Harris learns biking, part two: PH Blog
Chris Harris is learning to ride a motorcycle and it's proving harder than he thought...
To get my CBT I went down the BMW route, which was highly professional, but also based in Royston, and therefore just too far away from base. Google offered several alternatives nearer home, the most appealing of which was Bike Train Wales. I telephoned boss-man Nick who seemed admirably perky and agreed to go for an hour's refresher course at their base in Cwmbran - also known as wobbling about on a 125 between some cones.
Harris's humble steed for the day
Glib though it may sound, thumbing through the Highway Code of an evening really does make you realise how much you've forgotten, or probably never knew in the first place. The Hazard Awareness section was a bit random, but I passed with no great distinction and then the mind-games began. Specifically, wobbling around cones on a 650cc V-Twin Suzuki Gladius. I'd never even thought about putting a foot down before, but in one 30-minute session I completely lost my mind. Clutch control went out of the window, speed slowed to tipping point and I just froze. My shoulders went solid, I couldn't move the bars and I had all the balance of the village drunk at throwing-out time.
Luckily, the Stage One test consists of some faster riding too. Well, 32mph riding. An emergency stop, a swerve and a couple of long corners. This stuff felt entirely natural and posed no problem whatsoever, but that didn't really matter when we arrived at the Newport Test Centre.
The test is perfectly simple. In theory. A large asphalt area and lots of cones, an examiner and me; for some reason terrified by the prospect. First you ride the bike into the test area, then you park it within some cones and prove that you can manually push it around - all perfectly simple.
Lovely day for it too!
The first three cones slid by without incident - well, only a few wobbles. I clipped the fourth with my right foot - that was enough to fail the entire test - I somehow missed the others and then entered the jaws of the figure-of-eight. Seven yards later, my right leg was propping up myself and the bike. In the spirit of brightening the examiner's day (he was doing a sterling job of suppressing an obvious urge to point and howl with laughter) I tried again and got no further than before. He called me over for the next exercise. I said I might just call it a day, he said that was up to me. I had paid my £15 though, so I thought I'd stun him with my 32mph bike control all the same. At least I didn't fall off.
Nick's business partner Julian was there to greet my abject failure. "Spent more time walking than riding," was my summary, followed by a debrief with the examiner which lasted just long enough to amplify the sense of inadequacy to the point of never wanting to see a motorcycle again.
Luckily, the ride home on open roads was delightful, but I seriously questioned whether I'd ever be capable of passing a motorcycle test and, all self-deprecation aside, I'm not used to being really bad at stuff that involves balance and coordination. Organisation, academia, social skills - all of those I'm proudly hopeless at. But stuff involving engines should not present a problem.
Nick at Bike Train Wales is a very patient man...
Anyways, last week I ventured back to Newport Test Centre, newly enabled with confidence and managed to pass the test with just the single flaw of being 2mph too slow on my swerve test. I left the place with a greater sense of achievement than having overtaken Jean Alesi in last year's Goodwood TT. Isn't it strange how overcoming something that to the outside world seems so simple, but which for whatever reason has exposed a small but pertinent weakness in our own psychological make-up, gives such a profound sense of relief and self-congratulation when conquered?
Next week I'm having a pop at Stage Two, the road riding bit. I feel a little more confident about this, and have to say I'm really looking forward to doing what I want to do - riding a motorcycle on the public road and not wobbling around cones. That said, I'm almost certain that I will be much safer if and when I do pass Stage Two because I've spent that much more time learning how not to wobble at very low speed - he says, partly attempting to justify his failure.
Onwards and upwards etc.
Chris
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8KtdsM7nY4
1) Get that expensive and underused mountain bike of yours out of the shed
2) Give it a clean and evict all the spiders living in the frame
3) Bring it into the living room
4) Find a nice long film to watch on telly
5) Whilst you watch said film, practisc balancing on the bike!
6) By the end of something like "dances with wolves" ;-) you should be able to trackstand indefinitely and be able to get around the whole house on your push bike without putting a foot down
simples! ;-)
I too found the MOD 1 to be the most daunting part of the process, fortunately I managed to hold it together.
MOD 2 was a breeze, treat the examiner as a sat nav and do all your checks. Will be over in no time.
First go my clapped-out DT50 I'd saved for all Summer failed - indicators went kaput so I had to fix those and go back the following Sunday.
That following Sunday I was the lead bike for the road exercise. Why on earth I didn't tell the guy I could barely hear him in the intercom I don't know, but I rode blindly around the council estates of Kidderminster, barely getting out of 1st gear, until we finally finished. He then gave the other 2 their certificates and asked them if they were happy to ride home themselves. Meanwhile, there was no way he could pass me so he'd follow me home.
Thing is, I knew my way home, so I arrived on my drive with an astonished tester behind me wondering what had happened! Old man came out and asked if I'd passed, at which point I turned to the tester who, thankfully, nodded. Phew!
Should've taken my test at 17 just before the changes. Alas, SWMBO won't let me near a bike now ;-(
It started with CBT, then a direct access test, ending with a few Highway Code questions... Glad to say I passed and rode bikes around without any problems for nearly 10 years.
Then I moved to France, sold my GSXR600 before coming here with the intention of buying on arrival, unfortunately it became clear that French driving is severely lacking, observation wise, and I cannot imagine riding a bike here without being wiped out and becoming a hospital regular
There is only so far defensive riding can take you.No two wheeled transport now for over 6 years, but I can look back on the 'good old days' fondly!
Nicely across this topic and that was, set some revs on the motor, then ignore it and focus (in the drifting case)
On angle and steering input.
This squares nicely with taking the bike test.
Practice setting the throttle to a nice moderate rpm..something that will allow plenty of clutch but
Not stall the motor.
Then, ignore the throttle.
That will then allow you to focus on steering input and clutch (forward thrust alone).
Hopefully this will help.
I would also recommend practicing riding as slowly as possible feet up, rear brake dragging,
Clutch slipping, revs set as above.
Once you get down to geeky speeds of crawl the cones of death should present no further issues.
Best of luck.
As mentioned, you can't go wrong with your Mod 2 if you watch your speed, obey all signs, and shoulder check every 5 seconds.
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