Do you ride a push bike Rachel as that helps with the low speed balance.
As the others have said its a lot to take in in one day so keep at it. It gets easier and the smiles get bigger.
I was ok with the balance...I just lost it when needing to do everything together at the end to stop! I'm sure once this gels with me everything will be much easier and I can concentrate on riding and observing. At the moment I'm still far too preoccupied with what to do and when, screwing it up and coming to a most undignified halt.
I don't think it helps that the training area wasn't very big, probably only about a 25 metre useable length so I wasn't getting the speed up to master slowing down properly.
Perhaps the CBT should be taken over two days? What do people think?
It is a heck of a lot to take in over the course of what is really, only a few hours. It's no wonder at all to me the number of people who end up doing it over a longer period than just one day.
Wish I had a smaller bike for you to practise on hun. What we need is a BM 125 bike for the FFS girls to use on a car park somewhere. Anyone got an old 125 or similar?
Cheeky I know, but what the hell lol!
It'd make sense Geoff... I suspect the pricing could pose a problem though.
As I understand it, if you take motorbike instruction with the Army, they take around 4 days to cover everything in depth that's on the CBT?
Some people only need the day, but for absolute beginners, I reckon 2 days would be ideal.
Loving the idea of a BM 125! That'd be perfect! Get all the newbies out on it who're unsure about learning to ride, without them having to go to the expense of taking a CBT! :o)
Roachy don't feel disheartned by not getting you CBT in one day, like others have said, I also had to go back to do my road riding on a seperate day as just taking in the basics of riding made me feel too tired to go out safely on the road.
I would also re check on the cost for a second day as all I had to pay was £15 to cover rental, insurance and petrol for the bike.
After you have passed your CBT don't feel pressured into doing anything you don't want to do regards doing a DAS or doing the 125 test, everyone is different. I took the 125 option, rode around for a little while on L plates before taking my test then when I felt confident enough I up graded to a bigger bike but had it restricted down to conform with the 33bhp your allowed, this didn't really make much difference to the actual bike other than at the top end, what it did do was give me chance to get to know a bigger bike with out the full power but also gave me that bit extra should I need it to get out of trouble. (also no one can tell a bigger bike is restricted)
I had two 125's my first and favourite was my Virago but that was not ideal for taking a test on because it needed a bigger area to do a u turn so I got myself a Yamaha SR125 it only cost me £500 for a really lovely bike which to be honest I really missed when I sold it and I sold it for a profit to.
I found that for me using the money it would have cost to take a DAS course and risk failing would be better spent on a bike which I could use all the time on my L plates until I felt ready to do my test, the up side of this is you have a bike to go out when you want and you don't have to pay for an instructor just to gain experience.
sorry for the long reply, I really am working on being able to be concise.
ok wannabe if you insist i will forget that learning curve and choose another course at night school.
wow just looked and found the best course ever, it's called short story writing. Reckon I could even get myself an A* in this one.
Oh yeah and the point of this post was, oh yeah the fact that I won't now be after all trying to be more concise with my posts on bm.
I have to be honest ..... I'm not really a fan of DAS.
Ok, for some people maybe. I know for example that Roachy is a good driver and has good observation and throttle skills, but many don't.
I also like to think that I'm a relatively quick, but safe rider above anything else. But I do know that this certainly isn't natural and I've had to really work at this.
I also know that if I hadn't spend a year or so riding around on a little Suzuki GP100 before taking my test (ok, I had two cos I crashed the first), then I know that shortly after getting my first "big" bike, I'd have probably killed myself.
As such and from a professional point of view (queue the groans from everyone else), I would always recommend that anyone who is unsure should spend time riding around on a smaller bike, even if that is one restricted after passing the test.
I don't reckon that's a groan-worthy post Geoff ;o)
Makes perfect sense to me.
Personally speaking, I can't see that me getting a big bike would suddenly turn me into a speed freak, after all, I've 23 years accident-free driving behind me and no matter how flashy the motor, I drive within my own perceived limits (despite having the mickey royally taken out of me for driving along in a brand new Porsche on a clear motorway below 100mph ), but without having that "apprenticeship" period of really getting to grips with the finer points of controlling a bike, I reckon we'd soon be seeing a lamppost redesigned in a Wannabe-stylee...
Stick with it Rachel , you pays your £80 to complete the course , doesn't matter how many goes you have to get there , as for extra expense that's surely down to the riding school's discretion , my ex and her sister both took 2 days to get thru thier cbts and the riding school never charged them any extra .
Well done for not dropping the bike , when I did my cbt and direct acsess I was the only 1 not to drop a bike out of 4 of us , 1 guy dropped every bike he got on and he was planning to get a pan-european once he had passed his test .
