Big bike lesson

Hi, I haven't posted for a while because I've had nothing of interest to post. I'm now 18 months post-CBT and still nowhere near ready for Mod 1. I have had a few more lessons, I had 3 off-road lessons on a 500cc and then a break (money!) and when I went back to the school, a couple more on a 125 because the instructors didn't think I was consistent enough to put me on a bigger bike. And obviously no question of going on the road.

Anyway, I went in my lunch break yesterday to book another lesson (in a couple of weeks) and they've got rid of the 500s because they'd come to the end of their working lives, so they've been sold, but not replaced because there isn't enough customer demand to make it worth while - there are now only scooters, 125s and 650s (Kawasaki ER). So I tried sitting on the Kawasaki, with a lowered seat, and could just about get my toes down, wearing my flat, thin-soled work shoes; and more importantly, was able to bring the bike upright easily - if anything, more easily than I can do it on my Honda.

So a big bike it is, then. Fingers crossed. I do hope I make some progress this time.

nice one glad to hear you are still moving along with it all keep us informed of the progress

650 probably won't feel much different to a 500 anyway. Big bikes are the way to go [emoji4] it'll only go as fast as you ask of it.

ERs are steady bikes, pretty smooth and dont feel fast at all. You won't have any surprises! Good luck!

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I did all my DAS stuff on a Suzuki 650 Gladius which I imagine is pretty similar and yeah they are easy to throw about! A lot more maneuverable than a sports bike too

Sure you'll have a blast on them, keep us updated

I had an intro session on one of those the other week...just did a bit of slow stuff in the school and it was fine. The strangest bit was the foot pegs being in a different place to on my bike (further back). Actually riding it seemed ok though. I have a proper lesson booked on it on the 30th which is possibly around the same time as you...We will have to compare notes!

Mine's on May 5th, piglet. I didn't even look at the footpegs. As my normal inclination is a foetal crouch of terror, the further back position will probably suit me admirably.

Big bikes are like bees, you're more scared of them than they are of you [emoji39]

Well, I had my lesson and it was fine. It was easier out on the road than in the area at the riding school...I was getting a bit frustrated with myself in the school as I just can't seem to brake smoothly on it yet. It's just different to my bike...guess a bit of time on it will sort that out. Out on the roads I had other things to think about so the braking seemed to come together better. Based on what it was like for me, I think it might feel weird at first to you but it's not too scarey at all and after a bit you'll probably feel ok. I still don't like where the foot pegs are though!

Why don't you change the position of your foot? I put the balls of my feet on the pegs rather than the heel. Wasn't penalised for it on my advanced test.

Apparently it's better in all aspects to put the ball of your foot and not heel on the pegs. What I do find when I do that though is I tend to stamp on the rear brake because my foots that bit further away, if my heel was on the peg I could just move my foot around the brake and press it.

It's more the general position because of where the pegs are rather than my foot...when I sit on my bike my legs are in the same kind of position as if I'm sat on a chair. On the ER6 my legs are much further back. It's ok, I just prefer the feet forward position. When I pass my test I'm getting a Royal Enfield Bullet though and when I sat on one of those it was perfect...as if it was made to measure! I can cope with my feet back while I pass my test . Thanks for the advice though.