Some tips from doing the DAS

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  • #12028
    Born2BMild
    Participant

    Here’s some things I pick up from a recent DAS course.

    1. Rear Observatons. Make them very noticable from behind.

    2. Lifesavers before a turn. I found the timing of these tricky. 10 feet or 3 bike lengths from when you turn from a major road into a minor one, is a good guide.

    3. Getting of the bike. Cheat and put the side stand down first. If your legs are tired, you could drop it on you.[:I]

    4. U-Turns. After pulling away from the curb, and you have the bike controlled at slow speed, pick a point down the road and 2-3 feet from the curb and use this as an imaginary marker to start turning. It stops you inconsciously drifting into the road and loosing radial space for your turn. Also treat pedestrians on the oposite pavement as a hazard. If you lose controlled and mount the curb, you’ll hit them. Wait till they have past.

    5. Controlled stops. Don’t cover the gear lever with your foot or the clutch lever with your hand. This will stop you automatically changing down like I did on prectice.

    6. After junctions keep checking your indicators are off by pushing the cancel button. Late indicator cancelling could be just a minor fault. If the examiner has to tell you, then its all over.

    5. Rear break. Don’t cover it while moving at speed. You could accidently give false breaking indication.

    6.And if it won’t start and you’ve tried everything else, check the engine cutoff switch. I accidently knocked it when pushimh the bike around before a U-Turn.

    #48876
    Gix
    Participant

    Be careful with number 3, it was a fault when I was doing DAS tho not sure if its changed now, they used to mark you down for putting side stand down before dismount, likewise, you had to take bike off stand before mounting bike. Best to check with instructor before the test just incase.[;)]

    #48877
    imperialdata
    Keymaster

    What?! Is that a bad thing then to put the stand down first? I really can’t see the problem with that, can someone explain the theory behind this?

    #48878
    Gix
    Participant

    Thats exactly what I said, I would have thought it would be safer to put stand down first, but I was warned off from doing it, my instructor said it was all part of being able to man handle a bike from the ground, which is something you had to do when I did the test, but as I said, I dont know if that still stands, but think it would be silly to assume and then get marked down unnecessarily for.[;)]

    #48879
    roadrider
    Participant

    Your instructor was a prick if thats the reason he gave you! YOU WILL RECIEVE NO FAULTS FOR GETTING ON OR OFF THE BIKE WHEN ON THE SIDE STAND! Watch your examiner get on, as they leave the Pan Europeans on the sidestands. The reason some instuctors advise not to get on or off the bike whilst on the sidestand, is so you don’t attempt to move off whilst the stand is down and so you don’t drop the bike on yourself, if you don’t get the stand down properly.

    The best tips for DAS are going to come from your instructor! However if your instructor is only trying to teach you to pass a test, then demand your money back and find a school which will teach you more than a test route! I cannot stress this enough.

    #48880
    Carol Jadzia
    Participant

    quote:


    Originally posted by Gix

    Thats exactly what I said, I would have thought it would be safer to put stand down first, but I was warned off from doing it, my instructor said it was all part of being able to man handle a bike from the ground, which is something you had to do when I did the test,


    quote:


    Originally posted by roadrider

    Your instructor was a prick if thats the reason he gave you! YOU WILL RECIEVE NO FAULTS FOR GETTING ON OR OFF THE BIKE WHEN ON THE SIDE STAND! Watch your examiner get on, as they leave the Pan Europeans on the sidestands. The reason some instuctors advise not to get on or off the bike whilst on the sidestand, is so you don’t attempt to move off whilst the stand is down and so you don’t drop the bike on yourself, if you don’t get the stand down properly.

    The best tips for DAS are going to come from your instructor! However if your instructor is only trying to teach you to pass a test, then demand your money back and find a school which will teach you more than a test route! I cannot stress this enough.


    I do agree with you Alex about seeking better training, however most people don’t know what good or bad training is. They just go for whoever is cheapest.
    Normally cost them in the long run. Having to pay for re tests and more training because they were trained badly the 1st time.

    I gave up training full time after 15 years on the front line, too many cowboy outfits undercutting meant the good schools can’t make a decent profit.

    With the side stand thing unfortunately some Different Standards Agency Examiners do come out with stuff like this from time to time. I can tell you many horror storys of stupid examiners failing people for stuff that sounded like it was made up. Might be some anal local examiner who does not like bikers.

    I once had an examiner have a go at me because I took me DAS trainees to their test on a 125. Thats me on the 125 the Trainees were on 500s (my GTR1000s fuel tank hand sprung a leak, 125 hire bike was all I had spare). I had to get the company director to contacted the DSA who in turn faxed the correct legal position to the examiner in question.

    #48881
    Radar
    Moderator

    My brother hopes to do DAS this year, this will all make good reading for him

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