OMG I WAS TERRIBLE!!!

[RyanAyr]

So on Friday 21/03/14 I had my CBT. I got there early and stood about having a few puffs on my electronic cig when a young boy and his dad arrived kitted out in branded Yamaha clothes and all his own safety gear. The boy had just turned 16 so was getting his 50cc Twist n Go licence but apparently has been riding for years on geared 125's off road. Yamaha boy was telling me how easy it is to do gears and how I'd pick it up in a pinch and he's got his own 125 and how his Dad is a biker and his Grandad is a biker and his Gran is a biker and his next door neighbours goat is a biker (well not really but you get the idea.) So I figure well surely it can't be that hard if Yamaha boy can do it...how wrong was I?

So all the usual rigmarole followed...checking my licence, parting with my hard earned cash, eye sight test, safety gear chat, a look round the bikes, general maintenance etc. Time to get kitted up in their safety gear then away in his car to the yard with the bike and Twist n Go on the trailer.

So the bike is a Honda CG125 and seemed OK...a bit scraped but that's to be expected. So I swing my wee leg over and away we go...

It was no probs at first riding in a straight line in first gear, turning left to ride in a circle then come to a controlled stop. Yamaha boy was of course zooming around no probs having no bother. When it came to changing gears however the problems arose for me. I just couldn't get my head (or hands and feet) around it. Then when I was cornering I kept accidentally revving it up so it was like kangaroo petrol...of course I panicked a bit and slammed on the front brake and fell off. It just got worse from then on in. I fell off another twice, bike landing on top of me while I lay squeejeed laughing hysterically like some sort of crazed person...Yamaha boy of course giggling away between figure of eights and pulling off excellent emergency stops. My figure of eights were awful because of the turning/revving issue. My U-turn took up half of the entire yard. The wind had picked up enough for me to near enough shit myself whenever I pulled away. I was never more glad when the instructor put the bikes back on the trailer and we were heading back to base. Of course I wasn't going out on the road in the afternoon and Thank Feck for that!

It made it worse because Yamaha boy was obviously good at it on his Twist n Go and the fact he'd been biking before he could crawl. I did feel as though I was holding him back a bit and I felt I could've done with more time going over basic controls. The instructor was great though, very patient and telling me not to put too much pressure on myself as he wasn't going to and reminding me everyone learns differently and at their own pace. Anyway I'm back out on Thursday so hopefully I will have grasped it by then.

It was my very very first time on a bike and I'm dying to pass so I can get my own...especially now the weather is picking up. Anyway I'll keep you guys posted on how it GOES. Oh and just in case...STAY OFF THE ROADS IN AYR ON THURSDAY AFTERNOON!!!

[nikolees]

Don't worry!

Just don't be so nervous next time!

[klingelton]

it'll click and you'll be fine. Don't rush -we all started somewhere (I was terrible on my CBT day as well!)

[Lucifah]

Sounds like a really bad day

Just remember two things next time, if you don't mind me saying this:

a) Road biking is NEVER a competition, and you can't compare yourself with somebody who was born on two wheels. Plus, "yoofs" like to show off. Let them do whatever the hell they want to do. It's not your problem. Do everything at your own pace!

b) Relax your right hand on both throttle and brake. Smooth movements.

Get back on the bike quickly (which you will do) to erase those memories from your subconscious and do better! Fingers crossed for Thursday!

[Repsol Racing Queen]

Reading this brings back so many memories!

I was amazingly rubbish on my first CBT, so much so it took me another 2 return visits to get the certificate

Just remember that we all learn at different speeds and when it clicks, it really does.

Good luck for next time, you'll breeze it!

[CGD217]

I was crap on my CBT too, i was with 2 lads who had been riding for years so i was instantly nervous and didn't feel i'd had enough time to go through things correctly since i'd never ridden before.

I started to grasp it but never went out on the road.

I went back a week later and everything felt natural, all the manouvres and the changing gears, clutch work was all easy and then we progressed onto the road.

I had a blast and haven't looked back since.

Just try not to be so hard on yourself, be more confident and don't tense up, oh and most importantly, enjoy it!!

[Tango]

You'll get the hang of it mate.......it's just one of those things that if you think about it your coordination goes all to pot....once you get to the stage of not having to think about it you'll have it nailed....and that comes pretty quickly.....

[RyanAyr]

Cheers Troops

I think I may have been a bit harder on my self than I intended to. I'd paid for 3 attempts anyway in a bid to keep the pressure off but I think being coupled with a young guy who was really good kinda threw me. I know I'm with a female next time but I obviously don't know her abilities. Anyway I'm looking forward to it and trying not to get too worked up about it. The instructor did say we'd be straight out to the yard next time as I'd done the talks so hopefully I'll have more time to get used to the basic controls etc. I need to be less heavy handed lol...but there is just so much to do in order to ride safely...every limb does something at the same time lol.

[GaryJM]

As others are saying relax and it'll come.

Try not to worry about holding others up etc.

I'm sure you'll get it next time.

My other half needed two goes to get her CBT the first time. no shame in that people just learn at different rates.

Have to admit I took her bike round to a car park close by and had her practising as well.

It was just to get her used to the controls on the bike and boost her confidence.

[fullscreenaging]

This is not a rant or pointing the finger etc....

What I can't get my head around is, why do people make it difficult for themselves by doing the CBT on ageared bike if they have never ridden before?

Just do your CBT on a rev n go. It will simplify things for you. Once you have done your CBT and you want a geared bike then you can practice in your own time in an empty car park etc.

