then re-apply the rear so the wheel is rolling when you stop, that's enough for a pass. Probably on account of the horrid weather we had!

Better luck next time.

[runningman]

Harsh but hopefully you'll nail it 2nd time around.

[number1barber]

when you hit the speed trap glancing at your speedo will do what? if you are not fast enough you just failed anyway?

if you glance just before the speed trap you will probably hit a cone. drive down to the starting point of the curve already in second do not stop enter the curve maybe 20mph already glance now if need be then as you straighten out focus where you need to go and gun it. don't start braking till you finished swevering. check if the bike has abs and if so foot on rear but no pressure and use the front. i don't have abs but have never used the rear on a es

[spacemonkey]

Done my Mod 1 today and passed.

Never rode anything bigger that a 125 before today and was very apprehensive about learning in the morning and doing my test in the afternoon on a "big bike" but have to say it went ok. We done loads of practice around the cones and the like and was quite surprised how quick I picked it all up.

At the centre I went through the checks then off to the test area.

Manual handling - OK

Cones - OK

Fig of 8 - OK

On to the slow ride (that I had no problems at all with) stalled the bike! foot down, restarted bike and got on with it. At this point I thought well "f**k it that's it! I calmed right down and just cracked on with the rest of the test. Everything else went without drama.

Back in the office with the examiner for my debrief I got a pass (despite my best efforts of a fail) but explained it was because the bike was under control and was not going to get dropped so only marked it as a minor.

Cant wait to do my Mod 2 now.

[runningman]

Well done. Would have thought a foot down on any of the slow manoeuvres would be a major fault.....but what do I know!

[Gray]

Well after last Wednesday's unexpected rear wheel skid which caused me to fail I had the test again this morning.

Last week I was relaxed and tension free but this morning as soon as I sat on the bike to ride through the gates the nerves kicked in big time.

Told to start the bike and I pressed the horn. Whoops. So I then press the indicator cancel button. Still not starting. Checked the key was in and turned. Yep. Then realised that I using my left side of the brain and not the right. Started the bike correctly and in I went. After that I lost confidence in myself. What a bad start. Thought I had one minor already but I didn't get marked for that fortunately.

Manual handling was easy.

Slalom and figure 8 was performed with no minors but I was getting tense now and starting to sweat. On one occasion on the figure 8 I almost put my foot down , not due to losing control but tension that was spreading throughout my body, and I could feel my confidence dropping quickly. But I rolled on the throttle and kept control and continued.

Slow speed was ok too. For the first few seconds I was a little too quick so slowly increased the pressure on the rear brake until I was safely in the blue cone box.

U-Turn. Well I though this would be easy as I have performed all these manoeuvres countless times when practicing. However I somehow managed to almost stop half way into the turn just holding the bike as though it was on its centre stand. After a second I turned my head fully round, released some of the pressure on the rear brake and pulled the bike about a foot to the right of the white line. I convinced myself I had run over the white line on the u-turn yet hadn't even skimmed it.

At this point I thought thats it. Failure.

Onto the speed section. The first part was ok riding through the speed sensor around 25mph.

Emergency stop was ok at 51kmh. Fortunately I didn't go too heavy with the rear brake this time.

Had to take the hazard avoidance again as the first attempt was only 45kmh, the second was at 51kmh.

The examiner opened the gates and beckoned me through to the parking section.

When I sat in the office the examiner put down his clipboard and I scanned across it noting the x at the bottom corner. Thats a fail I thought.

Thought I'd misheard the examiner when he said I had passed!

Passed with 3 minors.

The x was for something licence related and not a fail for a particular section.

Just shows how I can be convinced I've failed only to be told I did well and it was a pass.

Got Mod2 booked now for next week. Hopefully this will be less stressful. Its just a ride around the local area but with a different instructor!

The bike I am using is a Kawasaki ER6 650. Has really nice controls in my opinion and is a really comfortable bike for me.

thanks

Graham

[125learner]

Congratulations Graham

[runningman]

Well done. The Mod 1 can be difficult when the nerves kick in. Good luck with the Mod 2.

[Tango]

Congrats with the passes guys.....good luck with the MOD2's......

[spacemonkey]

Well done mate, I know just how you feel when the nerves kick in.

Just booked my Mod 2 today. Off work in 3 weeks so booked it in for then.

[Miss Meg]

Good luck in your MOD2 Graham! The kawasaki er6 is a lovely bike, I did my test on that one too, and it was so easy for handling and general riding for me

[MissBex]

Congratulations gjpollitt! Best of luck with your Mod 2.

Looking at the ER6's for myself, they seem like good first bigs bikes.

[Guest]

Took my Mod 1 test yesterday and passed!

