Very kind but obviously if you change your mind now you're sober I shall understand. Shall PM once I've got my shit together.

Are you getting the GTS btw? They do a lovely orange 300 version, fucking enormous.

Moto70 wrote:

I'll start a scooter fund. I'm not very good at saving though and would probably buy a 65" TV before I'd saved enough for the scooter!

I've been tempted by all sorts over the last 6 months, but in the end the Vespa won out.

I have a horrible feeling it's going to continue taking money off me for a while yet though.

Not in the videos i've been watching.
I've only got 2 anyway, the other is for women and/or the absent-minded to use.

Must resist...

Or pen.

I've not idea of the exact regs for a full bike license, but all you need to ride a 125 is Compulsory Basic Training, which does involve figure 8, U-turn, hill start etc and a couple of hours on the road. I'm sure someone else will provide actual knowledge.

I hated the CBT as had to use a Honda motorbike as they only have an automatic scooter, that changing gears with your foot thing is unnatural.

Not looking forward to dropping my Vepsa (which will happen at some point inevitably). More concerned about the paintwork than my own bones though.

Nina wrote:

You can tell it's designed by an Italian though, as you have to pull up your skirt quite a bit if you want to be able to have your feet on the ground before a traffic light.

I passed my test around '96 so it was fairly simple. It was a quick read a number plate and then ride up and down a car park until the examiner held up his clipboard when I had to do an emergency stop. After that it was out on the road with the examiner following me where he would tell me next left etc. Once back at the testing centre he asked me just one question, and that was what should I expect when carrying a pillion passenger.

Both the CBT and the Mod 1 (manoeuvres) part of the main test include u-turns.  The CBT part is usually on a wider than average road.  The Mod 1 is more difficult (but still not that hard).  You get 3 small mistakes with the Mod 1 but I'm sure that going out of the lines during the u-turn or hitting a cone on the slalom is an instant fail.

I had a real mental block with the u-turn.  It's actually embarrassing to think how bad I was at it when I was practicing.  Once I got my head together it was a piece of piss.

Yeah Mod 1 is on a course and Mod 2 is on road.

Mod 1:

Park and push manoeuvre.
Slalom
Figures of 8.
Slow control and U-turn
Controlled stop
Emergency stop
Swerve test.

Here's a diagram of the test area.  U-turn is 7.5 metres.

Nor for me but before I went on the road they did a bit in the car park just to make sure I could turn and stop.

Considering how dangerous it is for bike riders out there I am all for the test being as hard as possible, if you know the licence holders can at least do their utmost to keep themselves safe then that is half the battle. I have had 2 bike accidents, one completely the other party's fault the other mine, but the number of near misses I have had because of other road users mistakes are frightening, from people not seeing you to one where somebody deliberately tried to run me off the road.

Heh, lovely Vespa vid Mod. Just remembered (summer seems like such a long time ago) then when I wear one of my own skirts, and not the one for work (which is much more tight) that there's also the problem of the skirt getting blown into your face. Quickly learned that way to always wear a hotpants or something under it. On the bike I used to wear my skirts over my protective pants, other bikers seemed to loved that.

Mod1 and Mod 2 sound like our AVB and AVD (vehicle practise and on the road).
Mod 1 would be 4 clusters:
1 - Walk and Park (Required)
Park your bike, first walk a bit, then turn it backwards into a parking space and show correct use of the thing under the middle of the bike, or on the side stand. This was added for insurance companies, too many accidents with damage involved incorrect parking.


2 - The Slow Cluster
-Slow Slalom (Required)

- Riding out of a parking place

- Figure 8

- Slow Ride

- 180 degree turn


2 - The Fast Cluster
- Avoidance (Required)
50km/h, let go of the gas handle between the first two cones

- Slalom Fast
30km/h, second gear

- Slow Down
In the first 55 meters you have to get it into third gear, 50 km/h and then get it back into second and about 30 km/h for the small slalom at the end.


