Mod 2 – the road test, the final piece of the puzzle on the way to getting your full bike licence.
If you haven’t been following the ‘Learner’s Journey’ blog, just over a year ago the fantastic team at Michelin UK very kindly offered to sponsor me to get my bike licence.
Last July I finally got my first taste of riding on 2-wheels, then fast forward roughly nine months and five and a bit lessons and on Monday I was finally ready to get Mod 2 out of the way.
Apart from a short hop across Swansea to the Mod 1 test centre, last Saturday was my first time out on the road on a bigger bike. My previous lesson had been cancelled due to snow, but after passing Mod 1 I couldn’t wait to get back out on a bike again despite the wet, miserable conditions.
A good six hours of riding from Talsarn to Aberaeron, then up the coast road to Aberystwyth to cover any potential test routes was more than enough to get used to the XJ600N with Roy at Gerry’s of Lampeter. Despite the rain and lack of time on the bike, thankfully nothing major cropped up that needed addressing before the imminent test on Monday.
After an early morning wake-up call courtesy of my 3 year old meant a seemingly endless wait before I even got into the car to head to Talsarn to get kitted up and put in a few hours before the 2pm test. Fifteen minutes in following a fuel stop, the Yamaha suddenly wouldn’t start which was all we needed, but upon further examination it turns out I’d caught the kill switch getting off the bike.
No doubt that many of us don’t like to admit we’re nervous ahead of something like this, but it was evident in my riding around town that morning as I kept making little mistakes and became increasingly frustrated with myself.
However, a quick break gave me time to get my head together, and we both concluded that the final hour of riding ahead of the test was the best yet. Barring any unplanned situation suddenly playing out in front of me, I knew I could do this.
Luckily for me, Mike the examiner had that kind of manner which immediately helps to put you at ease. It was his first trip to Aberystwyth in some time, and he was also armed with a brand new Bluetooth intercom with a supposed 1.5km range which he’d be using to provide instruction from the car as he followed.
Leaving the football club for the sea front, the usual Easter traffic and line-upon-line of parked cars gave me plenty to think about, but soon we were out of town and hitting the open road.
And then we lost radio contact…. so much for that 1.5 kilometre range, and with very few stopping places that (that you’d use on a test anyway) it took a couple of minutes until we got reconnected, then came the independent riding.
For those who don’t know, at the start of the ten minute independent ride you get told follow signs for a particular destination, and that’s it. It’s one reason I wanted to take my test in a place I knew – I could concentrate on my riding, without worrying about finding my way around at the same time.
After that it was a hill start, then back into town making our way for the test centre – those 35 minutes had certainly passed more quickly than expected.
“Congratulations, you’ve passed”. Those three little words suddenly sink in – from that moment, you can ditch the L-plates and the high-vis training vest.
Now I just need to sort out a bike…
A massive thank you to Michelin for their amazing support in helping me to get my licence, along with Roy at Gerry’s of Lampeter for the excellent one-to-one training.
To anyone thinking about getting their licence, get out there and do it – you won’t regret it.
Just don’t forget to use top quality rubber!
On that note, you can find out about Michelin’s full range of motorcycle tyres here.
