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Module 1 - members test experiences


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MOD 1 (second attempt), Yesterday, 0915. PASS.

Arrived at the bike school at 0715 so that we could get a ride before the test at Macclesfield rugby club at 0915.

Nerves starting to set in as we arrive at the test site. Park up the bike, make life easier on yourself at this point by backing it into the space, so you can just ride out.


Then I met the examiner, Simon who was very pleasant and re-assuring. Quick document check and then down to the bike.

He briefed me once I was on the bike, about once in the 'arena' to treat everything as though you were on the road...IE Rear observations (mirrors and lifesavers) before EVERY pull off and on every stop.


SO rode over to the 'parking bays' for the manual handling. Remember that the bike should end up straight in the middle of the second bay....but also remember that you can do it as a 3-point manouvere (much easier than in one movement)


Then Slalom (don't try it too slowly...thats how I messed up the first time) and figure of 8 (Don't try to do it too tight, use the available space within reason.


Then Slow ride, and U turn. (Make sure to do your rear Obs before pulling off and before making the turn)


Then the Infamous 'Swerve'. Really this has been villified by so many people but its not a major swerve by any stretch of the imagination...(even in the wet at 62km/h first attempt at MOD1)...JUST DON'T use the brakes until you are upright and straight again.


Then finally the 'Controlled' stop.

Examiner then said 'park up the bike in the carpark (remember he is still watching for rear Obs), and meet me back inside' Debriefed...1 minor (my front wheel passed his board on the slow ride very slightly). 58 and 57 achieved for the swerve and e-stop. Certificate issued WOOOOO!!! 15 mins from start to finish! We had a little chat then started the ride home with a huge grin!!!


The examiner briefed me fully in between each part, and was very reassuring and friendly throughout. Top Job! Hope I have him for MOD2!!!


Good luck everyone!

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Here's what I wrote about my mod 1 when I passed tother week


I had my module one today and passed with no minors


I thought i'd write a little about it as I know myself I had an odd apprehension of it!


I saw 4 people take it before me, 3 passed and 1 failed as he kept the throttle open during his emergency stop and nearly went through a fence, the examiner made him push the bike out rather than ride it!


The main thing I did was over exaggerate left & right life savers before doing ANYTHING! One guy got a minor for not doing life savers when he set off to go through the gate and another forgot to do em when his test had ended and was riding out of the test area.


So yeah my test started and I did all the life savers (despite the fact my bike was backed into a parking bay against a wall) went through the gate and the examiner told me what he wanted me to do (they only tell you what you have to do next maneuver) and showed me a map. Pushing my bike from one box to another was really easy as its light and i'm pretty tall. I then got on my bike as the examiner told me about the slalom and figure of 8 (which are the only two consecutive ones) He told me not to worry keeping count of my figures of 8 as he'd signal when he'd seen enough.


Again I stopped while I had the swerve explained to me. I built my speed up to around 20mph for the corner and then just gave it a whole load of throttle when I got up straight. The swerve part of it kinda just happened, its all really clear what cones to go through. When I stopped in t' box I asked what speed I reached and i'd got 47kpm


Un deterred I executed a fine U turn and then managed to stay behind his clip board as he walked excruciatingly slow. As I wasn't fast enough for my first swerve I thought I better give it some more on my emergency stop and ended up clocking 57kph. The stop was ok, I didn't think I stopped quick enough but apparently its more about being controlled than stopping at any cost. I was then asked if I wanted another go at t' swerve and clocked up 57kph again. I did find that the box I had to stop in came at me pretty quick but I could easily have stopped safely before the box.


After that the examiner went t' open t' gate and ,after a pair of pantomime life savers, I rode out and parked up.


Module 2 here I come!


Hope that was of some use

I still haven't booked my MOd 2 yet, a job for the morning I think!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Module 1, Passed 14.30.


Well, finally managed to get through the mod 1 test on the 3rd attempt.


Only stumbling block on the previous two tests had been the U-turn. I was trying to do it to slow and leaving the look over the shoulder to close to the point at which you start the turn, therefore all unbalanced when trying to line up for the stop.


Well today was different,


Arrived at the Instructors, got kitted up and off we went to the practice ground. Immediately everything just felt right. The speed for all slow manoeuvres was a little way-ward. The main problem being my breathing, or lack of it.


So after a little chat with Bill (instructor) I began each practice with a long deep breath and everything started to flow.

