Module 1 - members test experiences

[Guest]

Passed today on second attempt. First attempt failed because I put my foot down on the U-turn. Was gutted, but this time played psychological games with myself thinking to myself that if I fail again I'll just keep trying - no big deal, just an extra few quid! It worked for me - I wasn't too nervous.

I also found the 'take deep breath' advice someone gave earler in the thread useful for me.

Before we went out of the test center the examiner was complaining about the state of my driving license. It's the old style and is effectively in 8 parts because the folds have worn away; it's more than 20 years old. He was talking himself in to not allowing me to take the test because it was 'destroyed'. I've had police look at it (for, er, speeding in the car officer) and during all of CBT, theory test and my first mod1 no one objected to it. This is where the first deep breath came in - instead of inserting one of the waiting room chairs in to one of his orrifices I took a deep breath and said something along the lines of 'it's a fair point mate, I'l sort it out for mod 2' - my training instructor was also making sympathetic noises so it swung in my favour and he let me take the test.

It was very, very wet. Took a deep breath before every manouver and everything went well for me, but after the swerve the examiner kept me sitting in the blue box for about 5 mins with it p1ssing down while he went and fiddled with the speed gate on the entry to the swerve. I don't know if he hadn't switched it on properly but he passed me with 50KPH. I think I was doing more than 50KPH. Emergency stop was 57KPH.

Anyaway, riding back home on my YBR was a pleasure even in the heavy wind and rain. Hope to meet some of you guys on the road soon.

[Guest]

Mod 1 first attempt. Bike: Suzuki EN-125. Test Centre Cleckheaton.

Nice friendly examiner on the day. I made no errors but didn't make the speed on either the Avoidance (47kph) or the E-Stop (49kph). There was quite a film of water round the curve on the run up to the high speed manoeuvres and I was nervous of leaning over too far. I addition, the test centre at Cleckheaton has an incline to the speed test equipment so if you don't gun it round the curve you don't make the speed. I was gutted that I failed.

One week later...

Mod 1 second attempt. Same bike, same test centre.

Female examiner was miserable as sin. I was horrified to see that the test area was even wetter than my first test. I decided there and then to just nail it round the curve whether I slid out or not. The examiner's brusque attitude didn't do my nerves any favours and the slalom and figure of 8 felt really awkward this time. Onto the Avoidance 49kph...bugger. Emergency stop was 53kph... so wouldn't have to repeat that one. One more go at the Avoidance, the pressure was on now. I gave it hell on the second run and hoped for the best. I later found out I got exactly 50kph. That was way too close for comfort.

Back in the little room she said, "That's the end of the test...and it's a pass". Not, "I'm pleased to tell you you've passed...". I also got 2 minors for slightly touching the white line on the U-Turn. Anyway, it doesn't matter now, misery guts, I've got my Mod 1 cert and I won't be doing it again. I'll pass Mod 2 within 2 years if it kills me

Edited November 23, 2009 by Anonymous

[Guest]

Mod 1 - First attempt - 16/11/2009

Well, i had my test booked in Atherton. I live in Urmston. So, onwards with the 10 mile ride, which ended up taking like, 40 minutes! It was pissing down with rain and my jeans got soaked, leather jacket did a decent job of not letting rain through tho. Anyway, i got there, walked in, my instructor came into the waiting area and asked for Daniel (me), i went over. And he says we can't do it cos the area is wet! Surface water! Gah, i've just rode all the way here in the pissing rain dodging manholes as practice for the swerve

But never mind.

Its rebooked for tomorrow, so i'll post here when i've actually done the test!

Mod 1 - First attempt, for the second time! - 24/11/2009

Well, put simply, i failed

But really, its that i failed my machine, and my machine failed me.

Started off, rode bike into test area, manual handling was fine, slalom was fine, figure 8 was fine...

Then for the high speed avoidence. Didn't get up to speed. He just said, try again later.

The U-turn was perfect, had loads of room, didnt wobble lol.

Then for the emergency stop. Went fine! But i didn't get up to speed. So i tried the high speed avoidance again.

Still didn't get up to speed.

For fucks sake, lol.

Anyway, i got four minors, two for the slow ride observations, two for emergency stop observations (i dont think i check when i set off, and i didnt check when i stopped and set off again :/). I was thinking about not getting up to speed, frustrating.

