Bikesafe......

[Tango]

Bonniebird and myself are doing a Bikesafe workshop thingy this weekend.......and I have question which is kinda related to this but I didn't think it was really relevant to the CBT, Bike Test section of the Forum....

So....we get to do the observed rideout at some point.....all the docs are in order.......but.....my bike's cans are...well.....lets just say they are not as quiet as the ones it left the factory with..... They're not stupid loud ones.......just a nice meaty bassy tone to them.... Has anyone done the Bikesafe with non-standard cans on their bike? Do the Bikesafe observers go over the bike with a fine tooth comb before heading out? Everything else on the bike is spot on......but I don't know how pedantic the observer is likely to be.....

Cheers in advance for any replies......

[Stu]

from what I have heard bob they are there to do bike safe and not do you for any cans etc

[uk190]

im fairly sure that when littlecat and rach did bike safe they both had aftermarket cans on their bikes.

i think as long as you cans dont state for race use only and are obnoxiously loud then you should be fine. but i doubt youll get a definitive answer as not only will this differ from county to county but from copper to copper. so even if someone whos done cambs bikesafe offers an answer it may not apply to your observer.

you could always ring and ask them lol

[Tango]

Cheers for the replies Stu and Martin......I guess I'll just turn up on the day and see what happens...... As I say....they're not that obtrusive and look exactly the same as the standard cans....and are just a little bit deeper tone than the standard cans......so hopefully they won't pick up on them....

[Tiggie]

I didnt think your cans were too loud, though maybe you should remove the DILLIGAF patch from your jacket

[TooOldForThis41]

I did the BikeSafe thing with West Mids Police about two months ago, and the policeman who introduced the day said that if it was held in the week, they would have to take illegal cans seriously, but as it was the weekend and none of the 'top brass' were around, they weren't really interested.

Don't know how much that helps really, but the emphasis really is on the riding, not catching people out, so you you probably will be ok.

[GazzyG]

Out of interest, are they TORs, Tango?

[Tankbag]

Tango I know a couple of bikesafe instructors & they really aren't interested in loud ish cans its all about the ride

[essbeebee]

When I did a course the line they took was more or less we're not interested in things like that today as it's about the course, but if we see you about tomorrow about anything then you're fair game.

[littlecat]

mine wasn't only an aftermarket one, it was stamped race use only ( albeit on the side you cant see)

the only comment my observer made was that it sounded lovely from behind

[Tango]

Thanks for the replies folks.....

Had the classroom day today....and the course organiser basically said that if they're not stupid loud then they're not interested.....

Yep Gazzy....they're the TOR cans.....

Rideout booked for a couple of weeks time.....

[uk190]

i'll be interested to see if you actually learn anything from bikesafe bob. given how long youve been riding etc

having heard rach's feedback from her bikesafe course i doubt i will ever partake.

they are running a bikesafe course at work for a discounted price of either £29 or £39 (cant rememeber for sure). apart from it being run in work time i am not convinced if it will be of benefit.

an advanced rider course may be a different story tho.

[Tango]

Today was usefull Martin....if only to get a Police Bike Riders perspective......

The thing I didn't really get was the Block Changing when slowing down.......brake for the corner when upright...then clutch in and click down through the box to the correct gear for the corner and match the revs to the road speed and let the clutch out and then tip into the corner......seems to me that there's more chance of getting it wrong and locking the back wheel just before the corner than just down changing through the box on the approach to the corner to the correct speed and then driving round the corner.....

But I'm no expert......

Most of the rest is pretty much common sense after you've been riding for a few years......but we'll see after the observed run to see if I get a slating or not.....

[Bonniebird]

It was interesting although most of the people there were older and pretty experienced bikers so possibly not really their target audience. I think it was better for being a single session rather than 3 evening ones and the guy running it was pretty good (very dismissive of debating 'counterst@@ring )

Included a copy of the highway code, side-stand puck, police rider's handbook, buff, CD, memory stick, pen and kit containing buffing cloth, earplugs, emergency glow sticks and other schizzle - I do like stuff

and lunch

[essbeebee]

i'll be interested to see if you actually learn anything from bikesafe bob. given how long youve been riding etc

having heard rach's feedback from her bikesafe course i doubt i will ever partake.

they are running a bikesafe course at work for a discounted price of either £29 or £39 (cant rememeber for sure). apart from it being run in work time i am not convinced if it will be of benefit.

an advanced rider course may be a different story tho.

 

For the ride out section they group you according to your experience (well they did for the Suffolk course), so if you say you're an experienced rider they may treat you appropriately...... or it could be a waste of time. It's a risk I suppose. I did it for the ride out and enjoyed it.

