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DaveLX

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About DaveLX

  • Birthday 28/05/1973

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Bike(s)
    2007 Vespa LX 125, 2014 Honda CB500F
  • Location
    West Drayton, Middlesex

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  • Interests
    Cars, Bikes, Flying, Travel

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  1. Make - Honda Model - CB500FA-D Year - 2013 Model Delivered - 3rd May 2014 Delivery Mileage- 3 Current Mileage - 255 I passed my A licence test on April 15th. Whilst I now have a full, unrestricted licence, I felt the XJ6 I learned on was too much power for me (personal preference) and I found it quite uncomfortable too. The training school had some CB500F's which they use for A2 training. I like the look and simplicity of the bike, so had a ride on one of the training bikes, then placed my order via e-mail with Ian at Doble's Honda, Coulsdon. Chiswick Honda is much closer to me, but as they didn't bother following up on my sales enquiry, the sale went to Doble's again. I'd bought a Honda Vision 110 from them last year, so I was now a repeat customer. The list price is now £4999, but I got the bike for £4499, with Givi rack and Oxford heated grips fitted, along with a Honda hugger. The nice Doble's delivery bloke arrived at 10am on the 3rd May. She looked great, glistening in the sun! I mostly commute to work on the bike, but I've started riding the more scenic (longer) route, to put more miles on the bike and enjoy the ride more. Comfort - the CB is far more comfortable for me than the XJ6. The geometry just suits me better, particularly the pegs, where I felt cramped on the XJ, the Honda pegs are perfectly placed for me. I'm 5ft 10in tall, by the way. The seat seems well padded, so I'm looking forward to testing it on longer rides. The bars are wide and the upright position works well for me. Wind resistance has been reduced since fitting a Givi screen. Ear plugs would be needed for a longer journey. Performance - I haven't been thrashing the bike, as the engine is brand new, so I've been trying to ride gently, interspersed with bouts of wide open throttle! The bike accelerates crisply and reasonably briskly, for a parallel twin. It's not the fastest machine around, but 0-60mph still comes up in 5 seconds, and the bike pulls smartly up to 80mph, with a documented top speed of 110mph. 6th gear could be a bit taller, around 70mph I find myself trying to change into a non-existent 7th gear. Around town, the bike is a great performer with no issues encountered. It's very forgiving too - if you find yourself in too high a gear coming out of a corner, give it some throttle and the bike will chug itself out of danger for you. Brakes - single discs front and rear, with ABS. Not the C-ABS system though. If you want back brake, you need to use the brake pedal. They're quite progressive with decent feel and rapid speed retardation. They stop the bike, with no drama. Equipment - there's not much, but it's all functional. Two trip meters, fuel consumption, speedo, rev counter, warning lights. It's all digital and works well. Economy - the onboard fuel computer was showing me just 32 mpg from new, but is now at 48mpg and improving daily. It's not up to the 70's yet, but part of that is my fault - my commute is a short journey. Conclusion - the CB500F is a great first 'big bike', even though it's an A2 machine. It's very forgiving and a great confidence builder. I think I'll probably change it after two years; I really fancy a Harley-Davidson Iron 883, but that's for the future, I'm enjoying my ride for now.
  2. He's wrong mate - as you're 19, you can do an A2 test now. No need for A1. I just did DAS for my A licence. Using his logic, I'd have needed to do CBT, A1, A2 then A. No!! Call a different training school and see what they say. Where abouts in London are you? If you're West, the school I used in Bedfont near Heathrow is pretty awesome. Check them out - http://www.westlondonmotorcycletraining.com
  3. So I've passed my full A licence, then went and bought a A2-licence machine. It's plenty powerful enough for me though. Maybe it'll become a CB1000R in 2-3 years time... Here she is, home delivered by the nice man from Doble's -
  4. Just a suggestion mate - rent a 125 for a couple of days, just for practice, then do a DAS course. You'll ride a 600cc+ machine and the course cost should include the tests, bike hire and training time. I just did a 4 day intensive DAS - paid £650, plus £80 for two days hire of a YBR125. I rode 200 miles in 2 days on the YBR, then started DAS next morning. Spent about 45 minutes on the YBR - literally did manual handling, slalom, figure of eight a slow ride and an emergency stop, then it was straight onto the XJ6. It was a bit daunting going from 10bhp 125 to 77bhp 600, but the XJ6 was very smooth and very forgiving. I now ride a new CB500F. Cracking machine, even smoother than the XJ6. Best of luck whatever you decide. (Unless you've already done it!)
  5. Well done mate. That's not a bad way of learning. I did CBT in June 2013, theory in November 2013, then 4-day DAS two weeks ago, passing Mod 1 on April 14th and Mod 2 on April 15th. Being a car driver does help, although as a biker, you need much greater awareness of your surroundings. Best of luck with your chosen path.
  6. So was it a gear conversion course, or conversion from a small bike to a big bike? I did a gear conversion before my DAS - I spent about 90 minutes riding a Yamaha YBR 125. That was sufficient to pick-up the gear/clutch procedures. Then I rented the same bike for two days and rode 200 miles on it, to build-up my geared experience. After that, 4 consecutive days for DAS, on a Yammy XJ6.
  7. Phil - well done mate! You're lucky - apparently Jim is known as "Grumpy Jim". I had Max for my test and the other guy had Jim - referred to him as a "miserable bugger". Maybe he'd had a bad day. Anyway, best wishes for you mate, you did well. Did they take your licence to send off for exchange? They did mine and it arrived on Monday, so 13 days from test to new licence which included the Easter holiday. It's a nice feeling when it arrives though. Be safe on that R6.