Was incredibly nervous by the time we arrived at the test centre. Despite executing perfect Mod 1s in the previous two days, on the morning of my test I was fluffing every manouevere – by the time we arrived for the test I was convinced I was going to fail.

The adrenaline was pumping as I waited for the examiner to come out. He was actually very nice which put me at ease slightly, but my stomach was still churning as I rode into the test area. Being small (5’2” and less than 50kgs), the bike manouevere was definitely something I could fail on if the weight and size of the bike got the better of me, but I got through it and seemed to burn off all the adrenaline in doing so. So I then got on with the test feeling a bit more steady and relaxed. Before I knew it he was asking me to make my way over to the gate and it was all over. I did get 4 minor marks though. One for a weak lifesaver on the u-turn. To be fair, this had turned into my nemesis during my practice that morning so I’d already decided to make it as simple as I could and risk the minor mark on that. I also got a minor mark for pulling the clutch in too early on the emergency stop. I think this was a subconscious thing because given my size and weight, stopping the bike I was using in a controlled way was actually quite a challenge (my feet barely touch the floor so I have to lean it one way or the other). For the swerve I only went through at 49kph which was another minor mark and I can't remember what the fourth mark was for.

So anyway, huge thanks to everyone who posted their experiences on here – I’ve read them all, and it went a long way towards easing my nerves knowing that so many others have struggled before me!

So now onto Mod 2, after which I can buy myself a bike that’s low enough and light enough for me to handle confidently!

[MissBex]

Being small (5’2” and less than 50kgs), the bike manouevere was definitely something I could fail on if the weight and size of the bike got the better of me

 

Big Congrats Swainy!

I know how you feel with that bike maneuvering bit lol I am also only 5ft 2 and in practice all the guys were making it look soooo easy, like they were making no effort at all to move it around... me on the other hand, by the end of pushing and pulling it about I was exhausted lol! The more I did it I'll admit it did become slightly easier, but I kept knocking my shins against the huge engine bars on the XJ6 and would end up with massive bruises! I was taught to do it the 3 point turn kind of way instead of just wheeling it around in an arch into the bay as it was less likely I'd drop it, which way did you do it?

The XJ6 I rode had been lowered and I could flat foot one side and nearly flat foot the other. What bike are you training on?

Best of luck for your mod 2! x

[Abraxix92]

Did 2 days in total, first day training, with no sleep whatsoever the night before, managed to tank through it and passed all the mock test's with ease.

Today, went to the test center got my mind focused on the slalom, which i did rather slow and tight but managed that and the fig 8.

Slow ride i did perfect at roughly 6kpm, the uturn did slow and steady and did fine, same with everything really, one minor was one shoulder check which i knew i did not do after i started the manever

So happy i did it with ease!

[klingelton]

Did 2 days in total, first day training, with no sleep whatsoever the night before, managed to tank through it and passed all the mock test's with ease.

Today, went to the test center got my mind focused on the slalom, which i did rather slow and tight but managed that and the fig 8.

Slow ride i did perfect at roughly 6kpm, the uturn did slow and steady and did fine, same with everything really, one minor was one shoulder check which i knew i did not do after i started the manever

So happy i did it with ease!

 

well done!

[tuktuk]

Passed mine today with 1 minor. Was stunned as it all seemed a blur and i kept thinking i havent got a clue whats going on here haha. Was just the nerves even though i had been totally calm up untill i got through the gates.

I had struggled with U turn in training but at the test centre the white line was up against a fence so you knew you had to make it or you hit the fence whereas in training it was just a line in the middle of the yard so there wasnt as much pressure to pull it round within the lines.

Got the minor for only doing 49kph on the swerve so i wasnt bothered about that.

Ive got it in my mind that mod2 will be easier but we shall see lol.

[runningman]

Nice one. Well done.

[Gray]

Ive got it in my mind that mod2 will be easier but we shall see lol.

 

Well done. The Mod2 was less stressful for me. I noticed the examiner was out of sight most of the time even when I tried to look for him! On the few occasions I saw him in the mirrors he was looking around or behind him etc so its not as though you are being watched intensely like the on the Mod1.

[runningman]

+1. Mod 2 is infinitely less stressful!

[staningrimsby]

Woo Hoo after last weeks misery of failing mod 1 on a poxy U-turn I passed this morning with 2 minors, I know one of them was for doing 49 on the avoidance exercise the other was marked against the emergency stop but says I was doing 54 kph so not sure what it was for (don't really care anymore just pleased Mod 1 is out of the way) .

Also congratulations to Lerm for passing her Mod 1 yesterday bring on Mod 2 and lets get this over with

[Karmin]

Grats!

[MissBex]

CoNgRaTs StaninGrimsby!

[Tango]

Congrats Stan......and good luck for the MOD2.....