Off we go quick ride before getting to test center in Macclesfield.


All booked in and made are way down to the bike. Due to them running late, I had a chat with the examiner before we actually started the test, told him it was 3rd attempt and he just told me to relax, Instructor wouldn’t have me there if I wasn’t ready.


So off I go sailed through slalom and figure of 8, must say tho, before the slow ride the examiner said to me that’s the speed you need to do the U-turn, so now on to the slow ride, nice and controlled.


Now to my problem area!, Long deep breath and off I go, all required checks. This time, after a bikes length did my shoulder check and then another bike length started to turn, straightened up and bingo, demons gone.


Now on to swerve, never had a problem with it, apart from 1st test when I clipped the cone, but I wasn’t arsed when doing it has I knew I had already failed that time.


This time, around the apex at 22mph and then opened it up, went through speed trap @ 56kph, stopped in the box and examiner, whispers in my ear “ Don’t mess it up now”, now I’m buzzing, Emergency stop never been a problem.

Off I go, again bend at 22mph and opened it up, not sure of speed, but I didn’t have to do it again.


Remember to breath and compose yourself before each part.


Rob.

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I failed my first attempt at Mod 1 test about a month ago (put my foot down doing the U-turn). I was very annoyed with myself at the time, as the rest of the test was perfect, no minors. Looking back on it I wasn't really confident, having only sat on a bike for the first time the previous week (couple of hours for the CBT) and a couple of hours the night before practising the Mod 1 manouvers.


Anyway, I was determined to pass this time. I had a couple of hours practising in the local yard last night, the weather was looking good (p*$ed down last time), met the instructor and another student who was trying the mod1 after me, and rode from Carmarthen to Swansea for the test.


Today was only my second day riding on the road, and what a difference from the last time, a month ago. Trying to keep up to 70 on the dual carriageway last time in the heavy rain, well to say I was bricking it would be an understatement. Today it felt like I'd been riding every day since then. Everything came together, the bike felt stable beneath me, the cross winds didn't bother me, in short I really enjoyed it.


So we eventually got to the test centre, pulled up in the car park facing the fence, remembered to park the bike facing outward to save having to faff about turning it round with the examiner watching, and stood to watch the guy who was halfway through his test. He was on a new Harley (08 plate I think), and seemed to be quite confident, and was just about to start the avoidance manouver when we got there. Looked like he got it up to speed going through the speed trap, swerved to go through the cones, then for some reason gave it a fistfull of brakes, locked up, bike went one way, he went the other way arse over tit, glass and plastic everywhere :shock: . Luckily he was unharmed, but obviously very shaken. His instructor came into the yard to help him up and out of the yard, pushed the bike back out to the carpark and to survey the damage (very expensive by the look of it). Within seconds a cleaner was out with a brush and spade to collect the bits, made me think this was a regular occurence!

Obviously my confidence has taken a nosedive by now - not really what wanted to see 5 minutes before taking the test myself!


5 Minutes later it was my turn. Lid on, gloves on, sh*t, key's in my pocket, gloves off, keys out, gloves back on, ok relax, deep breath, take your time. Shoulder check, even though I'm backed up to a fence, indicate right, through the gate and over to the parking bay. By now I'm shaking, I've forgotten to breathe, forgotten how to put the stand down, in fact I've forgotten why I ever thought getting a bike license woudl be a good idea. Then I remembered reading Rob13's post last night, took a deep breath and a couple of seconds to get my act together and then everything clicked into place. Slalom went well, almost stalled on the figure of 8, but kept it together. On to the swerve - now this felt really wierd, but at the time I didn't realise why, I just flew through the speed trap at 58 kph, swerved left through the cones and pulled up safely into the box. Then it hit me - at the practice yard they only have the swerve test set up in the opposite direction (swerving to the right), so I'd never done a swerve to the left before, although it wasn't really a problem.

The rest of the test went with no hitches, bar a tiny wobble on the U-turn which almost got me putting my foot down again. I was so glad to hear the examiner tell me I'd passed, with no minors, 58 on the avoidance, 61 on the emergency stop, I couldn't stop shaking his hand. I was grinning like a maniac all the way back to Carmarthen, in fact I didn't want to go back to work, wanted to stay on the bike for the rest of the day. MOD 2 next, as soon as the DSA website lets me in :evil:


So, to finish off this long winded post: remember to breathe, take a second before each manouver to relax, it really does make a difference if you don't rush into things, remember shoulder checks before you do anything, even though you know there's nothing behind you. Most of all, enjoy it. Yeah, I know, easier said than done, but after it's just riding round a few cones :roll:

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  • 2 weeks later...
Passed Mod 1 at the Macclesfield Rugby Club this am thanks to some excellent tuition from Bill and Mike at Cheshire Bike Training.


