43 Things

I’m a legal Learner! I did my CBT (Compulsory Basic Training) certificate yesterday on a 125cc motorbike, which is the most powerful engine size you can legally learn on. I was given a dark-red Yamaha commuter-style bike with five gears and a nice short-travel clutch lever, so learning to find the biting point as I let the clutch out was actually very easy.

I did my CBT over the course of two days because of a problem with my head. It’s very large, and on my first visit the instructor found that he didn’t have a helmet big enough. After phoning his wife to bring an XL from home, I managed to force that on but it was still far too tight and after 2-3 hours I was finding it very difficult to concentrate. So we did everything except the mandatory 2-hour road ride in the afternoon that day (it just wouldn’t have been safe to do it with that helmet), and came back after a couple of weeks when I had bought my very own XXL Shoei Raid II (highly recommend by-the-way as a quality entry level Shoei helmet). We recapped what we had learnt in the last session and went straight out on the road, my friend Dave leading the way for the first half and then me leading the second. We were using in-helmet radios so we could hear our instructor’s directions and reminders to cancel our indicators, or which gear we should be in at any moment, plus the speed limits in the area, but we were unable to talk back to him as we had no mics ourselves. Before I knew it we were out on country lanes on the route towards Winchester and approaching 60 mph! It felt fantastic, the weather was lovely and sunny – about 9’C – though a little windy, but it was great for riding, we were lucky with the booking date. I had my visor up the majority of the ride until a fly hit me in the eye, at which point I found a slow bit and deftly lowered it in one quick movement with my left hand – but leaving a small gap at the bottom so all the fresh air could still pour in.

If anyone is reading this and is nervous about going out on the road – take it from me, it’s actually a lot less scary than you think it will be – especially leading the ride which I was terrified of to begin with. I don’t drive a car and haven’t got a lot of road sense, but I still felt very safe most of the time. I made a couple of stupid mistakes, but nothing scary and the constant stream of advice from your instructor makes it possible, you can’t really go wrong. If you aren’t good enough by the time the ride comes around in the afternoon then your instructor simply will not let you out on it. I certainly didn’t feel like I was ready but I picked everything up very quickly. I just had to keep reminding myself that it isn’t a computer-game – I can’t mess up because the consequences would be very real.

I did my CBT at Eastleigh BMF which runs from the Eastleigh Football Club carpark, Hampshire. Keep an eye on the weather forecast and phone up your local centre and book it. The next step for me is to find a learner bike on eBay. I’m looking to get a cruiser style bike like a Kawasaki Eliminator.

Feb 07, 2008, 12:41AM PST | 2 cheers

Comments:

andrujayx

Thanks for the cheer :0) Yeah, getting hold of a CBT isn’t too difficult at all. You’ll need a provisional ‘Learner’ driving license or above, if you don’t already have one. If you’re applying for one now make sure you tick the boxes about riding motorbikes as well as driving cars. Find out where in your area does a Compulsory Basic Training day and give them a call – they’ll answer all your questions about what you need to wear, what they’ll provide for you on the day and so on. The UK Government website has this to say about the CBT – explains what it entitles you to – http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/LearnerAndNewDrivers/RidingMotorcyclesAndMopeds/DG_4022430

In my words, a CBT certificate is only valid for 2 years from the day you receive it. During this time you can ride up to a 125cc motorbike (or anything smaller like a scooter if you want), you must display ‘L’ plates on your bike whilst riding on a CBT and you can’t carry a pillion passenger on the back or ride on motorways. You get two years to practice all around the country on A-roads, basically, until you think you’re ready to take a bike test. If you let the 2 years go by and it expires you will have to take the CBT day again. You should also book and sit a motorcycle riding Theory Test (different to the car driving theory in that it has a few more questions about bike maintenance, carrying a rider, balance, braking on corners and so on), so that you can eventually book a DSA motorbike Practical Test, where a tester will follow you in a car (or on a motorbike) and give you instructions via an in-helmet radio. You will probably need some tuition before you can think about booking a test, and there are instructors that do test practices and exercise days at the same centres.

I’ve been saving for my own bike and I’ve only just now been able to afford one I really want. I’m most interested in the Cruiser style bikes for their casual riding position and big squishy seats, and on Tuesday I’m going to go and pick up a Yamaha XVS125 Dragstar (shown in the attached image or go to http://w1.bikepics.com/pics/2005%5C06%5C16%5Cbikepics-375493-full.jpg) – a beautiful V-Twin mini-chopper. It’s quite an expensive 125cc motorcycle (Â£1500), which usually average at about Â£1000 for a second hand one – I want one of the few bigger models with the V-Twin engine, which has two cylinders instead of one for extra power of acceleration in lower gears – to make it easier to get up hills and get away from junctions and roundabouts without waiting for a huge gap. They look like a ‘real’ motorbike in size too, which is a lot safer on the road because people can see you. Other road users treat you better and don’t automatically assume you’re going too slowly (even if you are doing the speed limit) and try to overtake you or drive too close behind you, like they might with a smaller bike.

Best of luck with yours! It’s a piece of cake, believe me. Well the CBT is, I’m sure training for the test will be a lot harder. My advice would be to never take risks. You’ve got to behave on a bike, be patient. Let us know how it goes too.

Apr 13, 2008, 12:51AM PDT | Parent | Respond to this 1 cheer

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