SuzyHP

Today I was found not guilty of assault at Paisley Sheriff Court. The sheriff decided that going into a cell and stopping a prisoner from killing himself by pushing him off balance so that he let go of the ligature around his neck, resulting in no injury (apart from the self inflicted one) is not assault. Some of my former police colleagues had decided, for reasons that I want explained, that it is was an assault. There is no training provided by the police as what to do in such circumstances, you just have to do your best and what you think is right.

A number of you know about this case, that has been hanging over me since April 2014. So I thought I would pass on the good news. More details in my blog

Glad to hear a sensible decision has been reached- the job must be hard enough without having to be put through this undeserved stress

1992 here, not to rub it in. Being 18 feels like yesterday, when my mates talk about stuff we did and realize it was 7 years ago now

Ah 1992. The year I had my first born mentally my age has not changed since then !

I agree with all the above. Just remember to keep your eyes looking at your exit so that you go round the roundabout smoothly. If you look at your front wheel you will wobble round. Think of a roundabout like you doing a u turn. where ever you lead your eyes........ the bike will follow.

Keep practising

Thanks for the help much appreciated

Top stuff. Try and hold your line (centre of the lane) because if you move to the left people will see this as an invitation to overtake.

On the lane merge off take a big lifesaver to check what's about and on a 125 you've going to have to give way more often than not to stay safe. The movement of you checking should also trigger the "oh it's a person" part of peoples brain and they may then give you a bit more room (always assume they won't!)

In a few months you're going to look back on this and laugh! When I first started riding I hated filtering. Then I could filter most of the way but refused to filter through a tunnel as it just terrified me. Now I don't really even think twice about it

 

The lane positioning is probably valid when I think about where I sit in that lane sometimes , might need to be more aware of sitting too far too the left.

Two weeks ago I couldn't change gear- now after moving the gear shifter to a better position I'm good and the frustration on that part has gone- I guess as time goes on I'll re-read this and have a chuckle

 

You are correct re the lane position. If you are too far to the left some will take that as an invitation to push past. It's not easy but you need to assert your right to be on the road in that position.

Thanks folks

Took a different approach and sat in different lane( still valid lane just more on inside ) , middle of lane positioning with big lifesavers and done better. Getting there!!!

Why would I want to see anybody's wife? Shit.....I don't even want to see my own!

Top stuff. Try and hold your line (centre of the lane) because if you move to the left people will see this as an invitation to overtake.

On the lane merge off take a big lifesaver to check what's about and on a 125 you've going to have to give way more often than not to stay safe. The movement of you checking should also trigger the "oh it's a person" part of peoples brain and they may then give you a bit more room (always assume they won't!)

In a few months you're going to look back on this and laugh! When I first started riding I hated filtering. Then I could filter most of the way but refused to filter through a tunnel as it just terrified me. Now I don't really even think twice about it

The lane positioning is probably valid when I think about where I sit in that lane sometimes , might need to be more aware of sitting too far too the left.

Two weeks ago I couldn't change gear- now after moving the gear shifter to a better position I'm good and the frustration on that part has gone- I guess as time goes on I'll re-read this and have a chuckle

......weirdly I agree with six

The thing is a lot of people are dicks. They see the L plates and will bully you out the way because they don't want to be stuck behind a learner.

Your nerves are going to be visible to these dicks and they're going to bully you more.

You need to have confidence (not arrogance) on the road but there's not a short cut to getting it

Practise with some "easier" roundabouts. Work on looking at the road surface for hazards and also start working on traffic gaps and lifesavers coming off the island. You will get there, three weeks is nothing! Take it nice and easy and stay safe. Being nervous about stuff automatically makes things harder and when you tense up the bike is harder to control

If I was closer I'd come ride behind you to kick cars that get too close

Thanks Hoggs !!

There are some class A dicks out there but some good folk too- maybe I just need more confidence on them - there is another 2 as I go on into work, funny but it is the biggest one and the smallest one that get me. The reasonably large laned one that leads into bypass etc is fine!!

Not going to get wound up and let others actions dictate how I ride but it's good to hear others hints and tips .

( maybe I need to get bigger boots also )

go practice on it when the traffic is quite like a Sunday morning.... Or avoid it for a few weeks until you just feel more confident on the bike .

Wish I could avoid it but it's on my route in and out to work , will look at maybe trying at different times , maybe it's just practise

I am rubbish at roundabouts - of which there are plenty near me. One in particular is just a sticking point for me, ive had a near miss twice in the car on it, once in the snow where I ended up skidding my way round it , landing on the centre circle luckily it was at 3am, and again about a week and a bit ago in the car after a fuel spill sent me skidding. It's just hilly and off camber and on the bike it's horrible- especially as at my exit the two lanes merge. Because I'm nervous every of it I go a bit slower ( I'm in my 3rd week in the road with L plates ) so then aggressive car drivers race round and cut the merging lane off . I find myself riding up to it with gritted teeth and apprehension . Any hints/tips you guys can give??

I kept my 125 for a year after passing my test, while i decided what to get, and still got it wrong...

I was surprised how fast I felt it was on a 125 so I might get myself one for 6 months so learn on so get any drops or falls out of my system on that before I spend lots of cash on a decent bike

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On my first proper journey alone I thought I was whizzing along until I looked at my speedo

Today I am not a happy girlie! Yesterday, I attended my CBT bright and early. I had been waiting for months for this day to come around, so I was pretty excited at the prospect of finally becoming road legal. I was placed in a group with three male "learners" who were all exceptionally nice guys! However, despite their claims of being "novices", they all took off like ducks to water.( turns out all 3 had had some biking experience afterall) I , on the other hand, had NONE and as a result juddered and stalled my way around the course like a drunk kangaroo. I couldn't help comparing myself to the lads. I was rubbish and just wanted to give up and go home. In fact, that is exactly what happened. Because I kept stalling the bike, the instructor decided that i was not road worthy and suggested that i should just go home and return at a later date, 20th September 2016.

In conclusion, I think the CBT is not balanced or fair. People are different and learn at differing paces. Eight hours is not long enough to grasp the elements of bike riding. Because my fellow "learners" had already grasped the concept of clutch control, sadly for me, very little time was devoted to this activity. As a result I kept stalling the bike during exercises, thus holding the others back. This made me feel hopeless and bad for the others. As a result, my confidence has taken a nose-dive and I'm left feeling like poo. I even considered selling my bike and gear this morning and giving up completely.

Has this happened to anyone else?

Mich xx

Peaches

I hope you get there on the 20th- the best thing you can do is practise practise and practise some more. It will eventually click into place enough to get you started. I went back for 4 half days to get extra training and build confidence before 'passing' I was also a complete beginner and went through the same as yourself even breaking the clutch lever when I came flying off on the first day! But..... After 2 weeks of having my L plates on my experience and confidence gets better every day and boy is it fun!!!! Keep with it and have faith in yourself- the best things often take a bit of time and patience - good luck!

Suzy

I love driving and riding. I started driving first and it opened a lot of doors in terms of freedom and happiness.

I still occasionally go out for a drive with the missus as it's something we've always enjoyed doing [emoji3]

I enjoy driving too - mostly because of the freedom it gave me when I learned, very new to bikes but now I have double freedom- some days I can take the bike and if I need to lug stuff for work or go out with Husband ( saving up for his bike) then it's the car

Either way I'm out and about!!

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Tomorrow isn't promised.....someone somewhere a little wiser than me once said, it was a famous somebody but ironically I can't remember!!

On a side note ID young 'uns in the bar constantly. Have to double take their passports when I see the date of birth sometimes as they look bloomin 12!!