4 - Brake
- Emergency brake (Required)
Stop as quickly as possible, don't need to have the gears down into 1


- Exact stop
50 km/h and stop between the two cones, gears down to 1


- Stop
Same as the exact one, you just need to have stopped a few meters earlier


From the last 3 clusters you get 2 exercises, the required one and another. Two faults allowed in total, but not in the same cluster. You get 2 chances for every exercise.
I wouldn't have any problems with that U turn if it was 7,5 meters, usually just past the cone on the outer side which makes me fail that one.

Got another lesson today, was with 3 others, get easily distracted that way. U turn didn't go well, but I did mange the figure 8. Just need a few goes and clear my head and I'll be okay with that one.
Only downside to today was that I won't have my exam this Friday. For the new rules (with 3 categories in power in stead of 2) my school didn't get the correct bikes delivered on time. The company that's supposed to deliver though the big bike event this weekend should get a priority.
Meh. It's taking ages now, at least they told me I could plan some lessons on the road as well, so that second part shouldn't take too long. End of March will be my new date for the Mod1 exam. Which I'll have to do on a bike I've hardly had any experience with, it will be new ones with ABS and more fancy stuff. The one I used today didn't even have a fuel meter, I actually liked the simplicity of that thing. Did lock my front wheel a few times during brakes though, so it might be for the better.

Heh, that looks pretty awesome. Still one of the most awesome things I've seen involving motorbikes is that TT Isle of Man docu you referred me to. Seen it a few times by now, they found the perfect guy to follow as well. Maybe, one day, I'll go there to have a look at the race.

You ever done stuff like that? (the stunt video) From you posts in the car thread I know you like to play around with your vehicles. Don't really know of anyone that goes all out with a bike myself, apart from some motorcross.

adored wrote:

Blaming all of that on the Honda though and hoping my Vespa riding will be trouble free and not involve causing my death.

I've fallen off once -hit the front brake too hard on that gravel you'll see collect by island entrances. And nearly killed myself once -medium speed inner tube blow out which thankfully you don't need to worry about.

Proper lucky, it gave me that cold feeling when you think things are about to go tits up. I'm sure he did it on purpose because I could see him look at me as he pulled out (I was going over the speed limit and a lot of drivers think it is their job to police the roads) plus I always ride with my lights on. when I say the back came up I mean the back came up as I remember all my weight being on my arms keeping me on the bike. When the back started to fall to one side I thought I was going to be in big trouble but luckily the driver had just built up enough speed and I'd scrubbed off enough to be able to start releasing the brakes. The height the back was at I wouldn't like to think what would have happened had I just released the brake completely (I'm presuming a pretty big bang as the rear hit the deck) but it came down fairly sedately and straightened itself out. I gave his door a good fucking kick though as I then overtook him.

I once pulled a monster wheely as I exited a right hand bend, it was a fairly tight bend and as I opened it up out of the bend the road drops slightly, the front of the bike shot up so I jabbed the rear brake quick and that did come down with a bang but I reckon I was within hundreds of a second of hitting the tarmac.

My accident was a blinder but the basic gist is that I ended up on my back with my CBR 600 on top of me sliding down a road. My right leg done all the damage to the bike with a few additional little battle scars from the road but by the bike landing on me it stopped a lot of damage being done to it. I slid for around 30-40 yards and you wouldn't believe how grippy leathers are on a road, so grippy that I was shedding speed at such a rate I could barely keep my head up (I was trying to protect my brand new Arai) but when I finally stopped it hit the road with a massive bang. I was still struggling to get the bike up when other mates finally caught up and they helped me get it back onto its wheels. I rode home around 30 miles over Exmoor and when I got back and got my leathers off I had a beauty bruise on my shoulder and I'd fractured my right leg. This accident I think saved my life as one of my mates was killed a few weeks later and as I was always at the front I would have probably been where he was. This is when I realised that if I wanted to up my chances of living to an old age I had to get rid of my road bike so that's what I did. I miss the buzz intensely but I'd rather miss something than not be here...