Hayabusa time!

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Passed the bike exams today, but it was VERY STRESSFUL.  For me, module 1 was the worst; it's 10 minutes of manoeuvres in a compound, comprising a slalom, figure of 8 circuits, slow ride, U-turn, an emergency stop and a swerve test.  On the first day of the DAS course, I ran through the lot without a single problem, yet for the following 3 days during practice I managed to mess something up every single time (foot down during the u-turn being the favourite).  I made 3 minor errors, 5 are allowed.  I never want to see a bloody cone ever again.

Module 2 was 40 minutes on the roads around Newbury, which I was more comfortable with.  To make it more challenging the direction indicator bulb was gone on my bike so I had to remember to hit the indicator cancel button every 20 seconds or so, then it started to bucket down with rain, and then we came across a multiple pile-up.  Mistakes were a missed observation at a roundabout, and joining a dual-carriageway a bit too hot.

The training folks (Motorcycle Academy) were very good, and my instructor had to knock some bad habits out of me and some new ones in (right-hand lifesaver when coming off roundabouts, in particular).  I am very glad I'm not going there any more though, right now I'm sick to death of everything motorbikes.  I did hundreds of miles on a Suzuki GS500 which was quite crude, but seemed vastly powerful after the YBR - it can actually accelerate up steep hills!  

GS500; mine looked like it had been heavily involved in a war

The other guy doing the training with me didn't get past mod 1.  He'd only done the CBT a few days ago though, which goes to prove getting a 125 and building some confidence is perhaps the way to go.  Or not... I crashed little bear on Monday!  I'd been on the GS500 all day in the rain, doing swerve tests and emergency stops without any drama; headed for home on the YBR, and slid straight off the first right-hand bend into the scenery.  I had a bruised knee, while the bike suffered a broken mirror and general bentness.  It's all fixed now though, ready to be chucked in for a SV650 at the weekend. Woo!

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