I did have an advantage over the rest of them thou , I wasn't a complete novice , like geoffb I had a suzuki gp100 which I rode around (and crashed on a few occasions) for about 9 months till it got nicked , I didn't take my test until about 15 years later , had a few different bikes which were used for blatting about the farms I worked on inbetween times , so always kept my hand in .
We all have different opinions too , I was glad of the opertunity to learn on a big bike . It all boils down to what you feel most comfortable and confident with .
Best of luck for your next go hun , we're all rooting for ya
Stick with it and enjoy, I am the worlds least coordinated person and obviously as a man incapable of multitasking but even I managed eventually. OK so it was in the days of buy 250 when instruction consisted of thats the clutch, thats the throttle, thats a gear lever 1 down 3 up bye.
It is purely a case of practice until you get to the point where the mechanics just happen and you can concentrate on what you want to do i.e. stop.b
Whether you go the 125 or DAS route try and find a steady sympathetic riding buddy for your first few trips out, having someone to ride with at a pace you can cope with is handy and helps a lot with road positioning.
Ah, agree with everyone don't feel bad about having a few niggles on the first day. I can't think what it must be like to start from cold on CBT, back when you just sent off for your licence at 16 and rode I'd had my little DT for 6 months waiting, at 16 and 3 days got caught out on a junction and knocked off, leading to a crash course in repairs and breakers yards. 100 yards from home wasn't very happy at all pushing my wreck back, but was lucky not to have had a leg crushed - these days much better idea to train us before letting us loose!! I suppose I can see now why my folks wanted me in a car so much! I'm sure you'll soon feel all settled and comfy with the bike, once your relaxed you can take in as much from the tutor and come away much better equipped.
Thanks everyone for all your comments, means a lot.
I decided to go back for more off road practice and then the 2 hour after that if able but it soon became apparent that wasn't going to happen today either.
They put me on a different bike (a GN125) as it's lighter and more upright but I hated it so I went back to the EN125. A different bike to yesterday and the gears were much easier and once the clutch was adjusted I settled down a bit more. All I've done today is ride round in circles, left and right and practice setting off and stopping and it's coming. Initially I was worse than yesterday (partly the GN125 and then the clutch) and I very nearly threw in the towel but I made myself stay.
I really think having access to my own 125 will make all the difference as I need time on the bike. I'm looking forward to doing my CBT with my friend as I completely trust him and I know he's very good at what he does. Hopefully now the basics are coming I can spend my CBT day with just an hour to get used to my bike and then start to make some real progress.
There was talk that the powers at be were going to make the CBT over two days. When I did my DAS i had the same problem as you when it came to the the bike. I was originally on a CB500 and i didn't get on with it. the put me on a different CB500 and that bike just hated me it would cut out and not start at every opportunity. When they put me on an ER5 we got on like a house on fire.
I have heard a few people say a bike either loves you hates you or tolerates you. sounds daft but it's true.
Hi Roachy, Know how you feel, i had the same problems last week when i went to do my cbt. Haven`t plucked up the courage to go back for my other half day. It scared me to death !! was completly out of my comfort zone. I was in tears. Got a honda cg125 but to scared to practice with it after doing the pad work at the cbt. I realise now just how skilled all those bikers are out there, they make it look so easy. !! Good luck girl.
Had to reply to you B21, i so hear what your saying, and can see that your caught in that classic scenario of really, really wanting to achieve this, and join us all on the road, but doubt your ability to do so......
The trouble is, the longer you leave it, and don't get back on your cg...the more time your giving your head to convince you that your never going to....
Try to look at this positively, it's a piece of machinery, your in control, not it.....and you WILL be the boss.....all it will take is practice to master the controls etc...
So i say get back on it asap...cause the sooner you do, the sooner you'll be able to experience the thrill that riding a bike can give you...nothing else comes close in my humble opinion!
Don't panic BC21 - take yourself back, ask for some more practice time. Each time you get back on and have another go, it gets easier and the fear diminishes.
Just ask any of the women on here who've done their CBTs this year and are gradually getting to grips with being out on the road.
Given half a chance I'd join 'em
Mind you, it's that long since I did the CBT, that my first action when I DO manage to get a bike, will be to take a refresher lesson.
This is something completely new to you - it's going to take a while to get the hang of it and for everything to sink in. Don't let fear beat you - make a conscious decision to relax and enjoy it... and you will
I've been riding for over twenty years now and someone mentioned the other day how easy I made it look. All I had done was pull up in my drive, she got off and I turned the bike around to put it in the garage!!
The truth is I made it look easy because I've been doing it for over twenty years.
You ain't gonna learn to ride a bike well in a day. It just ain't happening. So get yourself back there and get some more training done.
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