New Style Bike Test

[kaivalagi]

Originally Posted by reeder

That is the area on a car where the blind spot is.
Safest way to stay out of it is to either stay directly next to or behind the car... or of course infront

Can't remember that one, good job most is common sense
edit: because it's for car drivers!!! like they'll remember to do that unless they're bike riders...still think there should be a mention of this for bike riders too, i.e. staying out of blind spots where possible

Yeah always a good idea to stay out of the blind spots, and it's a bit bad in my opinion for your instructors not to have said that to you considering you don't drive a car either.
You're right that a lot of car drivers wont check their blind spots. It's always a good idea to be very cautious on dual carriageways or motorways

[kaivalagi]

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Lets face it more bikers are killed by collisions with cars and falling off on corners than by the serious catastrophe of "death by putting a foot down while riding slowly around a cone"

Agreed that the module 1 is not the be all and end all one little bit, I see it as more of a slow manoeuvring test, the swerve and emergency stop procedures did give me a sense of the ability to get out of trouble before hitting the roads on the module 2 though...but so did all my rider training I did before module 1

Money maker first and foremost I feel...

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

death by putting a foot down while riding slowly around a cone

The cones are supposed to help you get together with the machine. If you can't control the clutch, the speed, the brakes ... it most likely you will use a lot of your attention on controlling the bike rather than what's going on around you.

That's why the cones exists and if you can't handle them, you probably can't handle the bike nor the road.

For what its worth, I did my tests about 3 weeks ago on a 3 day DAS. Day 1 was my first day on a 400, practice for mod 1 and some road work. Day 2 was mod 1 test and some practice test routes, day 3 was mod 2 test.

Mod1 - pretty simple, took less than 10 minutes. My training was very good and it was all practiced on a kart track using a radar gun for speed checks for the swerve and e-stop. I was apprehensive about the swerve, but in reality its a complete doddle. There is loads of space to get up to speed and plenty of time to striaghten up before you brake. I can see that if you braked whilst in the swerve you could come off, but if you have been taught properly then you should know there is no need to. The swerve itself is quite gentle. I went through the swerve at 56kph and had to let off the brakes so I didnt stop short of the box. E-stop if did at 62kph. So there is masses of room to get up to speed and still think about what you are doing. I did my test in the damp as well.

Upshot of my test - pass first time, no minors.

Tips - relax, remember your shoulder checks. And do everything how your instructor teaches you. Dont try and do it having had no instruction/practice as thats just asking for trouble.

Mod 2 - the whole test lasted 35mins, including paperwork, getting kitted up, and safety questions. The ride itself was relaxed and the examiner fair and reasonable. The most disconcerting thing was having him ride so close behind in the blind spot.

My result - first time pass, 2 minors.


Overall I think the tests are pretty good, they serve a purpose and I would rather do all the manouvres in a seperate test as it releives the pressure on the road ride.

David

Very helpful that flakmonkey, cheers

[SIII]

I have to disagree with one point - I don't think the swerve test easy and felt downright unsafe, well it was on the school's old ER5's. This part of the test I would say is pointless, when will you ever have to swerve to the left! (the right hand loop at carlisle was unusable as previous candidate had come off and put a big gouge in the tarmac!) When a car pulls out on me I definitely won't swerve onto the pavement and I am not sure swerving onto the opposite side of the road would be any safer?

I agree with the rest of the test being off of the public road and is probably better for it. But the 110 mile round trip (and the months wait), I had to make was a bit of a pain and if I was honest if I was given the choice, I would probably take the test on road and not have to take nearly a whole day off work just for a 15 minute test!

No complaint with the MOD2 - good level of testing as is required before letting us loose on a 600 or bigger. Slow riding is assesed as part of this and doing a u-turn and emergency stop would not be that great an inconvience.

By the way passed 1 month ago with only 2 minors - not going fast enough! But then again the speedo on said knackered ER5 was showing 60 when I was only doing 53!

[kaivalagi]

Originally Posted by SIII

I have to disagree with one point - I don't think the swerve test easy and felt downright unsafe, well it was on the school's old ER5's. This part of the test I would say is pointless, when will you ever have to swerve to the left! (the right hand loop at carlisle was unusable as previous candidate had come off and put a big gouge in the tarmac!) When a car pulls out on me I definitely won't swerve onto the pavement and I am not sure swerving onto the opposite side of the road would be any safer?

I appreciate that a left swerve is less likely to be required than a right on UK roads (i.e. cars coming from junctions on your left), but if they couldn't test on the right swerve better to test for it than not at all right? If you didn't feel safe doing it then I have to question what your reaction would be to these situations:

• This happened to me the second day I was on my new SV - enter a roundabout to go straight on, where no traffic exists to your right, an unobservant (being polite) driver comes speeding from the exit on your left and you have no choice but to brake hard AND moments after swerve to the left to miss their bonnet...not a good combination!
• Oncoming traffic, where their side of the road is obstructed, pulls out in front of you not seeing you as you come toward them in the center of your lane
• Riding in europe on the right hand side of the road all the requirements for a right swerve for here

I'm sure there are more situations where drivers just don't stick to road laws as in the roundabout scenario...

I thought the swerve was a good addition to the mod 1, I can see the benefit of it my self...just knowing what a 30mph swerve feels like and how quick one can be pulled off if needed is reassuring or atleast should be...

I'm pretty sure swerving to the left is as important as the one to the right. There are plenty occasion that I can think of when I had to swerve to the left.

The goal is to have control over the bike in those unpredictable moments where you only have time to react but not enough to think.

Maybe hard to believe but is a lot safer on the DSA testing pad than on a busy road.

Originally Posted by theSVguy

the thing that depresses me the most is the price but if your serious its a price worth paying till you get it right

Have to agree with that one, costing an arm and a bloody leg I tell thee!

Originally Posted by SIII

I have to disagree with one point - I don't think the swerve test easy and felt downright unsafe

I must admit, when I first started practicing this swerve thing I did feel unsafe. Not because of the speed exactly but because I was so blumin' paranoid about going into the cones! Then my instructor showed me they're made of rubber and would just squash, and funnily enough I felt a bit better after being told that! I then realised the swerve wasn't bad really, I do it all the time on the road, particularly when avoiding manhole covers and patches of diesel on the road so no biggie, it's just getting it right at the time that's the important bit...really hoping the nerves don't hit me!