Hi all, just a quick question for the qualified amongst us who went the DAS crash course route, how many days was your course and was it enough/too many/too few to pass first time?
I ask as I’ve just booked on to a 3 day DAS course (in July) because a particular school had availability that matched my time off work and 3 days is what they’re offering.
I’m usually the “drill it to kill it” type and it took me 35 hours of lessons spread over 3 months to learn to drive. I guess I’m worrying whether 3 days is realistically enough or whether I should also look for a lesson or two before the course starts?
I understand that everyone learns at a different pace, but from personal experience is passing both tests after a 3 days course realistic?
I think i did 4 days for mine but i hadn’t really ridden a geared bike before (i’d been riding a scooter for a few years) so the first day was pretty much just a geared bike cbt.
It was plenty to allow me to pass first time, although i didn’t because i made a stupid mistake coming out of the test centre and got a major fault within 30 seconds of starting the test
I’ve been commuting the last year on a geared 125, but my original cbt and my first year of commuting was done on a scooter so I know that being self taught on gears I’ve probably picked up some bad habits along the way.
When i went for my 2nd CBT the other day for example the instructor wasn’t keen on my commuting/filtering habit of hovering 2 fingers over the front brake at all times and braking with those same 2 fingers.
It does give me hope, though, that you feel 4 days was enough to teach you gears and get you to a passing standard.
Your geared 125 will have given you plenty of relevant experience. I had one for six months before I took my big bike test. I didn’t do the crash DAS and just had a few lessons. I can’t remember how many but not a lot. Your road experience will be very useful so I think you’ll be fine.
I did 5 days with BMW we did MOD1 on day 3 and MOD2 on day 5 was a nice week in Cambridge. I passed my partner didn’t Both of us had been riding our 125 geared bikes for a year before hand. Benefit was that BMW hired the MOD1 arena on day 2 for us to practice the whole morning on and every day had about 7 hours of riding. So it was pretty intense.
Good luck
I did a 5 day course, had almost 0 experience on a bike - failed Mod 1 first time (U-Turn) and then passed Mod-1 second time no minors and Mod-2 first time no minors.
Just enjoy it and remember that it’s only a test, if you fail you just book right back on and try again - being relaxed made all of the difference for me.
Reading this makes me a little worried, I’m on a 125 Sinnis terrain (geared). The cbt went rather well, it was in the wet and I still kept up with traffic in the 60 , during the cbt I got a little confused by the list of things we were supposed to do in an empty carpark after being told the whole list before setting off.
The road aspect went perfect. My only issue is the U-Turns. Sometimes I amaze myself pulling off a super tight one without issues, others it’s like I’m a toddler on their first pushbike.
What should I be worried about doing my DAS? And is it true that if you put your foot down doing a uturn you get disqualified/fail the test?
Issue is I can put together money for one das test but I’d probably have to wait a while to afford booking a 2nd try so I’d rather be as ready as I can prior to it.
^ Definitely that - you can get all the diagrams of the MOD1 layout online and then pace it out in a car park, a few hours practice and you’ll have it nailed, along with the figure of 8 and other slow manoeuvres.
Slow, clutch control, cover the rear brake and look where you want to go - it’s not as hard as it is in your head.
Practice all the shoulder checks as well and it’ll be second nature when you come to the test (and on the road)
Thank you both for your replies, sounds like a good plan. I do all the shoulder checks already. I’m more scared of moped riders than of van drivers… they sneak up on you
Will definitely look into it, and I have access to a few places that have large gravel car parks/flat grass fields. Will definitely be able to pop a few cones/barrier tape and master my uturn… or become a cone murderer…
Well I started my riding before the cbt training on gravel , but the fields are flat and short grass cut weekly for a specific sport, they’ll be perfect in the dry
, during the cbt I got a little confused by the list of things we were supposed to do in an empty carpark after being told the whole list before setting off.