Not attaining the speed on the 500 was not a problem with the bike, more like a confidence problem. Maybe they weren't ready, who knows? They seemed confident during training, and had carried out the manoeuvre without any problems.

An unpredictable swerve would definately get people's backs up. I guarantee there would be more candidates binning it.

Ro, you seem to be taking offence at anything I say, but the truth of it is (and many instructors agree), it is a better test than the old one. To have to be a better rider to pass, can not be a bad thing. It seems you want an easier test to accomodate you and your bike. But it is perfectly achievable on your machine. Maybe spend a bit more time getting your confidence before attempting it again?

Don't get me wrong about the DSA. I feel their 'hidden agenda' is to remove bikes from the road via legislation. But when you read the accident statistics, you can see why. Bikers make up less than 1% of road users but account for 19% of deaths and serious injuries. Apart from the trauma to all those families effected, the cost to the NHS, Police, Fire Service, Air Ambulance, etc, is astronomical. When you look closer at the circumstances of those accidents, and you realise that 2/3 of bike accidents involve other road users, and 2/3 of those accidents come down to a driver pulling out in front of us, you can see why they feel it necessary to legislate against us. On the other side of the coin, 1/3 of bike accidents involve no one else, and typically occur in a bend at speed. So any minister with a brain would deduce that it was necessary to a) test a bikers ability to take evasive action, and b)test a bikers ability to stop in an emergency from a high speed, and c) test a bikers ability to take a bend at speed.

I'm not against anything that produces better riders, but I am against any legislation that prevents a reasonable attempt at attaining a full licence. I don't see this new test as unreasonable, and neither do many in the industry. However, planned future changes to the test could be described as unreasonable, and those changes I will fight.

I'm sorry if your opinion differs from mine, but as I stated, if trained correctly, and with a good level of confidence, I don't see why you or anyone else should feel the test is beyond their capabilities.

Best of luck next time... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]