Booked my CBT for Saturday, any advice?

[iDeLonge]

So I've booked in my CBT for the 07 June Saturday and I have to be there at 8 am.

Just wondering if anybody could tell me about their first experience and what you found the hardest thing to do? Preparing myself

[littlecat]

hardest thing for me was keeping warm... but then it was a particularly cold January day.

just relax..make sure you are comfortable, but well protected... take your time....build confidence, and most of all remember to enjoy it and smile

[iDeLonge]

hardest thing for me was keeping warm... but then it was a particularly cold January day.

just relax..make sure you are comfortable, but well protected... take your time....build confidence, and most of all remember to enjoy it and smile

 

Keeping warm? haha I'm going for my Adidas trainers which are the highest up the ankle shoes I have, skinny jeans, t-shirt and a jacket.

Once I actually get my bike/insurance I'll upgrade to boots, gloves etc etc

Could you give a runthrough of what happens?

[Dav3y]

Take in as much as you can.

If there's anything you don't understand, ask. Most of all enjoy the day.

I'd hope your training company will fit you out with gear for the day for safety.

From memory :-

Bike familiarisation, maintenance, basic riding/ braking / junctions made out of cones then when competent enough on the road for about an hour with an instructor. I'm sure theres a syllabus online somewhere that lists everything that should be covered.

Try this page

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ance-notes

[WorminatorII]

Slow ride figure of 8 and U turn were tricky for me, the instructor then rode the bike with me on the back and told me to mirror his movements... It worked for me.

If in doubt, ask questions, don't worry if you think its silly either.

And remember the lifesaver glance

Try not to tense up and keep your arms relaxed

You'll be fine

[Abraxix92]

hardest thing for me was keeping warm... but then it was a particularly cold January day.

just relax..make sure you are comfortable, but well protected... take your time....build confidence, and most of all remember to enjoy it and smile

 

Keeping warm? haha I'm going for my Adidas trainers which are the highest up the ankle shoes I have, skinny jeans, t-shirt and a jacket.

Once I actually get my bike/insurance I'll upgrade to boots, gloves etc etc

 

Just a quick tip, get some better jeans, they might not let you do it in "skinny jeans" same with trainer's i know my center wont.

They should provide you with helmet, gloves and jacket.

Make sure you do upgrade to the full gear even on a 50, i bet alot of people on here have had accidents on 50/125 i know personally my arms would of been f**ked and ankles when i came off at gravel on speed with my full gear on ride safe.

Anyways, keep calm don't panic it's not really a test it's just some what training you can't really fail as they will just say come back tomorrow if they feel you need more time.

[Miss Meg]

First off... Please try and get some sort of boots (I think shoe zone do some..) you need the ankle support, trainers do not give that, also most riding schools won't allow you to do your CBT wearing them. You might be able to borrow some bike trousers from the riding school. But find out from them.

As for the cbt, relax, enjoy it. LISTEN to everything you're told even if it all seems common sense. Remember which break is the rear break, cause you do not want to use the front one and fall over...

Good luck

[tazzer1993]

Simple really. Be gentle with the clutch (if you're doing it on a geared bike) Smooth use of the controls makes a big difference when riding a bike. Also, before anything major (changing lanes/turning/moving off etc) always do a lifesaver over the appropriate shoulder. E.G. right turn-right shoulder, moving off- both shoulders. Possibly most important of all...DON'T PANIC!

Hope this helps

[Joeman]

Do as much learning up front as you can. Learn the controls of the bike and read the highway code.

And do not, under any circumstances wear skinny jeans!! You'll give bikers a bad name.

[iDeLonge]

Do as much learning up front as you can. Learn the controls of the bike and read the highway code.

And do not, under any circumstances wear skinny jeans!! You'll give bikers a bad name.

 

I already asked the centre if my shoes would be alright they didn't mind and I'd only ride this one on skinnys, doesn't seem comfy doing it all the time haha

[MissBex]

Not sure if anyones already mentioned it as only quickly skimmed through the replies,

But what I'd suggest is if you don't already know about stuff in the highway code, road signs, road rules etc.. try and learn it before you go. When I had my CBT, I already knew it all as I've been driving a car for years and had to do it all on my car theory and again on my bike theory, but the 2 young lads that were there doing their cbt on scooters did have a clue and the instructor wasn't impressed. Make a good impression by knowing your stuff

In regards with gear, I had my own full gear anyways but the school I was with had loads of spare jackets, gloves, helmets, waterproofs for people to borrow. Hopefully yours will too out of a safety perspective.

As previously mentioned, don't be afraid to ask questions also, you need to make sure you fully understand everything before you go out on the road.

1 more important note: Look where you want to go! It really does work just like that. First time I got on the 125 and attempted a small turn, I didnt look where I wanted the bike to steer to and ended up just going in a straight line hehe

[Guest]

Apart from what others have said and read the highway code - keep calm!

Unless you have ridden a motorcycle or a scooter before, riding one can seem very strange and alien at first. But what I found most beneficial on my CBT was to just remain calm. Gears take a bit of getting used to and everybody struggles with something - but if you get flustered and panicky you will make more mistakes. You don't want that. Just take each step of the CBT as it comes. Don't be afraid to ask to repeat something or do something again (I asked my instructor if I could do a few more laps of the course they have just so I was comfortable with the gears) and what is important on the day is your learning, nobody elses. Don't be afraid to hold your other learner up for 5 minutes - he/she will hold you up later in the day almost definitely!

It's a learning experience. Nobody expects you to come out of it Mod1/Mod2 (full license) standard but they do expect you to come away with a safe riding style. As long as everything you do is safe and controlled, you will have absolutely no problem.

[klingelton]

I loved my CBT. I ached afterwards from using muscles i'd never used before. It was great fun and I left it with the feeling of being despirate to get back on 2 wheels as soon as possible.

my one single piece of advice? Enjoy it.

[iDeLonge]

changed me to sunday because of construction on site, i dont wanna wait haha

[Guest]

changed me to sunday because of construction on site, i dont wanna wait haha

Not sure about where you are (Manchester) but in Bristol it's forecast torrential rain for the weekend. Not brilliant riding conditions but don't let that put you off - doing your CBT in the wet may not be very enjoyable but believe me it's the best conditions to be doing it in!! After all, if you can ride safely and to a set standard in the wet - you'll have no problem on a stonking, gorgeous sunny day like today..!

[HarveyBlue]

Well done! Yeah enjoy it like the others said and relaxing is key, also, sounds silly but breathe! Don't snatch at the front brake either (like I did) went flying, so did the bike.no staring at you front wheel, look where you want to go and the bike will follow. Don't be afraid to ask silly questions either. It's all learning! Have fun! You'll be hooked once you get out on the road!

[iDeLonge]

So I cut my finger at work pretty deep and can't bend my middle finger, gonna have to spiderman that front break

[iDeLonge]

So I cut my finger at work pretty deep and can't bend my middle finger, gonna have to spiderman that front break

I'm off now to do it, let you know how it went

[WorminatorII]

Good luck mate, hope it goes welk

[Tango]

Good luck mate.....

[CGD217]

Good luck and have fun

[MissBex]

Good Luck, Have fun! Update us later

[iDeLonge]

Just got back with my certificate;)

[125learner]

Congratulations

[WorminatorII]

Well done mate