Monday, August 15, 2016

Practical Stage 1.01-1.03 (Introduction)

I started my Practical Stage 1.01 at the end of May 2016.

You have to be properly dressed to be able to attend the lesson :
1) Long pants
2) Long sleeve shirt or arm socks with a normal shirt
3) Gloves (tip: get the cheap durian gloves )
4) Helmet(tip: either get a really cheap one that's psb approved or just use the driving centre's helmet)
5) Covered shoes
6) Socks that cover your ankles well
7) Knee pads and elbow pads from the driving centre.

This was my first time riding a motorcycle. The closest thing I had to riding a motorcycle was riding an E-bike(it is nothing like riding a motorcycle though).

The first lesson was very simple they will teach you how to do the bike checks which is the checking of the horn, brake lights, signal lights, etc. Then they will teach you how to push the bike off the main stand, how to put it back on the main stand and how to get on and off the bike. After that is done they will teach you how to turn the motorcycle on.

It is pretty simple; just turn the key to ON and just press the ignition button. Make sure that the bike is in Neutral gear when you turn the key, it will not start if it is in gear unless you pull the clutch in. The instructors will just teach you all the basics of a motorcycle in this lesson and nearing the end of the lesson you will also learn how to move off on the bike.

We have to pull the clutch in with our left hand, kick down the gear lever to gear 1 with our left foot and open the throttle gradually while releasing the clutch slowly. Once the bike starts to move a little we will have to hold the clutch at that point. And this is called the half-clutch.

The objective of this lesson will be that we can do the checks, move off and stop smoothly.

It was pretty simple for me as I understood how the clutch work since I have a car license so the idea is the same just that I am controlling the clutch with my hand instead of my feet. They made us face the wall where there were tires on the wall and then we had to "touch" the wall with the front tires of the bike. It was pretty fun even though it doesn't sound like much.

It really doesn't matter if you keep stalling the engine just keep trying again, after awhile you will understand how it works and automatically you will pull in the clutch once the engine starts to make knocking sounds.

The instructor will allow you to ride inside a mini circuit once everyone gets the hang of the clutch and he will demonstrate how to stop smoothly. This will be done by using both the rear brakes(foot brake) and front brakes. The rear brake will be positioned below the ball of your right foot and the front brake is a brake lever that will be controlled by your right hand.

The right method to stop would be to engage both brakes at the same time gradually and not suddenly as this will cause you to jerk forward. Also it is important to straighten your body when stopping as this is a good habit for the future practical stages. Once you fulfill all the requirements of this lesson you will be able to proceed to the next practical stage.

I passed this lesson on my first try.





Practical stage 1.02


For this practical stage, the requirements were moving up to gear 3 and stopping smoothly. We started the lesson by going a few rounds in the mini circuit. After the warm up we will go into the actual circuit and we will have to bring the gear up to gear 3.


This is done by increasing the throttle to bring up the RPM on the tachometer, clutching in and closing the throttle while kicking the gear up. This should be done in a swift motion. Also important in this lesson is to be able to stop smoothly. This can be achieved by gradually pressing on the brakes until the bike comes to a stop and not jamming on the brakes which will cause the bike to skid and lose balance.


I was quite bad at this lesson it took me 3 tries to pass the lesson. I finally passed this lesson on 26/05/2016.



Practical stage 1.03



The requirement for this practical stage was to be able to bring the bike up to the 5th gear and bring it down to 3rd gear when turning at the bends. Also important is to check for our blind spots which the instructor will demonstrate. Please make sure that you know how to check your blind spot as this is very important. If you are confused, clarify with the instructor on which side you should check. The general rule is whichever direction you are turning towards check your blind spot on that side. Also important is to be able to demonstrate to the instructors that you can stop smoothly.

It took me 2 tries to pass this lesson. I managed to pass this practical stage on 3/06/2016



PS: Don't worry if you keep failing your practical stages. It took me a total of 6 lessons just to get to practical stage 2.01. Just take it as a learning point and keep going.





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