Ask an instructor thread

[dee-monik]

i was going to get a mate to ride his bike to the parking lot...but he does not have his licence for 4 years....thanks for letting me before i got busted...and no need to be sorry as you are qualified, i just assumed UPG was too...(and sorry mate i mis-interpreted your response)

thanks again

[dimlight]

From another thread. In a right turning lane at an intersection with traffic lights, do we have to wait till a vehicle in front of us has cleared the intersection before we cross the white line to go through the intersection as well. or can we follow the car if it is safe to do so ( no incoming cars)?

[Spike139]

to throw in another question, i've been told this but keep reverting to my "old" ways, when i took my car test indicating on a roundabout was a little different when going straight through, you indicated right then a 1/4 turn you switched the indicator to left to proceed straight ahead, now i think you proceed into the roundabout and idicate left at the 1/4 just before exiting????????

[Sweetcheeks]

Okay heres another one: Shadowing.......
Now i can shadow R class, say we have 2 bikes out, a learner and another bike, am i able to 'shadow' as a pillion on the other bike?
I dont see that i should not be able to, but hey.

[killswitch54923]

From another thread. In a right turning lane at an intersection with traffic lights, do we have to wait till a vehicle in front of us has cleared the intersection before we cross the white line to go through the intersection as well. or can we follow the car if it is safe to do so ( no incoming cars)?

yes you must wait for the car to clear the intersection before you cross the white line.

[killswitch54923]

, now i think you proceed into the roundabout and idicate left at the 1/4 just before exiting????????

correct if going straight through.

[bootneck]

Okay heres another one: Shadowing.......
Now i can shadow R class, say we have 2 bikes out, a learner and another bike, am i able to 'shadow' as a pillion on the other bike?
I dont see that i should not be able to, but hey.

Yes you can be a pillion on another bike whilst acting as shadow for the learners. There is no clarification regards where you have to be as a shadow just that you have to be there. You could even be travelling in a car behind them.

[Sweetcheeks]

Hi Bootneck and thanks
I rang the DPI today and was told the same

[Scrap]

Yes you can be a pillion on another bike whilst acting as shadow for the learners. There is no clarification regards where you have to be as a shadow just that you have to be there. You could even be travelling in a car behind them.

Bull - you cannot shadow a motor cycle in a car. Extract from DPI website

Learn to ride

Once you have your learner's permit, you can have riding lessons with:

* a licensed riding instructor who holds the same or higher class of motorcycle licence for which you are applying; or
* a person who holds a current driver's licence and has held for at least four years the class of driver's licence (or higher) that you are applying for;
* or in the case of a moped, a person who has held an R-N, R or C class for at least two years.

Your tutor must accompany you at all times either as a pillion passenger, in a sidecar or on another motorcycle. If you are applying for an R-E class, you must always ride a motorcycle with an engine capacity that does not exceed 250cc.

* As a learner you must always display 'L' plates and comply with any other conditions on the permit.

[SIKPUPY]

Cheers for thse who have replied to the questions, I haven't managed to get on psb for a little while.

[SP33D]

ive got a practical learning question.
When performing a u-turn in a street, what is the correct method in slowing down and turning around. Is it to gear down to 1/2nd gear and accelerate whilst performing the turn or do i just roll into the turn and accelerate once ive straightened up?
cheers

[elitemotorcycletraining]

The U turn exercise is done in 1st gear only and at walking speed.

All motorcyclist are required to show full bike control using only the throttle / clutch and rear brake....... This needs to be performed within the kerbs and without placing your foot on the road. Try and hug the left kerb as much as possible and remember to do your MILO checks before turning. Keep the wheels moving so you can keep balance and slightly feather the rear brake to control your speed.

NOTE: KEEP your head and eyes up at all times to help keep your balance

good luck cheers Tai

ive got a practical learning question.
When performing a u-turn in a street, what is the correct method in slowing down and turning around. Is it to gear down to 1/2nd gear and accelerate whilst performing the turn or do i just roll into the turn and accelerate once ive straightened up?
cheers

[M|ke]

^ Yep, make sure you do MILO when you want to turn. Very easy to forget!

[SIKPUPY]

Cheers for the reply Tai.

