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PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 10:31 
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I'm taking delivery of my first ever powered two-wheeled vehicle on Monday 21st July - a Honda SH125i scooter. My original intention had been to use this for short journeys in place of the car, and that still stands. I don't want to have to do CBT every two years, and I think it would be best to have some form of recognised qualification, so I will do the bike test - most probably on a training bike with gears. So...

I'm just boning up for the theory test. I've bought the book which tells me how to apply, and what the test will be like, and also contains all the questions (and answers) I'm likely to be asked in a 2008 test.

The multiple choice format reminds me of the theory tests I took to become a private pilot - four possible answers to a question, of which only one (in most cases) will be correct. In addition to the correct answer, one of the other answers may sound entirely plausible but is not the required answer, one will be reasonable but is clearly wrong, and one answer will be so far out that it can immediately be discounted.

But some of the possible answers are a hoot! I got to the part where they're asking what steps you should take to counteract cold weather when riding. The correct answer is of course to wear the appropriate clothing. The other, wrong answers to choose from were

  • Ride close to the traffic in front
  • Lean flat over the tank
  • Ride with one hand on the exhaust pipe

I cracked up when I read that last one, and had to put the book down for the evening! I wonder how many people get this question wrong! :lol:


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 11:34 
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there are a couple of trickier questions in there and some which are just plane wrong. e.g. the advice to steer in to a skid is rubbish on a motorbike, because bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid, or roll off the power - unless you want to end up like this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zNUPDmnz4

Note also that when doing the HPT, you need to click when the hazard develops in to something you would action rather than just clicking every time you spot a hazard


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 17:13 
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Wow, diy - I watched the video. What happened exactly for him to end up in that mess?


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PostPosted: Thu Jul 10, 2008 19:35 
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At a guess and i am by no means an expert.

Tyres especially the type fitted to that bike soft compound like to be hot to grip properly. Like when you see race car drivers warming up weaving about to get the tyres heated.

Cold tyres and giving it a bit of juice lost grip.

I've done it on a 600cc sports bike years ago, though i never came off, nailed it out my driveway on cold tyres on a cold day, backend went out like on that vid but more luck than skill i managed to keep it up.


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PostPosted: Fri Jul 11, 2008 13:17 
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tyres might be the obvious candidate as they will be coated in release agent when still brand new, though a good fitter will at least try to clean this off. But the cause is a number of things.

1, cold, new tyres - low grip
2, heavy throttle hand - he opens the taps almost immediately
3, he leans unnecessarily as he's openning the throttle to make the turn (less speed, no need to lean).
4, he shuts off as soon as it slides and turns in to the skid which triggers the mini high side


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 13:13 
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[quote="DieselMoment"]I'm taking delivery of my first ever powered two-wheeled vehicle on Monday 21st July - a Honda SH125i scooter. My original intention had been to use this for short journeys in place of the car, and that still stands. I don't want to have to do CBT every two years, and I think it would be best to have some form of recognised qualification, so I will do the bike test - most probably on a training bike with gears. So...

I'm just boning up for the theory test. I've bought the book which tells me how to apply, and what the test will be like, and also contains all the questions (and answers) I'm likely to be asked in a 2008 test.

The multiple choice format reminds me of the theory tests I took to become a private pilot - four possible answers to a question, of which only one (in most cases) will be correct. In addition to the correct answer, one of the other answers may sound entirely plausible but is not the required answer, one will be reasonable but is clearly wrong, and one answer will be so far out that it can immediately be discounted.

But some of the possible answers are a hoot! I got to the part where they're asking what steps you should take to counteract cold weather when riding. The correct answer is of course to wear the appropriate clothing. The other, wrong answers to choose from were

I took the theory test a second time for fun , I took it without reading the questions but simply by ticking boxes using a made up formula for box ticking, I passed with an alarmingly high mark. :o I have little faith in the theory test, one reason being the pathetic questions that direct even the not so clever people to the answer.In my book you either know something or you dont! :twisted:


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PostPosted: Sat Jul 12, 2008 13:20 
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diy wrote:
there are a couple of trickier questions in there and some which are just plane wrong. e.g. the advice to steer in to a skid is rubbish on a motorbike, because bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid, or roll off the power - unless you want to end up like this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zNUPDmnz4

