AndyEllis55 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hello all, On my 60th birthday last September my family treated me to a CBT Training day. The last time I rode a bike was 43 years ago, and that was when I nicked my brothers Suzuki 90 to go and see my mates. I never passed my test and always regretted it! My son has been a biker for 15 years and I helped him strip and renovate his 1976 Honda 750, it looked brilliant when finished and I thoroughly enjoyed the project. I know own a Suzuki SR 125, runs well after rebuilding the engine and is a great training bike. I now have my eye on a 1978 XS 500 to renovate and hopefully ride after I have taken my road test (and hopefully passed). On a down note I have tried the practice hazard perception tests on the Internet and failed two out of three times, has anyone got any tips for when I should press please? Standard theory test is fine. Hope to hear from some like minded bikers soon Best Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator DirtyDT Posted December 27, 2014 Moderator Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi and welcome to the forum. When you said "Suzuki 90" was that a TS? If so I had one back in '76. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slice Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi Andy welcome to the YOC Like the intro mate, hope you have fun doing up the XS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator drewpy Posted December 27, 2014 Moderator Share Posted December 27, 2014 make sure you have the later xs500 head Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Hi Andy, welcome to the nuthouse. For hazard perception training, get one of those driving test DVDs from Tesco/Asda etc. Make sure it's one that covers all the UK tests, so it'll have the bike-specific questions. The haz perception bit will have a review part which will give you a good idea what they're looking for, basically click when you see the developing hazard, not just a potential one. Enough practice and you could probably do it eyes shut....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackhat250 Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 HI andy " tamworth , I passed that way in summer, A5 if I remember , off T4. the XS500 wasn't popular back in 1976 I can mind of them , Drewpy will keep you right tho,, Look in the shop window on this add, it be the 500 I think,,, bet it sat there a while as 2strokes were King at that time, ">http:// Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meatloaf Posted December 27, 2014 Share Posted December 27, 2014 Greetings, good intro, never to old to start riding, remember to post progress of the xs 500 when you start and we like lots of photos, good luck stay safe and enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sacha Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Welcome aboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captf Posted January 5, 2015 Share Posted January 5, 2015 Welcome! Proof that it's never too late to go for you license? (: For hazard perception, just click whenever you see something that could become a hazard, and then again when you see it start to actually become a hazard. For instance: Pedestrians at the side of the road *click*, nothing changes. Junction ahead *click*, car in the junction *click*, car then starts to pull out of the junction [no need to click, you've already seen it] Cyclist ahead *click*, cyclist turns their head *click*, cyclist changes position in lane [no need to click, you've already seen it] Kids playing with a ball in the grass by the pavement *click*. It's unfortunately all rather artificial. But you'll get it! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyEllis55 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi Andy, welcome to the nuthouse. For hazard perception training, get one of those driving test DVDs from Tesco/Asda etc. Make sure it's one that covers all the UK tests, so it'll have the bike-specific questions. The haz perception bit will have a review part which will give you a good idea what they're looking for, basically click when you see the developing hazard, not just a potential one. Enough practice and you could probably do it eyes shut....... Hi KirriePete, thanks for the advice on the Asda DVDs. Went to Asda and purchased one for £5, spent a day solid practicing all the tests and have passed my Theory test first time!. Now need to practice on the road before putting in for my practical ( freely admit that the winter weather is putting me off going out at the moment), my target is 3 months. Thanks again for the great advice. Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyEllis55 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 make sure you have the later xs500 head Hi, it is an XS500C or E depending on what website I go on to look for parts, and most of the parts appear to be in the USA! Thanks for the advice, I am about to take the head off to check for wear and clean it up, what if anything can I look for for? Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyEllis55 Posted February 11, 2015 Author Share Posted February 11, 2015 Welcome! Proof that it's never too late to go for you license? (: For hazard perception, just click whenever you see something that could become a hazard, and then again when you see it start to actually become a hazard. For instance: Pedestrians at the side of the road *click*, nothing changes. Junction ahead *click*, car in the junction *click*, car then starts to pull out of the junction [no need to click, you've already seen it] Cyclist ahead *click*, cyclist turns their head *click*, cyclist changes position in lane [no need to click, you've already seen it] Kids playing with a ball in the grass by the pavement *click*. It's unfortunately all rather artificial. But you'll get it! Hi, thanks for the advice, I have now passed. Andy 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captf Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi KirriePete, thanks for the advice on the Asda DVDs. Went to Asda and purchased one for £5, spent a day solid practicing all the tests and have passed my Theory test first time!. Now need to practice on the road before putting in for my practical ( freely admit that the winter weather is putting me off going out at the moment), my target is 3 months. Thanks again for the great advice. Andy Congratumalations! Honestly, now is the perfect time to get that practice in. Colder, slippier roads. Darker nights... If you get used to these conditions while you're learning, come the summer months weeks days, you'll have so much more fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommy xs Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 head on the XS500 were prone to crack between the cylinders Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirriePete Posted February 11, 2015 Share Posted February 11, 2015 Hi KirriePete, thanks for the advice on the Asda DVDs. Went to Asda and purchased one for £5, spent a day solid practicing all the tests and have passed my Theory test first time!. Now need to practice on the road before putting in for my practical ( freely admit that the winter weather is putting me off going out at the moment), my target is 3 months. Thanks again for the great advice. Andy You're welcome Andy. Next steps: (don't forget you'll be doing the test on a big bike so you'll need to transition from the 125, but you can still practice in between lessons on your own bike - the 125, not the 500!) Module 1 - wobble round the cones (clutch control & balance), then stop where you aim for, stop quicker and, finally, dodge a SMIDSY or mini-roundabout then stop. Don't hit any cones, do check every time you're about to move, you'll be fine. Here's the official DSA video (shot on the pad at Cardington, you can see the R101 hangar in the background on a couple of shots) Module 2 - Show some basic machine checking skills then ride around the area for 35 minutes or so, doing everything properly (checks, signals, position etc.), play nice with the traffic and don't worry if you make a mistake or two, as long as they're not big, potentially dangerous foul-ups ......! Here's the first video of the Module 2 series, the rest should be alongside this one on the Youtube page (BTW, the 'examiner' in these videos is Paul Colliss, the guy that assessed me on my Cardington CBT ticket last month, top bloke!): Now pull up yer girly drawers, get some practice in and get rid of those 'L' plates!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bippo Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Congratulation Andy! Tamworth isn't a million miles from me. More than happy to buddy up with you if you want to get some practice in, but don't fancy tackling the winter roads on your own. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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