Help to pass motorcycle practical test and buy safety gear

[legendracer]

Dear bikers

I'm on my international licence and wish to get UK licence before it expires. Theory and CBT done. Have own bike with insurance.
I plan to go for module 1 and 2 very soon and keep trying until I pass. I don't want to spend £1000 for school. Do help me with tips and experiences. I have watched few tests at centres and in YouTube.

Got helmet. Now I Need jacket, trousers, boots, gloves, all under £500. Needs to be water proof and winter grade. Wish to get CE AA rating if possible. Please give options. Thank you
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[Freddyfruitba...]

[legendracer]

[SirFallalot]

I'd go to the clearance section of sportsbikeshop, if nearby, some mc shops such as infinity motorcycles have clearance warehouses with some discount, also has an eBay shop.

Otherwise, I got most of my gear hardly used off eBay for really cheap. Create a few saved searches for jacket/trousers/gloves and apply filters based on brand (I only have the 10 odd most common ones) and price. Don't buy unbranded products, not worth it. Whenever you're bored have a scroll through the searches. You can find very good deals like so.

For flexibility and price, i wouldn't worry as much about goretex or waterproof gear, apart from boots, as you can get inexpensive waterproofs to cover that, which also help blocking the cold.

My first set of winter gear was a somewhat waterproof Wolf jacket (£25, rpr 250), leather trousers over my normal ones (£25), gloves also around £15-20. My first purchase was waterproof boots, Spada Pilgrim, can also be worn off the bike, then was waterproofs, Oxford rain seal. Then come summer I bought a really nice 3 season triumph mesh jacket for £50.

Personally I'd spent the money first on gloves and boots, which are a good fit, and make do with second hand jacket/trousers.
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Lexmoto Valiant 125; 94 CB400; 96 CB750F2; 81 CB750 (restoring, lol not gonna happen); 2001 ZX9R(It's about to go :c); 2012 R1200R; 2015 R1200RS

[legendracer]

Alpinestars Drystar jacket or Oxford Mondial advanced jacket?
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[legendracer]

E bay helped a lot in getting almost brand new gears at half price.

I need a solution for gps and music image helmet.
I'm wondering if costly sena and helmet intercom is really worth. Mostly I ride alone.

What would you suggest for a Bluetooth hands-free image helmet? I will use 3m foam eat plugs as well.
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[MCN]

Where and when you use the clothing can greatly influence the type of kit you will need.

Goretex Fabric will keep out Rain and wind but may not look very exciting to some.

Leathers are generally far more comfortable than any fabric I have used but need more experience in care of them.
Fabric can go in the washing machine with a suitable detergent. (Not the same detergents used for everyday clothing).
Leather clothing is usually more expensive.

But the comfort, aesthetic quality can justify the extra €€€.

I still use leather trousers that I have owned since 2007. Fell off and ripped the knees but they still hold together.
Fabric will disintegrate in a fall. And look 9like shite.

Leather with gravel rash looks

There are waterproof leathers available but very £££

And you can greatly improve the water repellency of 'normal' leather clothing using Water Proofing sprays or waxes.

Nikwax have all that sort of stuff.
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Disclaimer: The comments above may be predicted text and not necessarily the opinion of MCN.

[legendracer]

The front end is bit loose and I tried to tighten. Can feel tak tak noise when pulled from front and with front brakes.
Used 30 size open spanner to loosen the nut. Was difficult as if it slipped could damage the tank.
Then I used screwdriver and a hammer to turn the upper ring from the left side. But it did not move even a bit.
Later I had to tighten the handle bar top nut.

Could anyone tell why didn't the ring move clockwise to make it tight?
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[A100man]

Picture? Upper (lock) ring usually has to be loosened before you can adjust steering head bearings if that's what you are doing. Got you nuts in the wrong order I think.
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Now: A100, GT250A, XJ598, FZ750

Then: Fizz, RS200, KL250, XJ550, Laverda Alpina, XJ600, FZS600

[spongefinger]

You don't have to do a das but it might be worth going to a school even just for a few hours just to make sure you are where you need to be riding wise. It might be a long process if you fail tests and have to keep trying to book new ones.

[legendracer]

[legendracer]

[spongefinger]

[legendracer]

[/quote]

Right foot up is not mandatory but seen as best practice so best to do under test conditions.

I'm not sure about legislation around international licences.[/quote]

We can use international licence for car driving test with own car. I assume same for motorcycle test.
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[legendracer]

Could anyone please guide me to adjust coneset for Honda hornet CB 600. 2013 model.
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[legendracer]

My first motorcycle driving test was in 2005. Now in a new country and again first step.

YouTube and this forum threads helped a lot for mod 1 and mod 2.
During mod 1 I was able to pass without any minors. Did U turn in under 4 meters on a hornet 600. Did hazard avoidance and emergency stop at 57kmph.
Examiner was impressed with my U turn and he said it had been months since he saw some student do it this way. But I would say, that appreciation is coz of comparison with a beginner.
I took mod 1 too seriously and it need not be like that. There is "plenty" of space for every exercise.

Some other examiner who saw me ride told that my international licence is invalid since I already got UK car licence and I had to disagree to him.

For mod 2 examiner asked, how did I reach there. When I said I rode with international licence he wanted to see it. I had to explain all the categories in my licence from MC with gear to heavy goods vehicle and also show the expiry dates.

Mod 2 was passed with 4 minors. 2 of them are acceptable to me but other 2 could be disagreed.
When the lights came green i waited for exit to be clear, but he said I could have proceeded. Highway code says to wait until exit is clear. Please Correct me if wrong. Once I had failed car driving test coz of this reason that I didn't wait for exit to be clear though I had green.
Other minor was for speed progress. I kept at 25-26 in 30 zone and I used throttle very lightly to progress from very slow speed to 25. He says I could progress much faster on a 600cc to 30. Well, I will take minor rather than a major for being below 20 or above 30.

The biggest mistake for me was fixing the intercom on my ear. My helmet is very tight fit but it has separate space for intercom which I didn't use. I had put it on ear and then put balaclava and then helmet. Just after 5 minutes the intercom started to press against my cheek bones and tears started to flow down from both eyes and nose due to the intense pain. In 45 minutes I got only 3 signals where I could stop and use my fingers to push or pull inside the helmet. In between I kept my jaws open to make some difference. For some moments I thought I should stop and tell him or even risk to fail the test. But I held on with intense pain till last and it took me 2-3 minutes to remove helmet slowly. Even after a day my cheek bone and ear hurts.

After he explained the minors he told that my observations and confidence and control is good. I thanked him few times before taking leave.

So that's my story of getting uk motorcycle licence with own bike and international licence. I couldn't afford £850 for motorcycle schools and feel lucky to get the licence in my first trial. Theory test, CBT, mod 1,mod 2 all together in 20 days.
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There is always a surprise waiting on the road which can take you off saddle , no matter how old or experienced you are.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]