Pre CBT training

[AndyAlfa]

I started a CBT and left the course at lunchtime a few years ago because it was fairly obvious to me I was going to be a danger on the road section. 

 

Other than that time I’ve never ridden a motorbike - or scooter. I’m old and grumpy and all my life it seems to take me longer than other people to learn certain practical skills. I get there in the end - I play the guitar reasonably well these day, built my own house and used to race a Caterham - it just took longer than others for the basic co-ordination to sink in. 
 

While I absolutely understand the need to demonstrate slow tight bike control, I could do with a day or two on a bike on my own or one 2 one just going round and round or a couple of hundred yards up and down a wide private  road between 5 - 20mph until changing gear and using a hand and a foot to brake comes naturally. 
 

Does anyone know any where in the U.K. I can go and just ride slowly up and down on a school’s 125 until it feels natural. Not a CBT - pre CBT - I am semi retired so time and money isn’t a concern. 

Edited Monday at 12:10 by AndyAlfa
Typo

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

I suspect you're not the only person to have this issue. Have you tried asking at a local training centre if they could accommodate you?

 

 

[AndyAlfa]

Hey thanks for noting I may not be alone. At least it makes me feel a bit better.

 

My local training centre just quote CBT - I did ask them but they just push back saying with CBT is easy - I imagine the facility they do have which is quite small  is used for CBT and other training so they can’t then have one bike just going round and round. However I emailed a number of centres further afield but they didn’t respond or offered CBT only and I know some of them have quite a lot of tarmac they can use. 

Edited Monday at 16:05 by AndyAlfa

[Old and Withered]

As long  as it's off road there are no laws applying so it doesn't have to be a 125 or anything else. If you just want to learn the mechanics of riding a geared motorcycle maybe contact a few off road experience centres. Or if you know anyone with a geared bike whether it's a sports moped or an old dirt bike in a field. A lot of us probably learnt that way as kids. One of the places I used to go was a showground. They had asphalt roads and junctions to practise on. I'm sure if you asked them and explained they would let you ride around for a couple of hours. Not sure where you are but places like the bath and west showground, Kent county showground etc. Another option is private industrial estates. It is surprising how many of them there are and they are normally quiet on a Sunday or on the evenings.

 

You referred to yourself as old and grumpy, so I assume you passed your car test before 2001 (check that date first) so you don't need a CBT to use your full entitlement to ride a moped without a CBT anyway. If you could borrow a moped for couple of hours, find some quiet roads and get a bit of confidence on that it may help your progression a bit.

 

Finally I would say don't be told what's best for you. You're the best person to determine that. Take everything at a pace you're comfortable with in a timescale that suits you. If you don't like what they are telling you go somewhere else.

 

All the best and really hope to see pictures of you on your Panigale soon.

Edited Monday at 17:42 by Old and Withered

[bonio]

3 hours ago, Old and Withered said:

You referred to yourself as old and grumpy, so I assume you passed your car test before 2001 (check that date first) so you don't need a CBT to use your full entitlement to ride a moped without a CBT anyway. If you could borrow a moped for couple of hours, find some quiet roads and get a bit of confidence on that it may help your progression a bit.

This is a good point. Or just buy a moped, stick the L plates on and off you go. You can choose the times and places you go out on the road yourself. Then take the CBT when you think you're ready.

I commuted to work for a year on a moped before I did the CBT. Like you, I'm slow to learn things that required co-ordination, and I think I'd have found it all too much to learn on a single day, if I'd started from zero.

[Capt Sisko]

14 hours ago, Old and Withered said:

As long  as it's off road there are no laws applying.

14 hours ago, Old and Withered said:

Another option is private industrial estates. It is surprising how many of them there are and they are normally quiet on a Sunday or on the evenings.

If you do this just be careful about what constitutes public access for these 'private' places. If it's got a gate on and you've got permission that's fine, it's 'off road'. However, just as you can be done for drink driving on a pub car park, traffic laws still apply to private grounds where the area has public access.

 

Good luck.

[Old and Withered]

6 hours ago, Capt Sisko said:

If you do this just be careful about what constitutes public access for these 'private' places. If it's got a gate on and you've got permission that's fine, it's 'off road'. However, just as you can be done for drink driving on a pub car park, traffic laws still apply to private grounds where the area has public access.

 

Good luck.

Sorry I forgot to add. Never learn to drive a bike drunk in a pub car park. FFS Nobody is going to give 2 poo poos about someone learning to ride a bike on a private industrial estate out of hours. Wheelie training, drifting or drag racing maybe. Sorry for crediting the OP with a bit of common sense. 

[RideWithStyles]

Old and what someone done with naive doesn’t quite cut it these days.

 

Well actually OAW they do. A lot of business have online cameras, and if the owners/management think something is up (like scoping or thinking of crashing into there premises), could phone plods to see about it. yes it’s still a public place.

 

now the the thing I see a problem as I saw the post, is you haven’t actually completed the cbt?
You can’t legally ride on the bike on the road yourself without an instructor and insurance (also counts as going to and from you choice or area to test yourself) without the cbt related to the bike class (which allows use to ride by yourself) and your insurance (your normal car insurance will not cover this btw) will assume the same if you’ve signed yourself up. So if you get caught you are in trouble.

 

if time and money is no concern id just stick with a freindly and open minded training place, it will be fine, they can just get you to learn in the cage/yard while nobody else is in there. 

Edited 12 hours ago by RideWithStyles

[CJFargo]

I'm in the exact same position. Just last weekend I tried a practice lesson but was stopped and told I was too nervous (see my post elsewhere). Of course I'm bloody nervous. I'm doing something I've never done before but how am I supposed to get better and get confident if you don't let me practice in my own time???

 

Anyway, it could be worth speaking to a few instructors, explaining your situation and telling them precisely what you want from a lesson. It's no skin off their chin if they take your money to let you practice but, if they insist that it has to be a CBT, at least that's good experience too. Any time you can spend in the saddle is a learning opportunity.  I think there is more pressure when people say "Passing your CBT is easy - it's not really a test so you can't fail", like the instructor is obligated to pass you just for turning up and then you feel like the worst failure in the world if you don't walk away with that piece of paper.

 

Everyone learns at their own pace. I'm trying to teach myself guitar as well and I just practice what I can when I can. I get better slowly but thank God there's nobody judging me because I would spend the rest of my life in the triangle section with the other tone-deaf kids. Give up if it stops being fun or stops being cool, but don't give up just because someone made you believe you can't do it like I almost did.