Thinking of doing a bike licence and getting a bike.

Stop talking bo11ocks

Absolutely, lets get them back on to drums while we are at it, and cross-ply tyres along with UJM with hinges in the frame – that’ll show ’em…

Hardly talking bo11ocks b r, being taught how and why a bike reacts the way it does under heavy braking is far more useful a skill than being told ” it’s got abs mate, just grab it and hope ”

I’m not against abs, it’s on my personal bike and it saves lives but good training and technique will always be a benefit.

Hardly talking bo11ocks b r, being taught how and why a bike reacts the way it does under heavy braking is far more useful a skill than being told ” it’s got abs mate, just grab it and hope ”

Don’t disagree with been coached but its better they ride with ABS and stay upright than they don’t and end up in hospital etc.

I think our confusion lays in how we’re defining learner bike; I’m looking at it as the bikes a student learns on and passes their test, not the bike they buy post training. Anyway, OP: good luck and ride safe.

Did a taster session, instructor was very complimentary and I’m hooked. Desperately want to get my licence. Frustratingly I have 5 weeks off but no money until I start work, in 5 weeks.

Anybody any opinion on a Transalp?

Anybody any opinion on a Transalp?

Tall and top-heavy. Buy a proper road bike with road tyres.

Anybody any opinion on a Transalp?

Yes. if god had designed pigs to have 2 wheels, they’d be like this, except you cant even make bacon out of a transalp.

Transalp is a solid dependable bike. Not that tall tbh. Not like a Tenere. Depends what you want. I’d rather ride a transalp than a bandit.

Well I did ask… I don’t really want a road bike as I’d rather have something with a higher CoG. I might live a bit longer that way… 😳

Thanks!

It wont handle like a roadbike but will be more comfortable especially if you want to go a long way.

Rather than start a new thread I thought I’d reserect this one…

After a couple glasses of wine Last night I decided to book my theory test (seen as that’s what I need to get first).

First available date was more than 3 weeks away though…. ah well, plenty time to get to grips with the hazard perception DVD then!

Suppose I had better phone up the DAS people soon and plan the next step too.

Too late in the year, by the time you pass your test it’ll in autumn/winter.

b r – Member
Too late in the year, by the time you pass your test it’ll in autumn.

Gee. Ain’t you a ray of sunshine…. It would still pretty much leave August and that’s still officially summer.

Haven’t read all the pages but would say don’t buy a 125 – good used ones are hard to find – hire for the test after using a school bike.

What to buy? Perhaps I’ve been spoiled by an old fashioned outlook and forty years of trials competition but, for me, if you want a bike to enjoy then the prime characteristic is that it has to be nimble. Now, this encompasses power as well as weight, handling etc so rules out most sports bikes as, frankly, they’re just too much of a good thing. I’ve never liked fours, too much like riding a vacuum cleaner apart from the weight involved

Assuming you want to keep your licence then you want something you can wind up occasionally without going berserk. It’s no fun having to ride everywhere at a tickover to stay below the limit.

My SV 650 I consider to be on the upper edge of my requirements. The 500 Guzzi Monza was great and the RS 250 Honda perfectly acceptable (apart from the front brake but that’s not a factor nowadays).

I see the 250 class seems to be making a comeback, I’d like to try one but they all seem to be race styled which ain’t for me. A modern version of the RS would be super and well up to passing any traffic on a “proper” road.

Edit, just seen the Transalp reference. My brother did a trackday on his and the guy on the GSXR 1000 couldn’t work out why he was not able to keep up. It’s all about the rider and, powerwise, less can be a lot more.

Have you decided yet Chilled?

Just as an update, and entirely by coincidence as I was not aware of the event coming up, my local Suzuki dealer had a test day (they are touring Britain with the bikes so may be coming your way soon) so I rode the 250 Inazuma.

Car traffic forced an 80 mph cruise on the motorway and it was very happy at that with plenty more to come. 8500 revs at 70 mph and revs to 11000 so work it out.

Handling superb and claimed up to 85 mpg so bound to have a pretty good consumption in reality. If max 100 and relaxed cruising with plenty power for safe overtaking does you then try one out. And it weighs what a motorcycle should weigh.

Oh yes, £800 off on test day so a new bike for quite a bit less than £3,000.

I then went out on the 650 Gladius (the nearest thing to my current SV 650)and can’t say I found it any better in many ways than the 250.

Oh yes, I meant to say, no need to row it along on the gear lever as, despite the high rev limit, there’s adequate bottom end to just open the throttle and go.

How did the theory test go Metalheart? Just booked my DAS course for early September. I am excite 🙂

Theory test went well (47 and 69 respectively).

Did my training this weekend which was fun (650 way better to ride than a 125). Yesterday was only a half day due to the pissing rain, resultant surface water and flooding… Only had one hairy moment so far. Which was due to a bad judgement call (in the wet).

Did training at the test centre. Module 1 isn’t too bad but I’m still shaky on the slow stuff… It could go either way…

Got my actual tests this week, bricking it slightly (esp as the forecast for module 1 is light showers…).

If you get radio silence the news will have been bad… 😐

Did training at the test centre. Module 1 isn’t too bad but I’m still shaky on the slow stuff… It could go either way…

Slow stuff is either dead easy or dead hard – even for me after +30 years of m/c’s I don’t like really slow speed stuff (U-turns are a no/no, too much to lose, nothing to gain), especially with a big heavy bike.

