bjr55

I thought that I would give you an update. On Thursday last week, I went to Marches Motorcycle Training in Oswestry. There I met my instructor for the day, Phil Stubbins. He immediately made me feel relaxed and started asking a few questions to ascertain my experience, knowledge and expectations from the day. I explained that I had been working towards this day and I had watched a lot of YouTube videos offering advice, started reading Roadcraft, checked out the RoSPA Advanced Motorcycle Training course and done a few online tests - highway code, hazard perception, the Theory Test for a car licence etc. He introduced me to my bike for the morning a Honda CB500F, making sure that I was familiar with the controls. We then moved to the training area which was quite big, and so began the baby steps of slow manoeuvring, the exercises that I know you will be familiar with. After three hours I was doing emergency stops at 35 mph and simulations of joining a main road from a junction. We then stopped for lunch. Phil asked me if I would like to ride the Suzuki 650cc Gladius for the afternoon. That was Hobson's choice and I am so pleased that I said yes. Quite a step up from the CB500 in terms of performance, well for a noobie like me i was. As I was familiar with the area he asked where I wanted to ride for the afternoon and explained that he would be riding behind me and with a Bluetooth transmitter he would be able to give me instructions and feedback as we went along. We decided to head over the border into Powys and took a beautiful route up to Lake Vyrnwy. We decided the narrow country roads were a good choice for me, as I live in mid-Wales where we have no motorways, few dual carriageways and lots of narrow, twisty, roads. We set off, and Phil's words of encouragement quickly made me relaxed. We stopped at regular intervals, to begin with, to discuss how it was going and for Phil to remind me to focus on turning off my indicators - will I ever get used to that? He suggested that I should try to get used to manually cancelling the indicator in my car so that it just becomes natural to me when I was on a Bike A quick stop for coffee at the lake and we headed back to Oswestry in some rain. Before setting off, Phil had given me advice, and reassurance, about riding in the rain and if anything I made better progress than riding up to Vyrnwy. The day was most definitely worth doing. Phil was very good at imparting what I needed to do, spotted small things and we practised, and practised, them until both he and I were satisfied. In conclusion, he said that not only was he satisfied that I was safe to go back on a bike, but that had it been a formal DAS Module 2 test, I would have passed. That was the best £250 I have spent in some time. Phil offers a range of courses, at all levels, and I would recommend him without reservation. (I cannot take credit for the photos. They are from copyright-free sources on the Web.)

Welcome to the forum. I am in a similar position to you, and after a 40+ year break I am enjoying doing a lot of research and learning from places like this excellent forum. A big thank you to those who find time to offer their experience and wisdom to us newbies.

Thank you for that. At traffic lights I, like you, resist the temptation to descend to the level of the boy racer

Thank you for the comment and the welcome. I am looking forward to being part of a motorcycling community. In theory, I could have gone from a Honda CG125, straight to a Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP, in a single step. That would probably have resulted in me killing myself in the first 48 hours, or worse, killing somebody else. If the training course goes well, I am looking to buy something in the A2 bracket and see how it goes.

I passed my motorbike test in the late 1970s, meaning I had a full A licence, from the outset. I rode a Honda CG 125 for three years, and nothing since. For the last 10 years, I have been wanting to get a bike, and now I am about to. First, I have booked a one-day, one-to-one, "return to biking" course. The aim is to make me aware of how biking has changed in the last 44 years, refresh what basic skills I have, impart some new skills and give me an honest appraisal as to whether I am fit to get on a bike and venture out on the roads. I have held off buying a bike, as the course will provide me with a Honda CB500 for the day. As part of my preparation, I have been cycling for several months, reminding myself of how vulnerable one can feel on two wheels on our roads. I am very much looking forward to being back on a motorbike, and the web has provided me with a lot of information and advice.