Motorcycle Forums

Agreed

I did my test in 2001, failed because of putting a foot down on the U-turn, examiner said my riding was excellent and although he would like to pass me he could not, I thought that this was bad enough. Who does a U-turn these days? Apart from risking 2 grands worth of fairing, you are just asking for some noob 17 year old on their mobile to collect you on their way past. This new test is just a case of people with too much time to sit in front of a white board and brain storm. They should have all been made to do the test themselves in the wet and see if they still thought it was a good idea. It is about time this government went and we got some people who had a grip on reality.

my experience

Or rather my wife's. TOday she called me after sitting her module 1 to tell me that every single person who sat it today with her (a block booking from her bike school) failed the test. In the main this was because no-one could get up to speed for the avoidance test and the emergency stop and it seems it wasn't for lack of trying. Even ignoring the relevance of it altogether, surely it doesn't take a genius to work out that a larger run up would solve this particular issue? Of course the DSA won't change it for love nor money I reckon, that'd be an admission that it's a shambles.

God help biking.....

Oh on another note

 Davyc, when i was doing my test, the examiners were disscussing out side while we were watching people fail, they said they had tried the test on a couple of Cgs, and they could only JUST get them upto the speed required !!!  but had to give it loads through the corner, even they said it is dangerous !!

1kph too slow

I did my mod 1 today, first attempt at hazard avoidance 42kph second attempt 49kph, after failing my first test for putting my foot down on u turn, i was over the moon to get round the course easily, only to find out in the examiners room that i had failed because i was 1 kph under the limit, looks weird seeing my green sheet..................Faults 0     Fail.

Bob on Adrian !

I couldn't agree with you more adrian, you've  hit the nail on the head.  What really baffles or should I say dismays me is why the DSa have not made the test for car drivers any more challenging !  This new test is like asking a learner car driver to perform a handbrake turn to park his/her vehicle and saying the reason why is,  "well ONE day you might have to do it !! " 

Before I became a motorcycle instructor I used to think the DSA was a good organisation that did serve a useful purpose but now I I think they are just government puppets that have been told to make the motorcycle test more difficult to reduce the no of people taking up motorcycling as a hobby or to commute on.

Why  would this be ? it's not as if we cost the NHS a massive amount of money,  say, compared to the friday /saturday night  revellry of the hundreds of pissheads that purposely go out to cause mayhem and injury and damage !  The police have a much harder time dealing with this activity every weekend, than having to deal with incidents involving motorcycles. Another thing was jeremy clarkson on the commitee that thought this new test up, (cos he's a T£/$T as well).

This change to the testing system for motorcycles will slow the whole industry down and cause a lot of schools to reconsider wether it's worth carrying on. Costs for training schools are going to go through the roof  in fuel,  repairs and paying instructors extra time. Training for the new test won't be much more difficult just more costly for the candidate and more nerve wracking.

I feel the DSA have taken a very arrogant and dictatorial stance on this new test. I myself don't disagree, the test, could have had a few tweeks and adjustments to make it slightly more challenging BUT this is taking the piss. They are pissing down every motorcycle instructors and ATB's  back and telling us it's raining !!

The dsa will skirt round the issue of H&S for the public by making candidates sign the disclaimer  like the old test but this time it's probably got even more small print in it.  Signing off now to calm down and clean my bike. " Come the revolution ! ! power to the people ! "