Motorbikes - The Bear and Badger

Matt_82

Here's a video of the Mod 1 test if anyone is still interested. Â It's not an exciting video.

Matt_82

@Nina

This guy has a good technique for u-turns.

Nina

Heh, I've not yet seen my instructors ask someone to do it with no hands on the steer, I've seen some of them do it with just one hand on the steer, as basically all you have to do it move your lower body, like that guy.

2 more weeks to go till I finally get to do my exam again, and no lessons this week. They have new bikes (as the rules changed this January, they got delivered too late and now they are making them ready for the lessons.), so I only have 2 lessons to get used to those. ABS and more fancy shit I believe. Still, it's an upgrade from the Kawa er5 to the er6 n, so the difference shouldn't be that big, guess they'll just be better.

adored

Can you not do it on your own bike?

Mod74

I think Nina is going for a big girls licence, so if its like ours you have to do it on a bike above a certain power output. Which ironically you're not legally allowed to own/take to the test centre. So have to use theirs.

I had to use a manky old CB. I suppose I was grateful it was pre manked when I dropped it.

Nina

I've heard before of taking the test on your own bike, but that involves loads of hassle, your insurance has to cover it, someone has to get it to the terrain where the exam is taken etc.etc.

Since January there are 3 categories, 11KW for the youngsters, I think 30KW for the middle group, and the other one, which doesn't really have a limit, and that's the one I'm in.

These are the new bikes btw:
2013-03-06+12.43.09.jpg

Don't look that bad, digital display except for the rpm display, back tire is a bit more wider as well ,so should have some more grip, might be nice. Think they handled the bars that should prevent damage to the bike itself quite nicely as well.

Looking forward to trying them out, but that can't happen before it has had it's first service.

Nina

This appeared on my facebook this morning, a race in Belgium with just pre '72 bikes. Looks nice, must be horrible to crash one of those things though, specially if you have kept them in a good state for all those years.

Hm, I thought I was supposed to embed vimeo as well in posts?

Anyway, here's a link to it.

adored

In need of a good clean, but otherwise coming along nicely.
2013-03-20%2B16.31.01.jpg

Mod74

It's a good job you got a shot of those white walls now. It's the last day they'll ever be white.

They do look smart though, it's all tying in nicely. Have you moved that wheel cover? I could of swore I didn't leave it that crooked.

WorKid

I liked it when this thread was called crotch rockets.

Mod74

You know
http://beedspeed.com/vespa-centre-stand-feet-metal-22mm-squared-cream-p-10588.html

You want to
http://beedspeed.com/vespa-side-panel-rubber-black-white-p-1544.html

adored

Mod74 wrote:

It's a good job you got a shot of those white walls now. It's the last day they'll ever be white. They do look smart though, it's all tying in nicely. Have you moved that wheel cover? I could of swore I didn't leave it that crooked.

I suspect it got moved at some point during the hour+ or so it took them to cut the old tyres off. I'll fix it at the weekend if the snow eases off.

Maybe the Vespa fairy will come round on Saturday morning and put my new grips on as well before I go to the match...

If those feet were white I'd buy them now. The zoom on the rubbers has made me lol though.

Nina

I can't believe I failed my test again. The one thing that always go well, and the only thing I needed to pass today, went wrong. Very frustrated and sad now.

Really need to get something that will calm me down a bit, it's just the nerves that get in my way now. I know I can do most exercises good enough for the exam (apart from the 180 turn/figure 8, they are still a bit hit and miss), but as soon as I'm confronted with the examiner, I loose all confidence and a staring at the ground before me without even noticing. And I had one of the easiest persons out there as examiner. Sigh.

Next month then, my instructors are great, they'll pay for my next exam, and agree that I should just do some lessons on the road the next 2/3 weeks, and then in the last 1-2 weeks before the exam get back to the lessons at the parking spaces. Can't believe they are still convinced I'll pull this off one day, but it's nice to have that support.

Mod74

Aww, bad luck. It does sound like it's nerves not ability that's letting you down.

Try imagining the examiner naked. Although as this is Amsterdam he probably already is.

Nina

It was still cold today, so everyone was pretty well dressed, heh. I even had my motorbike keys in my pocket, thought that if IÂ focusedÂ on those, it should go without problem. Completely forgot about them.

My instructors tried to save me, the last exercise I had to do well was the slow slalom, first time I apparently had my foot at the ground for a moment, I can't remember really. Second time I hit a cone, I heard loads of coughing coming from my instructors, and one of them put the cone in the correct place again. Sadly he wasn't impressed.

Matt_82

As I pointed out on the blackout thread, I passed my motorbike test on Thursday and now have an unrestricted licence.

3 minor faults on the test. One for not being further over to the right when turning right out of a one way street and another for being a bit late on the indicator leaving a roundabout.

The third one I thought was a bit dodgy. Approaching a roundabout I was told to take the first exit heading for Edinburgh and Livingston. I looked at the sign for confirmation and could see there was another exit before the Edinburgh/Livingston one. Now that exit might be a crappy wee exit but it's an exit nonetheless. I was faced with a choice of indicating before the roundabout and passing the 'crappy' exit with my indicator on and risking failing due to misleading signalling, or waiting til I was passing it before indicating and getting a minor for late signal.

