Module 1 - members test experiences

Bad news yet again 3rd fail, this time on figure of eight i hit a cone, never done that before!! Usually it's just the avoidance but nope hit a bloody cone so annoyed, I just go to pieces with nerves when I get there! :0)

Failed after 2 minutes never had a problem with slLom before but hit a cone as I was about to do figure of eight, am so annoyed! Upset, had a little cry which isn't like me, but it's really bad that as soon as I know it's a test I go to pieces!!

Mine is a 98 Bex!

If its any consolation, the Mod 2 is so much easier compared to the Mod 1. Nerves play a very big part in the Mod 1 IMHO. All about keeping it together and remember everything you have been taught.

I think I'm s'more nervous now because I know I've failed three times! Wouldn't be so bad but I passed my car licence in Germany after 3 lessons in an English right hand drive car lol so it's annoying me that I'm doing silly little mistakes now!

I sold my ybr 125 last month after riding over 5000 miles on it with no problems! Any tips for nerves anyone?

I was shaking a bit and wobbling around the cones.But I passed first time by the skin of my teeth.

I think you have to go with the attitude that you can take it again and it doesn't matter if you fail.

I kind of had to pass because I was running out of time before the law changed and could have only probably squeezed one more attempt in.Which made me more nervous than I thought I would be.

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.

Aww millie, so sorry to hear But I've got a good feeling you'll get it next time, I passed mine 4th attempt so maybe you'll be the same My 3rd attempt was the most nervous for me and failed on stupidly putting my foot down on the u-turn which I hadn't done before. There's not a huge amount of advice I can give you on how to deal with the nerves as they are very overpowering at times like these, but what I found helped me was to not talk or think about the upcoming test at all if I could, get plenty of sleep, and the biggest thing that helped get me through it was keep saying to myself (and anyone who asked) As long as I've got the funds to do it, I'll keep on trying till I pass!

And as one of my instructors kept saying to me: Winners never Quit and Quitters Never Win.

All the best!! Will be keeping my fingers crossed for you.

Also, good luck to you Saxondale for your test coming up. An off of any kind can easily knock confidence. Although I never came off the bike at any real speed, I did drop it numerous times - once right before a mod 1 test as well - but the only thing I could think about was 'I hope the bike's ok!' haha I just wanted to get straight back on and redeem myself lol.

The one thing I wished I had done before each of my failed mod 1's was to speak up and ask my instructor if we could do some practice on the maneuvers I was feeling nervous about and had failed on before. If you have any more lessons before your test or even just an hour or 2 before the test on the day, maybe you could ask your instructor to take you somewhere just to practice swerving to get the feel for it on the day? We got taken to a quite road with those mini square speed humps in and we practiced swerving around them right, then the next one left, then right again.

Bex

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!

Well I WILL pass my MOD 1 and I WILL not let myself fail!

Has anyone tried the Bach rescue sprays before tests? And did they work?

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.

The school I used had access to the Farnborough test centre at weekends, which meant that students could get a good couple of hours practice in the actual environment before taking the test. Over my four days of Direct Access training, I spent a good six hours in the place, but my last session was probably the most disastrous and I didn't hold out much hope for the test.

I was asked to repeat the same exercises over and over again by the instructor and I felt confident with all but the U-turn. During my first five attempts, either my foot went down or I crossed the line (which would have resulted in a fail during the test). On the sixth attempt, I was too slow and turned too much, and, in a flash, the bike was on the floor! Despite being pushed to try again, I had a bit of a tantrum and had to take a break.

On the morning of the test, we went to the car park of an empty office block. Within a couple of minutes, this large open space was transformed into a test centre - with dozens of coloured cones all over the place. Thankfully, everything came together at the last minute and I finally took on board the instructors advice about not looking at the floor during the turn. Not staring at the floor made this once challenging manoeuvre much more straightforward!

The test itself lasted a little under 15 minutes and I came away with two minors. I was travelling at 49km/h on my emergency stop and the examiner didn't like that I dragged my left leg for a little while when moving off.

Before you have a chance to give the module one test any thought, it's over.

Bad news yet again 3rd fail, this time on figure of eight i hit a cone, never done that before!! Usually it's just the avoidance but nope hit a bloody cone so annoyed, I just go to pieces with nerves when I get there! :0)

Did you pass eventually? I've just failed Mod1 on u turn. Last time slalom and speed. First time figure of 8. I'm gutted Al of these things are fine practicing with school but I have dreadful test nerves

Has anyone tried the Bach rescue sprays before tests? And did they work?

Well I WILL pass my MOD 1 and I WILL not let myself fail!

Where did you take yours?

My mod 1 experience:

Went their along with another chap doing his mod 1. Said it was his 3rd time.

Did some practice before with new instructor, who I felt kept over explaining things, I knew I could do it so I politely listened then did it my way still lol, he didn't seem to mind.

Headed over to the center, got there at 9:30 my test time was 10:40... The longest wait of my whole damn life! Spent the whole time thinking, why did they not book me a better time!

So the guy I was with goes first, sadly puts his foot down in slalom . 2 other guys go before me 1 fail 1 pass and then I'm up.

Key out, helmet on, gloves on ride over to gate trying my hardest to remember the lifesavers. Pull up into the box for the manual move, I'm sure someone strapped 2 tonnes of lead to my bike while I wasn't looking felt so much heavier! Managed the move then onto slalom and figure, both went fine!

Slow move u-turn all good. I'm feeling more relaxed now.

