chris128 Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 OK, so I did my A2 test a few months ago so I've been riding my restricted 600cc bike around for the last couple of months and although I'm not super confident yet (especially with a pillion) I would say I'm pretty happy riding around doing whatever I want in a controlled way.However, now I am going to take my Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests so that I can get the bike unrestricted so lucky me has to go through the whole test thing again after doing the old style test just a few months ago I think because I've been riding a 'big' bike for a while I shouldnt have any problems with the mod 2 part as its just riding around like normal (maybe with a few more mirror checks..) but the Mod 1 I am a little nervous about. The slow speed stuff I can practice and make sure I can do it, I'm not too fussed about the U turn and I've always been ok at emergency stops - its just this new swerve thing that I am slightly concerned about.So can anyone who has actually done it just tell me what its like as I've heard a lot of different things? What sort of angle is it that you have to swerve at, I've got images in my head of like a 90 degree turn and having to nearly get my knee down on it haha I know it wont be anything like that but do you think for someone who has been riding for a few months on a heavy bike (heavy compared to a 125 anyway) would just find it quite easy or is it still going to be pretty tricky? I know that depends on the rider but I cant help wondering if the reason why a lot of people say its hard is because a lot of them are doing their DAS and maybe the first time they sat on a motorbike was just a week before they are doing this test or something..Thanks Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houltmac Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I didn't find it a problem at all. Check out the DSA website for a PDF showing you the dimensions of the cones you have to go through and avoid. It's basically swerving round the inside cone for the emergency stop. It's a minor swerve and then braking not too harshly at all (double the distance of the emergency stop) and land your front wheel in the box.The tips I had were to hold 20mph if I could around the bend and then hammer it down to the speed trap. The second the front is through the speed trap (and not before) throttle off completely. Swerve (don't forget that), and then do an very gentle emergency stop after you are upright (though you never have to lean that much). A quick nip on the front brake at the end will give you the precision to stop in the box perfectly.I know some people find it tough, but don't get as close to the cone as possible and you will be okay. Just don't clip anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brooklyn Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 the swerve is nothing providing you DON'T brake as your doing it..Maybe in the wet its a bit more challenging..Try and go and see some one doing the mod2 and you will get to see the course for yourself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 I think the biggest problem I had with it is that it's just not natural to accelerate towards something you know you're going to have to go around. Although the manoeuvre itself isn't that violent, I found it messed with my head a bit!Tip, if it's a left hand swerve, stay over to the right and start turning in as soon as you're into the speed trap (or vice versa if it's to the right). Don't wait until you've cleared it, or you'll have to turn sharply and I suspect this is where people are having trouble in the wet. And, as others have said, hands off the brakes until you're through the blue cones, you have plenty of room to bring the bike back into line and slow it down.Get your line right and it's nice and gentle - but you do have to turn early. Leave it too late and, as I did, you'll end up kicking the inside blue cone. (Another tip: tuck your feet in, don't leave your boots resting on the footpegs at an angle where they stick out. Every mm counts!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana_leigh Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 well as someone who passed their cbt on a 125, the got on a 500 straight after from never having ridden a bike. the swerve on a bigger bike is no issue. The actually swerve bit is minimal (think side step to the right or left and it kind of feels like that)There are a few tips I would follow as others have said 1) DON'T BRAKE on the swerve2) Maintain you speed on the bend and open the throttle towards the speed trap3) DON'T go too fast, you only need to go at 51km so anything over this obviously shortens the time you have to move the bike4) Throttle off as soon as you hit the speed trap, even the loss of 1 or 2 km an hour helps5) keep toes in to ensure you don't clip!!I failed my module one after going to fast (60km) and it didn't allow enough manoeuvre time. Before that in practice I had never hit a cone and that was after only a week on a big bike so I don't think the size of the bike would be an issue for you at all since you are used to it. ( I would have failed on a 125 too as it was the speed that got me!!)Remember you can always do it again if the speed it under, but if you hit a cone, you're done for - something I will be remembering next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Danny-B- Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Ive not started my DAS yet but i've been studying everything i can about it Heres a couple of good vids on youtube about the whole Mod 1 test and in particular the Swerve Mod1"> Swerve"> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Remember you can always do it again if the speed it under, but if you hit a cone, you're done for - something I will be remembering next time!I'll second that...On my first test I did a lovely swerve @ 48 km/h. I got another go, overcooked it a bit at 57 km/h and kicked a cone. Fail.On my second, I overcooked it again, this time at 60 km/h, and just tapped the cone gently enough that it fell over on the spot. Fail.Third go, another lovely swerve @ 49 km/h... much cursing and swearing inside my helmet, then finally did it OK at 55 km/h and passed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris128 Posted September 7, 2009 Author Share Posted September 7, 2009 thanks for the tips guys, sure they will come in handy! On that second video it looks quite sharp from the on board camera view but then when you see the ground camera you can see that the rider barely leans at all so thats made me feel a bit better lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hywel Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 I did it in quite wet conditions the other week and had no problems. Tips: When you're practicing for mod 1, find a bit of open space and accelerate to 55kph ish in 2nd gear, try to remember what the exhaust note sounds like at that rev so that when you're doing the maneuver, you can fully concentrate on the task at hand whilst listening to the engine to get the speed right rather than watching the speedo. I felt very tempted to close the throttle a little way before the speed trap - this scrubs off a valuable 2-3 MPH, a problem if you're already close to the minimum speed. Try to keep the power on until you're knees are through the speed trap.Apart from that, don't change up to third gear because you could fluff it whilst fiddling around with leavers and don't be afraid to set up for the turn a little bit before the trap, makes it a lot smoother and easier to manage. Good luck!! It's easy once you've had a go or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
houltmac Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Hywel just reminded me about another tip I was given. Instead of listening for the correct speed or looking at the tiny numbers on the speedo I glanced at the rev counter. I practiced and found that doing 35mph in second gear (yeah, stick to second only) was around 5000rpm (or 11 o'clock) on the bike I used which is much easier to spot at a glance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris128 Posted September 13, 2009 Author Share Posted September 13, 2009 Well had a 2 hour lesson today and covered most of the Module 1 parts, including the swerve part and it seemed a lot easier than I was expecting One reason for that though is because I wasnt going fast enough because the training area at the place where I have my lessons is not as big as the proper ones used for module 1 so I couldnt get up enough speed, I didnt check my speedo but I imagine I was doing 20 - 25 mph so hopefully the real thing wont be too much different.One thing I did struggle with at first though was the slalom part... which is odd as I'm normally fine with clutch control and slow riding and I could do the figure of 8 fine every time. Still, I got the hang of the slalom after a while so I've got another lesson booked and my mod 1 booked for 14th October (that was the earliest they had unfortunately!). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fullscreenaging Posted September 13, 2009 Share Posted September 13, 2009 Good luck Chris!You'll be fine bud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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