Passed my Mod2 on the 4th attempt! What I learnt.

[gwernybwch]

Passed my Mod2 on the 4th attempt! What I learnt.

Firstly, a few things about me -

Dyspraxic - It means that my co-ordination skills are poor. Not great when you are trying to co-ordinate all the things needed to ride a bike on road
Poor instant memory - it means that I struggle to remember things, not ideal when you are trying to learn a new skill in your 50s
Country boy - I'm from the sticks. I find driving a metal box in a city bad enough, but riding a bike in a city was a whole new level
Been riding off-road bikes since I was a nipper - it meant that the Mod1 was a piece of piss to me, but it meant that I had engrained so many bad habits (no shoulders checks, indicators etc)
Unlying anxiety - not ideal when you are putting yourself in a test environment

All in all, it meant that passing my test was a hard mountain to climb. But this is what I learnt along the way -

The examiner hasn't got it against you
In fact they probably won't even remember you. I had the same examiner all four tests. I had the exact same conversation with him each time (where I was from), so even though I failed previous tests with serious faults he didn't remember me.

It is unlikely the fault of the instructor that you failed *
Because I failed so many times I been out with many different fellow students. Some I could tell just weren't up to the required standards (yet) and failed. There was nothing that the instructors could have done about it. Others were good riders but failed because of test nerves. There was nothing that the instructors could have done about that either. I never saw one rider that 'fluked it', if they weren't good enough in training, they weren't good enough to pass.

* But having different instructors can sometimes help
My first instructor was a right horrible c**t https://www.bikechatforums.com/viewtopic.php?t=327770 and I dropped him after I failed the first test. But having said that, it is surprising what I learnt from him. The next school that I went to had two different instructors. A lot of the time they were both picking up the same errors, but on ocassions they might spot something different or explain something in a different way which helped me learn.

Learn from your mistakes
Mistakes are just lessons learnt (hopefully)

Practice makes perfect
If you are a car driver, practice 'the sequence' in your car and even talk it out loud (mirrors, indicators, shoulder check, turn off indicators) so that it is hammered into your brain
I even bought myself a 125 and started riding in around my local small town. It didn't fully prepare me for 'test conditions' in a city, but did help me practice.

Familarise yourself with the test routes (but don't over-familarise yourself)
Before the test, I actually spent a day driving around and looking at the test routes. Looking at the signs, road lay-out, potential issues. Google Earth was useful as well. This helped me with my anxiety more than anything, in that I knew where I was going (obviously you still ride to the situation at the time).

Buying your bike beforehand isn't always a good idea
Having that shiny thing on order / in your garage waiting for you to pass your test isn't always a good idea. For some it is the motivation that they need, for others it just gives that added pressure.

Anxiety
Everyone has a degree of test nerves, but it might be useful to learn some anxiety management techniques for the test day.

Hopefully this is some use to those that are taking their test for the first time and for those searching for answers for why they are failing.

[Bhud]

Congrats

[chalkhills]

Many congratulations and thanks for the advice. I'm doing mod 1 and Mod 2 in Nov/Dec so insights like this from recent "passers" is very welcome
Enjoy your new bike!

[Nobby the Bastard]

[Keithy]

Congratulations on getting your test!

[stinkwheel]

[grr666]

Every time I stop I hear "left leg down, right leg up" in my head. I also automatically check my nearside mirror whenever
I pull away from standstill in a car, a remnant from my bus driving days driving and learning in an open platform RML bus.
You don't want to move off with some old biddy with one foot on the platform and one in the road, they were a bugger
to drive purely for that reason, there was always the chance of someone boarding or alighting in traffic with that kind of bus.
I saw a fair few people stack it trying to jump off my moving bus in my years driving an RML in Central London. Ain't gonna
lie, that always gave me a good old belly laugh up in the cab when someone underestimated how fast the bus was going
when they hopped off.
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Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[gwernybwch]

[pinkyfloyd]

Well done, As I said before, sometimes a change of instructor helps. Enjoy the new bike.
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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.

[Fat Angry Scotsman]

Congratulations mate, well done for not giving up and keeping on trying to achieve what you wanted!
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PRESENT: 2018 BMW S1000XR SE Sport.
PAST: 2009 Kawasaki ER-6F. 2021 Zontes ZT-125U.

[ThunderGuts]

Indeed, over-familiarity might actually cause issues for some parts of the test. There's a section in the test now where they'll ask you to "follow the signs to X"; if you know the area very well, your brain might jump to "go to X" and you'll have your own way of getting there (rat-runs etc.. rather than the signed route).
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TG.

[ThatDippyTwat]

OP - Congrats on your test.

[BRUN]

well done, esp for not giving up

[Nute]

Congrats on passing your test. I did mine in a town I’m not familiar with but the instructors tried to familiarise us students with the most common route pinch points and difficult roundabouts/ junctions etc. they did say that there are 40+ routs so it’s impossible to do/ know them all.

I found having a few different instructors very useful as well, like you say they each might pick up different weaknesses in your riding.

I was not at all confident that I would get through but the instructor said I was fine, and I was.

Doing a test in your 50’s is a bit of a strange experience as it’s 30 or so years since last doing anything similar. The two examiners I had for M1 & M2 were both very good at trying to put me at my ease and were both very nice (and patient when I went the wrong way) people.

This has made me a better, more considerate, aware and patient, car driver. The standard of driving in this country would be much better if everyone learning to drive a car did a CBT.

[dave001]

[grr666]

[recman]

[grr666]

I don't understand the significance of the picture, but I'm guessing it's a keyboard warrior thing or something? Don't get
me wrong, I ride like a knob most of the time. What I was trying to say is that because I was being evaluated, I followed
the rules to the letter and gave him exactly what he wanted to see. I'm kind of wired that way. When nobody is looking I
make it up as I go along, but certain things are just ingrained in my head, the left leg down thing being one of them.
That's where it came from. I wasn't trying to big myself up here. It just came out a bit wrong but I was 10 pints down when
I typed it. I still wish I'd taken the job though, he sold the business a few years ago so that door has closed for me now.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[recman]

No it's not a keyboard warrior thing buddy, it's just the sentence about being an instructor is something this guy would have said.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z8pgV74_Hw

[dave001]

[grr666]

Dave. How in fuck was my post abusive? Please explain.
____________________
Currently enjoying products from Ford, Mazda and Yamaha
Ste wrote: Avatars are fine, it's signatures that need turning off.

[dave001]

[to v or not to v]

[recman]

[dave001]