PASSED! But this is how it shouldn't be:

[lozzypop1]

After not particularly wanting to ride myself, I decided, one day to go for it.
After booking my CBT a year ago, and having to cancel it for reasons commonly known as sickness and diarrhoea, then moving house etc etc etc. I eventually managed to get settled enough in February to book it again.
After having it postponed time and time again I ended up with a training school which belonged to a friend of a friend. I turns up, as arranged at 9am on the Friday it was due to take place (OK so I was a little early and got there by twenty-to, allowing for traffic etc) to find that the instructor hadn't turned up. However, a lovely chap also turned up and had keys to the cabin, so I was invited in and got chatting with him - he was a part-time instructor working for the company, but had to go to work that day elsewhere.

A little after 10am, the fella that was due to train me turned up after having slept late, so we quickly ran through the safety clothing questions etc and skimmed over the bike.
All day Friday, I was having trouble with the cones; I killed at least two and struggled with any right-hand turn. All the instructor had to say to me was 'it will just click' nothing else as he watched me get increasingly frustrated with myself.
I did not make it out onto the road that day, so pootled off home after arranging to turn up the following morning.

The next day dawns and I am back down at the CBT place, with a fresh head and new hope. There is also a 16 yr old lad on a scoot there, doing his CBT. (He'd DEFINITELY ridden one before) and I found myself just given the keys to the CG I had ridden the day before and pretty much left to my own devices. By 11:30 I ended up in tears to Sickpup on the phone, ready to go home, after being left on my own out in the yard whilst the instructor went in with the 16 yr old and ending up hitting the deck whilst I was out there, trying to nail that bloody right hand turn.

I ended up staying for the rest of the day, but jumping on the back of the instructor’s bike while the lad completed the on-road assessment part.

I went home dejected, fed-up and hugely pissed off.

I could not sleep that night... Every time I thought about going back down to the CBT centre and getting back on a bike, I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes. I talked non-stop to the ‘Pup over the phone and bit by bit they examined her problem, working out how my seating position was affecting it even to the point of me sitting on my own CG outside my front door with a hands free kit on, telling him what ached and where.
Between us we concluded that I was holding my elbows tight into my sides, and not able to turn right because of it... As whenever I turned, I had to rotate my wrist (on the throttle) to turn the handlebars, ending up with dropping the revs (and the bike) or revving like crazy.

A couple of diazepam later, around 4.30am I managed to fall into a slumber.
Sunday - When I got up the following day, I was still determined to go down there and explain that I was not going to complete the CBT. I still chucked all of her kit in my father's car (who by this point was becoming pretty pissed off with having to do a 40mile round trip twice a day to take me back and forth) and made my way down to the CBT centre.

When I arrived, the fella that had originally let me into the cabin on the first day was standing there, and he told me that he had been called in to try to help me. So, instead of saying 'sorry, I'm quitting' I jumped on a different bike (a slightly older CG with better lever positioning for my hands and wrists) and immediately I was told that I was sitting all wrong.

After the first encouragement from Pete, (the first time in the whole 3 days so far anyone had given me any type of kind words) I managed to turn right... YAY!!
I spent the whole 6 hours doing figure 8s, circles both left and right, and making each one a tighter, smaller circumference until I ended up flying around the CBT course!!

Needless to say, I went home feeling a whole lot better with herself, and arranged to be down the following day for the on-road part. Which incidentally I flew. I was a little pissed off though.. As the boss/instructor took over after all of Pete's hard work from the day before, but was pleased when Pete turned up 'just to see things through' and accompanied us on my jaunt.

Overall, I concluded, it was the CBT experience from hell.

**Fast forward a couple of months to May.**

Within a week, I decided I was bored with the 125, but in May, I started to ask around for DAS training, reasoning that I could then ride whatever I liked at the end of it... Even though I still intended to put restrictors into her next bike for a couple of months anyway (just to get used to it, you see)
I was given business cards left right and centre, and told to ring to make arrangements but every time I called, I either had to leave messages (including my telephone number) asking for someone to get back me, or spoke briefly with the instructors whose first question always seemed to be,
"Why do you want to do the DAS? Why not do the A2?"

Lets go through it now shall we?

