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tests seem a bit harsh


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hi guys,

I know im going get some stick for writing this as I have not passed my test yet however I got my mod 1 test tomorrow.

I notice that quite a few people are failing the test for putting a foot down during the u turn during the mod 1 test. I thought the mod 1 test is about safely handling the bike how can putting a foot down in a u turn be dangerous??. your not putting any other road use in danger or yourself!! also you have to do it from a rolling start why?, ive been driving 39 yrs ( jcb on roads, lorries ect) and have never ever seen anyone do u turn without stopping at the kerb first. doing a u turn as long as you are not a danger to other road users, fall of or hit the curb why fail you?. I don't mean having your foot down constantly throughout the manoeuvre or using your foot like a paddle if you just dab your foot once why do you get failed??. (by the way on my mod 1 training I never once put a foot down on any manoeuvre) im just curious as to why its such a cardinal sin to do so.?.


emergency stop I get, the swerve I get the going in and out of cones I get figure of 8 why? never seen a situation where you have to do a figure of 8 manoeuvre on a public road. walking pace speed I get that too. but the u turn foot down fail I don't.

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If you have to out a foot down youre not controlling the bike properly since a properly controled bike will balance without the need of a foot down..

Ever pulled up in a petrol station, stopped, put your foot down and slipped on diesel? Putting a foot down won't always save you..

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Try doing a U-turn straight from a stand still without rolling forwards first and let us know how that goes :thumb:. If you’re putting your foot down you’re not in control of the bike. Mod 1 is mostly a load of BS but it’s designed to show you can control a bike and things like a figure of 8, slaloms and u-turns are all good ways of showing how well you can control a bike.

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Mod1 is basically about two things: 1) emergency stop and swerve, and 2) slow-speed control. So the U-turn, the figure of 8 and all that stuff are there to test how well you can control the bike at slow speeds. And like Joeman says, if you need to put your foot down, it's a sign that you're not controlling the bike very well.

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As above, i failed for putting a foot down, by the time I passed my slow control was much better, you may never do a u turn but you will do plenty of slow sharp turns in much worse places than the test center, they just want to know you have reached a certain level of bike control and they have to do it somehow.

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I failed my first one (going back 12 years) when a car shot round the corner and had to brake and wait while I finished the turn. I don't know what it's like now, but we had to go on the public roads to do all that shizz. Basically, he got me on 'causing an obstruction', or something.


The examiner picked the worst road to do it, because there was no way to possibly predict that some nutter would come hounding from round the corner.


Anyway, why are you worrying about putting your foot down? You need to be in full control of the bike.

Let off the clutch slowly, keep your eyes fixed on where you want the bike to go, rotate the bars, and sit relaxed as possible while the bike does the work. Easy peasy.


I don't like seeing bikers dangling their feet everywhere. If something snags your foot then you could end up in a bit of bother.

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just to clarify fellas I can do a u turn from a rolling start and I never have had to put a foot down. I get what your saying I still think a minor would suffice rather than a fail though as you haven't dropped the bike lost control of or put anyone in danger.


another thing I find harsh is getting a minor for stalling on the emergency stop, surely the object of the emergency stop is to stop the bike safely in a controlled manor , if you can achieve this why penalise you for not pulling in the clutch , you have stopped the bike in the allotted distance without dropping it or swerving or locking up. you have done exactly what the manoeuvre requires you to do and that's bring the bike to a stop in an emergency. ( I can do an emergency stop correctly without stalling it by the way) I just think a minor for a stall is not necessary. in reality if some clown pulls out in front of you from a side road and you only got a split second to react your reaction is to stop whether you don't.. pull in the clutch in is in my view should not be frowned upon as long as you stop!! an emergency stop is surely to test your reaction time.

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If you have to out a foot down youre not controlling the bike properly since a properly controled bike will balance without the need of a foot down..

Ever pulled up in a petrol station, stopped, put your foot down and slipped on diesel? Putting a foot down won't always save you..

 

I would notice the rainbow effect or the dark patch before I decided to pull up at that pump and use another lol, ( remember your training ) lol :mrgreen:

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just to clarify fellas I can do a u turn from a rolling start and I never have had to put a foot down. I get what your saying I still think a minor would suffice rather than a fail though as you haven't dropped the bike lost control of or put anyone in danger.


another thing I find harsh is getting a minor for stalling on the emergency stop, surely the object of the emergency stop is to stop the bike safely in a controlled manor , if you can achieve this why penalise you for not pulling in the clutch , you have stopped the bike in the allotted distance without dropping it or swerving or locking up. you have done exactly what the manoeuvre requires you to do and that's bring the bike to a stop in an emergency. ( I can do an emergency stop correctly without stalling it by the way) I just think a minor for a stall is not necessary. in reality if some clown pulls out in front of you from a side road and you only got a split second to react your reaction is to stop whether you don't.. pull in the clutch in is in my view should not be frowned upon as long as you stop!! an emergency stop is surely to test your reaction time.

