Started lessons today

[magical_mover]

Hi everyone

Well started the ball rolling today by booking in a quickie hour assessment/lesson this morning. The training centre i went to like to book you on this before the CBT so that they can suss you out.

I arrived at 9am this morning and was buddied up with a lady who wanted to learn to ride a moped :confused:

Felt sorry for her as she went flying towards the instructor on her first attempt and then ended up sending the bike one way whilst she slid under the instructors feet.

Filled me with confidence,......not!!!!!!

Thankfully i remained upright the whole time and got to get up to 3rd gear. Due to problems in having to train me on gears and the other lady on an automatic, they are going to give me another lesson for free...as I did spend quite a while hanging around whilst she picked up reattached layers of skin to her legs....

I then tried to sit on a 500 to see whether I would be ok for DAS (as far as leg length etc goes). mmm - tip toes a bit, so the instructor said A2 might be easier for me, but see how things go after the CBT.

So, I am still keen and have not been put off. Just all still seems quite scary thinking of everything at once and getting co-ordinated - hope it gets easier!!:cheers::cheers:

Just feel a little impatient as i know it will take a while and I cant get much time off work...hope the weather holds for a few weeks/months lol :-D

[Ratty46]

i had a bit of experience riding off road and other geared 125's before i went on my DAS.

i was well nervous tho, once you get going its all good, try concentrate on letting the controls come natrually, it will come, some people cant even get the biting point right, so it sounds like your on track. nice of the school to give you a free lesson too.
i have seen short guys and girls ride 500's, it can be done! just believe!

[magical_mover]

i had a bit of experience riding off road and other geared 125's before i went on my DAS.

i was well nervous tho, once you get going its all good, try concentrate on letting the controls come natrually, it will come, some people cant even get the biting point right, so it sounds like your on track. nice of the school to give you a free lesson too.
i have seen short guys and girls ride 500's, it can be done! just believe!

Thanks - they hire out 125's after you have done CBT which might be worth considering I guess. Dont really want to buy a 125 if I am aiming to do my test...

[yorkie_chris]

Don't do A2, 33bhp is absolutely horrible, GS500s and the like are so nice to ride, IMO easier than a 125.
I had to do A2 as being 19 I'm obviously going to kill myself in 3 seconds flat on anything with 34bhp :p

Chris

[fizzwheel]

Just take your time, relax and dont try and rush things. But most importantly dont worry to much if you do make a mistake, it happens, try and learn from it and move forward.

Sound like your enjoying it though which is the most important thing.

As for the DAS, dont let them push you into the A2 test if you dont want to, they should be encouraging you, not telling you "you wont manage it".

My other half is 5ft 4, she manages both her bikes just fine. as long as you can get one foot down then you'll be fine. Its just about balance and shifting of the seat etc at junctions thats all.

If your only on tip toes a little then I dont think you'll have a problem TBH.

Go for it.

[hovis]

as above & most bikes can be lowered to suit the rider.

[kitkat]

i struggled with the ER5 on my das due to short legs. but only problem was getting on and off as we were not allowed to put down the side stand. i touched ground with tip toes, passed and bought an sv which i was able to touch ground with tip toes provided no funny camber on the road. now ride a raptor and can reach ground with both feet flat - love it.

[Keith1983]

you could pile on the pounds that way when u sit on the bike the extra weight will make it lower! Genius!

[Ratty46]

no do hire a 125 out, go to a quite car park and practice!

u-turns,emergency stops, slow control, it will help when you move on to a 500, beleive me.

after i done my assessment i thought about it and said to teh instructor i think i might do the A2, he said i didnt need too,he could see i was good enough for my DAS, and i tell ya i'm so glad i have a full licence,
if i can insure it, i can ride it!:cheers:

as said i thought the 500 is easy to ride, not revvy like the 125,nice and planted with better brakes. i rode a cbf500 on my test.

i made plenty of small mistakes but got it right on test day, as my instructor said before me test " go and ave it!"

