AndyAlfa

Thanks - yes I’d seen anything accessible for the road needs the cbt. I’ll speak to the training provider who has offered a day and have a look at some more. If push comes to shove my driving licence is pre 2001 which I gather means I can just ride a geared moped. Feels a bit extreme to buy a 50cc moped. Being a classic car enthusiast I thought about a F1SE as that was the standard go to vehicle for 16 year olds with means when I was young. Did you know you can buy a serviceable XJ jag for the price of a Fizzy these days.

Thanks everyone. Never ridden a motorbike before other than the failed CBT. Until going into semi retirement I drove up to 50k pa to see clients, my daily driver is a fairly powerful sports car and I’ve 3 classic cars. I actually used to fly gliders but that isn’t as daunting as a motorcycle as a joystick trim and rudder are fairly intuitive and for quite a long time you obviously fly with two pilots and dual controls - tandem motorcycle anyone? I found somewhere that will do a full day 1:1. They still want to call it a CBT but reluctantly concede I would be allowed to go at my own pace. I have thought about it some more. What’s really causing my questions is I have not ridden a push bike much since I passed my driving test 40 years ago. I have a pushbike which I use with the kids every year or so. I don’t know anyone with a motorcycle. What is bothering is the idea of doing figure of 8s on a postage stamp and then going at what? 30mph on a road with cars and trucks without ever having been into third gear on a bike before. Even on a pushbike you change gear with your hand and obviously no clutch. And on a pushbike age 16 we would ride on the pavement, down steps, over the park. What I really want is the opportunity to get the confidence to go up and down the the gears in a 10 - 35 mph situation. To know that I can change gear smoothly and what 20, 30 or 40 feels like. When everything is happening a bit faster and the consequences of doing that and getting it wrong with a transit or Cayenne alongside don’t bear thinking about. I live in the Tyne Valley, Northumberland. We have 12.5miles of gravel track suitable for any motorcycles at Kielder and Otterburn ranges that apparently have private roads both 20 miles away. A used 125 and a trailer could get me to either. I’ll talk to the place that said it would give me a day 1:1 but does anyone know if Otterburn and Kielder require a licence. They are apparently quite popular so I’ll look on local forums too.

Hey thanks for noting I may not be alone. At least it makes me feel a bit better. My local training centre just quote CBT - I did ask them but they just push back saying with CBT is easy - I imagine the facility they do have which is quite small is used for CBT and other training so they can’t then have one bike just going round and round. However I emailed a number of centres further afield but they didn’t respond or offered CBT only and I know some of them have quite a lot of tarmac they can use.

I started a CBT and left the course at lunchtime a few years ago because it was fairly obvious to me I was going to be a danger on the road section. Other than that time I’ve never ridden a motorbike - or scooter. I’m old and grumpy and all my life it seems to take me longer than other people to learn certain practical skills. I get there in the end - I play the guitar reasonably well these day, built my own house and used to race a Caterham - it just took longer than others for the basic co-ordination to sink in. While I absolutely understand the need to demonstrate slow tight bike control, I could do with a day or two on a bike on my own or one 2 one just going round and round or a couple of hundred yards up and down a wide private road between 5 - 20mph until changing gear and using a hand and a foot to brake comes naturally. Does anyone know any where in the U.K. I can go and just ride slowly up and down on a school’s 125 until it feels natural. Not a CBT - pre CBT - I am semi retired so time and money isn’t a concern.

No I wouldn't have certified me out on the road on a 125 let alone an instructor. I'm in my 50s with children so with a Lexmoto I wont be going anywhere other than the deserted industrial estate at the weekend.

Reet I'll do that and stop reading reviews for the CB500X as I think I am a bit off that . Those cars overtaking it and drifting back in on the video straight after - I don't drive like that.

"You could do two one to one CBT days for that. Just a thought" I could but that's 2 hours for an investment of two solid days doing the bit I need to spend many many hours on which is maintaining a constant throttle with use of clutch and back brake. "Why not compromise and do the CBT on a twist and go, takes out the need for the gears" "I was looking at getting a Lexmoto Hunter, but i managed to get a barn find moped" I've looked for a barn find moped but nothing round here. Doing a twist and go is probably a waste of time. I am doing this to learn a new skill I've wanted for a long time which is to ultimately be able to ride (say) a 500cc bike competently in a couple of years and its something to focus on while the world goes to hell in a handcart. I've got several cars and pandemic excepted I do very high mileages - touch wood without accident and only a few speeding offences ( now spent) in the past 33 years so if I get the Lexmoto I'm not getting it as a means of transport and after I've stopped wobbling and yanking the clutch in and out as I ride round in a circle at a desired walking pace I might try for a heady 20mph round the estate.

I can on a Lexmoto 50 as I have held my driving licence since 1987. I have checked my driving licence and with the DVLA and I am allowed to ride one without l plate provided it is restricted. A Lexmoto 50 is so restricted. I have the necessary "P" catagory on my licence. From HM Gov website: Car driving test passed before 1 February 2001 You do not need to take compulsory basic training (CBT) to ride a moped if you passed your car driving test before 1 February 2001. You’ll still need to complete CBT to ride a motorbike, however. Moped means any two wheel bike restricted to 50kph. The fact a Lexmoto Hunter 50 looks like a motorbike (albeit a very small one) and has gears is irrelevant. As a Lexmoto 50 is a 125 with a tiny 49cc 4 stroke it is for all intents an purposes like the CB125 on my CBT and as I don't plan to be doing more than 10mph and probably less than that as this is all about learning the co-ordination the whooping 3hp it puts out isn't an issue as I imagine I was only using a third of the Honda CB125 10hp (if that) during my CBT.