Took it on Yamaha 125 YBR and had no trouble with attaining 50kph, went round the curve at at 20mph in second then just wound it up through the speed check, still in second, did 53kph and 55kph respectively. Ok it was vibrating the nuts off but it did the trick. :wink:


My advice to anyone is don't get fixated on the so-called swerve manouvre, it is not as bad as some of the hype you read and hear. When we were practising some of the guys were touching their brakes and this was causing problems for them.


Also on the emergency stop I didn't even use the clutch, just braked and stalled it, did mirror checks rear life savers and re-started it calmly. No faults recorded. :cheers:

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Took my module 1 this afternoon...


I can't say it started all that well. I parked up the bike in the green bay, but the gearbox on that particular bike was a bit awkward and didn't want to go into neutral. So when the examiner came over and asked me to switch off the engine and get off the bike, it was still in first, so as I backed it out of the space and wheeled it into the other bay, I had to hold the clutch in. The examiner didn't seem to notice or care, though.


Remembering the bike was still in gear I started the engine, did the slalom and the fig-8, then the high speed swerve - beautifully, I might add. My U-turn was fine, the slow ride about the best I've done, and my emergency stop was good too @ 54 kph. That was it, I thought, and relaxed.


Then the examiner told me I was a bit slow on the swerve, I asked by how much, and he said I'd done it at 48 kph rather then the required 50. Ar$e. But everything had gone OK otherwise, and I was even starting to enjoy myself, so off I went, determined not to be too slow this time...


...and kicked a blue cone @ 57 kph :crybaby:


My next go is scheduled for next Thursday afternoon, so if I pass then it won't delay my Mod 2 test which is a week later.


Fingers and toes crossed... wish me luck!

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Did module 1 last tuesday and passed with 2 minors.


At the first set off towards the park and dis-mount bit I forgot to shoulder check (nerves, just forgot all about it on that occasion) and then apparently I forgot another shoulder check on another maneuver later on in the test, I forget when.


The slalom and figure of eight were both fine, just remember use the width space that's provided to your advantage otherwise you run the risk of going too wide or going to close to one of the cones, there's no need to show off and get the bike into full steering lock.


Then the U turn was ok, slightly wobbly from the set-off, nerves again I guess, but completed the turn fine. Then slowride, which was fine.


Then I did the high-speed avoidance, I went up to 2nd gear as I entered the turn and kept the bike at around 20mph, leaning the bike a fair bit so I could keep the power on and then accelerate out of the corner to save time on the straight towards the speed-trap. I got 53kph and 54kph on the avoidance and the emergency stop respectively. The emergency stop was similar, 2nd gear leaning the bike around the corner and then opening the bike up towards the end of the bend. I had no problems stopping in time.


That's my experience, I've got my module 2 on Thursday, which I reckon will be a bit more of a challenge!

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Well, I did my module 1 last night.


The night before my instructor had given me some practise time, and when I turned up he asked me to do a demonstration of how to do a module 1 to a few people. Turns out they were 3 DSA Big Wigs and the examiner for my test. I completed the whole of the damn module 1 fine, no problems.


Of course on my actual module 1 yesterday, did everything find until the avoidance exercise. Was so determined to hit the 50kph mark that I gassed at through, didn't leave enough time to make the manoeuvre and kicked the blue cone, sent it spinning into the air.


At that point the examiner asked if I was ok and wanted to carry on, to which I replied no as there was little point. I had done it so many times the extra practise really wouldn't have made a difference and I was so wound up I would have just binned it, so I stopped.


Was really annoyed at the time that as I was the only one there, no one else was after me, it was all set up and the examiner had watched me do it yesterday no probs that they couldn't have let me do another test without all the faffing about!! Of course I know why they can't, it was just annoying at the time.


Will wait until October half term now, as my step dad has been paying for all this and he is keen for me to complete it with my instructor, as I am, so I will wait until then.


Lesson learnt......don't try to go tooo fast!! 60kph, way too fast and probably the fastest I have ever done it!!

