Practical Stage 6.01

This lesson is very interesting to me. It is the first time that I get to ride a motorcycle on the road. One important thing to note is that this prac is also called independent riding. You must be aware of what you have to do on the road and cannot be indecisive. You will need to make a few decisions and this will exhibit your understanding of riding a motorcycle on the road.

This lesson can only be done at night, this is to ensure that you have experience riding a motorbike on the road at night before you get your license. Before the lesson starts, there is a briefing done by the instructors on how to ride outside and what to do before you start the lesson.

You will have to get a strap, rain jacket and pants and a raincoat bag. Fold the raincoat into the bag and use the strap to fasten it to the motorbike that you will be using. It is important that you check your horn, brakes, brake lights and also the fuel in the bike you will be using. Don't just check the fuel by looking at the fuel indicator but physically check it by looking inside the fuel tank.

There are different types of formations that you will have to get into when riding. The general formation you will be in will be the staggered formation. This can be seen from the picture below.



When going straight you will have to be in this formation. If you are going to make a turn or lane change, you will have to form up in a single file before making the turn/lane change.



For example if you are going to turn/lane change to the right and your position is on the left, you will have to move behind the rider who is in front of you so as to form up this single file. If your position is already on the left, just keep riding as per normal until everyone is in a single file then you can turn/lane change.

When stopping at a junction and you are going straight, form up side by side in 2 rows. If you are going to make a turn from the junction, be sure to form up in a straight line.

Once this briefing is done, you will practice the riding formations inside the circuit so that you can understand it better.

Getting on the road, be sure to check your blind spots properly by turning your head. When approaching a side road it is also important to turn your head to look at the side road and don't forget the junction checking also.

You will have to ride up to fifth gear during the test so practice getting to fifth gear on the road lessons but don't go above 70 km/h. When going over humps, you have to be in 2nd gear. This lesson, you will just be making left and right turns so it is pretty simple. Just show the instructor that you are capable of making decisions on the road as there might be certain road hazards such as cars being parked at the side of the road.

I managed to pass this lesson on my first try, 25/07/16.

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Provisional Driving License (PDL)

Once you have passed your Practical Stage 5.02 (Assessment) and your Defensive riding theory lessons, you are able to apply for your PDL. You will have to bring your Theoretical Circuit Training Program paper and fill up a form found at the Traffic Police office. The payment for the PDL is $25. An eye test will be done at the TP office when you are applying for the PDL. TP office opens on Monday to Friday from 8am to 5pm and on Saturdays until 12pm.

The PDL is valid for 6 months. Be sure that your PDL is active when booking your TP as this is very important. It takes 1 day to process this so you will have to wait for 1 working day to be able to book your Practical 6. If you cannot book your prac 6, it means that they have not updated in their system so email them a front and back photo of your PDL and tell them that you cannot book your prac cos they have not updated it in their system.

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Defensive Riding Theory Lesson

It is compulsory to attend the Defensive riding theory lessons to be able to apply for your PDL so that you can start on your road lessons i.e. practical stage 6.0.


I didn't get to complete all 3 lessons at one go as I had other things to do on the day but I highly recommend that you complete all the lessons at one go. It's boring and really long so might as well just go through the whole thing in a single day. However I did learn a few important things from the lessons. The lessons are mostly just going through slides and watching videos. The most interesting part of the lesson was in the 2nd lesson where some of us got the chance to ride the bike simulator. It was a rare chance for me to be able to play a simulator game with an actual motorbike with the gear shifter, foot brake, horn and everything. The instructor told me that the simulator was like 400 thousand dollars. I raised my hands when he asked who wanted to try and since many of them were embarrassed they didn't get a try on the bike. It was pretty fun.

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Revision Circuit (RC)

Revision circuit

 

This is not a compulsory lesson to attend. It is only to practice all the courses inside the circuit if you feel that you are still not yet proficient in any of the courses in the circuit. In this lesson we went through the test route in the circuit. This will be the order of the courses for the test route. The courses being revised are:

1) Slope course.
2) S Course and Crank course.
3) Changing lanes.
4) Plank and Pylon Course.
5) Emergency Braking Course

6) U-turn

The instructors will give you some advice and tips if you are struggling on certain courses. I only went for this lesson once as I felt that I could complete the courses without any problems.

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Practical Stage 5.01 - 5.02

Practical Stage 5.01


In this lesson we went through the test route in the circuit. This will be the order of the courses for the test route.


1) Slope course.
2) S Course and Crank course.
3) Changing lanes.

4) Plank and Pylon Course.