My examiner said my chain was too slack, and the tyre pressures looked low, and those will play a big part in getting up to speed.

So, its a case of me failing my bike by not checking and fixing those, and the bike failing me back by not going fast enough lol...

I was doing 49 on one, and 48k on the other.

Its frustrating for me because i've done everything else, first time. Driving theory, driving practical, CBT, biking theory...

I really wanted to get it all perfect.

Look after your bikes guys! lol.

Edited November 24, 2009 by Anonymous

[Guest]

I was doing 49 on one, and 48k on the other.

Its frustrating for me because i've done everything else, first time. Driving theory, driving practical, CBT, biking theory...

I really wanted to get it all perfect.

Look after your bikes guys! lol.

 

I know how that feels mate. I also passed my car test, CBT, motorcycle theory first time. I'm a bit of a perfectionist at heart and felt like an utter failure when I didn't pass first time. I wanted to get a 'full house' and brag to my grand children about all my driving achievements (If I ever get grand kids)

Think on this: Mod 1 is hard for one simple reason - making the 50kph for the higher speed exercises. So many people fail on this it's untrue. There are very few places you can practice yourself and simulate actual test conditions. If you have access to a deserted car park and a speed gun then maybe. Or you can spend £££s on tuition like I did and get poor training. It's not that you didn't put in the work to pass - you're clearly good enough, so ease up on yourself

I decided not to beat myself up after my first fail. I decided to put enough money aside for 10 attempts at Mod 1. I would have done them too had I not passed the second time. Now the pressure is off for you to pass first time you will be much more relaxed on your second attempt. Think of Mod 1 as the DSA's stupid test - badly thought out and deliberately designed to make people fail. Even my first Mod 1 examiner said it was the most ridiculous test he'd ever seen. Go the next time with this attitude and you'll do OK

Edited November 26, 2009 by Anonymous

[satnavsatnav]

Just passed mod1 very wet the rain just held off through the test I. Did it at atherton. No minors clean sheet 51kph avoidance 58kph emergency stop all in all I was very nervous has I don't have a bike to practice so i was very worried but the school were get my training very good there is plenty of room and space to reach 51kph without any worries but that's easy to say now I've done it but I must say it is not as bad as I thought it would be examiner very clear and proffesional let's hope I do just as good on mod2

[Guest]

I passed the 2nd time...

My friend had failed for going 1Kmph too slow on the swerve a couple of days before.

Determined not to make the same mistake I flew through the speed trap at 61 still accelerating, then realised I hadn't rolled off the throttle for my swerve. Result? booted the cone your meant to swerve around with my left foot (it was a swerve to the right)

The worst thing was the feeling of knowing you've failed but still having to complete the rest of the test! But its good experience for the retest. 60 for the emergency stop. Overall 1 minor (temporarily locked the back on the e-stop) 1 serious.

The second attempt was a week later, I went against the recommendation of my riding school and booked another 3hour practice the day before (which I didn't need). But I felt it'd help get my confidence back. All I ended up doing was demoing what should be done to people starting their mod 1 training.

Second test the layout was the mirror image to the one the week before. Passed with 1 minor and a more sensible speed of 59 for the swerve and 64 for the emergency stop

really enjoyed mod 1, great fun on the G650Xcountry the training school gave me

Know I might get stick for this since its a BMW, but I loved that bike!

[Murray]

There has been a lot of talk about the dreaded swerve test and people being injured, On the face of it accelerating into a hazard is a no no.....unless your on your mod1 test.

Most of the previous comments have covered the actual test.

I will say something about the swerve test "DO NOT TOUCH YOUR BRAKES UNTIL YOU ARE IN THE UPRIGHT POSITION" there is plenty of room to bring your bike to a stop after the swerve.

Come out of the semi circle in second gear acceletate fairly hard to the speed trap, keep the throttle on until you hit the trap close the throttle and simply swreve around the cone, then brake and come to a stop in the box.

If you feel like a practice then by all means do it once a little slower to get a feel for it (but dont hit any cones) then you will be given a second run to get up to speed..

Remember your lifesavers, treat the test as a road exercise.

