From Backpack to Biker: Am I Ready for my First Motorcycle?
Summary
This page records the journey from being a backpack to rider with clips of me before the lesson & during actually on a twist & go motorbike
Ready to Ride
For those of reading this outside of the UK a CBT is compulsory basic training that you have to take if you wish to ride a motor bike.
This is before you get a provisional license & involves a day at a special test centre where you demonstrate basic skills in bike control. There are limits to the size of bike & the CBT certificate only lasts for two years. The idea being that you take your official bike test within that time which is part test on a computer in addition to the practical riding.
The link below takes you to the UK Government Website to find out all about the CBT for motorcycles.
All in all quite a process but one aimed at making you a safer rider & I suspect many do this when they a lot younger than me. There is an online hazard spotting test that you can do & whilst potentially gender biased to young men it is a useful thing to do prior to getting on a bike. Think the perception is that women in general especially younger women are less likely to ride. Personally I feel this is a big presumption & actually highlighted the gender bias in the feedback. Even if statistically more men ride than women I don’t feel the test should be so obviously aimed at men.
As a student nurse I witnessed the result of a nasty bike accident whilst working in the operating theatres & the bike clothes the person was wearing was the thing that provided them with a chance. So kitting up for me is a must what ever the weather & no matter the length of the journey. My son learned the hard way when knocked off in thankfully what was a low speed incident at a roundabout where a car driver didn’t look. Up until that point I think he had thought I was just being an over protective mother. However hitting the tarmac even at less than 30mph hurt & shook him up to the point that he never rode without full bike gear again what ever the weather or the type of journey.
I only learnt ride a push bike aged 38 so the prospect of trying to operate a motorised version seemed very daunting. Probably explains why I kept putting it off. Anyway since retiring hubby & I have been on several jaunts with me sitting on the back of his bike. A total ‘backpack’ which I believe is the term used to describe a pillion passenger who doesn’t actually ride themselves.
So when I stumbled across an offer for a ‘try ride’ for £20 it seemed like a bargain. I signed up for an hour of tuition on a ‘twist & go’ moped so I could see if I had any aptitude for riding.
The link below is to a short video clip of me recording how I felt before my first motorbike riding lesson
Ready Steady Go!
Every journey begins with a first step & never more so when taking to the road on a motorbike. Compulsory Basic Training is a requirement for most embarking on their two wheeled journey. It’s essentially to ensure that you can manoeuvre a bike safely & entitles you to go on the road with ‘L’ plates. You then have 2 years in which to complete the full bike test comprised of theory & actual riding to hold a full license.
The next link is to some footage of me starting off with the instructor & learning basic controls.
Watch here to find out if was I ready to go from backpack to biker?
The other video clips were from the various sessions where filming was possible.
Many people can do the CBT training in a day however I opted to spread mine across a few sessions that enabled me more time to practice the various techniques. The final session is actually going out on to a road so I felt more confident having several lessons on a one to one basis. Made it more expensive perhaps but gave me time to build my confidence. Part of the lesson includes learning what some of the components of a bike are & various aspects of bike handling. Classroom sessions on road positions & other useful things are also covered including what to check when purchasing helmets etc.
The next video clip is me during one of those lessons & finally getting the hang of it
Training Hard
I being a little older & slower took the longer route by having some sessions with an instructor. I confess going on the road initially was very daunting & I did wonder at many stages if I actually had what it took.
The picture below was taken when we got back home. I hasten to point out that the bike I am posing beside is my hubby’s & it will be somewhere before I would be let loose on something as powerful as this!
However I persevered & was rewarded with a certificate. This essentially fulfils the challenge but question is what happens next?