Couldn't help feel it was a bit unfair. Here's a picture of the sign, taken from Google maps

adored

Congrats fella.

Really don't want to take the full bike test myself, will see how I feel when my CBT is due for renewal.

Mod74

What was the correct answer? I wouldn't have indicated till I was past the crappy one.

Mod74

Actually, when I'm on my bike, I never use the indicators. Because it doesn't have any.

Matt_82

Sorry.

I indicated halfway across the crappy one. I got a minor fault for it. Apparently the correct action is to indicate before you reach the roundabout since it was taking the first exit.

However I'd argue that crappy, car park entrance or not, Edinburgh/Livingston clearly isn't the first exit on that roundabout.

Matt_82

adored wrote:

Congrats fella. Really don't want to take the full bike test myself, will see how I feel when my CBT is due for renewal.

Might be different when you're riding Vespas but I was very much looking forward to the increased horsepower of a bigger bike. I do longish trips on mine and sitting on a vibrating single cylinder cruiser style bike all day was torture. Did a 320 mile round trip to the Mull of Kintyre last year and got home in agony.

A comfy bike that didn't vibrate at speed and could get me up to speed quickly was a must. Comfy seats can be achieved with 125s or less but the other two, not so much.

Picked up a Honda Deauville at the end of last year. Been out on it a few times and it's clearly what I need. gets a bit of a rough time from the boy racer motorbike press in this country but it's bike I could use for the next 20 years if I look after it.

Mod74

Built in panniers? How are you supposed to attach leather tassels to them?

And yes, fuck your instructor. If you indicate left on approach and someone pulls out from the first exit it's you straight over the bonnet. That Edinburgh exit it at 10 o'clock. You could go a quarter of the way round without needing to indicate off. He was a knob.

Addendum. I was always taught that you only need to give an indication if it would help another road user. Signalling on approach to that island helps no one. It confuses anyone waiting to come out of the FIRST exit.

186

Signals and position. When taking the first exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

    signal left and approach in the left-hand lane
    keep to the left on the roundabout and continue signalling left to leave.

When taking an exit to the right or going full circle, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

    signal right and approach in the right-hand lane
    keep to the right on the roundabout until you need to change lanes to exit the roundabout
    signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want.

When taking any intermediate exit, unless signs or markings indicate otherwise

    select the appropriate lane on approach to and on the roundabout
    you should not normally need to signal on approach
    stay in this lane until you need to alter course to exit the roundabout
    signal left after you have passed the exit before the one you want.

Mod74

Matt_82

Thought I had posted this already. Evidently not.

Took a trip up to Eilean Donan Castle last week. Weather was fucking glorious. 11 hours there and back with all the stops. Last hour was hard going.

Mod74

Lovely photos there.

My bike failed its MOT Saturday because of no stop light. Easy fix I thought.

Apparently "it's not putting any power from the alternator to the rear, so I'm bridging a connection from the front lamps". And still not fixed.

Hrrm.

Matt_82

Surely a brake light is just about the easiest thing to fix on a bike. Electrics in general are pretty easy unless it's a fourteen grand BMW tourer.

Mod74

Well, you'd think. It's 50 years old this year, so you'd think that would make any electrics easy to deal with. Quite the opposite as I've found out.

All it's doing is pushing me towards an electronic ignition kt and the rewire that necessitates and fucking those points off. Points!

Matt_82

Had a real close call today when an old lady drifted onto my side of the road. She reached the halfway point of the wrong side of the road. I had to swerve into the gutter to avoid a head on. When I first saw her drifting over the line I thought it'd be someone texting but when she passed she had two hands on the wheel and was looking straight ahead. How anyone could be paying attention and still be that far across the road I have no idea.

Nina

Probably just staring in front of her and being deep into her own thoughts?

Anyway, passed my first test (finally, didn't fail one exercise in the end!) and my final will be in two weeks. Scary, but good fun. Need to pass that one, otherwise I probably can't fit in another exam before our holiday, really don't want to be on the passenger seat again (and I've realized with two bikes, it might even be possible to bring some camping cooking stuff with us, yay!)

Lesson today was quite intensive, loads of (fairly) high speed roads, and there was quite a bit of traffic around. Find it a bit hard still to see the difference between creating enough space for yourself, and being in the wrong (faster) lane unnecessary. Also not used yet to looking around when going 100km/h+, feels like I can hardly move my head.
Instructor complimented both me and my co rider for today though, he said our cornering looks good, and it all looks pretty smooth, apart from a few mistakes by the both of us. Can't have it all ehh. Weather was pretty good today as well, dry, 13 degrees I think, but not completely overcast, so could feel the sun a bit sometimes.

Something else, was watching this the other night, a (yearly I think) ride at the East Coast, America of course. Some nice bikes in there.

adored

I fell off.

It hurts.

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories