Do I need to change my instructor?

[SuzukiWookie]

Guys I'm new and would like some advice. I'm early 40s, did my CBT last year and my theory this year. Passed everything. I tried doing off road lessons (650cc) with my CBT school but it was a little cramped, with lots going on (it was attached to a bike dealership and there was a lot going on that i felt was distracting my concentration and I didn't feel 100% safe so I took a break to find a new instructor.)

I found one and I have had 3 off road cone lessons, however its not so much the instructor I have the problem with but where I do my lessons.

It is a stretch of public road which is rarely used however there are learner drivers and dog walkers, plus the distance between the kerbs is less than tbe distance you are given to do your U turn and figure 8 at the test centre.

So as such, whenever doing a fig 8 or U turn, i am fixating on tbe kerb, overcompensating in an effort to avoid it then losing balance and dropping a foot. My slalom however is OK. Then there's the issue of learner drivers on the same stretch of road and yesterday, while doing about 20ish to tbe spot where i would set off for the high speed hazard avoidance, a dog ran out in front of me. I reacted as you would expect, handfull of front brake and bootfull of back brake, but it was in very wet conditions and completely blew my concentration. The rest of the lesson was a mess.

So really while trying to remember everything else I am meant to do I'm constantly looking out for dogs and learner drivers!

I am considering going to one of the bigger riding schools with closed off practice areas with no kerbs because it might help me concentrate. Also the use four banger Hornets where to date I have been using twins and I'mnot sure if the characteristics of these bikes are so sifferent that I'd just be making life hard for myself.

Any opinions?
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Thank you

[chris-red]

Sounds great to learn TBH.

You have to keep aware so having those distractions will train you for the real world. As for U Turns slow speed control is important if for the test you have to do a u turn in say 30ft, training to do it in 25 is definitely a good idea.

Stop thinking these are problems with your training and learn to overcome them. You'll be a better rider for it.
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[Silver_Fox]

My u turn was in a smaller space than allocated on the test. That's quite normal. If you can do that, you can do the test (is the thinking...)

As Chris said, there will be many more distractions on the road, so this is all good prep

[Rogerborg]

Presumably you mean training for module 1 of the tests.

3 sessions? I hope they were short. Module 1 isn't hard and you're not going to pass it while practising.

You'll need to rev an IL4 higher to get it moving. I'd prefer something like an ER6.

Unless you're feeling totally swamped, I'd encourage you to just get on and have a go at module 1. It'll be easier than what you've been doing so far!

If your current training schools humms and hawws about you not being ready then I'd sack them off.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[SuzukiWookie]

Thanks for the answers guys. I think the point i was really making was under normal circumstances a dog running in front of you, you have no control over but at least in every day driving you can factor it in. However when you are meant to be learning something in an open environment which will be tested on a closed environment, dealing with other distractions is off putting.
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Thank you

[Silver_Fox]

Women are off putting. We still spend all our time and money chasing the buggers though

[Matt B]

Problem with the Mod 1 is that it uses a fairly big area when set out correctly. There are quite a few training schools that do not have that space and have to train on quiet roads or in car parks at weekends.

If you don't want to train that way then you need to start contacting other training schools until you find one that have the facilities to set up a full Mod 1 course in a completely private area.

However, you have had 3 lessons and, as Roger said, you should by now be giving it a go.
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[Andy_Pagin]

My training school used to borrow (hire?) the actual test centre Mod1 ground for us to practice on. Don't all schools do that?
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[Rogerborg]

Nope, and practically, how could they? Tests are over-booked as it is without renting out the yards as well.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[Kawasaki Jimbo]

Sorry but this seems like a lot of excuses, or to put it another way, searching for reasons to explain why you're struggling with the post-CBT bigger (heavier) bikes. After easy-peasying the CBT on a teeny 125 I struggled too (long ago) but it is worth persevering.

You'll check for danger before moving off into a slalom or U-turn so allowing yourself to then be severely distracted by pedestrians and learner drivers is unnecessary. Fixating on the kerb during a U-turn is the key problem which everyone has to overcome. Keep at it. Turn your head and look at the point on the road where you wish to end up on completion of the manoeuvre. The bike will follow.

In my (2nd) test I passed the U-turn by the skin of my teeth. I put a foot down at the very last moment but did enough to pass. Since then most of my "U-turns" have been 3-pointers.

You'll gain confidence and learn a lot more on the road after passing your test. You just have to do enough to pass. Do not give up, it is one of the best things you can do. Good luck!

[roboff94]

[Commuter_Tim]

[Bally-]

[NJD]

You're thinking far to much about anything and everything but what you're meant to be doing by the sounds of it, forget everything else and just focus on what the instructor is asking of you to get you through your tests.

You encountered a situation in the real world where you needed to perform an emergency stop, you performed, pick yourself up and on you go. I haven't had a dog run out on me but I've encountered far worse in my time on the roads, sounds like you let it get the better of you for the remainder of that day, something to work on for Module 2 and riding solo post DAS.

As above I'd be looking at taking a pop at the actual test by now. x2 session of 1-2 hours of prep in a local car park with some basic cones and a picture of the layout on my phone was enough to prepare for for an attempt at Module 1 on my own 125, I didn't pass (on my 125 that is) but that session in the car park was far more time spent on it than I needed, once I got on a bigger bike that had enough power for the test I managed it first time.

[sjc]

The training ground I used was rough uneven concrete and a bit slippy in places. You had a far smaller area for the u turn, getting up to speed for avoidance and emergency stops etc. The massive benefit of this is when you get to the test centre and see the huge expanse of tarmac its much easier, this calms the nerves a little as well.
So if you can get through the manoeuvres where you are doing it now you might as well have a go at the test, you should have no worries at the test centre.

[Evil Hans]

I feel really spoilt now. The place where I did my CBT and DAS training has a dedicated Mod 1 training area set out ... only slightly smaller than the real thing. (except it was only one-sided, the test centre had a left course and a right course)

I just assumed they were all like that.

(The tarmac was a bit rough in places though - the Test Centre was like a billiard table!)
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[NJD]

To expand a little more upon reading above comments.

U-Turn space on the test pad is generous and far wider than my street for example, of which is only possible to perform a U-Turn on my tiddler at full lock constantly with no room for error, I know because I've tested it from one kerb to the other in neutral and since then find it easier to do a 3 point turn rather than risk dropping the bike. I rarely find myself needing to perform a u-turn in the real word and when I do a 3 point turn is usually what I go for unless there's a fair amount of space available, there's no award for doing a U-Turn over a 3 point turn in the real world so don't sweat it, play the game and just look where you want to go.

In regards to the test pad, for at least my local test pad, it's one of those things that you have to experience to understand on the surface. I managed 30mph in 2nd gear on my Arrow so the whole test is conducted on a surface far kinder than any real UK road ever is.

Providing you don't go major fail then in my experience a Module 1 test only lasts 15-20 minutes and is over before you know it. Key is to understand all the things they might fail you for and not to do any of them, if you make it past the hazard avoidance meeting speeds and not hitting any cones then you've most likely passed through another hurdle and are on your way to Module 2. Before passing you think of it as the hardest thing ever but then when it's over I asked myself "Was that it?."

Also what's the reason you haven't attempted Module 1 yet or even mention trying to pass it. Are the schools not letting you book a test until you improve or do you not feel ready, if the earlier I'd be looking for a change in school asap, if the latter I'd just go for it, expensive business by the sounds of training you've had thus far and all for something that's over in the blink of an eye.

[andyscooter]

Learner rider complaining about learner drivers


Keep with it it will be easier
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[talkToTheHat]

Look where you want to go. If you look at the kerb you will hit it every time.

I did mod 1 training on my own bike. It was wrong for the job as u turns and figure 8s have me a ptoler appreciaion of the lockstops. High speed section at my training school was really tight and the tarmac was a gravelly mess. I learnt to chuck a 125 "cruiser" about though.

You can be lazy with a decent sized twin most of the time and not need to slip the clutch mutch, an i4 will punish you for not slipping the clutch. What matters most is the nut between the handlebars though, if you can ride a 125, anything bigger is easier. Don't get lazy just because you can almost pass by riding lazy. I suspect you could do mod 1 on a cruiser using the clutch as an on off switch, apart from perhaps the slow ride task. But as you need to learn it for one task you need to be able to do it.

Quit whining, adjust the nut between the seat and the bars and get on with it. Look where you want to go.
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[Silver_Fox]