[Nostrils]

Good Luck, it sounds like you are determined. I took my CBT without any experience on bikes and had so much fun, including the stalling, nearly dropping the bike on a U turn and skidding the back wheel! Passed the CBT, got a 125 for more practice and went for my DAS last month and passed. The biggest thing about doing the DAS a year after the CBT was the amount of bad habits I had picked up. Managed to filter them out over the 3 day course and thankfully passed.

As others have said, get used to doing your CBT first and during any breaks at the school ask if you could sit on the 500 models and get comfy adjusting your stance etc.

Best of all HAVE FUN AND ENJOY IT

[Ratty46]

Best of all HAVE FUN AND ENJOY IT

well said:mrgreen:

[scuba2_diver]

Not sure if there will be anyone out there that can answer this, but is there anything that says you can't do a DAS course on your own bike? Assuming you can get it to and from the training site of course and it puts out enough power...

[weazelz]

Not sure if there will be anyone out there that can answer this, but is there anything that says you can't do a DAS course on your own bike? Assuming you can get it to and from the training site of course and it puts out enough power...
as long as it's insured, you should be fine

just don't turn up at the test centre on it, on your own - this is apparently more common than you might think

[scuba2_diver]

no that I can beleive trust me ;)

I guess getting a 650 insured without a licence could be the tricky part...

[fizzwheel]

I guess getting a 650 insured without a licence could be the tricky part...

I got my 125 insured before I had my CBT, they just started the policy on the day I rang them, and I had my CBT the next day, the lady I spoke to said it was no problem and that I'd be OK to use it on my CBT if I wanted to.

As Wealz says, as long as its insured and you are displaying L plates riding with an instructor you'll be fine to use your own bike, might be worth checking with your training school though.

However, I wouldnt do it on my own bike, the ER5 and the CB are much easier to do low speed stuff on, especially if your SV is a faired one..

[magical_mover]

thanks everyone - great advice....

Just need to stay positive I guess and get lots of practice in!! :)

[Ed]

thanks everyone - great advice....

Just need to stay positive I guess and get lots of practice in!! :)

To me, it all seemed so odd at first, a different world with jargon of its own, I was afraid that others doing DAS with me knew so much more than I did and I'd look a dork, so much to learn, it's so different from a car. Don't over-analyse. Most of all, relax. If you're as stiff as a board then your inputs to the controls will be jerky and you can't control the bike properly. You should be able to flap your arms about while holding the bars. Have fun!

[Tim in Belgium]

Good luck and I hope all goes well.

[melody]

Just need to stay positive I guess and get lots of practice in!! :)

True.

Staying positive and not being too hard on yourself helps. I was always the worst learner in my group h, but I perservered and I'm glad I did.

All the best and enjoy.

[magical_mover]

To me, it all seemed so odd at first, a different world with jargon of its own, I was afraid that others doing DAS with me knew so much more than I did and I'd look a dork, so much to learn, it's so different from a car. Don't over-analyse. Most of all, relax. If you're as stiff as a board then your inputs to the controls will be jerky and you can't control the bike properly. You should be able to flap your arms about while holding the bars. Have fun!

well similar to first days at law school as far as the jargon goes lol - funny how things just finally make sense.

just sorting out my next assessment day now..:smt066

[AndyW]

Not sure if there will be anyone out there that can answer this, but is there anything that says you can't do a DAS course on your own bike? Assuming you can get it to and from the training site of course and it puts out enough power...
To ride it on the road (>125 >11BHp(ish)) you need to be with an instructor and he has to be using a radio to communicate with you. If you bring it in on a trailer, can't see a problem.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/RidingMotorcyclesAndMopeds/DG_4022568
You may practice for the practical test on bikes larger than the learner bike specification provided:
you are accompanied at all times by an approved instructor on another bike and in radio contact
you wear fluorescent or reflective clothing and follow all other provisional licence restrictions