never ridden a bike before, how hard is it for a geared bike

[mic]

Suprised about a few threads in here, i never realised people could fail it ive been driving a car for over 10 years now so road sense im as bad as anyone else with a license so didnt think id have to learn lane discipline etc so the main challenge would be the gears.... are they that difficult to grasp for a beginner? its not putting me off, im just suprised to read a couple of threads that people have been failed on because of geared bikes.

oh, going to CBT in a couple of weeks (After payday!)

cheers

[Ingah]

Yes they are difficult to grasp with sufficient ability. The CBT is not really long enough for a complete beginner to get the hang of it unless they pick it up quickly. So i'd always suggest to pick the school carefully...

[NearOn]

Wouldent say it is difficult. Majority of people get used to them after a couple hours especially if have a car licence. Ull be fine mate.

[Ingah]

especially if have a car licence. Ull be fine mate.

This is true. I was referring to a complete beginner - Your experiences as a driver will help somewhat. Despite this, it's worth asking how much you'll be charged to come back to finish it (if such additional costs matter to you) - as i've been increasingly hearing of what i feel are excessive charges for the "2nd day" (which is usually just a few hours).

[Guest]

piece of piss, you'll be fine, just be confident and think positively!

[PhatDad]

Piece of piss +1

Throttle/Clutch control takes a few minutes to get used to. As you're a driver you'll have no trouble figuring out when to change gear. Balance you should have from riding a pushbike as a child/adult. Road craft picked up from driving too. Shouldn't be a problem.

[Remy]

I suppose it depends on how adept you are at picking things up! I've driven a car since 1976 and can also drive lorries but found clutch control on the bike rather different. I've been riding since mid July (although I did ride for a bit about 18 years ago) and it's only now that I'm starting to feel confident with it - I actually didn't stall today ! But that might be because ... I'm a woman!! (only joking to the other females on here ).

Personally I don't think that the CBT is enough for a person who has never even sat on a bike before and particularly for the younger riders who don't have road experience in a car. I think that the CBT should be a longer test of ability before you are allowed onto the roads on your own. As it stands now you have a few hours' instruction then are taken out on the roads for 2 hours in all traffic, then if you pass, let loose for two years unsupervised. Unlike a learner driver who can only drive with an experienced driver in the car until they pass their test. I think that the CBT should cover the manouvres required in the Mod 1 test and only when you show competence at this should you be allowed onto the roads unsupervised, but they should then do away with the Mod 1 test.

Sorry rambled a bit!! You will probably be totally fine (if I passed I'm sure you will )

[lingy3]

Ditto all :

The hard part starts when youve passed,

Steep learning curve, still ongoing for me

[mikey69]

Like the others said, be positive. I took me a couple of hours to work out how to get biting point with your hand, rather than your foot - but the car experience means you unedrstand what you should be doing - you just need to learn the which bit to press, pull and poke to make it happen (well you should need to poke anything).

Remember the B in CBT does mean "basic", once you've gone through that it means you have the basic skills to start learning. The school I went to in Hertfordshire didn't charge you if you needed to come back. Took the pressure off, didn't feel you had to pass straight away down to money - not that it's a test....

I've been riding pretty much everyday since getting the CBT in June, and it feels natural to control the bike. Skill building up my riding skills. Balance was a big thing for me, was very wobbly at low speed, but it was something I really wanted to overcome, so I practiced and relaxed, and it worked.

I have never enjoyed travelling anywhere so much before - I look for an excuse to not use the car. I even shop every day now, as I can't get a big load in the rucksack.

Go for it and enjoy

Mikey

[polecat]

I think the problem is understanding the concept of clutch control more than the gears

If you drive a car it is normal to you to release the clutch under preasure but for someone never having used a clutch before it can be a bit confusing.

so I think A car Driver will not have a problem with the gears,its More complete Newbies to the gear/ clutch thing that may Struggle in the time given.

[mattyb]

I've done CBT (&DAS) recently, similar situation with about 14 years driving experience and no biking. I was a bit worried about the gears but on the day I found them fairly straightforward and easy to work.

Hope you enjoy it

[skarcrow]

A month ago I had never been on a bike butg had driven a car for years.

Did a one hour trial session which I really enjoyed, only drove in 1st, 2nd and third gears (in a school playground).

Following Sunday took CBT . Had a great day. The gears seemed to come natually. It was a bit tricky riding slow at first slippin' clutch.

Following Sunday (that was two weeks ago) picked up new YBR 125 which I've used for commuting to work every day. Don't even think about gears now

Just relax and enjoy it

[adam16]

i went from a moped, yes i know i shouldnt have been so stupid haha, to a geared bike with no trainging on one what so ever or any car driving knowledge. it took my about a week tops to fully understand how exactly the bike works and what it can do and its dislikes and likes etc

so you shoudl be fine!

[triptix]

Driven for over 20 years before taking my cbt- I found the gears hard- mainly because I am so used to using my feet for the clutch and accelerator. Really had to remember the right foot was for the brake rather than accelerator and that to change to gear I had to use my left hand to pull in the clutch. It has always been so automatic for me when driving different cars. However, after a couple of hours I had got the hang of it but I am not at the automatic stage yet if you know what I mean. As you say- road sense is not a problem, positioning and hazard perception weren't either.

I have bought a 125 specifically to get used to the clutch , changing gears etc to make it automatic for me. Hopefully taking the DAS later on in the month. The thing I really kept falling down on was remembering to turn off the indicators as it is not automatic

[cypek]

As others said. If you are car driver you will learn bike gears pretty fast as you already know and understand how clutch/gears work. Only thing thats left is to learn your bike First learn biting point, then do some start/stops and then get used to riding

[urbanmark]

Easy as said in other posts. I lied and said I had driven a geared bike before so I only had to do a 4 day D.A.S instead of 5 and still passed.....allthough a bit of wee came out when I had to go on the road for the first time.