View Full Version : DAS Test on wednesday
Hello All,
Just finished my two day DAS corse on my own SV650 - owned it for just over a week. Test is on wednesday - am a bit nervous about the u-turn.
I tried it on an er-5 that another student was riding, and it was a sinch - but my SV just doesn't seem to get round quick enough. well not with me riding it anyway.
Can't believe i'm likely to fail my test for something so pointless. Am gonna sneak out to deserted industrial estate tommorrow and so 100 u-turns on my own. Anyone got any tips to help me get hang of it?
Good luck on your test.
U-Turns, I never liked them and haven't done one since passing my test. My SV650S is really hard to U-turn compared to the ER-5 I took the test on.
IIRC these were some of the tips given to me.
- Use the back brake to control and steady the bike.
- Look over your shoulder at the start where you're going, not at the kerb.
- Get full lock on as quickly as you can to make the turn easier.
the white rabbit
27-08-06, 09:03 PM
I'd take the test on the ER-5. I would have thought it would be easier for everything :?
Do your test on the er, NOT your sv.
HARD on back brake, high(ish) revs, slip the clutch and DO NOT LOOK AT THE KERB!
Find a focal point, eg a car up the street and stay looking at it as you turn, most importantly.RELAX!
I passed mine on friday, eximiner took me to a wider road tahn the ones id been taught to do them on so yours might do the same.
Pretty much as Paws said. DON'T even let your fingers touch the front brake (for some unknown reason I did that in training, even though I knew exactly what it would do to the bike :oops: ). Back brake to set the speed esp if going down a slight hill, and use the clutch to move at 'slower than walking speed.' You shouldn't need ANY throttle using either the ER-5 (I did my test on one) or the SV. Both have more than enough torque at tick-over to do it nicely.
Also worth bearing in mind that you'll be doing this on a what? 5 or 6m wide road as standard. The turning circle on the SVS-K6 that I have is stated as a little over 3m.
Don't be afraid to stand up on the bike & lean the bike over more than you can do whilst sat on it. The requirements state that you should do it under engine power, without putting a foot down (although if you just dab a foot on the floor they usually look at it as a minor - depends on the examiner) and that it's done safely.
Nice & slow, loads of observation, and you'll be fine. Practice makes perfect, so enjoy the time on the industrial estate :)
Am gonna sneak out to deserted industrial estate tommorrow and so 100 u-turns on my own.
Not a good idea............ You have no licence and will be drawing attention to yourself.
Dr Rich and the others are right - try to use the ER5. Although I've never tried it on an SV myself, it doesn't look like the easiest bike to do U-turns on. I've seen others struggle whereas on my Hornet it's easy. I suspect its the clip-ons and riding position.
kwak zzr
28-08-06, 08:39 AM
the pulses of the v twin can be hard to get on with at low revs if your not used to it, good luck with your test :thumbsup:
thanks for the advice, i just got back from the industrial estate and i - found i could do it without any throttle and it was much easier - all i had to worry about was clutch and rear brake.
at first i was doing roughly half without panicing and putting foot down, but before i left i did 20 in a row without a problem. i also found it helps to lean my body to the left to balance the bike leaning in to the right.
I'm feeling a lot better about my test now. I'll post again on Wednesday afternoon to let you know how i get on. :)
i also found it helps to lean my body to the left to balance the bike leaning in to the right.
Makes all the difference :thumbsup:
I'm feeling a lot better about my test now. I'll post again on Wednesday afternoon to let you know how i get on. :)
Good luck :thumbsup:
SV1000s
28-08-06, 10:24 AM
LOTS of revs, clutch and back brake!
Alpinestarhero
28-08-06, 10:32 AM
Jus take it slow and easy. Thees no requirment to do the u-turn in a quick time! Jus relax your arms and shoulders, and let the bike go round. You know how to do it! Just remind yourself that you can!
Best of luck!
Matt
PS lots of revs for the u-turn arnt nessacery!! I got round it by blipping the throttle and holding the clutch on the drive-point. Try differant methods and see for yourself! Remember the bike can lean more than you think.
Matt
Keep the revs up and keep the clutch on bite point, only use the back brake and lean slightly to the left. Good luck mate.
All this non-sense about keeping the revs up... I just used the idle speed when I did my test on the ER5. Simple as, hold the throttle gently, no need to move it, even when going uphill.
Like I said before though, good luck with the test :) Let us all know how you get on matey
SV1000s
28-08-06, 02:21 PM
All this non-sense about keeping the revs up... I just used the idle speed when I did my test on the ER5. Simple as, hold the throttle gently, no need to move it, even when going uphill.