5) Emergency Braking Course

This can be done at your own pace as no timing is taken for any of the courses. The second part of the lesson was exciting as you get to experience pillion riding. The instructor will pair you up with someone and get you to complete all the courses while riding with a pillion. You will go one full round and then switch turns. Try to at least complete the courses as this will mean that you are able to handle the bike well even when you have a pillion on the bike. The scariest part of the pillion ride to me was the emergency braking course, you really have to push your body to keep it upright as your pillion will push you forward when braking.

The last part of the lesson was learning how to make a U-turn. This was quite important as we will have to be able to do this well when we start our lesson on the road. We went into a mini circuit where the instructors placed some cones for us to do a U-turn. We had to be able to complete a U-turn smoothly. The method which we were taught was to engage the foot brake while moving to maintain stability at low speed, move a little to the left before turning right so that we can position the bike better, then stop at the middle and move off while turning the bike to the right.

Tip: When turning the bike at low speeds, it might feel a little unstable this is why you have to position your body upright and not lean into where you are turning as you might fall.

I managed to pass on my first try, 12/07/16.

Practical Stage 5.02(Assessment)

This practical stage will be your circuit test route assessment. It is like a mock test for the courses inside the circuit. It is good if you can pass it on your first try, it would mean that you understand how to go about the courses properly. The first part of the lesson would be to do the courses to warm up and towards the end of the lesson the assessment will start. You will have to line up in order of the number tags. So the lowest number will be the first.

You will wait at the starting point until the instructor says you can go and everyone will go together.

The order of the courses will be
1) Slope course.

2) S Course and Crank course.
3) Plank and Pylon Course.
4) Emergency Braking Course

I managed to pass on my first try with 16 points on 17/7/16.
My mistakes were:

1) Incorrect Posture(2 times) - 2 points x 2 (My foot was below gear shifter when riding)

2) Improper turning(wide turn) - 2 points
3) Brake whilst negotiating bend / turning - 2 points
4) Fail to change to appropriate gear when stopping(2 times) - 4 points x 2 (I stopped in 2nd gear while waiting to go into slope)


Upon passing you will be given the Assessment checklist (shown below) and a Theoretical Circuit Training Program(TCTP). The TCTP is required to be able to apply for your PDL as it is proof that you have completed the practical stages 1-5.

Once you've passed the assessment you can book your Defensive Theory Lessons(DTL) 1.01-1.03. Be sure to book the first lesson quickly and if possible take all of them at one go. After completing the first lesson, you can go and book the next lesson straight away. Be sure to keep the whole day free so you don't have to waste time going back to the driving centre for your DTL. This is because you cannot start your Practical stage 6.01 without completing your Defensive Theory Lessons and if you do not have a valid PDL.

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Practical Stage 4.01-4.02

Practical Stage 4.01


In this lesson we learnt how to go about the S course and also the Crank course. This course will be done after you've completed your Slope course. The requirement for the S and Crank course is that you will have to exit each course in less than 11 and 6 seconds respectively. You have to be in 2nd gear the whole time you are inside the course and not hit or mount the kerb (Immediate failure). I will post all the immediate failures in a separate post.

Before going in the S course you will have to signal left and check your left blind spot. Then move off and change into 2nd gear before entering the course. Use your foot brake to control the speed of the bike and if you feel that the bike is slowing down too much, ease off the foot brake. Once you are inside the course it is important to look at where you are heading and not look down. Upon reaching the exit, turn your head to the right to check for traffic at the exit area of the course. If there is a vehicle approaching be ready to put the bike into 1st gear and stop outside of the course. If there isn't any vehicle approaching exit the S course then check your left blind spot before entering the waiting area for the Crank course.

The Crank course is very easy. Signal right, check your right blind spot, move off and kick the gear into 2nd. When moving off move slightly to the left so you can easily turn into the Crank course as it is a 90 degree turn. In the straight part of the Crank course, cancel your signal and check for traffic at the exit area of the Crank course. If there is a vehicle approaching be ready to stop the bike. The rear wheel of the bike can be inside of the crank course but the front wheel has to be outside. If not, just move out of the course.

It took me 3 tries to pass this lesson. I managed to pass it on 8/07/16


Practical Stage 4.02


This lesson is a review of all the courses that we went through from Practical stage 2.01 until 4.01



1) Slope course.
2) S Course and Crank course.
3) Changing lanes.

4) Plank and Pylon Course.

5) Emergency Braking Course



I will recap the requirements for each part again.

Slope course:



1) Before going into the course, check blind spot.
2) Know where to position yourself, there can only be 4 bikes on the slope at 1 time. Of course during TP only one at a time
3) Go into the course in 2nd gear.
4) Stop at the line, apply foot brake and signal right.
5) Check right blind spot, move off.
6) At the top of the slope course, signal left.
7) When going down the slope, use engine braking. Only apply brakes when stopping the bike.
Check traffic before moving off to the next course.