[Nephilim]

Mirrors

Hi all! I'm de-lurking to post a question...

I had a lesson today and got to try out a different bike to the usual one I get to use. I normally get a Honda CB250 but today I was on a Yamaha Scorpio 225. Although I liked the bike I felt I just couldn't get it set up right, like I was too big for it. Particularly the mirrors didn't seem to be wide enough apart..

Is it possible that some bikes are just impossible to set-up right without fitting after market accessories (in this case, mirrors)? I felt the mirrors were not wide enough apart because I could get not a decent view of the lane behind me, lots of shoulder or they were angled too far outwards. This is a pity because the bike is very nimble so doing O's was a breeze! I'm much more of a cruiser fan but for learning and doing my test this would be an excellent bike and I felt much lighter and in control compared to the CB250.

Can anyone offer any tips for mirror adjustment? Or am I better off sticking with the CB250?

Cheers,

[Barfridge]

Nephilim: It's simple physics, if the mirrors aren't wider than your shoulders, you won't be able to see behind you. It's a very common complaint. On sports bikes you see people lifting their elbows to get the arm out of the way (chicken flap).

So yes, with a bike like that you will need aftermarket mirrors, or extenders

PS. welcome to PSB

[Nephilim]

Nephilim: It's simple physics, if the mirrors aren't wider than your shoulders, you won't be able to see behind you. It's a very common complaint. On sports bikes you see people lifting their elbows to get the arm out of the way (chicken flap).

So yes, with a bike like that you will need aftermarket mirrors, or extenders

Thanks barfridge, that's what I thought. I really didn't think I was /that/ wide... now I have this image of me needing those extender mirrors like cars have when towing a caravan. Thanks for the welcome

[thro]

^^ on sports bikes, the mirrors work if you are in the sport riding position (crouched).

If you're not, you'll be looking at your elbows. As said... move elbows if you need to check mirrors...

[Spike139]

ok got a question, i did my test and passed thankfully, but i noticed on the sheet he gave me that under the stopping (e-stop) section none of the squares are "greyed" meaning you don't get an instant fail if you don't get the e-stop, thats the way i read the sheet anyway, looking at it if you failed everything in the e-stop section the most points you could lose is 3, as you can lose 4 points in a test so long as the rest of the sheet is clean you should technically pass.......it does not say a front wheel lockup is an instant fail, "locks wheel during emergency stop" is only a loss of 1 point...... "stops to slowly in emergency stop" is only 1 point, i could go on but the instructors will have a copy of the sheet or be able to look at 1 to see what i mean.....

[SIKPUPY]

ok got a question, i did my test and passed thankfully, but i noticed on the sheet he gave me that under the stopping (e-stop) section none of the squares are "greyed" meaning you don't get an instant fail if you don't get the e-stop, thats the way i read the sheet anyway, looking at it if you failed everything in the e-stop section the most points you could lose is 3, as you can lose 4 points in a test so long as the rest of the sheet is clean you should technically pass.......it does not say a front wheel lockup is an instant fail, "locks wheel during emergency stop" is only a loss of 1 point...... "stops to slowly in emergency stop" is only 1 point, i could go on but the instructors will have a copy of the sheet or be able to look at 1 to see what i mean.....

There are some inconsistencies with the examiners still and the bike assessment form is relatively new and could probably do with some adjustment, however if you were unable to complete an E Stop in the required distance of 12/16 metres I would also fail you. For as long as I can remember, failing to complete a correct E Stop has been an instant fail(Whether on the sheet or not as an instant fail)

What if a car pulled out in front of you? (Which unfortunately can be a regular occurence on a bike) Could you do the right thing and either stop or avoid the collission? I understand that in a test situation people get nervous etc and dont always perform how they can ride. I had a student who lost 1/4 of a point on a test and had 2 goes at his E stop(which he screwed up) last week who unfortunately did not pass. There isn't much you can do.

I personally will not take someone out onto the road unless I am satisfied that the student is competent enough to avoid a collission. Generally it can be sorted out in the first couple of lessons. Remember, stopping safely and quickly will keep you alive.

It probably doesn't clarify why it isn't shaded on the form but I think you will understand the point of view from the examiners and myself.