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Module 1 - members test experiences


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Hi! This forum has been so useful in my training that I feel I have to post my experiences in the hope it'll help somebody in the future.


At the age of 43, (and after 25ish years of driving cars), I decided motorcycling was for me off the back of a conversation with a friend who was starting the DAS process. I knew I didn't want to do a week long course and buy a ridiculously powerful bike as I saw them, so I decided on Plan A: spend the winter on a 125cc bike and think about the test next year.


I booked a CBT, bought some gear and waited for what felt like a million years. Finally the day came and I was sitting on a geared motorcycle. I remember starting it up and being surprised at how growly a 125cc bike sounds, (when you're sat on it). The weather had gone mad and we spent the morning trying to ride around cones in 40mph winds. I took a fair few goes to pull away nicely, looking back I think I was just not releasing the back brake, but throughout the morning became more and more confident. The biggest lesson was aiming my head to set a target and really steering to lock to do u-turns and figure of eights. The ride was called off due to conditions and so we returned the next morning. A couple of minutes riding in the training area before we headed out, with me in front! We did a full 2 hours but it felt like minutes. I will never forget hitting my first 60mph road - with cars flying past in the opposite direction at a combined speed of 120mph... Ride went okay, certificate issued and I started to look for a 125cc bike and get some miles under my belt, wait for spring and start the rest of the process...


I bought a Yamaha YBR, which I absolutely love, and practiced and practiced and practiced. I'd ride around after work, finding the most awkward junctions in town, if I ever thought that way is more difficult, I'd go that way. Sometimes I'd just do laps of blocks, practicing right hand turns from minor to major, major to minor roads. Ten laps of a block worked out to be 2 of each type of right turn and it didn't take long to feel like I had a lot more time. To begin with I was rushing, going too fast, and making a complete mess of things!


I'd also go out in the countryside, which really is where I felt I'd spend most of my time once I got my license. I watched a million youtube videos on cornering, and started practicing countersteering. I really can't stress enough how important it is to start out slow and build up confidence on roads you know. It doesn't take long. Just keep going around the same roads. I remember really disliking the wind to begin with, it was so off-putting. But you just get used to it after a while. Stay relaxed and the bike deals with it itself.


Progress started to slow. I was confident. But I had only been riding for 6 weeks, not 6 months, which was Plan A. Ah well, what harm could doing my theory do? Well, some, as I was caught speeding on the way! 36 in a 30 which I thought was a 40! The speed awareness course just became more training 😅. I got an app and went through an endless array of questions, then tried the hazard perception test, which felt impossible to start with. After trying all the videos it became a lot easier. I managed to answer all the questions correctly and got a pretty high score on the hazard tests. Great! Step 2 of 4 complete, I no longer have to think about the theory test.


As soon as the weight of the impending theory test is lifted... Mod 1 enters my mind. I watch video after video. It's so intimidating! Foot down, FAIL! Hit a cone.. FAIL!! There's a speed trap!! And, it's all on the fabled 'big bike'. Which at this point are a complete mystery, they look far too big to control! I ride around on the YBR for a few days and then think... what harm could getting the Mod 1 out of the way do? I book it! 6 week wait...


I re-watch all the videos. I watch the motojitsu dude... I buy some cones and scour google maps for office car parks I can use at the weekends. I take my cones and lay out the slalom and figure of eight! This is it! Time to put some work in!! I ready myself. Set off... and... go round all the cones and end up doing endless figures of eight. Hmmm, this is somewhat easier than I thought. All the practice in traffic seems to have paid off. But, I kinda felt a bit let down. I was still in awe of the mod 1 test, it still seemed really difficult and this wasn't making me feel any better.