Set of for my emergency stop and wobble a bit pulling off! Luckily the examiner wasn't looking I wonder if he would have failed me if he had seen or maybe just given a minor, anyway off I go. Stop in time but too slow through gate! Go round again and hit 51km so got a minor for that. Swerve all fine hot 48! Another minor but the test is over and I head back over to the gate.

Examiner lets me out, I park up walk over to hear I passed! So chuffed! 4 minors, missed 2 checks when coming back round for swerve and emergency stop, and 2 for slow speed through gate.

Next up, mod 2 [emoji106]

Where did you take yours?

I passed my MOD 1 at last!!! Yeaaaaaa! I can't believe it all five of us from the same school passed! I will put my test experience on here later! But MOD 2 here I come!

I passed my MOD 1 at last!!! Yeaaaaaa! I can't believe it all five of us from the same school passed! I will put my test experience on here later! But MOD 2 here I come!

You will pass yours as well! Crikey I had 4 goes so if I can do it anyone can!

MOD 1 - HULL

Told to arrive at 07.30 so up at 6am as its 25 miles to my riding school. Five of us to do it today I'm told so two people practice on the coned area at the school, then it's my turn and unlike last week where I kept hitting cones which I had never had a problem with before it all went smoothly slalom figure of eight then u turn, all good. But very nervous two of the ladies had already been crying, then I remembered my Bach rescue spray, I did four sprays and asked the others if they wanted to do the same and they all did it.

Test Center

I walked to the test center to steady my nerves as its literally round the corner from the school! Got there and the First Lady from our school was called in to give details to examiner, it was the miserable examiner everyone hated! I felt so sorry for her especially as he started writing down the wrong number plate of the wrong bike and didn't look pleased when we told him it's not that one! but I watched her visibly shaking, she seemed to be doing everything in slow motion and at the end of her test I knew she had passed even though I've never seen anyone shake like that before and still Pass!

My MOD 1

Out came the nice examiner! Yes I was feeling a bit better! He took my details then said oh it looks like they haven't finished yet, looking out the window he thought that the other lady had just done her avoidance but she had done her controlled stop, so I staprted chatting to him asking him if he'd been working there long and other such trivial chit chat ha ha. But it made him feel more human and put me more at ease. Anyway then he said put on your helmet and follow me outside to your bike please, which I did.

Manual Handling

I got on the bike and started it up then did the shoulder checks and rode into the test area where I waited to be told what to do next, then over to the right hand bay for parking, perfect off the bike after shoulder checks and then move the bike using three point turn, easy! I felt so relaxed.

Slalom and Figure of Eight

I took a minute to think about what I was going to do then started the bike shoulder checks and off I went! Slalom great figure of eight a bit wide but great! Then he called me over so I took a wide turn so that I was facing correct way for slow ride!

Slow Ride

It was the best I had ever done! Not one wobble or movement to side front wheel into the four coned area! Phew! Shoulder checks and done!

U-Turn

I wasn't looking forward to this as I had always gone the other side where the other line is next to a fence which made it easier as you knew you had to turn or risk hitting the fence and I had always done it! Anyway shoulder checks and then off I went along the line then shoulder check and turn, I felt like I was too slow so twisted the throttle a bit more and turned I looked at the line (which I never do) and thought I was going to hit it so sped up and over revved and ended up about 2 foot from the kerb! That's it I thought I've failed! Even though I hadn't put my foot down and I had turned inside the lines I thought I had turned too much! But the examiner never said anything!

Controlled Stop

Shoulder checks and off I went entering a bend from the left side! Oh no I always did the other way! But anyway halfway across the Tarmac and changed to second gear, then round the bend about 20mph and once I was in the final bit of the bend I twisted the throttle it pulled me back with the force and as I throttled off just before I entered the speed check then gently squeezed the front brake back brake, Shoulder checks and done!

Emergency Stop

Shoulder checks and off, up to second gear and then enter the bend 20mph round the bend and as I exit the bend I throttled up and released the throttle just before I entered the speed device and it felt too fast! Hand up and start to brake, I'm not going to stop in time so pull the brake harder then back brake and finally clutch in at last minute, I could see the examiners eyes widen, I finally stopped about 4 foot from him, into first shoulder checks and breath! I knew I wasn't too slow ha ha but didn't like to ask!

Avoidance

Shoulder checks, I set off again and got up to about 25mph leaning quite a bit round the bend, then as I was leaving the bend I looked for the path through the blue cones and twisted the throttle and again it pulled me back it felt fast again and as I got close to the speed device I throttled off and entered the gap between the cones and then immediately got myself back inline and stopped between the cones, shoulder check, done

Please ride to the gate and I will tell you what to do next, shoulder check and out of the gate, park up shoulder check and off the bike, by now I'm shaking so much I could cry, but I wont! I thought I had failed and I went inside and the examiner looked for my instructor who came dashing in just as we were going into the side office,he smiled at me and the examiner went out of the room! This is bad I said, you've passed my instructor said, I havent I said , he's gone out but where, and at that he came back with a pad in his hand sat down and looked at me and said " it was close wether I was going to pass you on the emergency stop, but when I saw your speed I had to pass you" well done! I was gobsmacked , he said just a couple of minors one for the figure of eight which was a bit wide and you forgot a left shoulder check at the gate, but I knew I hadnt it was just as he had opened the gate so missed it.i asked him what speed the emergency stop was and he smiled and said 56kph I knew it was fast I said, he replied yes and because you stopped it when you did at that speed you did excellently! My avoidance was 50kph.

So all in all a good test - now waiting for a MOD 2 date!

So all in all a good test - now waiting for a MOD 2 date!

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....