[Aaron]

Hi. Just passed Mod1 , eventually, after being postponed a few times due to the snow. I won't post the whole experience as it's much the same as everyone elses, but I thought i'd mention a couple of things:

1) 'Swerve test' - It's easy peasy and totally not dangerous at all. The amount you have to swerve is tiny and tbh, someone who can't achieve it shouldn't be thinking about riding on the road just yet anyway. I'm talking here about the general principal of the swerve. If you hit a cone or miss the speed, something it's not a big deal. Better luck next time. It seems to me that everyone who's hurt themselves has either locked the back wheel or grabbed a handful of front, mid-swerve. You get quite a long space to stop in anyway, and today a guy before me only got a minor for not stopping in the box completely (i got a minor for locking the back wheel briefly while trying to stop in the box). So chillax, stay away from the brakes during the swerve, and it'll be a breeze

2) Take your time. I failed my first Mod1 beginning of December because I rushed myself and got all nervous and flustered at being examined (it's a big deal to fail when a retest will cost £150 if you have to travel and aren't doing it on a 125). I put a foot down (quite heavily) on the slalom. My solution this time, knowing how easy the test is after already seeing it the first time, was to gently talk to myself before each maneuvre "ok, relax. Nice and casual....". It slowed me down and gave me time to think and not get flustered. The examiner isn't going to rush you. You can afford a few deep breaths before each maneuvre.

Anyhow, thought to reiterate what others have said before might help someone who's a bit nervous in general, and about the dreaded 'SWERVE TEST' !!! in particular.

Mod2 on Friday!

[GazzyG]

Thought I'd post up my experience on here, same as others, in case it helps steady someone's nerves.

Did my module one training on saturday - first time being in control of a 500 myself, so my instructor spent a coupla hours just taking me round the country and town so I could get used to the feel of the bike. After a while we ended up at the Wigston motorbike test centre, in Leicester. Spent a good chunk of the afternoon, just me and my intructor on the site, getting used to all the manouevers.

At first I was very wobbly with my slow speed riding, whether it be through the cones, figure of 8 or the walking behind the clipboard. But after a short while I learned the trick to it - REVS. Keeping the revs relatively high and using the back brake a lot, really helped me keep the bike stable. Other tactics may work for other people, but high revs and plenty of brakes worked for me.

The emergency stop was easy - just needed to get used to the massively powerful brakes as compared to my H100 haha! The avoidance manouever is nowhere near as scary as a lot of people make out; it's not a huge swerve - the only thing that makes it a bit of a rush is the fact you really need to gun it to reach the speed required. On the ER-5, this meant holding a steady 20odd mph round the curve, then giving it a fistful in second coming out. Through the trap, close the throttle, swerve gently, then once you're straight, brake hard for the cones. Not too bad.

So, onto the test, which was today.

Got there, pretty nervous. Manual handling first, not too hard. Then the slalom and figure of 8. Started off a little shakey, but remembered to keep my revs high and started to get more confident. After a coupla figure 8s the examiner signalled me over for my avoidance. Went fine. U turn, nice and easy. Slow riding, felt much more stable than before. Then E-stop, stopped nicely.

Instructor told me to park bike outside the site. Came in to do paperwork. Pleased to tell you, you've passed. There were no faults. Speed was 54 on the avoidance and 57 on the e-stop.

All in all, was great fun and though it's natural to be nervous, my advice to people is just try to enjoy it. The more you enjoy it, the less tense you are and the less likely you are to do something silly like put your foot down.

Good luck everyone else who's doing theirs soon!

Gaz

[Milligan]

No excuses....ballsed up mod 1 by missing the blue cones on the hazard avoidance and not realising I had until I was told I hadn't passed.

Problem is I had done it properly a dozen times training it and there you are...test day...nerves kicking in...cones in place for the end turn in to the avoidance that you haven't experienced before...test site the size of two football pitches...cones everywhere...would it hurt for the powers that be to let new larkers have a couple of go's on the circuit a couple of days or whatever prior to the test so you can do it confidentally? It would be paranoid to suggest that you are being set up to fail but the process could be a smidgin easier with familiarity with the place you are doing the test.

