Module 2 - members test experiences

good for you, well done [mention]sammym[/mention] . Keep aware of what's going on around you at all times. There are so many plonkers in cages on the road these days. This morning going into work a white van did a u turn right in front of me without any warning or indication. He really pissed off another white van coming up quickly behind him. Fortunately I was behind both and had plenty of time to react.

Firstly thank you to everyone who has posted their experience and stories on here. I read every single post on the run up to my Mod 2 test and it really helped the nerves and what to expect.

Here is my long long account of my Mod 2 experience.

I did my Mod 2 on Tuesday at 8:20 and glad to say I passed first time with 3 minors!

I've gone thought my training fairly quickly, CBT on the 25th March, Mod 1 (Second Attempt) on the 1st May and then Mod 2 just. Mainly doing an hour or two at the weekend to practice my bike control and safety. Driving for 10 years gave me road experience and a edge I suppose over brand new learners?

Had an hour riding in the morning before the test (with another guy doing his test at 9:20). This helped massively, got me use to the bike again, calmed the nerves and had a really good ride. I didn't know where the test centre was as Mod 1 was done in Burton Upon Trent, not in Newcastle-Under-Lyme and I had never done "the test routes" either so it was all abit new, but I like to think because I didn't know the roads / area it kept me more focused instead of assuming things.

I had an examiner called Steve who at first seemed serious and moody, but I think he was ex-miltary / ex-police and just had that tone about him. Sitting down to sign the paperwork and asked the safety questions, he put my mind at ease, abit of banter about his equipment (we had the same gloves and jacket, but his were better as his are paid for...) . Eye sight test done and we were on the bikes. (Safety Questions were Kill Switch, Tyre Depth and Carrying a Pillion).

We started the independent ride incredibly quickly, but the radio and instructions were given in good time, I'd never done independent riding with my instructor (Not a problem to me) but it was kind of freeing being able to make my own decisions. He gave some instructions during this, which I thought was odd, but i'm not complaining.

During the independent ride I had to pull over twice, once behind a car and a normal one (didn't have to do a specific hillstart, but i think because those occurred naturally), these were all fine and Traffic was on my side even tho it was rush hour traffic.

My first minor and one I knew about was Clutch control on a hill, right hand turn, across traffic lights. Lights went yellow and then someone went quickly thought the other way so were red by the time I could go, and had to go because I was way over the line. Gave it abit too much and Jerky. Silly but nevermind.

I thought I completed stuffed the test shortly after that tho. Stopping at a giveway from a minor to a major. Coming to a controlled stop, rear braking. and for whatever reason, I took my right foot off the brake and put both feet on the ground while the bike was still rolling?! I have no idea why I did that, but then jerky stopped with the front brake. I thought that was game over but it was never mentioned by the examiner. So took the advice from the forum that even if you think you've messed it up, just carry on as normal. However he did pull along side me shortly after and asked if everything was ok? So I started over thinking what that meant!

The only other strange thing to happen was I had to move to a right hand land in grid locked traffic. He was clear we had to go that way as he wanted me on the dual carriage way. I crawled in the left lane for a while, before finding a small ish space infront of a John Lewis Lorry. I dumped the bike in that gap. I was WAY too close to the car in front in my opinion, but needs must. The instructor managed to squeeze behind me and thanked the Lorry driver. He then did something weird and I'd never read about. He said follow me... So I thought ah... I've royally messed it up now. He filtered down the right hand side (between the car and pavement (one way system). I had to walk the bike (both feet on the ground) around the car because I was close and it was a tight gap between the car and kerb. But as soon as I cleared it I was back on the bike normally and he told me to over take again and off we went like normal.

And then before I knew it we were back at the test centre. Bike parked and in the waiting room. He asked he how it went and I just said I think it went ok, but maybe could have been better but didn't want to say anything else (I'd read about people talking themselves into Minors, and the guy who was doing his test after me did exactly that!!) So I sat for what felt like 10 minutes waiting to hear the words, unfortunately you've failed, and then all I remember is him shaking my hand and saying congratulations!!

Explained about my minors, I picked up my other 2 literally in the last 30 seconds of the test. I went too close to a kerb avoiding a pot hole (Ok fine... Better to go close to the kerb than the wrong side of the road? I've had a Bike hit my car doing that before) and then minor for steering back into the test centre, again avoiding pot holes! If only they'd fixed them I'd have come away with only 1 minor but never mind. I'm chuffed to bits.

The test was over in a flash, and was... enjoyable which was surprising. And 100x better than the Mod 1.

The ride back to my instructors (Stoke Motorcycle Training - Who I would absolutely recommend to everyone in the area, Ken is amazing!) was free'ing... No radio. He went ahead and me and the other guy just followed. It was my first time on the CB 650 F without instruction and it felt right!

Now bike shopping at the weekend to hopefully buy myself a nice Yamaha MT-07!

Nice write up, well done

Well Done!