I had booked a 2 day course, training on day 1, bit of training and the test on day 2. Checked the email, test in Kettering...!? The training centre was in Coventry. That's over an hours ride away.. check the weather.. about 3 degrees! And there's a long dual carriageway to get there! I've not been on a dual carriageway on a bike yet!! Too many things to think about! I decide to try out dual carriageways on the YBR, with a ride to Stratford. Well, that was an experience. I don't really recommend it as 70mph is entirely dependent on forces beyond your control, but at least I've demystified the dual carriageway, and in fact they are very easy on a bike, you feel like you have loads of room!


The day arrives. Mod 1 training. What's the instructor going to be like? Please let them be nice! I turn up and instructor Suzie is fitting new mirrors to one of her training bikes. Within moments the conversation is flowing, everything is cool, other student turns up, also easy conversation, atmosphere good, let's get on with it!


Brief run through what we're going to do, cup of tea, then gear on, out to the bikes that have been warming up. A pair of Suzuki Gladiuses, (Gladiusii??).


We do the manual handling. These bikes are so heavy! I quickly decided to do straight back, u-turn with handlebars, straight back as it was less strenuous and gave lots of chances to look around.


Then I get on the bike. Oh, it's massive. Foot controls are in a different place to what I'm used to. Weird! Start it up.. Oh wow, the engine note is so deep, it's fantastic. Time to just set off and ride around the training area.. Pull away, and head for some cones. Weave around a couple of cones and feel like big bikes are some kind of in-joke. The bike is a million times more stable than a 125. Confidence jumps!


I do the slalom and figure of 8. No problem. Picking the point you want to cross the figure of 8 is the important bit. You want to hit the X going both ways:


S S S S S B X B


Things are going great, let's try the u-turn! It's only a part of the figure of 8, what's the fuss? Well, for me, the u-turn was the end of level boss of the Mod 1. A mental battle that I was not winning. Training and instruction was great, but I just could not turn the bike tight enough, I'd stop turning half way. I was a metre wide at times. Also, it's far easier if you go faster, 6-7mph rather than the 4 for slalom, but I kept killing the speed! The weirdest thing was turning around to try again I could do it fine, it's just when the lines were there I'd stop turning!?


We finished the low speed stuff and headed over town to a bigger facility that we could to the high speed stuff at. A ride on town and country roads on a big bike. And it was amazing. The power of a 650cc engine is phenomenal! Once you're going it really is no different to ride than a 125. You just twist the throttle less. The heaviness melts away as soon as it's moving.


High speed course. We start out with just trying to hit a low speed at the speed trap. Our course is smaller than the real thing and it's quite tricky to begin with, but progress is made.


Then the emergency brake. We have ABS so there's no worry about locking up the wheels. It's mainly an exercise in getting to speed and not putting the clutch in too early. One attempt I put the bike back in first gear which is not necessary.


Then the swerve! I had been weaving around manhole covers at 30mph on the YBR in anticipation. Wondering how much worse if would be... Well, the swerve was a non-event. You only really swerve out, then meander your way back. And you can sort of angle your way through so there's not all that much swerve in the first place.


We then do a whole mock test to standard. Which is hugely confidence inspiring. We just need to do this tomorrow!


Then it's the ride back, the long way. And it was fantastic, reaffirming why you're putting yourself through this process. The power, the weight... big bikes are just plain cool. Get back to the training centre, debrief, drive home. Go out on the YBR... has somebody shrunk my bike...!?? Ridiculous! 😅


Day 2, test day! It's freezing! Test centre phones to say pad is frozen, and will report back later, luckily it thaws and it's on, but this is as cold as possible.. great! All I want to practice is the u-turn. And I reckon only a quarter of the ones I did were okay. I decide to switch to slalom and figure of 8s... and start putting my foot down on the figure of 8s!!! Everything's going wrong. Suzie asks me what I'm doing different and I think I'm trying to get them as small as possible, which is unimportant. Try again, bigger circles, no problem. Back to the u-turns. Fail a few then do a couple of good ones.. lets end on a high! Although... I know I'm not great at them.