Its really frustrating to have to shell out more hard earned for the sake of a little flexibility and understanding, I'll go back Wednesday morning and (hopefully) pass, a guy who had been training with me the day before and had been fine got his time wrong and had to go around again, got confused and did the same as me, would it be such a hassle to remove the respective cones for the emergency stop and hazard avoidance + vice verca so that you can see where you are going properly when you are under pressure? According to my instructer shedloads of people fail on the same thing.

I'm going direct access and obviously its of paramount importance to get effective training in safety but because the test is in Hull you can never go faster than 40mph, is that an accurate reflection on wether you can handle a more powerful bike properly or not?

In hindsight I really would recommend anyone going for a test, mod 1 + 2, to get some training, I thought I was reasonably competant on the road but after two days training it became pretty obvious that whilst I was ok I had a lot to learn to be ready for mod 2, never mind mod 1!

Anyway, got to think positive as I've half convinced meself I'm going to miss the blue cones again as I still don't understand why I missed them in the first place!

[Guest]

Well, passed my part 1 first time today

Bit of background...used to ride 125s 15-20 years ago, but grew up and got into cars Failed my test at that time cos of a broken speedo cable on the way to the test which I thought I could blag without telling the miserable barsteward examiner...

Anyway, I decided it was time to get it sorted. Did my bike theory test in Bristol on friday am, then raced over to Hambrook to BMTC to see if they could fit me in a day early for a CBT. I arrived just in time to join a course thanks to the friendly Sally in the office and the laid back instructors!

After a morning on their training area and a trip out round town with a bit of both following and leading, it was lunchtime. After lunch then the CBT 'test' round the cones and another run round town and Bobs' your auntie..All this on a CG125. They then asked if I wanted to do the Direct Access on the 500...okaay, why not! They booked me a Module 1 for today(monday) and booked me straight in for training on saturday on the GS500. Same procedure as on the CGs; cone work and road work. Practice practice practice...

Arrived at the training centre at 0830, for a 1010 test at Kingswood, Bristol. Quick run round the cones and a roundabout route to the test centre got me set up for the test itself.( I had a bit of a 'thing' about the u-turn during the training...no particular reason, just occasionally ballsed it up! Had a 'dab' again on my first attempt, but hacked it after that).

Had a few minutes to wait, then the friendly enough examiner called me into the office to check paperwork and fit my helmet. Walked out to the bike(which my instructor had thoughtfully positioned at the entrance to the test yard!) and he explained clearly and quietly how it would all work and explained the first task...same procedure before every 'event'. He even joked with me at one point cos I looked so worried; told me to smile cos the sun was out!

Anyway, thought I'd cocked up the emergency stop cos I heard the back brake spueaking a touch as I stopped. Didn't actually lock up, but had defffo given it a tad too much. Carried on and finished everything else ok.

51 and 53 respectively on the 'avoid' and 'emergency stop' and I hadn't ballsed up the stop! 1 'minor' for forgetting an observation at some point. Thought I'd done them all, but didn't argue...

So all in all, it was OK. There's nothing mysterious or dangerous involved, but I supect it'd have been harder on a 'little' bike. Sounds strange after years on a 125, and my first days on a 500, but it really does make a difference having a bit of power when you need it, and brakes that work when you want to stop. The weight of the bike helps too, even if the first few minutes on the 500 were quite scary!

We couldn't get a date before I return to Germany tomorrow, so I'll have to come over again in october to get part 2 done...still, a good weekends work I think!

I can't recommend BMTC enough. Friendly, knowledgable staff, a good training area both on site, and the Bristol area in general, reasonable bikes and a good canteen! Prices were ok too...I'll certainly go back to them for my module 2 training...

[Rollingskies]

I was given a good hour's practice on the test centre's actual square and this really helped me when I came to take the test. I knew that on the day it would be a toss of a coin; it would be a everything went right and pass or clip a cone, put a foot down fail. My riding school has a high pass rate for both modules and I was determined to honour the great instruction I'd been given, not least respect my bank account. I knew I could pass it on the first attempt and then if I was asked to retake it I could fail it again, it's that sort of test that even the examiner could fail on. Anyway nothing exciting to report except for a couple of things.

