Mod 1, Two Nil: But I’m Still in the Game
- Michelle Hatcher
- Jul 28
- 3 min read
Failing my motorcycle Mod 1 test (twice) and why I refuse to quit — no matter what.
If you’re reading this, chances are you’re somewhere on the UK motorcycling licence rollercoaster. And if you’re anything like me — over 50, fuelled by grit, and just a bit flipping stubborn — then you probably know that this journey isn’t just about passing a test. It’s about proving to yourself that you can and won’t give up.
Let me take you back to my first attempt at Mod 1 about a month ago. There I was, padded up, nervous but excited at attempting my A1 licence, standing next to my faithful 125cc bike, heart thumping loud enough to scare pigeons. I’d practiced every manoeuvre until they were (almost) second nature.
But somewhere between the adrenaline, the perhaps cockiness that I had actually got this, and the white lines, I forgot one very important thing on the U-turn: the lifesaver.
It was such a small thing — a momentary lapse, a glance not taken — but it cost me the test. And walking off that course, I felt gutted.
I’m 53. I grew up around the bikes owned by my Dad. I had inherited the biker gene but it didn’t hit me fully until decades on. I came to this motorcycle world late, through the back door and wearing borrowed boots. And in that moment, I felt like maybe I didn’t belong here at all.
But here’s the thing: I got home that afternoon after the Mod 1 Part 1 disaster and booked another test.
Fast forward to attempt Mod 1 Part 2 a fortnight later. I smashed every section of that Mod 1 like a woman on a mission. I nailed the figure of eight, my U-turn was clean, my slow control was smooth. Then came the hazard avoidance. My final hurdle. I glanced down as I went through the speed trap — I saw a 3 something, I eased through the gap — yeah, I had got this. I had passed.
Wrong.
I missed the speed requirement by 0.89 km/h. I mean, can you believe that???
Not even a full 1 km/h — I shall say that again……NOT EVEN A FULL ONE!
Let that sink in.
Less than a single click on a speedometer. The examiner said kindly, “I’m sorry, but that’s a fail.” And I laughed. Because if I hadn’t, I might have cried.
But here’s what I want you to know: I’m not giving up. Not now. Not ever.
Because this journey — this noisy, sweat running down your face, high-viz looking like a burk, nerve-shattering adventure — has taught me something bigger than clutch control or shoulder checks. It’s taught me what resilience really looks like.
It’s reminded me that life, just like learning to ride, is full of setbacks that don’t define us unless we let them.
You see, failing a motorcycle test at 53 isn’t a sign to stop — it’s a sign that you’re still brave enough to start and again — and do it as many times as it takes.
There are days when I wonder if I’m mad for doing this. When I climb off that bike, knees aching, back stiff, soaked in self-doubt. But then I think of what it feels like to ride. Really ride. The freedom. The joy. The absolute you-ness of it all.
And I remember why I started in the first place: not to impress anyone, not to tick a box — but to grow. To live. To become the rider I know I can be.
So if you’re on this path too — whether you’ve failed once, twice, or ten times — please hear this from one biker to another (or to any rider, really):
You’re not failing. You’re learning. You’re growing. You’re becoming.
And the next time I walk back onto that Mod 1 course, it’ll be with my head held high, my boots planted, and a quiet voice inside whispering, “You’ve got this.”
Because I do. And so do you.
Mod 1, you may have won the first two rounds. But I’m not done yet.
I’m just getting started.
The Brave Rider Diaries — Motorcycle rider-in-progress, fierce believer in second (and third) chances, and author of Full Throttle Full Heart and Calm In The Throttle.
Let’s keep riding — even when it’s hard. Especially then.
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