Advice for those trying to pass R-E Test

[Stoneville]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(joneen13 @ Dec 9 2006, 04:53 PM) [snapback]372597[/snapback]

Road Positioning; on well populated roads its best to stick to left tyre track, on suburban/less populated roads stick to the right.[/b]

Can someone clarify that this is correct as I'm being taught the opposite.[/b][/quote]

you are being taught correctly IMHO, not sure what Jo meant to say there.

I ride, left side when no one around, when I come up behind traffic move to right side, left side dual cairrage way, but if heavy traffic then sit on right side in line of view of driver behind and in front

[Motormaniac]

on well populated roads its best to stick to left tyre track, on suburban/less populated roads stick to the right.[/b]

i got taught that its best to stick to the right of the lane at all times, especially when its busy, that way, no idiot car drivers try to overtake you on the right

[Ev]

Generalisations are all well and good and a base level to start at, however the bottom line is you should learn to be choosing your position based alone on the road environment and how you feel comfortable.
Some factors will point you to the left side, some to the right, sometimes either is good other times you compromise on certain factors because other benefits outweigh the negatives etc

[IPIT]

^^^WHS
Keep the rule of thumb in mind but IMO you have to adapt to the road conditions. Eg. I do keep to the middle of road in heavy traffic as I've been taught however sometimes when overtaking I move out (left or right depeding which side I'm on) if I don't like the look of the driver I'm overtaking. By that I mean 'soccer mum' etc..... That way I have more of a buffer if she decides to swing. There's many more examles....

[tsepo]

Hell, even start chatting to the examiner if you get stuck at lights.[/b]

I did this on my R-E and the lady looked at me and said... "I'm not your friend" - not kidding I nearly started to cry it was scary.

[tristanium]

hi, just one question about what you wrote about the controlled stop:
1. hit 50-60km/h in 4th gear
2. brake (but dont change gears)
3. come to a stop and put left foot down

what do you do after that? ie. can you swap to your right foot down to change back to 1st, or just hope youre not pointing uphill, and give the bike a roll to get both feet back on the pegs?

[joneen13]

Wait for the assessor's instructions. He will instruct you on what you have to do next

[samboy]

or take one lesson with an instructor and they'll tell you exactly how and what to do. It's worth the $50.

[thro]

what do you do after that? ie. can you swap to your right foot down to change back to 1st, or just hope youre not pointing uphill, and give the bike a roll to get both feet back on the pegs?[/b]

Maybe clarify with your instructor before hand, however, in the real world...

... yes, once stopped, i would ensure my brake light is lit with the front brake lever, put right foot down, change into first, then put left foot down and right foot on rear brake - so you're ready to go go go ASAP if need be (in case some idiot rear ends you).

[Machast]

yep, nomatter what the instructor/examiner says, just remember to kick it back down to first before going anywhere.

Instructor will probably remind you, but the assessor obviously won't as he's testing you'll remember.

[Klara]

yep, nomatter what the instructor/examiner says, just remember to kick it back down to first before going anywhere.

Instructor will probably remind you, but the assessor obviously won't as he's testing you'll remember.[/b]

Wow, thanks for all that has been written, will read it and (hopefully) memorise before my test!

Started my emergency braking today with instructor and almost crapped my pants coming to a stop from 50km's! But did it and managed to stay upright!


Has anyone had their test at Joondalup and got any hints/tips for that area? My test in next month, and altho' instructor says I will be ready, Im not too sure, so any help would be GRATEFULLY appreciated.

[HughDMan]

My advice will be go out on the Learner Bike Rides, they will boost your confidence.

Good Luck

[Jackomo]

Count 20 mirror check.

I usually put too much focus in the traffic in front and didnt pay enough attention to thing around and behind me so Sabre gave me this tip.

Sit on the bike, count 1 to 20 then check 1 mirror for traffic behind, then count another 20 check the other mirror and keep repeat checking mirror for every 20 count, keep your brain up to dated with the information of the traffic behind.

After doing that for awhile its become a habbit. Repeat is the mother of skill.

I customize this 20 count mirror rule to suite my own riding.

Count 1 ---> 5 then check speedo -----> 9 check one mirror, and next time check the other mirror. This way within 20 count I updated my brain with the current speed 2 time and knowing all how the traffic is like surround me and still dont have to count more than 10. Some might lose track trying to count more than 10 .

Depend on spacing between traffic then you count fast or slow, or sometime skip the checking mirror to look in front.

Hope this help.

[eva77horse]

WOW thankyou to all that have put up posts, i have just had a read through them all, and i will try and remember to breath lol.