There's no point in stopping a bike if it won't stay stopped. If you've grabbed a handful of brake and inadvertently pulled back the throttle without pulling in the clutch as soon as you let go the brake the bike could lurch forward. The test is to ensure that you will remain safe in real situations after you have passed.

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If you have to out a foot down youre not controlling the bike properly since a properly controled bike will balance without the need of a foot down..

Ever pulled up in a petrol station, stopped, put your foot down and slipped on diesel? Putting a foot down won't always save you..

 

I would notice the rainbow effect or the dark patch before I decided to pull up at that pump and use another lol, ( remember your training ) lol :mrgreen:

 

Its the ones you don’t see that get ya.

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Different countries and regions have different testing procedures and different passing thresholds.


If you tested in say central London, the pass rates are much lower than if you were up far north. This could extend to "if you tested in the UK, pass rates are much lower than in eastern Europe."


I have to admit that after having gone through the mod 1 and 2 tests recently that the tests here are significantly harder versions of the tests back in my home country. That being said, the quality of drivers and riders here are much better.

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That being said, the quality of drivers and riders here are much better.

 

Holy shit how bad are they back home!?!? :lol:

 

Very few drivers over there have situational awareness. Even the ones who obey the law right down to the letter can be oblivious of their surroundings. Over here, people are a lot more aware of their surroundings.


Even sitting here typing this makes me glad I am riding over here as opposed to playing in the minefield back at home.


Over here, drivers and riders are taught much better habits (use of mirrors) and to add, there are more considerations with respect to motorcycles (filtering legal), so I think the drivers here are being held to a higher standard.

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  • 1 month later...
never seen a situation where you have to do a figure of 8 manoeuvre on a public road.

 

I suppose if you went the wrong way on entering a double mini roundabout and realized in time you would be doing one.


There is a small-ish roundabout near me where the left exit is so close that a sign directs traffic to go all the way around, so not quite a full figure-8 but a large part of one. It just avoids the wide u-turn to get into position for another.


(Mind the roundabout is light controlled and traffic is usually backed up that you could safely just do the left turn on a bike anyway, there is no sign actively prohibiting it.)


Also, figure-8s are fun.

 

another thing I find harsh is getting a minor for stalling on the emergency stop, surely the object of the emergency stop is to stop the bike safely in a controlled manor , if you can achieve this why penalise you for not pulling in the clutch , you have stopped the bike in the allotted distance without dropping it or swerving or locking up. you have done exactly what the manoeuvre requires you to do and that's bring the bike to a stop in an emergency.

 

Phew, you stopped in just before you hit the deer, but now it has gone and that lorry behind you cannot stop fast enough, quick move, quickly, why is your bike not moving you are in danger, get out of the way…


Obviously though you are not doing what the manoeuvre requires if the manoeuvre also requires you not to stall. You are confusing it with what you think it should be.


All the "when will this matter on the road" misses the point that mod 1 is, as you describe it, a manoeuvres test. It is not about testing what you need to do on the road, but about showing you have various skills and control of the bike so that you can apply these on the road.


Putting your foot down when the bike is moving is always unsafe, even if it is something we all do and almost always never have a problem by it. But if you have to do that it shows you do not have control of the bike. Taking a foot off the peg you lose stability, and then putting it on the ground there are any number of reasons your foot could slip or get caught on the bike. You are creating an unnecessary hazard, so absolutely that should be a fail.


The point of all the tests from CBT to mod 2 is only to demonstrate a skillset so that instructors or examiners can assume you are able to take care of yourself and not risk others. It does not matter if you have to do them, only that you can, because every situation in the road is different so you cannot learn specific responses.


Although there is no traffic coming, so you can safely u-turn, the sound of you bike has scared a squirrel which has darted across the road, and then you go to put your foot down… Well you better pick the bike up quickly because now that stupid lorry driver is back. (Admittedly you may have hit the squirrel anyway, but why increase the risk?)


And not stalling and whist doing an emergency stop so you can quickly move away from a danger from behind was something I was taught on the CBT, let alone it being required for mod 1. We were taught it as: stop, mirror, mirror, move to safety.

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