What is a DAS course really like?

[KaGantua]

ive booked a full length (novices) DAS for October

Ive only ever ridden a bike twice once on my first CBT (failed) adn also on my second one which I passed....
What to expect? Who here has done an intensive DAS? good to hear from you thx j

[stevelup]

I did it last month over four days and was a complete novice, having never even sat on a bike before I did the CBT. Because I'm a twisted kind of person, I thought it would be really sensible to make the week even more stressful by doing the theory test as well

It went like this...

Monday

Half an hour briefing

About an hour 'off road' going round and round cones getting used to the bigger bike.

20 minute road ride to a nearby disused airfield

Practice for Mod 1 at the airfield - they had areas set out to replicate the various different elements of the Mod 1 test

Longer road ride back to base, followed by half an hour for lunch.

Afternoon - road riding for an hour and a bit.

Debrief

Tuesday

Theory test (passed )

Ten minutes or so on the cones warming up, then back to the airfield to do Mod 1 practice.

40 minute ish ride.

Lunch

Hour and a bit ride incorporating a 'practice Mod 2'

Debrief

Wednesday

Same as Tuesday

Thursday

Absolutely pissing rain. Never stopped all day...

To the airfield to practice Mod 1 - in particular, the 'avoidance' manoeuvre over and over again... Cracked it as soon as I started keeping my head up and not looking at the damn cones!

To the test centre for Mod 1 - passed with one minor (49kph through the laser thingy on the e-stop)

An hour road ride incorporating a 'practice Mod 2', then back to the test centre.

Mod 2 - passed with two minors (one missed shoulder check, but not a critical one, and too close to a kerb going round a roundabout)

Ride back to base 'untethered' without the earpiece in

Got home to get a phone call from the dealer I'd bought my new bike from saying 'do you mind if we drop it off now instead of tomorrow?' - well, f'ck yeah!

Same evening I was off out on my new bike.

So all in all a fantastic few days - was absolutely knackered a the end of each day but also enjoyed it immensely.

I did add a lot of unnecessary pressure by doing the theory test the same week. I wouldn't recommend this - especially as the Hazard Perception crap is so imprecise.

Hope this helps?

[KaGantua]

Yeah thx ive already done my CBT and theory so less to do.... cant wait!!!

[Rigga]

I had intensive course Mon - thurs with mod 1 & mod 2 both one after the other on Friday morning! That was quite stressful! I passed them both thankfully. Was knackered every day both mentally and physically but very rewarding when I passed

All in all a great experience.
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Current bike: Honda CBR 1100xx

[pinkyfloyd]

Our place, and dont quote me on this as I only do CBT, tends to go as follows.

We'll start day 1 with some getting used to the bigger bikes. We have all 3 classes here for each license category so we normally give you 10 minutes or so on the middle class just to get used to a bigger bike in the yard. We'll then give you the full A Class bike, we have 3 now, CBF600, Hornet600 and a Bandit600. Day 1 is spent covering serious milage. We'll normally put at least 100 miles under your belt on the big bike for the first day.

Day 2 we practice the full test site, we do get slots on the MMA to practice but we have a massive yard and can do everything apart from the swerve on site. Then spend time getting you test ready and it seems to be a whole lot easier after the day befores mammoth ride.

Day 3 is more riding around town and brushing up on Mod 1 stuff so that when test day comes you're ready to go.

On day 1 it tends to be a full day out. You start at 9am and dont get back to the yard until around 3pm.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[esullivan]

I did a week-long DAS. I had very little experience to start with -- I had done my CBT a few months earlier and had a few hundred miles on a scooter. I didn't pass in the end (failed by putting my foot down during the U-turn on the mod 1), but I came out of the course confident in riding a geared bike. I bought a used 125 and commuted for several months, before doing another very abbreviated course (2 days of practice, then the tests).

I passed the second time easily, with no minors. I probably could have just retaken the mod 1 right away, but I was much calmer and more confident with a few months of London traffic behind me.
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Current: '14 VFR800X Test passed 31/10/12.
Previous: '12 NC700S, '11 CBF 125, '04 SH 125.

[David072]

Did mine a few weeks ago, 2 days course followed by both tests on the 3rd day. I'd passed my CBT 6 months before.