Im going for my R-E test on tuesday in York, and im Sh_ _ _ _ _ my self already about it, I went for it about 6 months ago and was going ok but got half way through it and my bike stoped grrrrrrrrrr and then wouldnt start again lol.

Its running a little beter now i think. but my Ls run out of there 12 months in two weeks so may as well give it another go lol i cant stay on Ls for ever. Pity

Well if i get past my test on tuesday and all goes well and i pass i will have to come along to the MAD ride in september

Cheers eva

[sambo]

Thanks for the tips i have read them like 8 times in the last week. test is on teusday wish me luck :S

[kyliejane]

just a couple more things from doing my test this week.

if you stuff up your o turns and put your foot down DO NOT STOP!! i was nervous as hell and shaking and put my foot down a couple of times and just kept going and going until he told me to stop and i still passed.

ALSO just to clarify. if you are turning at an intersection onto a road with two lanes and you need to get into the furtherest away lane it is NOT illegal to cross the two lanes in your turn. i.e. turning right at an intersection straight into the left lane. i asked a few people about this before my test with mixed answers but decided to play it safe in my test. when the test instructor did this himself i queried him and he said it used to be marked down but not anymore.

[BigCat]

if you stuff up your o turns and put your foot down DO NOT STOP!! i was nervous as hell and shaking and put my foot down a couple of times and just kept going and going until he told me to stop and i still passed.[/b]

Can someone please clarify this? i was under the impression that if you put your foot down at any point during the o-turn its an instant fail. Thats why i've been practicing heaps as my i find it very hard on my long-assed cruiser. I need to get it on full lock just to get round but i'm getting better at it, simply by shifting my arse in the seat and looking where i want to go. Sounds common sense but its easier said than done!

If you're doing your test in Joondalup here's a few points to watch out for that i learned on my last lesson:

If you're returning to the test centre coming up Grand Boulevard watch out as you enter Boas ave as you have to merge right straight away. Remember the old MILO as you get round the corner!

Also keep an eye out for crossing white lines (cycle lanes) when turning left into side streets - stay out of them or its an instant fail so i'm told. Go through the gap where the dotted lines are.

Another one is crossing Shenton Ave on Grand Boulevard going towards the Arena - its a single lane but once you cross the lights its a dual carriageway - make sure you don't go straight into the left lane - stay in the right and do MILO once you've crossed the lights before you change to the left.

And if you do your o-turns in Neil Hawkins Park watch out as its on a hill which might catch you by surprise on the return turn as that one will be down hill.

If anyone has anymore i'd be glad to hear them!

Cheers

[Darkman2k]

Just regarding the entries below, I completely agree with learning and doing the test on the bike youre going to be riding.

I have a ZZR250 and was told I shouldnt take it on the test, but I'd made up my mind that if I was going to learn to ride - it was going to be on the bike I'd be riding for the next 12 months. I was a little worried at first because obviously it doesnt handle the turning and stuff as well as other bikes could but eventually I got the hang of it and am happy to say I passed my R-E this morning on it!!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(motivator @ Dec 20 2006, 01:03 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

get yourself a CB250 for the test too!

Bought a ZZR and was practicing on that. Its a mad bike to ride when you have your license. But to do your test.....use an instructors CB.

I couldn do O turns for crap on my bike, went for a quick lesson with the instructor before and used his CB for the test and was like a pro. Bike made a huge difference.

Also had a go on a gpx a while back and that was alright for them too.[/b]

Erm, am I the only one who has a problem with this?

If own, and are going to be riding a ZZR, learn to ride your ZZR.

What good is it passing your test on a CB and then going out riding a bike you're incapable of controlling properly?

You should really learn to control the bike you'll ride at some point - it may as well be before you get your R-E license...
[/b][/quote]

[kyliejane]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE

if you stuff up your o turns and put your foot down DO NOT STOP!! i was nervous as hell and shaking and put my foot down a couple of times and just kept going and going until he told me to stop and i still passed.[/b]

Can someone please clarify this? i was under the impression that if you put your foot down at any point during the o-turn its an instant fail. Thats why i've been practicing heaps as my i find it very hard on my long-assed cruiser. I need to get it on full lock just to get round but i'm getting better at it, simply by shifting my arse in the seat and looking where i want to go. Sounds common sense but its easier said than done!
Cheers
[/b][/quote]

clarification? uhh didnt i just say i put my foot down and still passed? he wanted three o turns in a row. i put my foot down the first time. got three in a row before he told me to stop. if you put your foot down then give up of course youre gonna fail.

[semi]

agree with that, keep going unless you're told to stop
its not an instant fail, you get to have a 2nd go at it, like you get a 2nd go at the stops