I started to wobble on the go-slow and my examiner practically stopped walking to see if I had put my foot down. If the strip was one foot longer I probably would have done - I only just made it. Use the back brake and don't look at the ground! I did the speed trap avoidance and emergency stop pretty fast, 56 and 58 I think were my times. My instructor had told me of someone living on Shetland who had travelled all the way from the islands to Aberdeen to take his test and failed with two 49 readings. I didn't want to fail on that basis, still it is quick and goes against your instincts to go that quick in a small confined area with cones and an examiner littering the place.

On the avoidance I nearly had a disaster, thankfully I missed the cone, but either my hand wasn't right or the throttle stuck and the bike reved up just as I was pulling back in line. I just someone squeezed it back in at a dreafully wonky angle. No idea how, but I don't think I could have repeated it! I was shaking with nerves and wondered if I'd failed, but I only got a minor for it and as far as I'm concerned it now didn't matter!

I did the direct access route and took it on a ER-500. Nice bike.

[Aussie]

Well the day was fine but cloudy and turned upnice and and early to do a little bit practice and to see a couple of others do their tests.

I found that I was nervous but not too nervous and spoke to the examiner with respect but also on the same level if you know what I mean. Anyway, started off well into the car park space doing all the obs. In and out of the cones was okay and the figure of eight went well. On to the swerve test again obs when setting off and through at 56kph. Next the u-turn and no problems again with all obs. The slow drive was where i picked upmy first minor for no right ob (i thought I did but hey ho). this was the part that I felt really nervous about but the examiner walked at a reasonable speed so no problems. Then the emrgency stop through at 60kph but picked up next minor for taking a little too long to stop.

Was greeted with the news once back into the room with 'I am pleased to tell you that you have passed!!'. Strangely I was more nervous after than before the test.

All I can say it's a great feeling but my advice would be to get a few lessons as they really helped.

On to Mod 2......

[JoeyRH]

I had my first shot at Mod 1 today but unfortunately I failed. I managed to get get no minors but kicked over the bloody cone on the swerve. Gutted.

For anyone thats nervous about this, rest assured, there's nothing very tough on this test, its stop stupid errors and mistakes like mine that mean you might fail.

I'd never been on a big bike until yesterday and quickly got used to the Yammi XJ6 I was given. I actually found parts like the slalom and figure of 8 easier on a bigger bike. They just feel much more stable. The test centre was a 90 minute ride and the power difference between this fuel injected best and the little YBR I currently own is huge. I loved it.

54 on the failed swerve and 63 on the successful E-stop. I'm confident in retaking this next week. Just got to really tuck your feet in or that cone will go a-flying.

[Guest]

Failed my Mod 1 today. Clipped the inside cone on the swerve with my big size 12 boot!

I have to say I'm not overly impressed by the swerve or e-stop on the test. I was spending way to much time looking at my speedo rather than on what was ahead. The e-stop on my car test was performed on a stretch of road where I could have been doing the required speed for 30 seconds or more, not about 2 seconds. It just all happens very quickly.

Am I just bitter? Maybe, but I do think it could be done better. I have performed several emergency swerves in my time on a 125 and guess what? I was looking straight ahead of me when the car that I had to swerve around came out of the side road and not at my instrument panel!

Anyway, my thoughts really go out to the guy on the 125 scooter who only manged 47 kph on both manoeuvres, and the girl who ended up in an ambulance after stacking her 600 after the speed trap on the swerve.

Here's to Monday and my re-test.

Thanks for listening

[techno]

Can we please keep this thread for peoples experiances please, if you want to know how someones done pm them or start a new thread thanks!

[Guest]

took my mod 1 at blackburn on a suzuki 500. thought i went through the swerve test too slow and managed to see the examiners clock showing 48. he advised me not to let it worry me for the rest of my test. did everything else fine and prepared for my 2nd and final try. accelerated to make damn sure i hit the speed and clipped the nearside cone on the swerve. dangerous failure!! i went through at 59 but obviously failed.

i retook it 4 days later(at a cost of £50) and passed with two minors, one foot down dab to steady myself on the figure of 8 which he allowed due to strong winds, and a slight lock of the rear brake on the emergency stop but i released it and corrected which again he allowed as it was raining!!!

anyway mod 2 on friday 9th april. i'll update on here.

a bit of advice - if you think you've failed on mod 1 for a fault such as a foot down, don't worry and let it affect you coz you can still pass.