Thanks - there is one about 40 miles away but I think it trains riders for the Paris Dakar or similar. Part of the issue is time - I have little during the week when a lot of these events happen or the schools are available and learning on my own gives me that time flexibility at the weekend. As noted I'd be treating the trading estate as "off road" like a bike school yard - its that big and quiet.

So I bit the bullet and did my CBT. It didn't go well. Being old and never having been on a bike before I think the subconscious co-ordination of both hands and foot for throttle, clutch and rear brake while remembering to look where you want to go was all too much as realistically you've an hour of grasping these concepts before moving onto advance stuff like stopping cleanly, indicating and remembering positioning and indicators. I didn't stuff it or drop it but I do know myself. I think for me it will take hours and hours of just riding very slowly back and forward and in a circle to grasp it. I could go for a series of two hour training sessions through the week but the time commitment and related cost of me not being in work then is verysubstantial. Most bike schools are understandably fully occupied with CBT at the weekend. I'm fairly well off but very time poor during the week due to work. I also have a very large trading estate about 700 yards away which is virtually deserted at the weekend with many wide open spaces which are dead ends - remarkably there is no dogging nor the yoof presence so its really very safe. So the other idea (and believe it or not the cheaper one if I can flog a six month old 50cc bike for more than £500 in due course) is buy a lexmoto Hunter 50 and, as I've held my driving licence since the 1980s get it down to the trading estate on one or more Sunday mornings and just ride it up and down and up and down trying not to pick up any bad habits until the co-ordination is there. I've learnt enough to stay on a bike albeit I think my knees are splayed out like a novice high wire act - another thing to correct. I can get insurance for one for £100 with just my car licence. I wouldn't plan to ride on the "proper road" until certified with a CBT and probably some more training too. This is just to get the confidence to get through a CBT. Have any older riders developed very basic skills starting out doing this sort of thing?

Did you try Newcastle rider training, owner is called Neil, they have a reasonable size yard for off road training and I'm sure if you tell them you want to do a cbt but you may like a bit extra practice it shouldn't be a problem. I did a while ago first as I think they are closest to me and they only offered cbt.

“I'd check around to see if any of the school's near you offer this. I know one of the ones near me does but Bradford might be a little out of the way for you” Assume it’s not - I lived in Leeds (Pudsey and Moortown) for a long long time to the extent I developed a Yorkshire accent ( still miss it in a way) and pre Covid was there fortnightly. What are they called? Your not called Matt and used to own GSXR by any chance?

“To the extent its not uncommon for people to have to come back and do a second day. Ask the right school they might give you 2 days CBT. Also watch on FB some schools offer taster sessions.” Thanks - I have approached BMW just now as they do a two day CBT although I do not know what their affiliate training centre at Darlington offers. No one else I’ve asked In the NE offers taster or one to one off road sessions at any price. They just launch into having to start with CBT and only CBT.

I’m not the only one - I see posts below give some horror stories too and I’ve read others. If you’ve never ridden a bike and you don’t know anyone who does the only thing you hear when you mention it is confident statements predicting death by the end of the week. What’s a CBT cost £125 - 150. What’s a days training for middle age middle class wannabe like me worth - well the alternative is buy the helmet one would need anyway and a used bike, trailer and try and rent a field - which isn’t as good and world of hassle and cost say £2000 (as you don’t know anyone in the biking world who can just let you have a 125 cheap) - and ones got to get rid of the 125 shortly thereafter - which when your a 52 year old chartered accountant isn’t as easy as it sounds. I’m surprised the training market isn’t more flexible and doesn’t recognise some people might be nervous.

I know I have to do a cbt before I can ride anything on the road. However, I’m 52 as noted and fairly proficient at everything else I do (Touch wood) but when it comes to bikes I really am at the very bottom and I really would be happier having time on a bike before entering a training session which may involve me, a bike and a road.

Hi Folks At the tender age of 52 I would like to learn to ride a motorcycle. However, I’ve never sat in one let alone ridden one and dont know anyone within 300miles of home (Hexham, Northumberland) who owns one. Even before reading the posts of others I’d been concerned that just turning up for a cbt id struggle with the gears and after a couple of hours of catastrophic attempts at best I’d wobble out into traffic a danger to myself and anyone else while all the kids who’ve been on pit bikes from age 5 are buzzing round the instructor. What I need/want for my own confidence apart from anything else is a day on a bike on a private road (or airfield:) ) with an instructor. I’ve approached many bike schools in the region to ask but I’d describe the response as dismissive or worse. It’s CBT or don’t bother pal. Does anyone know of any school or trainer in the North East or Cumbria that offers one on one private road training with bike hire. Cost isn’t really an issue. If it’s the oldest most knackered bike in the world I don’t care as long as it works. I can ride a bicycle, have held a clean car licence for 30years l, used to race a caterham and restore cars for a hobby. Thanks