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Intensive 2 – The Diary
For those of the folk here interested I have decided to make a diary of my intensive course, all the events and what-nots that occur during the days of the course.
Day 1 – Lucky Number 8!
I arrived at HQ with my gear in hand and got booked in a good 20 minutes early and had a bit with the instructor, Phil (Nice chap from Barnsley) and we waited for the other bloke to show up (name escapes me, lets call him Rick) who was riding with us for his test later that day.
9:00 AM – 11:30 AM – Let’s-a-go!I hopped onto the silver CG 125, which warmed up almost instantly due to the heat.
My head was filled with the usual clutter of “I bet I’ve forgotten it all”
It turns out I had forgotten bugger all and had actually managed to improve! LolQuick rides through Leeds, then onto Wakefield, which required a nice fast single carriageway trip. I have never been so relaxed and comfortable and yet focused at the same time before!
Before my only experience of high-speeds was in the winter, so of course the winds were harsh and bitter back then, but today they were my best friends!We came to the usual place where we turn off and perform some U turns, and what a surprise we did! After performing the u-turn I had “That’s Grand” from Phil lol
which I assume means It was a good ‘un!After a blast down a rather long dual carriage way and almost getting swiped by a f**king 4×4 coming up my right side! We arrived at the test centre where Rick went to do his test, but not before a few (piss easy U turns, this road is huge) and some talk about the questions etc.
11:45 – 1:30
Phil and myself then spouted off up the large quiet road
(to give you an indication of how large and quiet it was, it was a 30 zone and I got the bike up to 50 and Phil didn’t bat an eyelid)
Don’t worry we were only going to the café at the end of it so when we were reaching the end phil says “okay Craig lets slow it down for this car park”Had a bit of lunch and a chat, told me my riding was great and I have only got to watch out for my observations a bit more.
Meaning when we’re coming from a 60 to a 30 I have to be doing 30 BEFORE ICross the line hehehe… sometimes I MAY have been doing a bit more…
And the other one was for moving back into the centre of the lane after moving out to avoid parked cars etc. I get the one for moving out fine but it’s the moving back in one that’s always a little late or missed because I don’t move my head enough.After lunch we went back to meet Rick, who had failed because of some road works that caught him out! The roadwork’s said go left, but he went around them on the right… insta-fail
After that it was time for a chilled ride back to Leeds to drop Rick and the bike off and say bye to him.
By this time my ear was f**king caning me because of the earpieces being very sharp…my ear’s still sore now..anywayon the road back into Leeds the number 443 bus pulls up behind me (at about 12:30)
and I think to my self “my mum gets that bus back from my granddads”
When I got home it turns out she WAS on the bus and she was watching me riding my bike
lol
1:45 – 2:00By this time the heat and “clutch-claw syndrome” had taken their toll and I was knackered, but we drugged onwards around Leeds, little did I know it was play time
Phil said “we’re going on the Twistys”
f**k ME!! WHAT A f**kING GIGGLE THEY WERE!!
It’s such a beautiful thing how the bike seems to glide from side to side when hitting the corners, but the fun stopped when my arse had become fed up with me and decided to ache and go numb!!
so we pulled over for a drink, chat then on to a street for 2 U turns followed by an emergency stop, I got the finger wagged at me for covering my clutch.
Which is odd cos I never usually do that, never mind!So we head back to HQ just in time for the mid afternoon jam! WONDER-f**kIN-FULL!!
Burgh!! Didn’t get above 25mph… I was begging for him to say “lets just filter through this lot” but the command never cameso after some winker in a cage decides it would be a good idea to pull out on the cue o traffic which I was in resulting in the learner Cager at the head of the cue to slam all on in a panic, causing the guy behind to brake so and and so forth! And because there was a van in front of me, I couldn’t see very well ahead, so I had to the an emergency stop too…great!
So we got back to HQ after a quick fuel-up and Phil told me
”Your control of the bike is great, no problems there, just a few things to note.
When turning left from junctions you sometimes go too wide and almost cross the white line” (which I admit I did several times, not good but only managed to do that when I had to stop the bike, if the bike doesn’t stop than it goes nice and tight.)”Second is you’ve got to watch for your speed limit signs and your lifesavers as well.
On the whole they’re okay but you need to be a bit more wary of the changes in speed limits and the shoulder checks when moving back into the centre after moving out for parked cars.”
Said by Friday if I keep this up I will sail my test no problem.So I actually had a lot of fun!
We did loads of roundabouts and they’re my new best friends!!
I never got why they were supposed to be fun… now that I can lean the bike over at speed… I get it! Mahayana! lol
My confidence on them has risen so much now, before I used to practically stop!
Now I can read the road better I can usually just cut a bit of speed and get round pretty well!Day’s 2 3 and 4(test day) to follow shortly.
sorry about the auto biography but I’m just so bloody happy! [][][][][]Day 2 – More of the boring stuff such as junctions and what have you.
Not too much to report, pretty much the same as yesterday.
Had Sean as the instructor today, he’s a bit of a hard-ass when it comes to riding.
Still a nice enough bloke thoughCG 125 was thrashed to hell and I got 65mph out of it
Felt like it was going to f**king blow up! lolf**ked 2 U turns up, one where the bike was dropping, I put my foot down, panic and dumped the clutch and went whizzing off down the road lol
Second I was fine but didn’t quite make it tight enough and I went up onto the curb…
So 4/6 U turns went well lolAlso had to test the horn because of old gent coming out of a junction, on the white lines, and had a look of total clueless ness on his face… didn’t slow down, so Had to alert him with the horn
I’m very-very tired… and I want to sleep for a week!
Top tips are
”forward planning, observations and positioning”
apparently by centre of the lane they mean slightly to the right of centre… anyway
apparently I’m not doing observations or making them apparent enough… I cant make them any more apparent!/sleep
Day 3
Well I’ve ironed out the kinks, all I need to do now is remember to show my brake light when using engine braking and what have you.
Had a great day today, not many twistes though
Still very fun and had a really cool instructor called Jason (CBR600F Sport)
I even got the confidence to ride one handed whilst doing 30 on the open roads, much more comfortable to rest it on your knee.I also think I’m getting a bit silly now… I’m entering corners a bit too fast just so I can lean the bike over… even when I don’t need to, that’s going to get me into trouble! Lol
So the test is tomorrow, no doubt a chilled ride about with a few U turns and emergency stops etc.
Speaking of U turns I f**king nailed one today!
On a narrow, gravel infested, pothole-ridden incline with parked cars on either side of the road.Very proud of myself now, and filled with confidence and even got to ride in a pack with every one else as well after the serious stuff was over! Yay!
all 4 of us took up the space of one and a half cars or one transit. Which is nice!quote:
Speaking of U turns I f**king nailed one today!
On a narrow, gravel infested, pothole-ridden incline with parked cars on either side of the road.Anyone can do it under those circumstances, it’s whether you can do it on an open, flat, smooth, freshly tarmacced road with no cars in sight and just the beady eye of ‘The examiner from hell’.
Only kidding mate, sounds like you could have carried on riding to Land’s End. Nice one.
lol
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