[alison]

Took my Mod1 a coupla weeks ago, bundle of nerves, and forgot to breathe. Did not pass due to clipping a cone in the swerve. Took Mod1 again today, first 9.5 minutes went great, cones smooth, swerve fine, U-turn within the lines, then was sent out to do the E-stop, came around the corner, waiting, waiting, waiting for the signal, and grabbed front/stomped on rear, skid, fail. Very sad

But, it could've been a kid...

[alol74]

Hi,

Did a test session with my training school on Sunday under pouring rain. The tarmac grip was perfect. CB 500 was nice and responsive. All fine, no faults... So I think everything is just down to nerves. We will see tomorrow morning how good I am at controlling them

Edited April 20, 2010 by alol74

[alol74]

Hi,

Did a test session with my training school on Sunday under pouring rain. The tarmac grip was perfect. CB 500 was nice and responsive. All fine, no faults... So I think everything is just down to nerves. We will see tomorrow morning how good I am at controlling them

 

Got Module One done !!! Hurray !!! Anyway, just one minor fault which I cannot deny - observation at the beginning of slow movement part - was looking at and talking to the examiner, so got totally distracted... Anyway, pass is a pass. 56Km/h on swerve, 63Km/h on Emergency stop...

So, my advice is - take your time, relax, look where you are going/turning , have fun, there is nothing too hard there ! Good luck !

[JoeyRH]

So I finally passed my Mod 1....third time lucky, eh!

Now that I passed this part of the test, I feel like I can express myself about how I feel about this test.

So following my first attempt where I clipped the cone on the swerve and the second attempt, where I foolishly put my foot down on the figure of 8 (something I've never done before and to this day still baffles/angers me), I'm pleased to report that the third attempt went swimmingly, with no errors at all.

I've got a bit of a problem with this test and everyone I speak to seems to agree with me to some extend. From fellow trainees, to experienced trainers. From those yet to learn to ride, to those thankful for not having to take the new EU certified test. Everyone seems to resent the changes and I'd be happy to jump on this bandwagon.

The biking school I was training with said that the new test had really put a dent in the levels of people learning to ride. People just don't have the money or the heart to do it. If I hadn't had such an interest in learning to ride and my interest was more of a mild intrigue, I would have cut my loses and given up. At £145 per re-take (that's including the instructor, bike hire etc), failing Mod1 is an expensive mistake to make. When you see that cone on the swerve go flying through the air in your mirror, you think to yourself, 'That cone just cost me a few days pay".

Here's to passing Mod 2. I have high hopes, as I'm good on the road. The streets are my playground. The little blue cones were my hell.

[alol74]

So I finally passed my Mod 1....third time lucky, eh!

Now that I passed this part of the test, I feel like I can express myself about how I feel about this test.

So following my first attempt where I clipped the cone on the swerve and the second attempt, where I foolishly put my foot down on the figure of 8 (something I've never done before and to this day still baffles/angers me), I'm pleased to report that the third attempt went swimmingly, with no errors at all.

I've got a bit of a problem with this test and everyone I speak to seems to agree with me to some extend. From fellow trainees, to experienced trainers. From those yet to learn to ride, to those thankful for not having to take the new EU certified test. Everyone seems to resent the changes and I'd be happy to jump on this bandwagon.

The biking school I was training with said that the new test had really put a dent in the levels of people learning to ride. People just don't have the money or the heart to do it. If I hadn't had such an interest in learning to ride and my interest was more of a mild intrigue, I would have cut my loses and given up. At £145 per re-take (that's including the instructor, bike hire etc), failing Mod1 is an expensive mistake to make. When you see that cone on the swerve go flying through the air in your mirror, you think to yourself, 'That cone just cost me a few days pay".

Here's to passing Mod 2. I have high hopes, as I'm good on the road. The streets are my playground. The little blue cones were my hell.

I hit the cone soooo many times during training on a deserted road, and all of that was due to very small scale deliberately done by my trainer, but once I was on the real thing it was soo much wider and easier !!!

