Jump to content

Saxondale

Registered users
  • Posts

    9
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Personal Information

  • Gender
    Male
  • Bike(s)
    Suzuki GZ 125 Marauder

Saxondale's Achievements

0

Reputation

  1. good luck Hurray!! Passed with 5 minors. Very windy ride and some debris flying around the side streets. Asked me about carrying pillion, how to check oil and horn. Pulled into the curb 4 times one of which was the angled pull away round a parked car. Did the hill start on a really gently slope, which can hardly be classed as a hill start. Couple of dual carriageways and left/right turns at big roundabouts, then back to the test center. Had the debrief with instructor in the room and when he said "well done, it's a pass" it was a competition as to who had the biggest grin. Had another guy from our school taking his Mod 2 aswell who came back in as I was being debriefed. He passed aswell, so 2 for 2. Happy day
  2. Got my Mod 2 in Wolverhampton tomorrow at 5 to 11. And what have we got coming in from the Atlantic? Yep, a bloody hurricane! Oh joy
  3. Well done millie - it's really not that bad is it? I hope these posts will allow others to relax and feel more confident about their mod 1....
  4. Took the Mod 1 this afternoon on a 600cc Bandit and passed with only 2 minor faults. Here's how it went... Parking the Bike: Rode to the end of the area and into the right hand bay. Had a bit of a balance issue went I stopped and put my right foot down, I also left the back end of the bike sticking out slightly. 'That it then' I thought, instant fail. The examiner came over and didn't say anything about it and just started to explain the manual handling exercise. Got away with that then - No Minors Manual Handling: Went for the 3 point turn option here as for the majority of the maneuver you're pushing the bike forwards which helps with control, rather than steering it backwards. Noticed I wasn't quite in line with the second bay though, so went forwards again to straighten up then back into the bay. I did this slower than I'd ever done it in practice and it help no end. It's not a race, so don't rush it!! - No Minors: Slalom & Figure 8: Thought I was going to put my foot down a few times through the slalom, but didn't. Clutch control and a bit of bake brake for stability and it was into the 8. I went wider than I was doing in practice for the figure 8 as the space is there, so you may aswell use it. Went round the last yellow cone, which again is something I'd never done in practice. The key here is to look past, the next cone (if that makes sense) and start to turn when you're passed the closest cone. Keep a nice smooth pace and it's easy enough. - No Minors. Slow Ride: Not much to this one really. First gear, let the clutch out gentley and off you got. Ride the clutch and try not to over rev it. The examiner doesn't walk in fornt anymore so you're not trying to keep pace with him, just a slow controlled ride to the U-Turn. - No Minors U-Turn: When I first started doing u-turns, the instructor had me slipping the clutch, fannying around with the back brake and all sorts. Needless to say, my foot went down more often than not. Then I went to a different school, with a different instructor. He taught like this - Shoulder checks, clutch out, give it a good bit of gas, last shoulder check, clutch in and turn the bike. The examiner isn't looking for clutch control throught the turn. He just wants you to get it from one white line to the other without your foot going down. I did pick up a minor though as my front wheel went just onto the right hand white line before starting the turn. - 1 Minor Controlled Stop: This is a good opportunity to get the feel of the bend, without having to worry too much about speed. I stayed in 2nd all the way around the bend and out of it as to get a feel for positioning for the fast maneuvers. Took the whole thing at around 20mph and came to a nice controlled stop within the blue cones. - No Minors Emergency Stop: Turned the bike around (which isn't another u-turn) and went into the bend in 2nd gear, managed to hold it at around 22mph going into the apex and then shifted up to 3rd. Straightened the bike and opened up the throttle, didn't look at the speedo and focused ahead, hit 53kph. It seems like an age from going through the speed trap to him putting his hand up and I was conscious of accelerating any more or touching the brake before he gave the signal. When his hand did go up, it was of the throttle, squeeze the front brake, then clutch in at the last second. Stopped quicker than I thought and didn't stall. - No Minors Hazard Avoidance: Felt a bit nervous about this as I binned the bike on Saturday during practice (the marks were still on the tarmac). Same as the emergency stop though, into the bend in 2nd at around 22mph, then into 3rd on the apex. Only managed to hit 48kph through the speed trap though. As soon as I was passed the trap, throttle off and clutch in. Bum over to the right of the saddle, a touch of counter steer on the left bar and back the other side and you're through the obstacle. Bring the bike to a controlled stop. - 1 Minor. Over comes the guy and instructs me to ride to the gate and he'll let me out. This is still part of the test, so remembered my checks and over to the gate. He opens the gate (more shoulder checks) and into the parking bay. Once I was off the bike, that was it - test over. Called me into the office and asked if I wanted my instructor present. At this stage I honestly didn't know if I'd passed or failed, these guys are so deadpan it really is impossible to read them. I guess if I had failed out on the test area, that would've been it - back to the parking bay. Regardless, I think it's good to have your instructor in the office with you even if you feel you've failed so they know what to work on. Anyway, there you go. One very happy camper! On to Mod 2 now, booked for 21st Oct (if no cancellations come up). Good luck to anyone else going in for their Mod 1. I know everyone says this, but it really isn't as bad you think and is over before you know it. Try not to over think every maneuver and just ride your bike.
  5. Not sure about that to be honest, as I didn't do my CBT with them. I don't think you'll have any problems passing your CBT with them though.
  6. Hi deepstax. I'm learning with BCMT and have replied to your other thread. They are brilliant, not much more I can say really.
  7. I'm learning with Black Country Motorcycle Training at Dunstall Race Course. Really can't recommend these guys enough. I did my CBT and had a couple of lessons with another company but was getting nowhere. I really wish I gone with BCMT to begin with as their instructors are patient and explain everything very well. Their prices are better than any other local schools too. Give them a call and they'll work out a bespoke training schedule for you, rather than just sitting you a bike and seeing what you can do.
  8. Thanks Bex. I should have an hour or so before the test to practice with the instructor, which has boosted my confidence a little. The forecast looks like rain though on the day, so just hoping I can block out Saturday and hit it with a fresh mind. Good luck to anyone else with their Mod 1 this week, fingers crossed we'll all be ready for Mod 2 by the end of it!
  9. Hi all - Had a mock mod 1 yesterday and binned the bike on the hazard avoidance. Everything else was fine, u-turn, emergency stop etc. But when I came out of the turn and into the speed trap I looked at the two middle cones of the avoidance exercise and went straight into them. Luckily no injuries, but that's what we wear the gear for right? Had to take ten minutes to fill a form out for the DSA, then bake on the bike for another crack. Couldn't get the speed up though, with a combination of pouring rain and the last attempt fresh in my mind. The most I got up to was 44kph I've got the actual test this Wednesday and was feeling confident until I binned the bike. I usually ride a 600 Bandit on lessons but was on a different bike for the mock too which didn't help. Hopefully I'll be on the Bandit on Wednesday and hopefully the British weather will be on my side.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Terms of Use Privacy Policy Guidelines We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.

Please Sign In or Sign Up