Test was a bit easier in my day. Turn up on something legal-ish (RD250E with loud expansions). Follow instructions and as long as you didn’t crash you passed.

Really tempted to get a bike too. Been thinking about it for a while, but its easy to throw a bike in the back of a van, and not so much on the back of a Bandit. Couldnt really afford to keep both. And commuting in the rain doesnt appeal too much either.

Ah good work. How has your training worked then, a break between the training and the mod1?

Did training at the test centre. Module 1 isn’t too bad but I’m still shaky on the slow stuff… It could go either way…

The day before my test when I had done the training I couldn’t do a U-turn at all, had been doing them earlier in the day and then couldn’t. Come the next day and the test I was fine, I guess I must just have been knackered by the end of the day.

The training folk block book with the test centre in advance then nominate the rider (a couple of days?) beforehand.

So you do the training and for tomorrow I’ll meet up with a trainer for an hours practice beforehand so I’m warmed up (and hopefully not to stressed!). Well that’s the theory, at any rate. It’s the DSA examiner(s) that test you… That way if you are not ready they can potentially put off your test I think.

All going well I’ll take my module 2 on Thursday…. Should get a longer warm up to make up for the lost afternoon of Sunday.

In recap my DAS was 1 day CBT, 3 days training (on a ER6) and the two tests still to take which they then call a 4.5 day package (including the warm ups).

HTH

Bloody U-turns!
😳

I take it, it didn’t go well then? Oh well best to press on and keep trying.

Had a wee wobble on the slow ride (minor, non-failable) but dabbed on the U-ie…. Nnnngrrgh, so automatic fail I’m afraid.

I could claim that it was because it was raining during my test but the speed stuff went fine (56kph for the emergency and bang on 50 for the avoidance, glad I throttled off early for the last one!).

Should be able to retest next week I think.

Been training on a er6, must say I’m coming around to it…. 🙂

ah gutted! Really looking forward to getting on a bigger bike, think the place i have gone with use cb500’s and cbf600’s.

So, do you get to factor in the Mod 1 retest before the mod 2 to keep on track or does it balls it all up?

max: I’m not the first to fail a module 1 (or the last). They must be able to cope with this although I’m sure they will stick me for extra cost (re-test fee plus extra bike hire/prep time) not that unreasonable if they do.

Means mod 2 needs to be rescheduled, but again, I’m sure there ways and means they deal with this. I know how the guys I’m with do it, but yours might be different. Theoretically they should leave a three day gap between mod 1 and mod 2 in case this happens.

On the plus side if somebody else fails then you might end up with a dedicated build up to your module 2 (which is what happened to the other guy I was training with. Haven’t heard how he got on though yet, it was lashing with rain most of the day here yesterday!).

HTH

My instructor approached u-turns like a deranged martial arts instructor- found a fairly narrow road with regular traffic, and said “do 10 in a row”. Got up to 6, dabbed. “Start again”. By the end it felt like I’d spent a decent percentage of my adult life doing u-turns but I tell you what, it was no bother on the test!

Dunga. U-turns are a pita, but really useful later on. They’re actually dead easy once you know the secrets:

very busy engine (it’s a gyroscope too so will help to keep you upright),
slip the clutch HUGE amounts
Control speed with the back brake
Look where you want to be, not where you are

that and as NW said: Practice, Practice, practice…

Hehe, I actually ‘know’ the technique, it’s just as I start my turn for some reason 20-30% of the time I want to go straight on and I can’t turn quick enough. 20-30% of the time I can do it perfectly…

Trying to arrange an hours practice over the weekend, fingers crossed….

Hey-ho

Well, managed to hit the line on my U-ie on retest but it only counts as a minor fault. The slow ride was a caker this time 😀 I knew as soon as I started off on it it was in the bag.

Managed 56 on my emergency but managed to ‘only’ hit 52 on the avoidance. After repeatedly gunning it in practice it actually felt kinda slow!

My instructor managed to squeeze me in for a hours slow speed training yesterday (and I had a good 45 minute warm up this morning) so I knew I could do everything all okay. Managed to work out the cause of my U-ie issues : not going fast enough. Coupla times yesterday I managed to hit full lock!

Cost me an extra £45 (for retest fee and bike hire/warm up) but I don’t grudge them that, I got through!

Be next week something before they’ll get me a module 2 test slot.

Woo Hoo!

well done and good luck with mod two.

That is the tough bit done (from what mates have told me – I did mine before it got all complicated with multiple tests!)

Good luck, relax and enjoy it!

Thanks guys

Holy thread revival Batman, why could this possibly be? Some new unmissable sale kitchen fitments perhaps?

Or maybe, just maybe, my mod2 finally came?

Could be!

All I can say is I arrived back at the test centre having gone the wrong direction twice (I’ll not bore you with the details but there were mitigating circumstances and the instructions weren’t actually correct), made restart the angled start, crossed lanes mid roundabouts and was convinced I’d failed. As in no way I couldve passed that! Got read the riot act in the debrief then he slipped in ‘you’ve passed’ at the end… I was truly stunned and shocked!

3 minors though (faults I mean, my names not Jim’ll)

Weird, I was all prepared for failure (there was a month between mod 1 and 2 with only a three hour lesson last nightfor practice).

So forall you guys out there contemplating the licence take heart; if I can pass after all that, well, I guess it can’t be that hard 😉

mh