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Hi All, just thought I'd do a little write up on my Mod 1 experience today.............i Thought to myself as I already have a ybr125 what could training offer me that I couldn't do myself for the mod 1 test, well nothing was the answer..........so I got together some plastic tubs and on Sunday's when Aldi's was closed I marked out the slalom course and figure of 8 and also marked out the swerve part of the course minus the bend. So I had my markers for my speed trap and then the swerve cones and finally the 4 cones you stop in and from there straight into the u turn.


I wonder what the staff a Aldi's were thinking on Monday mornings when they arrived for work and noticed chalk marks all over the place ?


Any way I practice the slow manoeuvres and the swerve and emergency stops for a couple of weekends then booked my test.


Today Friday 21st August I headed off to the test centre in Newport for my 3.pm test slot and was told a few people hadn't turned up as it was raining quite heavy in the morning but as it turned out the afternoon was blazing sunshine.


There were two guys in there whom had already passed and were just getting the paper work sorted before heading off back with their instructor, so I was there on my own....and The nerves started to build up so I looked out the window at some car test candidates setting off with shear fright in there eyes so I felt a little better.


Then came the examiner and said OK when your ready lets check your details and off we go.


He gave my bike the once over then said I'll go open the gate and you ride in and stop just inside past the gate. Okay at this point when students attend with an instructor, the instructor normally wheels their bikes outside the gates while the student does the paper work bit, but in my case I was on my own so the examiner disappeared around the corner from where I was parked to open the gates...so I did my observations against a brick building so if anything was coming my way from that direction I'd be dead anyway as it would probably have been a plane crash landing.


Ok so into the test area I went and to be honest I was surprised at the amount of space I had to perform the slalom and figure of 8 even tho I'd had the measurement of the dsa site and marked up in Aldi's car park, but I guess its because there's no clutter and plenty of open space.


Well I didn't Hum to myself as some people have done but what I did do was talk my way through it and encourage myself and as many have suggested on this forum I took my time between each part of the test, for instance I would listen to him explain what was required next then he would say when your ready proceed, and at that point I would say to myself okay select first gear, observations go.........make Sure your doing at least 20 coming up to the last corner okay let it rip keep it in second gear throttle off through the speed trap, swerve, upright, brake, and same again before my u turn said to myself don't forget final check over shoulder before committing the turn.


I'm pleased to say I passed with no minors and for the princely some of ten pounds, i will however have training for mod 2 ( I think ).



Cheers Chris.

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Took my mod 1 test today for the first time. Every thing went great except i was a bit slow on the swerve bit. So the examiner told me to go back round again. I got loads of speed up, started thinking the whole yeah i can do this, then my mind went blank. Went straight through the speed trap and kept going! Didnt even attempt to swerve! Whoops. Mod 1 failed. hopefully i will get in again on tuesday and wont make another stupid mistake.

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My next go is scheduled for next Thursday afternoon, so if I pass then it won't delay my Mod 2 test which is a week later.


Fingers and toes crossed... wish me luck!

Just got back...


I was on a different bike this time - same model, but this one had a better gearbox but worse brakes. So at least this time I got it into neutral for the manual handling bit.


Didn't stop me failing on the swerve again, though :( I went through at 60kph this time and thought it was a bit close but that I'd got away with it. It was only after I'd done my U-turn I saw that I'd just clipped one of the blue cones enough to knock it over on the spot.


I don't think there are words adequate to describe how p*ssed off I feel right now :(


Next go is a week today and I've cancelled my mod 2 test and training which were scheduled for the weekend. I can do those later on - no sense wasting the mod 2 test fee if I end up kicking that bl**dy cone again.


I'm going to have recurring nightmares about little blue cones, I can feel it... :cry:

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I had my mod 1 booked for today and while I had never had an issue with any of the manoeuvres individually (which surprised me after reading this and similar threads) I was bricking it. My instructor helped calm me down and sent me out to do some practice in the car park. All went well as usual. We went for a ride, did some full speed emergency stops and avoidance testing before another little ride and the slow ride–which went better than yesterday which was a little wobbly.


We arrived at the test centre about 20 minutes early and watched some woman completely bodge just about everything. If I hadn't known better I'd say they were making a how-not-to video for the DSA website. That made me feel a little better about my own skills but I was still worried that I'd mess it up through nerves. Worse still, another instructions school had used all the parking bays you would normally go from through the gate so my instructor went and threw them all out. Now only half a dozen people will be critiquing me. Yay!