Its also Really nice to know you read other posts and joined just to let them know it helped

Well done, the ride back without instruction is great.

I've done two module 2 tests as I failed my first one

First experience

Arrived at test centre ready and raring to go, instructor was rather cold if I'm honest and didn't really seem all that interested, he seemed like the sort of man who hated everything in his life and didn't want to live anymore, that aside, I don't think he failed me because he was a miserable bugger, he failed me cos I made a stupid error, that being said, I did feel like he was focused a lot less on my actual riding ability as opposed to me following all my observations etc etc. I ended up failing because on a roundabout I ended up accidentally straddling two lanes because there were no visible road markings and I simply didn't have enough experience in using large roundabouts, I also had 7 minors for a mixture of things, all of them being silly things that just needed ironing out. I was disappointed but realised my mistake and booked another days training so I could fully bash out the roundabouts and get em sorted (Special thanks to West London Motorcycle Training, honestly couldn't have done it without em, they were fantastic in training me up and getting me ready for my test, they have a fantastic bunch of instructors there.)

Second experience

This instructor was a lot more friendly, I was nervous as f**k this time round because I'd failed once already and knew how much I needed to pass this time round, either way, he was a really friendly bloke, had a nice laugh with him before we headed off which was nice and calming for me. The bloke didn't seem too focused on me getting every single question answered with a 28,000 paragraph essay on the show me tell me questions, he just wanted a nice basic understanding which worked for me. On the actual test I performed a lot better and the bloke helped me out a lot along the way making sure I understood everything he said. He took me around a roundabout near the end which was actually worse than the one I started on, thankfully, my intstructor had already taken me round this one to allow me to practice roundabouts where I did my test (Uxbridge test centre) - This one had about 5-6 lanes to it and was a f**king hell of a lot more confusing than the original one, luckily though, I'd been round it and knew where I was going, I had to follow road signs to Slough which I did and even though I almost missed my turning I saved it nice and safely which the instructor seemed fine on. Once I got back he told me to go wait inside which is the one thing I was fearing as that's the exact same sentence the previous instructor said to me before he took me in and told me I'd failed. It's safe to say I was nervous as f**k. Luckily he came in and told me that I'd passed with 3 minors, two of which were for following distance on a HGV, he told me that I was technically following at a safe distance, however, the HGV drivers wouldn't have been able to see me, so I should have been sitting to the left or right of the truck to make sure I was visible in his mirrors, the last was for incorrectly following road signs. I was happy and relieved to have passed it and I'm even more pleased that I'd not come out with any serious issues with my riding.

I'm glad I passed and happy with my riding ability, I notice how much of a difference there is between my riding ability prior to this test and the one before it. Granted I'm not obviously checking my mirrors every 2 seconds when I'm simply sitting there in traffic, but I definitely feel like I'm a better rider now.

Well I’ve got a good story from my first ever mod 2 attempt From Thursday,

Got to the test center in Letchworth, nerves start kicking in.

Waiting outside double checking I’ve got all the paperwork, my card part, etc

Examiner comes out, has a brief chat with my teacher about business ect, walks off to a small table and asks me to check the addresses on the card and everything else - all okay.

Here’s your radio, get all your gear on at I’ll meet you at the top of the car park.

Get dressed, walk over ‘read the red car number plate,’

A lot closer than I thought and passed.

Can you tell me the what you should look for when checking your tyres?

- 1mm thread, no cuts, bulges ect

Nailed it

What should you adjust when carrying a pillion?

- suspension, tyre pressure

Nailed it

Can you show me how to use the horn?

Easy peasey !

Press the horn.... nothing.

Rapidly press the horn,

Nothing

Thought right okay maybe ignition needs to be on...

Try again, nothing,

Try rapidly,... nothing

Right I’ll turn the f**king bike on!

Rapid pressing .... nothing

At this point the teacher and examiner both come over, and try for them selves but to the sane result.

Both start fiddling with cables And have abit of a knock about, nothing

Examiner looks at me and just says sorry, I’ll have to end the test

My heart sinks, I look at my teacher thinking he’s winding me up, he shrugs and just gives me a look to say he’s serious.

I get pissed off, but said to the examiner okay I get it, I guess it’s just one of those things...

Teachers still fiddling around and all of a sudden - Beeeeep!!

Examiner smiles runs to his car, and says raise your hand when you can hear me though the radio!

Off he runs, I raise my arm and then out we go!!!

Passed the test with only 1 minor - which was for the horn because I failed to demonstrate it first time!

So dead pleased !!

Oh, I’m addition to the above, whilst on the test I was in the left hand lane going straight over at a large roundabout - slowed down from 70 to 15-20 and right at the last possible second a mini cuts from the right hand lane, into the left just on the round about forcing me to swerve left really tight and close to the kerb!!