  8. All the best for tomorrow mate. I hope you get Max as your examiner! Best wishes
  9. I struggled with the swerve in practice, nailed it on the test. My instructor basically said - Enter the curve around 20mph. Steady throttle through the curve so you don't go wide. When you're upright again, nail the throttle. Throttle off as soon as you pass the speed trap. Aim for the blue cone on it's own. The furthest cone. That way you'll avoid hitting the other cone with your foot. Brake smoothly and progressively once the bike is upright again. Adjust your aim to the next furthest blue cone in the stop-box. I managed it with a speed of 57kph. I did 53kph on the emergency stop. Slalom - don't enter too close to the 2nd cone, else you'll struggle to bring it round and probably put a foot down. Figure of 8 - keep the power on, modulate with clutch and back brake. Slow ride - keep around 5mph. Don't go too fast! U turn - mirror/mirror/shoulder check, move off, mirror/mirror/shoulder check, head up, start the turn, then look to where you want to end up. I looked at the examiner and it worked a treat. That's about it. Oh, do not rush the manual handling either. Obs before and after each move. Good luck!
  10. Wishing you all the best for your tests. I passed mod1 and mod2 on April 14th/15th. One thing I did was use the time before each exercise on the test to gather my thoughts, take a deep breath and relax. Mod1 takes about 12-15 minutes, but you actually have 30 minutes allocated, so it's okay to take your time. All the very best. You can do this!
  11. I did my CBT on a twist-n-Go Honda Dylan 125. I thought I wanted to ride a geared bike, but enjoyed the auto experience so was quite happy. I then briefly owned a Honda Vision 110, followed by a Vespa LX 125. I then decided I wanted a Vespa GTS 300, so I needed to do a big-bike licence. I booked a 4-day intensive DAS course. I hired a Yamaha YBR125 for 2 days to practice, then went straight into the DAS on a Yamaha XJ6. For me, it worked and I passed both modules first time. Whilst I didn't have a lot of gear experience, riding the Vespa for 8 months gave me roadcraft. That was invaluable, IMHO.
  12. Hi Stephen, I passed my Mod 1 and Mod 2 tests last week. During Mod 1 practice, I once hit a cone with my right foot on the slalom (of all things!) and the second time was during the swerve. As I swerved, I looked to the cone toward the centre of the circuit and clipped the inside cone with my right foot. On the actual test, I rode into the corner, gently leaning and accelerating all way the around. As soon as the bike is upright, nail the throttle. Just before the speed trap, glance at the speedo if you must, but if you're too slow now, you most likely won't gain sufficient speed.
  13. Hi Phil, Thanks for the congrats, appreciate it mate. Your instructor should take you around the most common test routes from Uxbridge. They're all variable though. If you come out of the test centre, to the mini roundabout and then turn left at the lights, you'll come to a mini roundabout. Go right and the speed limit is 30mph. If you go left. It immediately goes straight to 60, so do the turn, right shoulder check and accelerate. That's a great bit of test route and I really enjoyed it, to be honest. Nothing like gunning it on your test! As for 20mph areas, out of the test centre and straight across at the lights will send you through an estate of sorts. If you go that way, be aware the limit is 30mph, not 20mph. 20 zones are all signposted. I only had one twenty zone - if you're on the A4020 Uxbridge Road, they like to turn left on The Greenway (or right, I suppose). This road has a 20 limit for half of it. You'll come to a crossroads and the limit changes to 30 on the crossroads. So depending on which direction, you'll either go 30mph to 20mph then up to 40mph onto Uxbridge Road, or turn onto The Greenway from Uxbridge Road and you'll go 20mph to 30mph. It's as simple as that. I really wouldn't worry too much. 20mph zones are all signposted, so keep your eyes open as you ride around and you'll be fine mate. Best of luck for Mod 2!
  14. Hello All, I did my Mod 2 on Tuesday (15th April) at Uxbridge. I passed with a couple of minors - a stall and hesitation at a busy roundabout. Regardless, I passed my Mod 1 the day before with no faults too. It was the first attempt at both, so I'm quite chuffed! I did both modules at the DVSA test centre in Uxbridge. I found my examiner to be firm but fair. We left the test centre, then went up a road I'd never been on before. She then asked me to pull over. I do so, then she instructed me to ride on. I went to pull away and my hand slipped off the clutch lever - stall. I quickly started the engine again and proceeded. The first ten minutes was independent riding, "just follow signs for Uxbridge please", so that's what I did. After a while, she said "the independent riding section is now complete, please follow my instructions". We continued riding, with me paying close attention to the speed limit and also ensuring I was always at least a car doors-width away from parked cars. I had a moment on a roundabout, when there was a huge amount of traffic coming from my right and I probably sat there too long. At debrief, I was told I should have gone sooner, but I said if a car is approaching me with his left indicator going, I want to see that car turn left before I proceed onto a roundabout. I got a minor for it anyway. I rode a very short stint up to 60mph, then it was back to the test centre, park up, job done. The examiner told me in the car park that I had passed and explained the minors to me immediately. Honestly, I thought I'd failed after stalling it. I could have kicked myself, so I relaxed more after that. Uxbridge isn't a bad site, you can also do mod1 practice on their pad too.
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