Day 1: Spent this on a 500 getting used to bigger bike, road ride followed by Mod 1 practice. Then got on the 600 for an hour.
Day 2: All day on 600, road ride and more Mod 1 practice.
Day 3: Mod 1 test at 915AM after half hour practice. Passed with 1 minor (slightly too slow on hazard avoidance). Then straight onto Mod 2 at 11AM, passed with 3 minors (mostly road position when turning out of one way roads, did my test in Mitcham and it seemed to be mostly one way streets and 20mph zones!).

Was a great couple of days, chuffed to pass both tests first time and despite only 2 days training I felt completely ready for the tests. Nervous, but ready.

Did both my CBT and DAS with bikewize in Cheam, and couldn't fault them at all.

[Hefty]

[David072]

£449 it cost in total. Which was better priced than any other places I could find in the area.

[KaGantua]

Thanks guys/ gals....

[Bikercem]

[Bikercem]

[David072]

[maxray]

I did mine with open road motorcycle training in Bromsgrove. Did a 3day course as already had theory and cbt.

Day 1 and 2 was on the 600 road riding most of the day with a little car park practice. Day 3 we practiced for the mod1 in the morning and then did the test in the afternoon.

Our mod2s were provisionally booked for 7 days later.

It may seem silly doing so much road riding first but their theory is that you get really confident on the bike which makes the mod1 soooo much easier.

I have to say it worked a treat!

Be prepared to be mantally knackered tho, there is so much to take in.

[maxray]

I did mine with open road motorcycle training in Bromsgrove. Did a 3day course as already had theory and cbt.

Day 1 and 2 was on the 600 road riding most of the day with a little car park practice. Day 3 we practiced for the mod1 in the morning and then did the test in the afternoon.

Our mod2s were provisionally booked for 7 days later.

It may seem silly doing so much road riding first but their theory is that you get really confident on the bike which makes the mod1 soooo much easier.

I have to say it worked a treat!

Be prepared to be mantally knackered tho, there is so much to take in.

[KaGantua]

hey guys

its over - and i failed my mod 1 (but i expected to...)

- put my foot down on the fo8
- put my foot down on the uturn
- emergency swerve was too slow (delibrately, as i wasnt confident enough to do it full speed, and i couldnt rebook my test, too late)

my first day was on the 125 because i wasnt ready for the 500 (ive only ridden twice on my life and that was on my 2 cbts) - on the second day i went up to the 500 and the other guy i was with on the course went up to the 650. It was here we stayed for the rest of the course.

It soon became apparent that i had an unusual position:

- My roadcraft was pretty damn good (as i drive a car already)
- General biking is ok... with a lot of technique improvement needed
- Slow control needs a LOT of improvement (which is what let me down)

im hiring a 125 off them next weekend and weekend after to just ride about all w/e with and find some wasteground somewhere, just practise my emergency stops/ emergency swerve/ slalom/ fo8/ uturn (my slow ride is actually ok, its just when you throw turning tightly into the mix my throttle hand either overrevs or lets it die)


plan is to do another days catchup training on a 650 and take my mod 1 again, pass (hopefully) and then my mod 2
but it may need to be next year due to lack of annual leave left at work

j

[pinkyfloyd]

So you had an extra practice for mod 1. Big deal. You know what you done wrong and can practice and get it right next time.
____________________
illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[Rigga]

Stick at it dude you'll get there
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Current bike: Honda CBR 1100xx

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

My DAS wasn't intensive, and was strung out over - well - months. I can't remember how many lessons I had nor how much it cost. But at a guess I would say about 10 part days. No more. Still - it was expensive, and I do think it's wrong that a lot of people are stuck for eternity on 125s because of the learner laws.

There's no way I would've done an intensive course. I know from mates they work perfectly well for some, but it's not the way I wanted to go and even if I had I'm pretty sure I'd have fucked it up. I felt loads happier 'paying me dues' on a 125. I put thousands of miles on it before, during and even after getting my full license - I still go out on it from time to time. This'll probably sound arrogant as fuck, but I pissed all over those who were trying to cram into some sort of intensive course. The skill stuff you get from riding a 125 *does* translate to bigger bikes. How could it not. And I used to practice slow manoeuvres regularly - u-turns, straight lines, weaving. And of course the obligatory stops and swerves.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[stevelup]

[pinkyfloyd]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]