After a minutes worth of paperwork I went out and sat on the bike as quickly as possible before my legs gave way–I was so nervous. I pulled through the gate okay and then struggled to get out of neutral (something the bike had done for 2 days on and off–the light goes off but you can feel it hasn't changed yet the lever won't move). Eventually I managed to get it in and parked in the right bay after being given the choice of either.


I had only wheeled the Kawasaki ER5 once before so I was nervous of over-balancing and dropping it. Getting it spot on in the middle made me feel better. The examiner was a bit jokey and fun, really nice guy. I started to feel more at ease. I decided that if I could do the slalom/figure-of-8 then I'd be okay. It's something I had got spot on the second I moved up to the 500 (it's way harder on a 125). Just above tickover with clutch and the occasional touch of back brake and it was done nicely; it felt good.


The avoidance went well. I carried about 20-22 through the bend in 2nd gear and wellied it through the trap at what felt like 36-40. A good swerve and easy to brake in the time to dab some extra front for perfect placement. Last second clutch and no sign of engine stall. Good! I pulled forward and remembered a second lifesaver even though I had travelled only about 1/3 of the way down the "kerb". Did it with masses of room to spare both left and forwards.


The slow ride went much more like it had this morning than yesterday - minimal wobble near the end but all round steady, controlled and good. Feathering the clutch and riding lots of back brake helped a lot both with speed and keeping steady. Final move came up–the emergency stop. I felt I was making good speed but caught myself looking at the crowd and nearly took out the first blue cone on the exit. Missing it lost me 5-8mph and so I really ratcheted the throttle in second to get up to speed. Through the trap and the hand was nearly instant. Throttle off, front, back, quick and powerful squeeze but didn't snap at it and finished well short of the examiner without locking up or stalling. I had touched the gear lever and knocked it into neutral but he didn't notice and it didn't get stuck so I waited and pulled straight out through the gate.


TIP: back in to the parking space before hand, drive straight in after. Just make life easy for yourself.


My instructor smiled at me and followed me in, with a pat on the back for good measure. "I am pleased to tell you that you have passed". YES! Made my day. On Monday morning I had never ridden a bike or a scooter and I passed my CBT on a 125 though it didn't feel 100% at all. Today I passed Mod 1 with a single minor (lifesaver, neutral issue, didn't repeat lifesaver before moving off on slow ride). To me at least that feels like real progress. It felt easier than in training but with the pressure only an examiner can put on you. The ride home was the best I had had yet; relaxed, felt in control, no nerves and just made an indicator mistake (didn't double check - must double check!). Otherwise would have passed had it been Mod 2.


MAN, I FEEL GOOD!


(Oh, and FYI: Avoidance was exactly 50kph, emergency stop was 55kph)

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Mod 1 passed today! Crappy weather all morning but it cleared up a little before my test, wind was really battering the test area though. The guy who had been doing the training with me went first and passed with flying colours on a 125 so the pressure was on for the ER-500 and myself. It went well, the wind was trying it's best to muck up my slow ride and I locked the back wheel a tiny bit on the stop but aside from that it was fine. 54kph for the avoidance and 57 for the emergency stop.


Mod 2 booked for the week after next with one day of training before hand!! Woooooo. Then there's just the small matter of somehow aquiring the cash for a decent bike, might have to sell a load of beloved guitar gear... Or rob a granny, either option should work nicely.


Big up UMT in Cardiff / Newport by the way. Keith was a legend and very patient with my occasional brain farts.

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Third attempt was today...


It didn't start well. I have a cold and haven't slept for two nights in a row. As I arrived at the school to pick up the bike and for the last minute practise it started raining.


Yet, bizarrely, this morning's ride to work on my CBF125 just seemed to 'work'. The bike felt agile and stable rather than jerky and wobbly as it sometimes does, and all the way there I felt like a motorcyclist, rather than just some bloke who had gone out and bought himself a motorbike. And at least I now know the routine so the nerves aren't quite so bad.


I arrived at the school, swapped from my own bike onto the GS500 and within a few minutes it felt comfy. My slalom, fig-8 and U-turn were all a bit wobbly, but I'd always passed them before and didn't want to spend too much time on them, given that I'd failed both previous tests by kicking one of the blue cones on the swerve.


I mentioned this to one of the instructors who gave me a top tip: if it's a swerve to the left, head a little to the right of centre and start turning as, or even before, you reach the speed trap. That way smooths out the turn and makes it almost a straight line, bearing in mind there's plenty of room the other side of the cones to bring the bike back in before stopping.