I learned to ride a mate's Kwak AR50 when I was 13 illegally (he taught me on the roads) but when I went for my Direct Access at the age of 35 I hadn't ridden a bike since then so I did my CBT on a ped to make my life easier.

So don't make life hard for yourselves and have to go back again, sometimes at more expense, just do the CBT on a ped

[mealexme]

if you still don't feel right next time, the government do a scheme aimed at getting people onto/back on two wheels. Its called GetOn and is completely free.

They'll give you an hour on the bike to get used to it, without the pressure of having to pass any sort of testing (or training).

I did one before I did my CBT and found it hugely helpful

http://www.geton.co.uk/

[Bogof]

What I can't get my head around is, why do people make it difficult for themselves by doing the CBT on ageared bike if they have never ridden before?

 

Depends what you want out of it I guess.

Given that CBT's purpose is training, it seems to me to be sensible to train using the type of machine you are intending to ride. If you're intent on riding a geared bike then it might be considered obvious to make sure you're trained to ride it.

Otherwise it'd be a bit like bus drivers starting their basic training on a skateboard... although now I think about it...

[klingelton]

Cheers Troops

I think I may have been a bit harder on my self than I intended to. I'd paid for 3 attempts anyway in a bid to keep the pressure off but I think being coupled with a young guy who was really good kinda threw me. I know I'm with a female next time but I obviously don't know her abilities. Anyway I'm looking forward to it and trying not to get too worked up about it. The instructor did say we'd be straight out to the yard next time as I'd done the talks so hopefully I'll have more time to get used to the basic controls etc. I need to be less heavy handed lol...but there is just so much to do in order to ride safely...every limb does something at the same time lol.

 

+1 to you! love that you're thinking clearly about this and not with your pocket. I love that you're willing to take as much instruction as you feel you need in order to be safe. Remember though that the bulk of your learning comes from getting out there and doing. you'll learn more in 2 hours on your own than any instructor will teach you.

[cockercas]

Whats making you struggle with gears mate?

[Joeman]

Great story

Can't help I'm afraid. I was the annoying "Yamaha boy". I turned up to my CBT on my 16th birthday having owned and ridden a bike since the age of ten.

But I reckon if you practice by thinking through the movements in your head, the next time you get on a bike it will be easy

[RyanAyr]

Deso- The reason I'm doing it on a geared bike is so I've had practice with gears before I'm out on the road. It's a geared bike I'll be buying so doing my CBT on an automatic won't really be beneficial. How would I get my bike home from the shop if I'd never had experience of gears? Push it? Your suggestion is like telling someone to pass their car test in an automatic then buy a manual car to figure the gears out in. I think I'm doing it the right way for me.

Anyway Part 2 is tomorrow and I'm looking forward to it. I shall of course update y'all with how it goes. Thanks again for ur kind replies and sage wisdom. I shall be relaxed and confident tomorrow whilst having fun.

[ForestRunner]

That's exactly why I asked for a feared bike when I did mine

[ForestRunner]

Lol feared -> geared

Though perhaps appropriate in some way

[DaveLX]

I did my CBT on a twist-n-Go Honda Dylan 125.

I thought I wanted to ride a geared bike, but enjoyed the auto experience so was quite happy. I then briefly owned a Honda Vision 110, followed by a Vespa LX 125.

I then decided I wanted a Vespa GTS 300, so I needed to do a big-bike licence.

I booked a 4-day intensive DAS course. I hired a Yamaha YBR125 for 2 days to practice, then went straight into the DAS on a Yamaha XJ6.

For me, it worked and I passed both modules first time.

Whilst I didn't have a lot of gear experience, riding the Vespa for 8 months gave me roadcraft. That was invaluable, IMHO.

[Jhncf]

Another Yamaha boy here! Been riding geared bikes for as long as I can remember so the CBT wasn't a problem. Is it Pegasus in Ayr you're using? If so, that's where I passed mine a month ago, could get out for a ride when you pass

[Psychybikey]

So how did you get on, Ryan Ayr? I'm trying to make myself feel less bad by reading other people's terrible CBT experiences and I still haven't come across anybody else as bad as me. Your last post on this thread was in March so I'm assuming you've whizzed off the page to success by now.

I had a Yamaha boy on my CBT, too, he had passed his car driving test three weeks previously, aged 17, and was clearly still in victory mode. Infuriating that little kids can do it with no trouble at all, yet I've been driving 40 years and couldn't nail it.

[millmax]

Just a great story mate,

[Barry Meredith]

On my CBT a couple of months back it was the lifesavers and forgetting to cancel indicators that were my problem, I've raced motorcross since the age of 4 so handling was fine but looking back and indicators were two very new things for me! i did pass but was annoyed with myself

[Remy]

I had similar experience on my CBT, I had been on a bike before but 20 years previously and not for long so had forgotten most things. The guy with me had been riding a scooter regularly for the last 2 years and was just renewing his CBT. The trainer said, well you are both experienced so won't dwell on the basic stuff, we can go out on the road asap - well I was not happy! Plus it was pouring with rain. Thankfully I managed to get through it all and got my CBT somehow, had to ride home in torrential rain but to say I had the skimpiest of training is an understatement

[Jimbles81]

On 24/03/2014 at 20:05, Tango said:

You'll get the hang of it mate.......it's just one of those things that if you think about it your coordination goes all to pot....once you get to the stage of not having to think about it you'll have it nailed....and that comes pretty quickly.....

I did my CBT yesterday and completed it. U turn needs a bit of practice but in the road, first 15 minutes I was easing into it and then It just clicks like you say. Having driven a car for years really helped as you can focus more in the riding rather than remembering how to deal with traffic. Once you get you road positioning, observations and roundabouts smooth you start enjoying it.