Heart was going mental, said to the examiner back at the Center did he see it, said yeah they were a complete dickhead but I handled it well

Oh, I’m addition to the above, whilst on the test I was in the left hand lane going straight over at a large roundabout - slowed down from 70 to 15-20 and right at the last possible second a mini cuts from the right hand lane, into the left just on the round about forcing me to swerve left really tight and close to the kerb!!

Heart was going mental, said to the examiner back at the Center did he see it, said yeah they were a complete dickhead but I handled it well

you should have honked at them but top stuff on the pass keep it shiny side up

Passed my Mod 2 today. First time and was actually a lot easier than I expected as only last weekend I was thinking about postponing it.

Cannot thank Ken my instructor enough

Well done

Well Done Guys

Good stuff!

Well done chaps

Well, today was the day for my mod 2 test and pleased to say I passed first time! 4 rider faults mostly for road position on turns at junctions, and I thought I missed a 20mph road sign and thought I was speeding, but luckily I wasn't. Examiner did say I passed by the skin of my teeth but I still passed! Can't wait to buy a bike now.

A big thanks to Dave at DRS based in ilkeston in Derbyshire, a great instructor and can't recommend him enough

Big congrats. Skin of the teeth or not a pass is a pass!

Well done [mention]Staffy[/mention] What bike are you going for?

Thanks all! To be fair the examiner was really good and gave me some constructive criticism.

Ideally I'd like an r6 or r1, it just depends on the insurance. But I've always want a sports bike since I was young so I'd be happy with anything like that

Well done, bike shopping is great

Any tips or tricks on cancelling indicators? I’ve done my utmost to remember to cancel them and I’ve improved but I still forget. Feel fairly certain I’m not gonna fail my mod 2 on it and need to crack it anyway before I get myself wiped out!

When you are changing lanes, do not take your thumb off the switch. This also works for many left turns.

Otherwise, it is just what I said in the other thread. You need to make it a habit, part of the process of going around a corner, just like pushing the bars, so it is entirely subconscious. You should not have to remember they are on to know to cancel them, you just do it anyway regardless of whether they are. Straighten up, turn them off.

If it is still that much of a problem, maybe you are not ready to take the test yet?

When you start out changing gear is a really complicated manoeuvre, in your head you have to go through half a dozen steps (throttle off, clutch in, gear lever, blip throttle, clutch out, slowly, throttle on) but eventually it just also merges into a single action with your hands and foot working together.

Cancelling the indicators is no different, it just gets easier and more automatic with experience.

And as with the gears, there is no shame in getting that experience before taking the tests, it is the reason the CBT exists. The indicators may seem a trivial thing compared to actually riding, but it is about your safety and that of other road users. So it is just as important as being able to change gears. But you would not rush into taking your tests before you can do that, so why should working the indicators be different?

To be clear, I am not saying you personally think of them that way. You already said you understand the importance of them, not just as a necessity for the test. So that is mainly aimed at anyone else reading who may have the same problem.

But if you are not ready and need more time to make cancelling them automatic, then the best advice is simply to get more experience and do the test when you are. Just as you would with working the gears.

That’s tricky because I have very small hands and can’t simply stretch out a thumb to cover the indicators, I have to move my hand away from the grip so of course I return my hand to a sensible position so I have control of the bars during the manoeuvre and that is where the indicator thought gets lost.

I can just as easily get myself splatted on a 125 as I can anything bigger, CBT or full licence the oncoming vehicle couldn’t care less on what licence I’m riding or what bike, all it will see is my flippin uncancelled indicator!

Maybe I’m not be ready but everything else has come together nicely, smooth, fluid and automatic without need for any conscious thought of the mechanical processes involed. There’s no point cancelling the test now as I will lose the ££ I may as well go along for the experience. Tis a tad depressing. On the upside I have just been out for two hours and didn’t forget to cancel so perhaps there’s a light at the end etc

PASSED mod 2

Nice ride, sunny emptyish roads, thought Id completely cocked it up at the start so relaxed for the rest of the ride and it all went well. Examiner said it was almost perfect just slightly late cancelling one indicator but it was nothing to worry about Was a surprise as was certain Id failed!

Cracked the cancelling the indicator thing by sticking out my pinky, cos its an effort to keep it sticking it out I always remember to cancel. Very Happy

well done [mention]Slowlycatchymonkey[/mention]

I can just as easily get myself splatted on a 125 as I can anything bigger, CBT or full licence the oncoming vehicle couldn’t care less on what licence I’m riding or what bike, all it will see is my flippin uncancelled indicator!

And your L-plates. Which is why you have them, so that other traffic knows you will do stupid things and be more careful around you. Same as the reason why cars have drivers.

Besides, you should wait until someone turns regardless of their indicators. If you are involved in a collision because someone was wrongly indicating and you pulled out expecting them to turn, you will be regarded by a court (if it comes to it) as sharing responsibility for the accident.

Also, if your are still learning and have problems then go out early in the morning and stick to quiet roads until you are able to ride safely.

Anyway, congratulations.