CBT experience

[mic]

Thought id write a little about yesterdays CBT.

Ive never been on a motorbike before, havent touched a mountain bike for at least a decade. That the first thing id recommend to anyone out there in the similar situation - jump on a push bike for a day or two before you go..... you dont realise how much balance is involved!! I know that sounds obvious but really, those who have ridden a bike for long periods will have probably forgot what its like to be at the start again.

As far as riding the bike goes, it was awesome and i was buzzing in the first few minutes however, it was a very interesting few minutes! Pulling away..... sounds easy..... but for the first time, its scary as hell! Then comes cornering, which doesnt help balance if going slow and scares the shit out of you if you go too fast, and thats only in first gear! After a while you get to knock it up into 2nd gear which doesnt seem that bad and after a short while is becoming normal. Untill you have to do figure of 8 and U turns - all slow! As a car driver with bad habbits, i started to stick the clutch in and coast around the cones rather then clutch control, which took a while to get out of. Couple of errors along the way but overall not too bad.

After another chat/brief, we had to use the marked out road for manovours - and after a couple of circuits things looked good.

Road drive... where it all went wrong charging into junctions as i would in a car.... coasting on the clutch rather than gearing down as i would in a car.... not always cancelling indicators cos the car does it automatically.... on the road, tension is much higher as there isnt any real harm in a carpark. Stalled the bike twice at juctions pulling off in the wrong gear but overall once nerves had settled i really enjoyed it and didnt think i did too bad.

Went home proudly holding onto my CBT certificated

Riding a bike just looks so easy, to look at a bike you wouldnt think its that hard to ride but you soon realise its not as simple as that! Maybe its just me who took it too much for granted i dont know, hopefully it wont take me too long to pick it up better when i get a bike but big i certainly have more respect for bikers now ive tried it myself.

[Susieque]

Spot on advice about the pushbike thing!!

When I did my CBT I had trouble with the figure 8's and slow speed turning, so Rennie took me to a car park on pushbikes (I'd not been on one of those for years either!!) & practised turning in parking spaces. It helped enormously!

Dunno why, but I had more trouble with slow right turning than I did left - strange!

[Guest]

well done and good post mate, one day everything will just click and evrything will be natural.

[Guest]

Same experience with me and my CBT, indicators... yup I think most people not just car drivers forget to cancel them. After a few days it becomes second nature.

Think I do remember most is letting the clutch out to fast after moving off and kangarooing all over the shop for the first few attempts.

Like you good fun and now has me hooked to getting my full licence.