New Style Bike Test

I paid £650 for my DAS that was 4 days training including cbt, Mod 1 on the 5th day with a couple of mod 2 test routes practised as well an then Mod 2 was taken the following week. My instructor did it this way so that if you failed Mod 1 you could give them the 5days notice to cancel mod 2 and get your money back. Thankfully though i didn't need too.

[rictus01]

won't be in London, but cheers gives me some idea of the costs involved.

Cheers Mark.

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by maxinc

This is barely a minimum competence test. Making it more difficult could only be a good thing for everyone. You may get upset you have to retake mod 1 or 2 and will cost you extra, but it is for your own sake.

Oh do c*ck off, that's the retarded attitude that the EU have who are trying to kill our sport and way of life with all this outrageous bullsh*t they keep thinking up.

Here's a fact for you, people ride a bike to pass a test and THEN start learning how to handle a bike. Dodging a couple of cones in sequence might look good, but it's bollock all to do with road riding and never will be.
If they wanted to actually increase road safety, they'd tag some advanced type training and advice onto the end of the test. Just an hour (not assessed) to tell you a few hints.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Oh do c*ck off, that's the retarded attitude that the EU have who are trying to kill our sport and way of life with all this outrageous bullsh*t they keep thinking up.

Here's a fact for you, people ride a bike to pass a test and THEN start learning how to handle a bike. Dodging a couple of cones in sequence might look good, but it's bollock all to do with road riding and never will be.
If they wanted to actually increase road safety, they'd tag some advanced type training and advice onto the end of the test. Just an hour (not assessed) to tell you a few hints.

I have to agree,
No matter how hard you make the test people will just be taugth to pass the test so if it takes longer to pass then you are simply just delaying the true learning curve of riding by yourself with no instruction.

Although I do agree with having some kind of test in place (like the current system) which means that people do have to be seriose about riding rather than some idiot just going out buying a bike, not taking it seriouse and then killing themselves or others - which would of happened during the old school test days which consisted of riding around the block and do an emergancy stop

My instructor Mike Williams (Bolton) offers all people who pass with him a free 2 hours advanced riding lesson, im gonna do mine in the next few weeks or so.

[madcockney]

Originally Posted by maxinc

This is barely a minimum competence test. Making it more difficult could only be a good thing for everyone. You may get upset you have to retake mod 1 or 2 and will cost you extra, but it is for your own sake. The instructor told us to get advanced training because there were things they were not allowed to show us because of the DSA rules.

The Tester/examiner on my tests, mod 1 and 2, was a biker himself and was very encouraging. He tried to put you at ease and if he told you something or gave you some advise you took notice of it. He also gave the same advise as maxinc's instructor gave and hence I am booking myself onto Bikesafe and also the Rospa advanced courses.

The school I was with when I took the tests were extremely good. One of the instructors had also passed his certificate to be a tester/examiner but preferred teaching. He was also one of those charged with inspecting all the school bikes in North Wales and N W England to try to ensure that they were safe. They also did the advanced training courses, and had at one time been training North Wales Police Riders when a certain chief constable decided to ignored a directive that all Police Instructors had to also have passed their DSA Instructors exams. They were not the cheapest school, but were also not the most expensive. The instructors were there as they loved bikes and they wanted to put something back into it. You felt as they they really wanted to help you, and would go out of their way to help and that it was not just a job. In fact virtually all that I met had other sources of income as well.

One thing a police officer told me yesterday is probably of some importance here - you shouldn't go on bikesafe and expect to learn anything, as it isn't intended to be that sort of experience. If you want to go down the Rospa route I'd expect that they would offer you an assessment before you start, and that will probably cover the same ground in terms of riding. Would probably turn out a bit cheaper too... my IAM group do it for free, if you're willing to spring for breakfast for the observer.

[kaivalagi]

I only recently passed my DA and I have to say I think the 2 part course is a nice way to break it down, however I do feel that the main reason for it is the DSA trying to make more money rather than safer riders. Keep it as is and lower the bloody costs I say - we need more motorcycles on the roads...

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Here's a fact for you, people ride a bike to pass a test and THEN start learning how to handle a bike. Dodging a couple of cones in sequence might look good, but it's bollock all to do with road riding and never will be.

I have had a few scares and realisations that put what you are saying into perspective...riding defensively and having good speed judgement/road placement for cornering are just 2 things I am trying to get to grips with now that I'm out in the big wide world on my bike. No amount of lessons or tests can help with that IMHO.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

If they wanted to actually increase road safety, they'd tag some advanced type training and advice onto the end of the test. Just an hour (not assessed) to tell you a few hints.

I'd even pay a little more (as long as the DSA didn't get that too) to have something like this straight after my mod 2 with my instructor...I will be doing some sort of advanced riding course (non DSA led) and possibly a track day too next spring/summer as I figure these will give me a lot to think about!

[madcockney]

Originally Posted by grimey121uk

I have to agree,
No matter how hard you make the test people will just be taugth to pass the test so if it takes longer to pass then you are simply just delaying the true learning curve of riding by yourself with no instruction.

Although I do agree with having some kind of test in place (like the current system) which means that people do have to be seriose about riding rather than some idiot just going out buying a bike, not taking it seriouse and then killing themselves or others - which would of happened during the old school test days which consisted of riding around the block and do an emergancy stop

My instructor Mike Williams (Bolton) offers all people who pass with him a free 2 hours advanced riding lesson, im gonna do mine in the next few weeks or so.

I think that the big problem is that people think that now they have passed a test they know everything. Riding a bike takes more skill than driving a car, but look what happens to car drivers after they pass their test. (I know some biker that are absolutely terrible when they get in a car, which they shouldn't be, being bikers.) I was taught years ago to drive by an IAM instructor who had his own school and he taught me to drive, but also told me what not to do on the test. (The saying at the time was if you want to learn to just pass the test use BSM, if you wanted to learn to drive as well as pass the test use someone like the car school I went to.)

The art and acquired skill of riding a bike happens after you pass the test.

On the current Mod 2 bike test you are not allowed to use a lot of the advanced techniques, and I do believe that this is a shortcoming, though we were taught/shown some of them by the school even though we cannot use them on the test. If you ask a ROSPA or a police bike instructor they will tell you to use, or put more emphasis on lots of things that would likely fail you on a test. Possibly they think that they are asking too much if you use advanced techniques. (Mind you the DSA attitude, until recently, regarding counter steering is a bit bewildering and make you wonder about their attitude to science.)

[yorkie_chris]

Yea and 70/30 braking on a dry road and a modern bike... yeeeeas.

What advanced techniques would you fail a test with?

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Yea and 70/30 braking on a dry road and a modern bike... yeeeeas.

What advanced techniques would you fail a test with?

from what my instructor told me, road positioning on corners is differant between the normal test and advanced riding