His advice was spot-on and I did it just fine time after time in training, only clipping a cone once.


The test centre was just a couple of minutes up the road, but my coffee was just wearing off as I arrived. Despite that, the test went well enough and my swerve felt really good. We got to the end and the examiner told me I'd only done it at 49 kph and had to do it again...


Hints of deja-vu here, I had the same happen on my first test (48 kph). But I managed to keep it together and do a slightly untidy but nevertheless passable swerve at 55 kph second time through.


Just one minor, poor observation on the U-turn, apparently. I'm sure deep down there's a reason why I should care about this, but for now it eludes me. Fact is, for a couple of minutes I was the happiest man alive :cheers:


Mod 2 training and test are booked for next week :P

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I failed my Mod 1 on Tuesday gone, and am rebooked for tomorrow at 10:50am. My test centre charged me £160 for the resit!


Training went well before the initial test, I was spot on with all parts of the test including the avoidance.


On the test day we got there and there was a guy already on and he clipped the blue cone on the avoidance, then the another guy messed his U-Turn but did everything else good...


Me..well, I don’t quite know what happened, but I know that I hit the blue cone and it went flying in the air! Gutted...had to rebook which cost an arm and a let from where I am taking my training..


I have looked at all the Youtube Vid’s this was the best:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A459jXZD ... C0D279DE2C


I was thinking maybe you can not see the blue cones till you get to the speed trap?


Will let you know how I get on tommrow

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Hi All!

Thought I might say Hi to everyone though was hoping to be a bit further along before I started chatting...

So far I've failed the Module 1 test 3 :roll: :oops: times..twice for padding down on the slalom and then the third time for getting the blue cone to fly on the swerve (after doing the slalom perfectly LOL). Was looking for some good advice on the swerve (like the hedgehog idea..) as I always feel like my arms lock up right before I go into it..no problems with speed though :D

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Passed 2nd time...was a dry day sunny day....


I realised why i failed on the swerve 1st time around - i simply was not looking and got distracted...


After you come out of the bend gental acceleration from 20mph to 35mph, close the throttle after you pass the first set of red cones and you have more then enough time to get the swerve in and right....


In the rain it maybe little difficult..but in the dry..very easy... 8-)


Mod two booked for Wednesday... :cheers:

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  • 4 weeks later...

Passed my Mod 1 this morning. I am officially a very happy bunny.


After reading all the horror stories on the internet about the new test, I have to say, after passing the test today, I don't see what the big deal is! The test area is huge with nice tarmac. They are also pretty generous with the cone spacing as well... loads of room to manouver.


But, I did pass my CBT in March and have been riding around on my YBR since then, so I have had a lot of experience (5,000 miles or so) before attempting mod 1 (only because I can't afford DAS or the time off work). I think if I had done the direct access it might be more of a challenge.


Had to re-do the swerve test part, having failed to get a high enough speed. But second attempt, revving the nut off my little bike = job done :lol: My advice for 125 riders - don't stop accelerating until you are on top of the speed trap thing.


Mod 2 booked for this Wednesday, bring it on :D

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So, after passing my CBT in May and doing 3k on my YBR, I finally committed to doing training for my full license. Went for module 1 test yesterday and nearly failed before getting on the bike! I hadnt noticed that the training centre had put Ms instead of Miss on my CBT certificate. Apparently, the examiner could have refused me the test and sent me to get the CBT cert re-written! Fortunately he agreed to overlook this detail.


Last Saturday I had a practice test at a similar DSA site, and failed to get up to speed on the bend. There's something I dont like about accelerating around a bend between cones within a metre of a fence. I got all the other manoeuvres sorted, but just not the speed. Left bends for some reason feel a lot easier than right bends!?


I had about 60% confidence in my ability to pass module 1. I upped that to 70% after the examiner showed me the circuit with a left bend :) . I found the manual handling easy going slowly and leaning the bike towards me. The slalom was fine (so much easier on a 500 than a 125) and the figure of 8 was ok trying to use as much space as possible. First attempt at the swerve manoeuvre was too slow (49kph!), but the swerve itself is nothing to worry about. The u-turn was much easier than when practised on the road. I nearly mucked up the slow ride with a fair amount of wobbling. I think my nerves and shaking hands were doing my clutch control any favours! Emergency stop was ok too, just made sure I focused on applying brakes and clutch at the right time and not panicking. I eventually got the speeds up for the bends (52 and 55 :D ) but moving across the the side of the site sooner to get a better starting position. Gently accelerating throughout the bend, then ramping up the acceleration until reaching the speed trap.