S course and Crank course:



1) Signal left and check left blind spot before entering S course.
2) Move off and change to 2nd gear.
3) Aim to the middle of the lane when entering.
4) Apply foot brake when inside the course. Ease off brake when bike is too slow, don't keep adjusting the throttle.
5) Look ahead to where you are going and don't look down as you will usually fall.
6) Before exiting, turn your head to check traffic. Stop if you need to.
7) Check your left blind spot before the waiting area at Crank course.
8) Check that there is nobody waiting at the exit of Crank course.
9) Signal right, check right blind spot and move off.
10) Change into 2nd gear before entering the course.
11) Cancel the signal when almost exiting the Crank course.
12) Check traffic before exiting. Stop if you need to.



Lane changing:



Ensure that your bike is already position slightly diagonal to where you are lane changing.
1) Signal to where you are lane changing.
2) Check mirrors.
3) Check blind spot.
4) Increase your speed first. This will ensure you are getting closer to the lane you are changing to and you will not swerve the bike.
5) Change lanes.


Do not swerve the bike into the lane you are changing to, if you are turning your handlebar when lane changing you will definitely swerve the bike so it is very important to position the bike properly before changing lanes.



Emergency Brake:



1) Check right blind spot before moving off.
2) Rev up the RPMs higher than usual before changing gears. Make sure you reach the 3rd gear.
3) Get to a speed of 33-35 km/h and tune it down to 30 when reaching the Emergency braking area.
4) Automatically close throttle and engage front and rear brakes upon crossing the line. Don't jam on the brakes. Gradually apply stronger force on the front brakes.
5) Make sure your body is upright the whole time when braking, don't lunge forward when coming to a stop.
6) Clutch in right before the bike stalls, don't clutch in too early and don't kick down the gears as well.
7) Check right blind spot, right leg down and left leg up, kick the gear down to 1st gear, check left blind spot, left leg down and right leg up.
8) Signal right , check right blind spot, move off.
9) Check right blind spot again before moving into main circuit.



I managed to pass this lesson on my first try on 11/07/16.

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Practical Stage 3.01 - 3.02

Practical Stage 3.01


In this lesson you will learn how to complete the Plank and Pylon course. The Plank course will test your balance and the Pylon course just tests your maneuverability on a bike. The requirement for the plank course would be that you have to stay on the plank for more than 6 seconds while the requirement for pylon course is that you have to exit the course in less than 6 seconds.


Plank course


We started the lesson by warming up around the circuit and then the instructor told us to get into gear 1 and press on the foot brake while maintaining half clutch position. We were required to try to balance the bike and keep on the white line on the floor. Once everyone has got a rough idea of how we have to ride the bike on the plank we proceeded to the actual course. Keep your body slightly relaxed and grip the tank tightly. Look forward and use your arms to move the handlebar when it moves off course.


Pylon course


The pylon course is right after the plank course. For this course you will have to gear up to gear 2 right before you enter the course. You will have to maneuver the bike in between the cones as smoothly and as quickly as possible. It is better to go about this course smoothly and not try to do it too fast as you will usually hit the cones if you move too fast. Your legs should grip the tank while moving through this course and keep you foot above the gear shifter and not below it as I keep making that mistake.




I took this lesson twice and managed to pass it on the 29/06/16.


Practical Stage 3.02


In this lesson we had to go through the Emergency braking course. The objective of this course is to allow us to come to a stop during an emergency without skidding or falling off the bike. The method to complete this emergency braking course is that we have to bring the bike up to the third gear and maintain a speed of 30km/h. This can be done by bringing the RPMs very high in the 1st and 2nd gear before changing gears.


It is also better to keep the speed higher than 30km/h at around 33 to 35km/h as it is easier to tune it down the speed to 30km/h. A few moments before you reach the line, straighten your body and your arms. Once you cross the line, automatically close the throttle and start to engage the rear brakes and front brakes. Don't jam on the brakes too hard as it will cause the wheels to lock up and you will skid with the bike. It is important to gradually increase your force on the front brakes.
You also have to stop inside the area they have allocated for this course.
It doesn't matter if the bike stalls in this course, in fact some of the instructors will make sure that you stall the bike on your first few tries so that you get a feel of how the bike starts to knock right before it stalls. This will allow you to better gauge when to engage the clutch so that you do not clutch in too early.
Also don't kick down the gear to the first gear. Focus on stopping the bike properly. Once you are at a complete stop:
1) Check your right blindspot and put down your right leg down and bring your left leg up.
2) Clutch in and out while kicking the gears down to the first gear.
3) Check your left blind spot and bring your left leg down and right leg up.
4) Signal right ,check right blindspot and move off.
5) Before exiting the course check right blindspot again and enter the main circuit




I managed to pass this lesson on my first try, 01/07/16.

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