[Guest]

Hi Folks,

I have recently passed my Mod1 and cannot describe how relieved i am. I have been on my 125 for about a year now and decided I should get things in motion to achieve my full licence. So I was recommended a training school and booked a DAS course, week long Mod1 after 2 days and the Mod2 for the Friday. Long and short I never looked into the bike that the school would use and after the first morning I knew it was just not right for me. Being female and short this bike was just too big and I never gained any confidence. My instructor was lovely but I didn't have confidence on the bike and as a result failed my first Mod1 as I didn't make the speed for the swerve. No other mistakes but obviously no pass. After that my confidence took a huge dent, the problem was I didn't ask for a different bike or look at other training schools. So I took the test again, on the same model bike and failed again.

I was convinced to go and look at another school with different bikes and showed up at the test centre exceptionally nervous but having a bike that straight away felt so much better. So I waited for the dude to come out and noticed that the speed traps were not set up at all...about 10 minutes before my test the dude was out on the paddock and was fiddling with the trap on the far side. He eventually called me in, slightly late and after the usualy paper stuff we were out on the test. He couldn't have been nicer, I happened to laugh slightly (nervously) when he mentioned the speed trap and the need to go through at 50kph and he asked me 'why the laugh', I told him that I had failed twice on that part and he said 'go faster this time'...

Anyway, the test went like clockwork and I headed off to do my avoidance... finished but had the feeling that I was too slow, a quick glance at the boxy thing that the dude had around his neck and it turned out I was at 47kph and not 50...argh... I did feel the mist of dispair decend and almost cocked up my U turn as a result... got it back together and completed the test. Dude asked me if I wanted to do the swerve again so off I headed. I hit about 25mph on the top curve straighted up and dumped it. God knows how I got around and I had a hell of a job stopping in the 'blue box'. But no cones were hit and then was told to go back to the office, in a tone that convinced me I had failed. So parked up, angry as hell and headed to the office. Walked by my instructor convinced that I was goign to have to retake the test again and was beckoned into the office. Dude was moving papers around and filling stuff out... he finally mentioned that I had passed with no faults!

I was shocked that I failed when I recorded a speed of 49kph on my second attempt, I wrote to the DSA and have to say that the response I recived was obviously a stock letter, I asked for it to be taken further and again got a stock answer for some director woman, who basically said my queries had been answered in the first letter... this woman has obviously never been on a bike! I'm just surprised that everyone is talking about how bad the test is... but I don't see anyone doing anything about it... feel free to direct me to any action and I will join in!

So moral of the story, getting back to the original subject, if the bike isn't working for you, get it changed, and don't get talked into anything by the school!

[Guest]

I passed my Mod 1 (and Mod 2) last week.

'Twas a beautiful sunny day at the Cambridge test centre. I'd had several practices on the course the day before so was feeling quite glad that this wasn't my first time on the tarmac.

My (very informal) examiner looked over my documents before leading me outside. He asked me to pull the bike, an ER5, just inside the gate. He talked me through what the test would entail then asked me to go park in the cone 'garage'. All fine, did the slalom and figure 8 after this, then the swerve, U-turn, slow ride and emergency stop.

I picked up up one minor, for not taking rear obs before the slow ride. 56 Kph on the swerve, 62 Kph on the emergency stop.

I'm very glad that I got the chance to practice the day before, seeing the sea of cones for the first time on test day would have been very intimidating.

Jonny

[jimglasgow]

Hi Folks sat my Mod 1 DAS Test today and passed. Yesterday I was all over the place, missed the swerve, foot down on U turns, you name it happened. The bike just didnt feel good yesterday, when i was on the road and test centre all the mistakes I made continued to play on mind all night. The guy i worked with yesterday didnt put a foot wrong on practice sessions yesterday.Today I met him before going through and he failed I was SHOCKED and it mayed me more nervous. However I got on my bike prior to test and it felt good. Tried some U turns beforehand seemed to be going well, no swerve test beforehand. Off to the test centre trying to get focused. During the test every element went well especially the Swerve Test (58) and Emergency Brake Test (61), lets hope i never have to use them.

For those about about to take the course two pieces of advice i would like to give aand are jsut my view.

1. Find a school who has access to the actual test course, hadnt i got a trial at the Test Centre I would have been more daunted at what i was facing. Although what I would say there is plenty of room.

2. Put your bad thoughts and nightmare manouvers behind you and you will be fine as its another day.

3. Most of all enjoy and don't get to anxious,

Now I am looking forward to Part 2.

Jim