Ride over to Kettering, again, amazing! Getting more and more confident on the bike. Look in the mirrors and instructor and other student are in the distance, better slow down! Look in the mirrors later to check we're together, we are, look ahead... a pheasant in position 1, walking into the road, I ready for impact, it jumps, I duck at 60mph, pheasant clears my head by centimetres! Jeez!!


We stop off for coffee, final talk over how we're feeling then on to the test centre. I'm first. Into the office, paperwork, examiner seems nice, out to the bike.


Man tells me what to do. I get on the bike, do shoulder checks, and ride through the gates into the parking bay. Test is on!!


Manual handling is simple. Then you're on the bike, ready for the main event.


For every part I had the same routine. He'd explain the thing. I would take a moment, breathe, look into the distance.. decide to start, do observations, then do the thing.


So, slalom and figure of 8. Slalom no problem, figure of 8 super wide with the easy crossing point. Biggest worry was when to stop, but the examiner made it very clear and simple.


Slow ride to the cones. I originally though this would be tricky, but the big bike is so stable it's nothing to worry about, just keep an eye on speed.


Then.. the u-turn. With every passing second the area looks smaller and smaller. The man says to go in my own time. I do the routine. Shoulder checks, set off, move as far left as possible, get stable, should check right, look ahead, look and turn... it's going okay, I'm halfway and I'm feeling this could go either way... looking at the end of the line and I'm almost done... turn complete and I'm in the line!! Stop the bike, foot down. It's done!!! I'm super happy but also aware we're not done. If I pass this then I never have to do another test conditions u-turn ever again! Game face back on!


High speed stuff. Warm up sighter. I decide to get up to speed on the way out to the corner, as I can easily look at the speedo then and get a feel for the speed. The area is HUGE, and there's more than enough room to get up to speed. Round the corner, hit the speed trap, stop in the cones. All good.


Emergency stop. Get up to speed again on the way out, slow, take corner, get back up to speed, look at man... STOP! Man says to ride over to him - remember to do observations!! Ask if speed is okay, it is!


Swerve. Again, get up to speed on way out, come back, cones are set up far easier than in practice. Swerve, stop. Speed is okay!


Man tells me to wait there for him to open gates and wait for the car park to be clear. This was a nice touch as other people have failed on this and it feels wrong to me. He waves, I do observations, ride out and park up.


Examiner immediately tells me I have passed and a huge relief washes over me! We go to the office and he gives his feedback, 2 minors. Emergency stop could have been quicker, says to trust the brakes. And the u-turn, I got too close to the left line as I set off, but not too close to fail. Phew! He then adds some extra general riding advice and I come away with the feeling that they really do just want you to be a good safe rider.


Other student passes and we ride back to end a successful day!


Mod 1 is a huge obstacle, but most of it is a mental barrier. I think my instructor ended my training just at the right point, before I started to over think it. I absolutely recommend Suzie of Motocoastal Training/Riders Coventry. She set a relaxed atmosphere, clearly set out what we had to do and how to do it, used a few tricks that really helped, and gave excellent feedback throughout. Brilliant!


You don't really get anything for doing Mod 1, other than the chance to do Mod 2. But really, going to sleep knowing you never have to do Mod 1 ever again is the best reward. No more u-turns! 😅

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Oh, the formatting ruined my diagram! The crossing point I used was just inside the final cone. It gives you lots of room. I was trying to cross in the middle of the figure of 8 cones initially, which makes it far more difficult!

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You are obviously local to me (Sharnbrook A6 area).

Give me a shout if a run in the country with someone who has a couple of years experience would be helpful?

Also if a coffee and a chat would be of interest.

Cheers

Ian

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  • 7 months later...

Hi all,

How are you?

My name is Giorgio, I'm 47 years old, and after 20 years of not riding a bike, I went for Das (A license) just at the starting of the Coronavirus lockdown.

So, yesterday I had my Mod1 test and I was quite confident to pass, my mock test on Sunday was good. But unfortunately, I started to panic, Foot down od the figure of 8 (lost speed) and not looking over my shoulder before turning for the U-turn.