I think the concerns over the safety of the test are overly hyped up by the media. I think that the speed requirement would be difficult to achieve safely on a smaller bike in wet conditions and that maybe if the speed cannot be reduced to 30mph, there could be a longer straight section for more acceleration.


Looking forward to module 2 on the 30th...freedom from L plates in sight!

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Passed my Mod 1 today :) 2 Minors, both for observations. Apparently I didnt check my shoulders after the emergency stop but I could have sworn I did... The other one was for not checking my shoulders when setting off after the U turn for the "slow ride". I admit to that one - totally forgot.


The surface was quite wet when we got there which was a bit of a bummer but didnt seem to make a big difference (apparently they have 'special' tarmac that gives more grip but I dont know how true that is). I was under my speed for the first avoidance test, so I had to do it again and ended up going almost too fast - I had to actually slam the brakes on quite hard to stop in the box after it, which I dont normally have to do when I've been practising. I just looked at my test sheet and it says I was doing 61 kmph for the second avoidance one so thats probably why :)


Felt really sorry for the guy who went before me, he did everything fine but just failed because he didnt go fast enough for the avoidance (he got another chance but didnt go fast enough again). Must be annoying knowing that you didnt actually do anything wrong but you still failed.


Mod 2 booked for a week on Thursday :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Passed my Module 1 this morning!!


Got to the test centre at 7.30 am for an 8am start!! The Examiner wasn't there so we took the opportunity to sneak in a few warm ups on the avoidance first. Once I was called into the room and all the paperwork checked we then started the test.


I was shaking so hard I thought I would drop the bike during the manual handling but I managed to keep it together and complete the manoeuvres.


Went 53 on the avoidance and then 59 on the E-Stop. When I finished the examiner goes 'Now you should have done that last time!!!' as it was the same guy I failed with last time.


Needless to say I'm a very happy bunny right now!!

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I PASSED TOO :mrgreen:



Got there at 9:15 for a 9:30 appointment, ride there was great, spoke to a few people whist i was there (one woman who rides bikes also) and watched another guy attempt his mod1 ( he passed too).


This time i made it easy on my self be backing the bike in (last time i didnt as was in a rush)


Got out did everything 100%, 50km on both parts. No faults :cheers:


Was a much better start today, hence a pass :D


Tip: Always try to start the day off as best you can, leave with plenty of time, make sure you have everything sorted the night before, and get as much practice in as you can- U -turns, slow ride and avoiding man hole covers at 30mph is what I did. - I managed to get the U turn in half the distance given :lol: Oh and dont take the corner before the e-stop / avoidance too fast and do it in second gear !




/rant





:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

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  • 2 weeks later...

Passed this first time, couple of weeks ago.


Got two minors, one for the slow ride, mucked up the beginning and was all over the place for a few seconds, other one for the manual handling, not sure why... Well it was right at the beginning so I was shaking and couldn't get the side stand ¬_¬

So I'm not sure if it's because I didn't get the bike fully in the parking bay... And if it's cause of that it's pretty annoying, it's such a stupid thing to get one for... But the examiner made some comment about how I'd've found it much easier if I put it into neutral instead of trying to move it with the clutch pulled in. Thing is I was using some shitty bike on hire from my training place, and the instructors themselves have said it's really hard to get into neutral, but I didn't wanna sound like I was making excuses.


Anyway, umm.... U-Turn, slalom and fig-8 and emergency stop fine (59kph).

Had to do the avoidance twice, was one, ONE(!!!!) kph too slow on the first go. If they'd use SENSIBLE measurements on this (AKA mph) it'd've been fine >_< But anyway, second go I was up to 59kph.

Didn't bother to check the speedo, as soon as I was round the bend wacked it into 3rd gear and went full throttle.


Got lucky with the weather being alright, although I heard that they're not doing it in the rain anymore. Also, the day I did it was the last day at that place before they moved to some new multi-purpose centre, so the place I went had a longer run up to the speed trap, looks like it's be a difficult job on a 125 at the new place.


So yeah, was nothing too difficult, though still a pointless change I reckon... Because from what I've heard, as far as stats go, this new test hasn't made any difference whatsoever to accident rates.

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