[al_stu]

Mine was free

Dunno what this 30 quid lark is. I found it very heplful but I was a new rider. We went at the Doncaster bikesafe day. The instructor there said to us he hasn't even got a book of tickets with him so don't worry

Suppose it depends where you go, but in reality if they went after bikers on the course it would defeat any positive PR

[techno]

i'll be interested to see if you actually learn anything from bikesafe bob. given how long youve been riding etc

having heard rach's feedback from her bikesafe course i doubt i will ever partake.

they are running a bikesafe course at work for a discounted price of either £29 or £39 (cant rememeber for sure). apart from it being run in work time i am not convinced if it will be of benefit.

an advanced rider course may be a different story tho.

That's been pretty much my opinion, bolstered by what keith said about when he did one.

[BikerMooFromMars]

I reckon you and Mandy have got immense skills and won't learn a whole lot from it but enjoy the freebies, the rideout and the knowledge that you're both awesome bikers!

Also, your can is quiet compared to Aaron's - I swear I have tinnitus after a couple of pillion rides with him . And he's been pulled by the police and let off for them before apparently

[Bonniebird]

i'll be interested to see if you actually learn anything from bikesafe bob. given how long youve been riding etc

having heard rach's feedback from her bikesafe course i doubt i will ever partake.

they are running a bikesafe course at work for a discounted price of either £29 or £39 (cant rememeber for sure). apart from it being run in work time i am not convinced if it will be of benefit.

an advanced rider course may be a different story tho.

 

For the ride out section they group you according to your experience (well they did for the Suffolk course), so if you say you're an experienced rider they may treat you appropriately...... or it could be a waste of time. It's a risk I suppose. I did it for the ride out and enjoyed it.

 

Sounds like it varies quite a bit from area to area. Our rideouts are going to be 1 to 1

[cruz]

Passed my test in '76 and had no other training after. I did the Bikesafe two day course with South Wales Police in Port Talbot a few years ago.

I found the course helpful and believe that it did enhance my riding and I regularly ride with 'Bikesafe' and 'RoSPA' instructors.

SW Police try to do One two One

[Tango]

I'm not dismissing the Bikesafe training.....it was helpful....but I did have the advantage of quite a few years worth of Defensive Driver training from a previous employer......and most of the trainers were ex-police drivers and instructors.....

As to the cost......it cost us £45 each.....but the way I look at it is, if I learnt 1 thing that saves my life out on the road one day...then £45 is incredibly cheap.....

I would encourage any rider to do it......irrespective of how long you've been riding....

[acting_strange]

I thought about it but Ive already had advanced training and been observed by a cop and he said my riding was good so....I'll save the £37 (thats what it is in Lincoln)..

[Bonniebird]

Well.....we did the Bikesafe observed ride this morning and I think it was pretty good - The motorcycle cops seem to enjoy doing it too which helped with the nerves a bit - I wasn't exactly looking forward to it as it felt like I was taking a test.

I think the Bikesafe rides do vary a bit from place to place - Huntingdon's are one to one so it is a personalised ride which I think is really helpful.

Anyway - it appears that I am safe and low-risk with A's and B's for everything (Bob did get more A's than me, grrrr.. - mind you, his copper was a bit bonkers and had them both overtaking everything in sight at well beyond the NSL - mine seemed a bit tamer - do they match cops with riders do you think? )

Some good tips to speed up my cornering too - particularly starting the accelerate out a bit sooner and nailing it more.

All in all, I think it was worth doing Bikesafe and may be able to get a discount on my insurance with the certificate (not that it is particularly high anyway)

[Tango]

As Mandy said, it was a good rideout.......very beneficial I think. Yeah, the guy I had was very keen on overtakes.....but I think they focus on the things that catch a lot of bikers out and assess how you deal with them......

So, there are things that I can improve on....but essentially my ride was pretty good......very pleased with it......

[fullscreenaging]

Well.....we did the Bikesafe observed ride this morning and I think it was pretty good - The motorcycle cops seem to enjoy doing it too which helped with the nerves a bit - I wasn't exactly looking forward to it as it felt like I was taking a test.

I think the Bikesafe rides do vary a bit from place to place - Huntingdon's are one to one so it is a personalised ride which I think is really helpful.

Anyway - it appears that I am safe and low-risk with A's and B's for everything (Bob did get more A's than me, grrrr.. - mind you, his copper was a bit bonkers and had them both overtaking everything in sight at well beyond the NSL - mine seemed a bit tamer - do they match cops with riders do you think? )

Some good tips to speed up my cornering too - particularly starting the accelerate out a bit sooner and nailing it more.

All in all, I think it was worth doing Bikesafe and may be able to get a discount on my insurance with the certificate (not that it is particularly high anyway)

 

Don't quote, but when I did mine about 5 years ago insurance companies didn't recognise the bikessafe cert, only IAM or ROSPA will help to get your ins down. Things could have changed in that time though