~ First port of call came recommended by a friend. I bumped into the Boss/DAS instructor up in Abergavenny, spoke briefly, he gave me his card told me to ring him. once I had booked my theory, and he would sort me out an assessment ride just on the 125 to see how much I needed training.
I went home, booked Theory for fortnights time, and called him - had to leave a message (I assumed he was out riding) and he would get back to me.
2 days later, a received a phone-call off his brother, who basically wanted me to agree to a full course there and then over the phone, said about how he was going down the test centre in the morning to book slots. When I explained I had not yet done my theory, understandably he backed off, and asked me to call him once I had done it.
So - I sat and passed the theory, called him back that same evening, left a message, and waited....
and waited....
and waited. A week later, I called him again, left a message, called again the following day, left a message; ok I think you're getting the idea here. Anyhow, after 3 weeks after I passed my theory, I called the boss/DAS instructor again, to complain that I had not been called back. Funny eh? Within 2 hours of my call to the Boss, his brother was ringing me up.
After trying to persuade me to take the A2 test, he asked me to call him later on in the week to arrange an assessment.

In the meantime, I had been calling round a number of other training schools in this area:

~ Motorcycle Training Wales. Left messages, sent emails, and no reply from three of their centres (Caerphilly, Pontypridd & Swansea)

~A-Z Motorcycle Training. (Caerphilly) Emailed, got a call-back, asked why I didn't do A2 instead, was promised a call-back about going down there for assessment, Never received call-back. Rang to enquire, left messages. Had a friend call a friend who worked there, despite promises to my friend, still nothing.

~ Someone with a school in Abergavenny, I had his number given to me by someone whilst I was out riding, chatted for ages over the phone, seemed keep to help me learn, but in the end, a big fat NOTHING came from it... Again promised callbacks, nothing - when I rang him back, made excuses about my number being unavailable.

Anyhow... There were others I called, but either I left messages and nothing came of them, or there was no reply at all...

Eventually I bumped into Ian from Beacons View training again, he had been employing my friend’s father as CBT instructor and I had told my friend's dad about all the trouble I had been having trying to sort lessons out.
After a quick word with Ian, he came back to me saying, I'll take you out on the CG for a quick assessment, and Ian has agreed to let you try one of the 500s round the yard whilst I'm doing a CBT.

I was due to go and have a play on the Thursday and Friday, but after waiting around, received a phone call telling me that the CBT was running on, and sorry but we would have to reschedule.
On the Saturday, as agreed I popped up to the Training Centre, sat on the 500 and had a go at feeling the weight by wheeling it around for a little while. Again, I was asked 'why not just do the A2?' Seems to have become the standard comment from men to me when mentioning the DAS.
The atmosphere inside the office was 'tense' to say the least so it turned out that I could not have a go at trying out the weight for starts/stops etc. Nevertheless, true to his word, my friend's dad took me out to have a look at my riding around the test routes in Merthyr. He seemed pleased overall.

On Monday evening, I had a text from my friend, saying her dad had told her that there had been a meeting and Ian was going to close down.
I wondered to myself if I am THAT scary a prospect to teach??

So feeling pissed-off with it all.. Fed-up and desperate to get SOMETHING done, I asked the other half if there was any reason I couldn't use my own bike (rust-bucket CG aka Penelope Shitstop) to sit the A2.
He couldn't think of any reason why I would be turned away on her, so I pulled up the DSA website, looking for available tests in my area. Three test centres were fully booked until end of November, beginning of December, but Newport must have just had a cancellation, and I managed to get one for the following day (ie. Yesterday Tuesday 23rd) at 3pm.

After running out to check my tread depth on the front tyre (was the only thing I could think of that was a little sketchy) I run back up the stairs to pay up the £80 test fee (non-refundable at such short notice) after clicking the 'confirm payment' button, I sat there for a couple of hours not being able to believe what I was about to do.

It didn't seem real, I slept like a log that night, and normally I would have been up, vomiting all night... But not this time.

I woke up and the day was perfect for it... overcast so no sun to blind me, a slight chill so that I wouldn't be a bag of sweat. Still no nerves, managed to shower, eat breakfast, cut my toenails.
I pootled down to my parents house, had a chat, found out WHERE the test centre was, sorted my L plate (fitted it properly as opposed to the gaffa tape that had been holding it on for the past 5 months) and calmly made my way to the Test Centre...

