My experiance doing my MOD 1 (with Video Footage NOT FINISHED)

I agree I'd imagine a lot of Death's have been reduced because of it.

Just very costly to do tests lol

 

I was for 10 years lol

 

Lives saved or just lives restricted? We still all die in the end. You can't actually yet stop people dying. All that is happening is that less die on motorcyles compared to other causes.

The stats are improved but only because people give up trying. I do not see how a rigid test systems provides well trained riders.

Everyone I know who has failed said it was because they did something outside of the examiners very rigid idea of 'correct' but for a good reason such as road condition or movements of other vehicles.

This is completely at odds with the Police system for motorcycle control which is NEVER applied as a rigid system but is to be used as a fluid system which can be altered continuously as you ride. Improvement is done by review not by being superhuman. The idea is one has a realistic evaluation of ones own abilities and rides to suit it.

What they are teaching through the test system seems completely counter-productive. My husband for example has now failed 8 times and still rides a 125 on L plates. He was taught to always ride down the middle of the lane including when cornering as this is required for the test. It's nonsense you should position safely for best view on a motorcycle, it's one of the few advantages we have on two wheels.

I now often play a game whilst out of spotting new riders on the road with their constant life savers. Life savers should be considered and used as required. They are not always required and sometimes it is far better particularly during urban riding to keep looking ahead. Using life savers constantly in the West End of London I can guarantee will have the rider end their day in the back of the Taxi that stopped in front of them whilst they were looking the other way!

I'm kind of amazed to see what has happened with the test system and people are not campaigning to get it changed. What happened to people in the last few decades???

 

I can see ya point. test prices nowadays are so high people just can't afford it and stuck on slower machines..

Lifesavers I think are important I'm a London boy myself and find them very useful when turning and at roundabouts.

I learned a great deal in my MOD 2 training to what I do now. Like lifesavers at roundabouts and that but sometimes I find it a bit to much and have seen people focusing more on whats behind then what's in front.

I think it should be relaxed but I do agree that there should be more restriction on younger riders in regards to what they can ride.

 

That sort of misuse of the life saver is just what I'm seeing to. I think they are maybe putting way too much emphasis on it during training because the examiners will look for it in the test. Really with good mirrors it's only a most an occasional blind spot check. It certainly should be done BEFORE the acceleration phase lol. Knowing WHEN to do it is rather important!. Too many don't actually know WHERE they should look either. it is worth the time for those who are not sure to go off road somewhere and check their life savers actually clear the blind spots and are not just ritual head movements!

I'm with BenX8 that the life saver is an essential one for leaving roundabouts though, practically always do it to make sure nobody is creeping up the nearside, unless something else more important needs attention.

I guess us old hands can't help having a moan, but I really appreciate this thread as my son will be going through the 'system' soon so the videos being posted are really helpful. Better to know what lies ahead.

Don't be too put off extra training either Mark, I'm thinking of getting some again soon, been too much on auto pilot since I returned to biking and need someone to give me some wake up calls. I'll probably be looking towards IAM, as they won't moan at me for moving out of the centre of the lane and if they do I'll throw a copy of Roadcraft at them!

 

Fair enough! When I was riding in town every day I felt the same. I was riding more on instincts and hard learnt knocks than any previous training and it served me very well. Though I think nobody can take that from you, a bit of extra training would likely result in you incorporating what you see as useful and just binning the rest any way!

I've made the switch to living out in the sticks. I find the roads out here more hazardous in a way because I'm always really switched on in town and sort of expect the unexpected. Not so much out here though. It's a world of difference to what I knew riding around London mixed in with blasts up and down motorways. So in my case it's a sort of clean sheet to start with.

 

I started out life on the Suffolk/Essex border, went to London for fame and fortune (ended up as a motorcycle courier lol). Now moved back out to Essex. Blasts up to old haunts in Suffolk during the summer are regular runs for me now!

Bored? With a shed load of old bikes and the internet for parts and chatting?? Na, not enough time in the day to get bored

Odd too, lots of biking people around here, we have a frame straightners just a few villages away, was on the phone to him the other day and when I mentioned VT 500 he got really excited and started telling me he did loads for Chasbikes years ago! Then there are the summer shows, loads of car and bike shows all over Essex in the summer to go to.

 

went to London..............finished in London.

BEAT THAT