Mod 1 Fail - Bad / Knackered Clutch

[alexinlondon]

Hey All,

I'm a new member here, and I was hoping I may get some comments on a quite specific situation.

Following my CBT (and 2 days on a YBR125 hire bike) I just did 2 days direct access training and then the mod 1 test.

On the first day of training I did slalom and u turn practice many times and didn't put a foot down more than a couple of times (this was on an older 500). On the second day of training we did more high speed riding and braking etc on a 600, but not much slow riding.

On the 3rd morning of the test I suddenly was struggling with the u-turns just during 15 minutes practice nearby the test centre. I just couldn't get more than half way round without putting a foot or two down.

Needless to say my test was perfect (no minors etc) other than a foot down and fail on the uturn.

The reason I'm posting is that when I returned to the training school I heard the mechanic say that the clutch on the bike I had was knackered as he rode it into the garage.

Could that have affected my ability to make the uturn?

It may have just been my fault / lack of practice, but for some reason I was finding it much harder to do the uturn in the morning than a couple of days ago on the other bike that I had.

Thanks for your comments

[U_W v2.0]

if the clutch was knackered you'd need to talk to the school about the affect it had on your test.

it can certainly affect the uturn ability. if you cant slip the clutch properly then you wont be able to pull of the uturn enough.
____________________
BCF's biggest cunt list: Cansa, Pits, Rob

[Benno]

Did you manage the slow ride OK? And the slalom and figure of eight? All those things rely on good clutch control. But yes I can see how it would have a more significant effect on the U-turn. Did you notice it misbehaving during any other manoeuvres?
____________________
I'm autistic. That means I'm smarter than you.

[alexinlondon]

Thanks for the replies guys, I will talk to the school, was just looking for a second opinion whether it was worth trying to get a free / discount retest.

I find it hard to tell what's wrong / right due to my lack of experience. The only thing I noticed on that bike was I didn't seem to have much room to engage the clutch (the handle was out most of the way before engaging), then just a little bit before fully engaged. So I had a few jerks on the figure of eight, but as you can do that quite fast I wasn't slipping the clutch much.

I also had problems finding neutral on that bike, had to give it a few revs to get it into neutral without skipping into 2nd or 1st (depending on whether i was going up or down.

[cimbian]

Each time we took a bike out from the school the instructor had us check mirrors positions AND adjusted for a comfortable clutch-bite to suit EACH student. May be worth suggesting this to the school.

If they are a decent outfit they would see you right, though you'd probably need to pay for the MOD 1 again yourself, but at £15 it is probably not going to break anyone's bank that is learning. Knock the £15 off your bike when negotiating to buy.
____________________
22PlusY
Current: Moto Guzzi 1100 Breva. Previous: Honda XL650V TransAlp
Bearded, Balding, Born again Buddhist Biker

[tahrey]

I found one of the more crucial things for mastering the U-turn, more so than the slalom or slow trickle, was getting a hang of keeping the revs up and slipping the clutch instead of just idling around.

If the bike's fecked so that you can't keep reasonably precise control of the clutch bite, then you're going to have issues.

(There's a thought - how easy is it to U-turn an electric bike then?)

[alexinlondon]

Thanks for the additional comments... I'm pretty sure now I had problems due to the clutch..

I remember on the 1st day when practising on the 500 being able to do all the manoeuvres quite slow but feeling stable, I was keeping the revs high and could make sensitive adjustments via the clutch.

On the other bike on the test I was doing the slalom and figure of eight with very low revs as when giving it any more I couldn't easily get enough clutch control to stop the bike jerking around.

Unfortunately I didn't have enough skill to do the uturn the way I muddled through the slalom / figure of eight.

I'm gonna contact the school now and will update on what they say.

[cimbian]

[alexinlondon]

[alexinlondon]

Just to close this thread out, thanks to all the people that responded. I got a reply back from the school. They said they spoke to the mechanics and checked the bike and there wasn't anything wrong with the clutch.

They suggested it was probably a case of not being used to that bike (switching during the training) and nerves on the day.

So I guess coming out of this I recommend everyone pursuing a direct access intensive to make sure they are happy with the bike they get on the first day and that they keep the same bike for the next day and test (or however long the intensive is).

[janner_10]

If you rode it to the centre ok, sounds like there isn't much wrong.

Did the clutch really affect your u turn, or did you fuck it up?

Maybe a couple of hours of practise on that bike and you will be sorted.
____________________
Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[Llama-Farmer]

Sounds like more of a case of doing an intensive course and not enough time practicing and perfecting slow control before taking the test.

So many people seem to think DAS means you have to do it all in a week, and I personally know more people who have failed one of the 2 tests on an intensive course than have passed successfully. Most of those failed on MOD 1

On the flip side I know only 2 people who failed a test when they spread lessons out over weeks/months, compared to I think 6 who passed successfully. And neither those 2 failed on slow control.

[alexinlondon]

Yeah, of course I did 'fuck it up'

But the reason for posting / questioning it was down to having no problems at all on the GS500 the day before and overhearing the mechanic say the clutch was gone on the 650 just after the test, so I was just double checking

I think your dead on about intensive course, I think believing you can go from CBT to mod 1 pass with just 2 days intensive course is a bit tough, I know some people do it, but odds are against you. I would also think spreading out training over more days might be better.

[tahrey]