Which incidentally, I - The QUEEN of getting lost, found first time.

Sat around drinking coffee and smoking (I was 50 minutes early) until about 10 minutes before I was booked in, when I went into the waiting area.

Rode the test route, still no nerves as such (my examiner was a lovely old fella with a nice smiley face) until I ended up back at the Test Centre.

Then the nerves hit.

Anyhow... I nailed it, No lessons, 3 Minors.

I am now VERY tempted to call all the instructors up and say, "In case you have me on a reserve list, and plan to FINALLY call me back, BOLLOCKS to you - I didn't need your help!"
____________________
Funny, I used to hate being spanked as a child!
Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.

[Wise1]

[RussG]

great news

dont smoke, its bad for you
____________________
Geek, father, biker

[LeeR]

[Biker101]

Well done, suprised about all the schools being so reluctant, both schools i used had excellent comms but then again we aren't welsh
____________________
Past: 06 Runner SP50 >>> 01 Varadero XL125 >>> 08 Kwak ER-6f >>> 05 CBR600rr
Present: 99 FZS600 Fazer

[neil.]

Great post! Well done! Just get the big bike you were hoping for and restrict it.
____________________
CBT February 2008 | A2 June 2008 | Yamaha YBR125 (written off) | Honda CBF125 (current)

[Kickstart]

Hi

Congratulations.

All the best

Keith
____________________
Traxpics, track day and racing photographs - Bimota Forum - Bike performance / thrust graphs for choosing gearing

[muzzy]

Congrats mate

[Bike_craze1]

Bored with your 125 within a week? crazy.
____________________
Yamaha R125 - Cagiva Mito 125 - Honda CBR 600
CBT passed: 22/07/08 Bike Theory passed: 28/03/09
Bike Test passed: 15/04/09

[tutton]

Didnt she say 5 months oh well.

Good story, and good its turned out good for you in the end, not alot of people who would have risked it without lessons
____________________
Past: '05 Peugeot XPS '99 Aprillia RS125 '94 FZR600R
Current: '02 ZX636 A1P '51 CCM R30

[lozzypop1]

Thanks all...

[Rowey]

Well done Lozzypop!

I always presumed you had a full licence. Then again, I always picture you as your avatar.

Nice write up
____________________
ZX6R C6F.
Never argue with an idiot. They'll only bring you down to their level, and beat you with experience.

[Paivi]

Well done, girlie!

So, did you do the A2 after all, instead of DAS? Can't believe nobody would take you on DAS. Does this mean you'll have to be restricted for two years?
____________________
My other bike's a Monster...

[sickpup]

[Jerwood]

Awesome post, Took awhile At least you got something done
____________________
Current-50cc Pulse Zoom
Hoping To Get A YBR125 Or CG To Learn on

[tutton]

Another thing is if she gets bored of being 33bhp,
there is courses called accelerated access, for people who will be over 21 by the time their restriction ends, not sure on prices
____________________
Past: '05 Peugeot XPS '99 Aprillia RS125 '94 FZR600R
Current: '02 ZX636 A1P '51 CCM R30

[Paivi]

[lozzypop1]

[tzr]

[bikerchick82]

Excellent write up of a truly horrendous start to biking!

Big up to you for passing the test though, christ, you did better than me when I had to re take my test after two years of riding

Although you do now realise that to make up for the crappy start you have to spend every minute you can on the bike?

[lozzypop1]

[physbar monkey]

Well done! Sounds like a nightmare trying to get lessons, I was suprised by how few companies got back got me, and that was in winter.
____________________
Currently Riding: 1994 Honda CB250
Restriction ends: 30/01/2010

[bikerchick82]

[Wise1]

Get some time out on the big bike then do the same thing again for the big bike test, its the same one just a different bike, you can do it
____________________
Current - 2007 Suzuki Bandit GSF1250 - 1999 Suzuki TL1000R
Previous - GSXR750 SRAD, Fireblade, ZXR750, CBR600

[AAAthreat]

Well done lass, VFR nice bike .