Well, what to say, glad I have found this forum, My mood got much better after starting reading your experiences.

In one week I will have a second attempt to the Mod1 test, a bit more training before that, and maybe I will start some meditation lesson to avoiding panicking again next week :)

I will let you know how it goes.


Have a greats day

Giorgio

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Just joined so thought I'd share my mod 1 experience which I passed today.

I feel this test is very mentally challenging. It's largely down to how your body responds to stress ie tensing up, causing you not to breath etc. These things cause feet to go down.

As you wake up in the morning of the test, displace any feelings of dread with those of opportunity.

You chose to do this, it's what you wanted. You've been looking forward to this day for ages and now it's here. Great that you managed to get a date for the test. Keep thinking these positive thoughts and your body will not respond with the adrenaline of fear.

The night before the test, and after every test lesson, lie with your eyes closed and run through the test in your head. From opening the gates, driving to the start point, slalom etc. Do the observations in your head too. It's like another free practice. Before each imagined routine, take a deep breath to relax.

On the day, you'll find this mental practice helps the test feel smooth and natural.

Practical tips on the day:

Take your time. Compose yourself after being told what to do for each exercise. Deep breath and shoulder check before you proceed.

Learn and use counterbalancing for slow speed. When you do the u turn, shift your shoulders to the left as you turn. Likewise as you turn in the slalom, shift your shoulders to the opposite side. This helps keep the bike upright and defies gravity's wish to topple the bike at slow speeds. If you know full well you are about to put foot down, release the clutch. It may give a jerk, but will likely pick you upright and avoid a foot down fail.

During u turn keep head up and look where you want to end up.

Good luck to those about to do mod1.

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Just joined so thought I'd share my mod 1 experience which I passed today.

I feel this test is very mentally challenging. It's largely down to how your body responds to stress ie tensing up, causing you not to breath etc. These things cause feet to go down.

As you wake up in the morning of the test, displace any feelings of dread with those of opportunity.

You chose to do this, it's what you wanted. You've been looking forward to this day for ages and now it's here. Great that you managed to get a date for the test. Keep thinking these positive thoughts and your body will not respond with the adrenaline of fear.

The night before the test, and after every test lesson, lie with your eyes closed and run through the test in your head. From opening the gates, driving to the start point, slalom etc. Do the observations in your head too. It's like another free practice. Before each imagined routine, take a deep breath to relax.

On the day, you'll find this mental practice helps the test feel smooth and natural.

Practical tips on the day:

Take your time. Compose yourself after being told what to do for each exercise. Deep breath and shoulder check before you proceed.

Learn and use counterbalancing for slow speed. When you do the u turn, shift your shoulders to the left as you turn. Likewise as you turn in the slalom, shift your shoulders to the opposite side. This helps keep the bike upright and defies gravity's wish to topple the bike at slow speeds. If you know full well you are about to put foot down, release the clutch. It may give a jerk, but will likely pick you upright and avoid a foot down fail.

During u turn keep head up and look where you want to end up.

Good luck to those about to do mod1.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and well done!

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  • 1 month later...

Hi all. I started my motorcycle training today. My instructor took me to the test center and left me there for 2 hours waiting on riders doing there test. Them was taken to a car park and left there with the 500cc motorcycle and the keys for over a hour. So my 5 hours riding turned into 2 hours. Is this allowed in Scotland.

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  • 2 months later...

Finally passed my MOD1 today in Manchester. After starting my training back in September my first MOD1 was cancelled due to the lockdown at the beginning of November. I was feeling fairly confident with it all at that point, although like many the u-turn was a bit of a sticking point. So with it cancelled I got a new date for this morning. I also booked a refresher that I took yesterday. I'm really glad I did as it set me up nicely for today. Was an early enough start though, leaving the training school at 7am with my test in Atherton at 0830. The weather also played ball at last, the first time in my training that it didn't rain, and the sun even made a brief appearence during the test. Really pleased to pass with no minors. I was only really nervous the moment before getting on the bike. But once I got in and got into the slalom I settled down. The test area is so big and has a the best surface you could wish for! Got the u-turn done and then I was able to enjoy the high speed maneuvers. Got my MOD2 in a week or so. Looking forward to it, but also nervous as it is in an area that I don't really know.