Like I said before though, good luck with the test :) Let us all know how you get on matey
As a quilified (advanced) instructor, I say keep your revs up.
All this non-sense about keeping the revs up... I just used the idle speed when I did my test on the ER5. Simple as, hold the throttle gently, no need to move it, even when going uphill.
Like I said before though, good luck with the test :) Let us all know how you get on matey
As a quilified (advanced) instructor, I say keep your revs up.
As a qualified (advanced) instructor, and one who teaches other riders to become an instructor told me during training, "Theres no need to use the throttle, you don't need it."
:P All in jest, honestly, but that is what I was told :)
fizzwheel
28-08-06, 02:33 PM
I found with the SV its better to keep the revs up and constant. I found that the lumpy power delivery at low revs made it harder to do the turn. For me its just easier to keep the revs constant and slip the clutch and use the back brake to control my speed. I tried letting it idle round on the throttle but it felt jerky and like it was going to stall. Also I found that if I blipped the throttle and slipped the clutch whilst doing a U turn it made the front suspension bob up and down which unsettled the bike which made it harder to do the U turn.
For me keeping the revs up and using the back brake meant I was riding the bike more smoothy during the U turn which helped me to turn the bike round.
The most important thing is as Paws has already said. Dont look at the floor. Pick up your head and look where you want the bike to go.
Its just practice and finding a technique that works for you.
SV1000s
28-08-06, 02:36 PM
All this non-sense about keeping the revs up... I just used the idle speed when I did my test on the ER5. Simple as, hold the throttle gently, no need to move it, even when going uphill.
Like I said before though, good luck with the test :) Let us all know how you get on matey
As a quilified (advanced) instructor, I say keep your revs up.
As a qualified (advanced) instructor, and one who teaches other riders to become an instructor told me during training, "Theres no need to use the throttle, you don't need it."
:P All in jest, honestly, but that is what I was told :)
If it worked for you then that's fine, al bike odle at different revs, stick to 2500-3000 and you should be fine, as long as the revs are CONSTANT!
grecian9
28-08-06, 07:36 PM
I was worried about the U turn on my test back in July but when it came down to it I followed all the advise you have been given and I stomped a perfect one! 8)
DoubleD
29-08-06, 02:29 PM
Good luck with the test.
I was same as you for u-turns but the instructor was nice on my test, we went to a much wider road than the one I was training on so I did not have to use full lock.
Agree with SV1000s on this, revs do it for me. You don't want to stall it, particularly if there's a camber. If you don't have revs how can you drive the bike through the turn?
Agree with SV1000s on this, revs do it for me. You don't want to stall it, particularly if there's a camber. If you don't have revs how can you drive the bike through the turn?
On the ER-5 for my test, the idle speed was sufficient to pull me up a hill & do the U-turn with camber. Yea it shook a little when setting off, but be gentle & she pulls up to around 4mph & just sits there.
I've found the SV much the same, no need to use the throttle even when hill starting. Unless obviously the hill it too steep. Slow manovering on the SV (sub 5mph) is all about clutch control, no throttle required (again, assuming flat - but with camber as well).
well wont give you any more advice looks like others have covered that well enough....
Good luck for tomorrow and let us know how it goes!!
Alpinestarhero
29-08-06, 03:56 PM
Final bit of advice - just relax, and DONT GO THE WRONG WAY UP A BLOODY ROAD. I say this because on my test day, the other guy i was training with did this very thing (he was a usless rider, and no doubt nerves made him a usless road user). He was forcing cars onto the verge, about 3 or 4
And the 5th car he forced onto the verge
Was a couple of on-duty traffic cops :shock: :lol:
They promptly pulled him (and the examiner) and he was forced to wait until our training instructor met him and escorted him back to the lock-up. When the examiner returned to the test center, me and my training instructor both had the worst thoughts; "where is he?" "he hasnt come back" "the examiner dosnt look very happy" etc etc.
Still, made me look good on my test! 9 minors later i passed :D And you will too! Just relax, go to the toilet before you head out and make sure you've had a drink and something light to eat beforehand (let it digest a bit so you dont feel sleepy).
Matt
...and don't forget to cancel the indies!!!!! I kept pressing the switch all the way round just to make sure. Still do actually.
Arghhh - I failed !! :oops: :x :evil: :( :cry:
I perfomed a perfect U-turn (so thanks for all the tips on that bit).
I got 4 minor faults and 1 serious. I'm still not convinced about my serious fault.