Note also that when doing the HPT, you need to click when the hazard develops in to something you would action rather than just clicking every time you spot a hazard


Hate to be pillion on your bike if you got into a rear wheel skid. :twisted: In that case with your Idea if you were turning left and rear wheel skidded you would keep the front wheel turning left and you would immediately find yourself spinning round,laying down or being flipped off in any case on your ass. :roll:

And you used a vid clip to make ya point which shows a tit head giving too much throttle on a new bike, spinning up the back wheel and losing control when he need not have.If you look closely when he sets off he has his finger covering the front brake, when he began spinning/sliding he was still upright, then he shut off the throttle and I believe pulled front brake which spat him off suddenly. But for a brief moment he was turned into the skid and still moving its when he decided through panic and inexperience to do the wrong thing that he fell off.


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PostPosted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 12:42 
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Jazz wrote:
diy wrote:
there are a couple of trickier questions in there and some which are just plane wrong. e.g. the advice to steer in to a skid is rubbish on a motorbike, because bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid, or roll off the power - unless you want to end up like this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zNUPDmnz4

Note also that when doing the HPT, you need to click when the hazard develops in to something you would action rather than just clicking every time you spot a hazard


Hate to be pillion on your bike if you got into a rear wheel skid. :twisted: In that case with your Idea if you were turning left and rear wheel skidded you would keep the front wheel turning left and you would immediately find yourself spinning round,laying down or being flipped off in any case on your ass. :roll:


Since you quoted my text - perhaps you should have another read:
"bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid". Keeping the front pointing where you want to go is not at all the same as continuing to steer in the same direction.

See: 0-18s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fix1BNfToC8
While the rider is deliberately performing a burn out you can see at all times he keeps the front pointing in the direction that he wants to go.


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PostPosted: Tue Jul 15, 2008 19:25 
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diy wrote:
Jazz wrote:
diy wrote:
there are a couple of trickier questions in there and some which are just plane wrong. e.g. the advice to steer in to a skid is rubbish on a motorbike, because bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid, or roll off the power - unless you want to end up like this chap

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9zNUPDmnz4

Note also that when doing the HPT, you need to click when the hazard develops in to something you would action rather than just clicking every time you spot a hazard


Hate to be pillion on your bike if you got into a rear wheel skid. :twisted: In that case with your Idea if you were turning left and rear wheel skidded you would keep the front wheel turning left and you would immediately find yourself spinning round,laying down or being flipped off in any case on your ass. :roll:


Since you quoted my text - perhaps you should have another read:
"bikes are articulated, so as long as you keep the front pointing where you want to go, you don't need to steer in to the skid". Keeping the front pointing where you want to go is not at all the same as continuing to steer in the same direction.

See: 0-18s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fix1BNfToC8
While the rider is deliberately performing a burn out you can see at all times he keeps the front pointing in the direction that he wants to go.


I think I know what he means as he relates the 'where you want to go' literally to a left turn in which case turning left would be where you wanted to go. But turn into the skid is a simple tip that the masses may understand, what you are telling us is more than that and I certainly understand what you mean. Lets face it most things of this nature happen so fast that even the very experience and well practiced can find themselves on the floor in a sudden skid situation, it always depends on the nature and circumstance.Myself I avoid skidding unless I do it deliberately :lol:


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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 00:31 
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DieselMoment wrote:
Wow, diy - I watched the video. What happened exactly for him to end up in that mess?


Either something 'let go' or he'd just traded in his Aprilia step-thru!

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PostPosted: Wed Jul 16, 2008 17:20 
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Herbie J wrote:

I think I know what he means as he relates the 'where you want to go' literally to a left turn in which case turning left would be where you wanted to go. But turn into the skid is a simple tip that the masses may understand


but my point is that this is the same advice they give for cars, yet cars are fundamentally different (4 wheels aside), since they are not articulated. Therefore you do need to positively steer into the skid in a car to counter the fact that the rear is pulling you around. This doesn't happen on a bike because the rear can hinge around the head race. Therefore you don't need to compensate for the position of the rear


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