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I had my DAS mod 1 cancelled due to covid and when I could book one my trainers didn't have a bike available.

Instead of cancelling it and as its only 15 quid I did it on my 125 just for a bit of practice.

Passed it with 2 minors which I blame on the bike! .. It struggled to make 50kph by the speed trap for the emergency stop and hazard avoidance.

Shouldn't have that problem on the bigger bike! ;) 

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35 minutes ago, KiwiBob said:

I had my DAS mod 1 cancelled due to covid and when I could book one my trainers didn't have a bike available.

Instead of cancelling it and as its only 15 quid I did it on my 125 just for a bit of practice.

Passed it with 2 minors which I blame on the bike! .. It struggled to make 50kph by the speed trap for the emergency stop and hazard avoidance.

Shouldn't have that problem on the bigger bike! ;) 

What gear were you in ? Was it on the CG, because my CG can hit well over 30 in second gear.

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2 hours ago, dynax said:

What gear were you in ? Was it on the CG, because my CG can hit well over 30 in second gear.

 

Its only a short distance from coming off the bend to the speed trap.

Tried it it second and third! .. First emergency stop in second = 47kph

Allowed a re-run and got 49kph

Hazard avoidance took the bend a little faster in third and again 49kph

That gave me 2 minors for failing to reach 50kph.

There was no problem doing it on a practice day on an MT07

Chatting to the examiner afterwards he told me that quite a few fail on Chinese 125's due to being unable to make the speed.

Motorcycle manoeuvring area: multi-purpose test centre (publishing.service.gov.uk)

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9 hours ago, KiwiBob said:

 

Its only a short distance from coming off the bend to the speed trap.

Tried it it second and third! .. First emergency stop in second = 47kph

Allowed a re-run and got 49kph

Hazard avoidance took the bend a little faster in third and again 49kph

That gave me 2 minors for failing to reach 50kph.

There was no problem doing it on a practice day on an MT07

Chatting to the examiner afterwards he told me that quite a few fail on Chinese 125's due to being unable to make the speed.

Motorcycle manoeuvring area: multi-purpose test centre (publishing.service.gov.uk)

If that is the case, it proves how outdated the testing is. It would be interesting to get hold of the stats, to compare the ratio for the A1 category. Most A1 bikes are around 10HP, so expecting them to reach the same speed as a much more powerful bike in the same distance and timeframe is utterly ludicrous.

 I have my MOD1 in February for A1, i was tempted to use the CG but I think I will do it on the UM as that has a couple more HP which could make all the difference :thumb:

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47 minutes ago, dynax said:

If that is the case, it proves how outdated the testing is. It would be interesting to get hold of the stats, to compare the ratio for the A1 category. Most A1 bikes are around 10HP, so expecting them to reach the same speed as a much more powerful bike in the same distance and timeframe is utterly ludicrous.

 I have my MOD1 in February for A1, i was tempted to use the CG but I think I will do it on the UM as that has a couple more HP which could make all the difference :thumb:

You will manage fine on the CG .. You just have to give it lots of welly!

I don't suppose my 95kg bulk and 10kg of clothes keeping me warm will have helped either! ;)

Edited by KiwiBob
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9 minutes ago, KiwiBob said:

You will manage fine on the CG .. You just have to give it lots of welly!

I don't suppose my 95kg bulk and 10kg of clothes keeping me warm will have helped either! ;)

Probably, but I feel more comfortable on the UM, the CG feels small and cramped which is why I don't use it that much :thumb:

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