We were in a 30 zone and an oncoming car pulled slightly onto our side of the road to overtake a cyclyst. I hung back and waited for him to get back on his side of the road before i went passed him. The examiner said there was plenty room for a bike to get passed on the left and i didn't need to wait. He said that by hanging back i was at risk of being hit in the back it the car behind was expecting me to carry on and squeeze by in the left.
I still think that was a bit harsh, but thats life eh? Am gonna try to book another test straight away - if i can get a mate to ride me to the test centre.
I think that is a bit harsh, surely a car would realise you slowed down and it would be only a minor fault.
Better luck next time, I'm sure you'll do fine.
That is a little on the harsh side, but just to play devils whatsit, I can see the examiners pov.
On test, and whilst riding afterwards, you're expected to make steady progress. Chances are that you hesitated a little and err'd on the side of caution because you were on your test. Real life riding & you probably wouldn't of thought twice about it & would of just moved to the left.
The examiner could of taken 'test nerves' into consideration & chalked it down as a minor, but not making progress is a fault that unfortunately is up to the examiners discresion.
Personally, if you did mirror checks before slowing down, it should of been a minor as you were putting your safety before you making progress. If you didn't make the observations, or rather, the examiner didn't see you make it obvious you looked, then its rightfully a major IMO.
I'm no examiner nor instructor, but the above is nothing but my 1peneth. It would be two, but I'm skint :(
I think that's very harsh. Of course a motorcycle is more manooverable than a car and the examiner expects you to show this, but saying you could have been hit from behind is pretty tough, particularly if you had checked mirrors or done a shoulder check and were showing the brake light.
Next time, eh? :thumbsup:
It does seem harsh, but I suspect the examiner was surprised that you slowed down (you wouldn't in real life, would you?) and considered that other drivers behind you wouldn't be expecting it either.
Tough call because i know that you're expected to sit in the centre of the lane when on test (at least, I was when I did mine).
It could be that the examiner didn't feel 100% confident that you were totally ready and so used this as his reason not to pass you. I dunno though, wasn't there and speculation doesn't help.
I remember my test.......got 8 "minors" and still passed. Stupid things like stalling it once, slight "wobble" pulling away, etc, and general lack of smoothness and polish. In the debrief, the examiner told me (and the instructor) that those things would improve with miles (I think they have!) and that I wasn't a danger to either myself or other road users and so he passed me :shock:
Good luck for the next one - try to get it in as soon as you can and before you get a bit "rusty".
sorry to hear that it didnt go to plan today but you are right to book another one straight away.
Fingers crossed for better luck next time :wink:
DanAbnormal
31-08-06, 04:09 PM
What a load of ****. I can sort of see their point slightly but in no way should this constitute a serious fault. I bet he would have given you a serious fault had you carried on as well. Sometimes the system bugs the **** off me. Anyway, hope you get through next time. At least now you know if that situation pops up again you should go through, although I;d be willing to bet they would still mark you down. Revenue and all that!
Bad news!
Hope it goes well next time - you got it booked yet?
kwak zzr
31-08-06, 04:51 PM
chin up arr kid! book another! :D
Awww hun, least you did a perfect u-turn and thats the bit you worried about! :?
IIRC- you wont be able to book in for another test until 13 days have passed since this test.
Anonymous
01-09-06, 06:44 AM
bad luck. you will pass next time im sure. the u turn was what scared me too. still dont do them. i fell off 17 times on the sunday practicing u turns and had test monday morning. the road i did u turn on during test was about twice the size on the road i had been practicing on. instructor thought it was better to practice on tight road so test is no problem. doesnt do much for confidence though.
amnesia
01-09-06, 07:38 AM
The U-turn was the only thing I was concerned about. I had quite a few problems getting it right, but it eventually stuck and come test day I had no problems. My instructor had me doing U-turns on every road that the examiners use.
I got 6 minors - some of which I knew I would get - others surprised me. Having said that, I think he did miss a few things that I thought at the time were crap - and I got the piece of paper which is all that counts.
Good luck second time round.
If all else fails, try wearing a short skirt... :wink:
Red ones
01-09-06, 08:27 AM
Bummer.
These things happen - just re-book straight away.
It is hard on the test, you are expected to do all the technical bits, stick rigidly within the rules AND make progress through the traffic. I can pretty much guarantee that no-one on here does all 3 once they have passed, I certainly bend the rules everyday to make progress, or sacrifice progress to make sure that I feel safe.
