It's about two years since my biking career started (can't remember the exact date) with a one day "Compulsory Basic Training" (CBT) course which covered the very basics of motorcycle control, roadcraft, clothing requirements and licence law.

I'm probably the only person ever to "flunk" a CBT (it's not a test, just a checklist) because I just could NOT reliably let the clutch in without stalling the bike, fixed a week later with a supplementary session. I can only say in my defence that I've spent 35 years working clutches with my left foot not my left hand!

I spent the next year or so without formal training. I did a LOT of research using the web, videos, books, etc and spent as much time as I could out on the bike in all kinds of conditions.

Since last autumn I've been having half-day coaching sessions to advanced standard at monthly intervals and I've also attended two half-day courses on steering and cornering - this all road riding, not offroad or racetrack.

I'm curious to know how others learned their skills - were you born riding? did you learn by falling off, watching others and just doing it?

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Bob - not dead yet
Switch to reserve ~130 miles

Saphena,

You are not the only one I was down at our local training centre the other day to talk about an taking the advanced rider course. The CBT boys were on their way out and after 20 mins they came back because one of the riders was just too dangourous on the road.

In Derbyshire we very genourously can take a course subsidised by the Council called bike plus and is discounted 72%

I am also doing a Race School day at Donnington Park at the Ron Haslam School of Racing. No matter how long you have been riding and how good you think you are it is always good to keep doing some training.

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David.

Rode dirt bikes in the 1970s. Fast forward 30 years, I got my MC license through the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF) course. Since November, 2005 I've put over 23,000 miles on 4 different bikes.
Every ride is a lesson. You learn something about yourself and your bike every time.
Ride like you're invisible and everyone else is crazy.
Ride safe.

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Kevin
Luceo Non Uro
NJ USA

Originally Posted by StreetT675

I am also doing a Race School day at Donnington Park at the Ron Haslam School of Racing.

Rocket Ron, one of my favourites. If memory serves correct he fell off about 33 times during the 1975 season , the year he made his big breakthrough in to international racing. He rode & fell off Mal Carter's Pharaoh Yamahas. It's OK though because he steadied down a lot after that!

Back in 1972 there was no training. You stuck L plates on & went riding off down the road. I read all the riding skill articles in the m/c mags. Then we rode together, we discussed it a lot and we critiqued our own & each others' riding. You've got to be good mates to survive a bashing like that .

I have a mate here who's been attending a refresher course for born again bikers. Some of the things he's described to me that they have said as part of the instruction make my blood boil- I've never heard such rubbish. Meanwhile they haven't bothered to teach him how to brake & change down correctly . It's put me right off, rightly or wrongly, doing any kind of riding course.

I've never had any road riding instruction.

DaveB.

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My albums:
http://www.triumphrat.net/memberalbu...ser/15053/sl/d

I`ve never had any learner`s training but have had some advanced. A mate`s mum used to work at the driving licence centre, the DVLC (later the DVLA) in Swansea, which was just up the road from me. She used to hand out full driver`s licences for 5 quid a time. I had a full car and bike licence when I was only 15!!! I`ve never sat a car or bike driving test, but I did a tracked vehicle (tank) and Truck licence when i was in the Army. Later on, I did the advanced bike test with the Metropolitan Police, it was great, I learned a few things but more importantly, I learned to rationalise things that I had been doing intuitively for many years and was able to improve on them.

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Let`s go mental!

Having taken the MSF basic and advance course, and watched my wife and son take theirs I have seen the instructors call the owner John in and have him tell riders that he was going to give them their money back because they were unsafe and could possibly never ride a motorcycle.
The owner has advised some would be cyclists that they could take private lessons to try and learn.

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"Are we having fun yet"?

Started in the eary 70's with a Honda SL70 that was bigger than me at the time. Been riding something almost ever since but have never had any type of training. I would love to take some basic and advanced coures. I have found from other things that no matter how good you taught yourself, someone that is a professional and has been taught to teach can do you a world of good.

My wife had the dubious honor of being kicked off a CBT course.

After I got back into biking she became interested so I found a local school, the idea being for them to give her some basic instruction and to see if she could get on with it. They said the only thing they could offer was the CBT but at least it covered the basics so she would get to find out if it was for her.

First go on a 125 and she wheelies it down the 50 yard test strip, stopped with out crashing and pushed it back. The instructor had some words with her and off she went again, popping another wheelie. Then they kick her off the course!!

Boy did I have an argument with the stuck up prat of an instructor. Took her to another school and she passed

Sounds pretty dang good to me. I know TonUp would be impressed that she was doing wheelies her first time out.

I started in the dirt as a kid in the 70s. Very little street riding until 2 years ago but since the clutch and gears were all second nature all I had to do was enjoy the ride.

I did take the MSF course after obtaining a ticket from a member of one of our fine local police departments. I was only going 100mph. Don't know what his problem was. Actually glad I didn't end up in jail.

Also learned several things from HiVel along the way, like how to make it go around a corner.

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The early bird may get the worm but it's the second mouse that gets the cheese.

When I first started riding 20 years ago I had no training at all. Picked my bike up at the dealers,salesman showed me the controls and away I went. Now I look at it now it seems quite scary. I went on to learn the 'do it yourself' method and passed my test. Since then I carried on learning as I rode and gradually increased size of bike. I stopped riding for about 20 years,mortgage children Etc. When I came back to riding last summer I did a refresher course it my local riding school. Well worth the money to get my skills brushed up. Nearly a year on and now feel competent, although I don't think you ever stop learning. I have just bought a DVD produced by an ex-Police riding instructor, it's very good for learning some advanced riding techniques.

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I'd give up beer, but I'm no quitter