A lot depends on the day you take the test - on my first car test I pulled out on a blind junction only to be narrowly missed by a speeding car. The examiner failed me on the manoeuvre but later said it was unfortunate as any other time I would have passed (he did point out that although unfortunate the view has to be that is was nearly an accident and I would have been held partially responsible - it was the type of junction I would now normally avoid if possible)
On my bike test I had St Albans in the rush hour, but the traffic all behaved and I didn't get cut up, pushed around etc
Hard luck mate,
I failed first time too, the test date soon comes around again! All the BEST riders pass second time! :D
muffles
01-09-06, 09:42 AM
Hard luck mate,
I failed first time too, the test date soon comes around again! All the BEST riders pass second time! :D
or third :lol:
poisonidea
01-09-06, 11:39 AM
Hard luck dude, i'm sure that there is a massive element of luck with driving tests (the examiner for example) When i got back to the test center after my first test I KNEW in my mind that i had passed but as i turned out I had 1 serious fault for a similar thing and no minors (which sucked) so i failed obviously. My second test I was 100% sure i had failed, and towards the end of the test all I was thinking about was going home and crying but I passed with only 2 minors. I always hear this rumour that the test center has a quota of passes/fails they have to give per day or something, does anyone know for sure if this IS the case?
SoulKiss
01-09-06, 11:57 AM
Hard luck mate,
I failed first time too, the test date soon comes around again! All the BEST riders pass second time! :D
or third :lol:
I'm going for third - just like my car license :)
Only 13 days to go !!!!
And I get my pointy tomorrow - have a mate who is going to ride it the 3km home.
Bit miffed that I wont be 1st to ride it, but would rather have it in my garage at home than in the showroom.
At least I can sit on it and make "vroom vroom" noises :P (or drive it up and down in front of my house between the 2 carparks, maybe even try some U-Turns :P)
Have decided that its best to do my test on one of Metropolis's CBF500's than the SV - less insurance hassle etc, but will have my trusty (or is that rusty) CG125 to get me from Vauxhall to home to get astride my mighty SV ASAP when I pass (positive thinking :) - last test was a 4 minor and a single Serious fail, so avoid binning the bike on emergency stop and I SHOULD be ok)
David
SoulKiss
01-09-06, 11:59 AM
Hard luck dude, i'm sure that there is a massive element of luck with driving tests (the examiner for example) When i got back to the test center after my first test I KNEW in my mind that i had passed but as i turned out I had 1 serious fault for a similar thing and no minors (which sucked) so i failed obviously. My second test I was 100% sure i had failed, and towards the end of the test all I was thinking about was going home and crying but I passed with only 2 minors. I always hear this rumour that the test center has a quota of passes/fails they have to give per day or something, does anyone know for sure if this IS the case?
MYTH
The DSA website states there is no quota.
Its better for an examiner to pass you than to fail you.
If you fail you can appeal - which means he has to write a report on the ride just in case you do.
If you pass he has less (if no) paperwork to do.
David
muffles
01-09-06, 12:14 PM
good luck, i remember my third one and by that time i was just thinking how difficult the test seemed to be, cos i kept failing - it's not that difficult really though, so keep that in mind if you start thinking the same way!
ArtyLady
01-09-06, 12:29 PM
I failed car and bike first time, at least you know what to expect next time - just see it as a practice run :wink: :lol: Good luck anyway :)
http://upload4.postimage.org/1388639/P1010712.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/1388639/photo_hosting.html)
Second time lucky, and only 2 minor faults - one of those was tapping my foot down on the u-turn.
:D :D :D :D
http://upload4.postimage.org/1388639/P1010712.jpg (http://upload4.postimage.org/1388639/photo_hosting.html)
Second time lucky, and only 2 minor faults - one of those was tapping my foot down on the u-turn.
:D :D :D :D
i thought that would be a fail??????
:smt102
well done :thumbsup:
lukemillar
14-10-06, 12:02 PM
All this non-sense about keeping the revs up... I just used the idle speed when I did my test on the ER5. Simple as, hold the throttle gently, no need to move it, even when going uphill.
Like I said before though, good luck with the test :) Let us all know how you get on matey
As a quilified (advanced) instructor, I say keep your revs up.
I'm with this. Keep the engine reving and use the clutch to control your speed, gives you far better control.
EDIT - just saw how old this post is! Ignore me.
ArtyLady
14-10-06, 01:40 PM
Well done :thumbsup:
[quote="hovi5"]
i thought that would be a fail?????? quote]
I thought so too. But apparently its only classed as a serious fault if u put your foot down to stop yourself falling off. If its just an instinct / confidence thing and u would have made it round then its just a minor.
:D :D :D
Well done adburn! :drink:
Well done hovi5! :drink:
hovi5? ya mean adburn? :-s
Well done hovi5! :drink:
hovi5? ya mean adburn? :-s
D'oh, my mistake... where's the Homer Simpson emote? ](*,)
Post ammended :(
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