In 2008 I was getting bored of sitting in traffic and the boring drive into work. So I started to look for something more interesting than a car something more involved and exciting!
A motorcycle is the obvious choice, so I decided to look into what I needed to do. After looking on the DVLA website and speaking a few bikers that I know I came up with the following list.
CBT (Compulsory Basic Training, The cost is between £80-£120):-
This is a day course which introduces you to riding a small 50-125cc Motorcycle or scooter. It consists of a bit of class room, which teaches you about the rules of the road and things to look out for. Then you head out to the bikes! You will be given a visual tour of the controls and how to walk with the bike and use the stands.
After a while you will be asked to get on and get a feel for where everything is and then you can practice starting and stopping the bike.
When you are happy with that, you will be going round cones and practicing junctions and changing gears which will take you until lunch.
When you have had a coffee and some food its back to the class room to discuss what needs to be improved and what will happen next! The on road section of the CBT which is a ride through different types of road which is no less than 2 hours long, in this time you will learn a lot about how to handle a motorbike and what it is capable of, when I did mine I was terrified about this part of the CBT but once we was out riding I soon gained some confidence.
Once you get back from your ride and you have completed everything satisfactorily you will be given a CBT certificate which enables you to ride up to a 125cc on the road under L-plates.
After this you will be asked if you would like to continue on to do direct access which will take you up to the level where you can ride any bike on the road (Well worth doing!).
Theory Test
To be able to progress to do Direct Access and the Practical test you will have needed to successfully complete the Theory test. This has two parts: – Written part, which is done in a test center on computer. The sort of questions you will be asked are on road safety and road law. The test is out of 50 questions.
The second part is a hazard perception test which is a series of videos where you have to click every time you see a hazard sound simple? Well it's the thing most people seem to worry about. The best advice I can give you be to go for a ride in a friend's car with them driving, and watch and see if you can spot and anticipate potential hazards. (There is loads of advice in books if you need it).
If you pass the Theory you can move on to the direct access course which is about 4 days long (depending on the rider it could take longer), the fourth day being your test day. You will have another day at least on a 125cc bike to improve your riding skills which includes the U-turn which is where a lot of people trip up on… but if you listen to your instructor and relax when you go round it will be fine! When you are confident you will change over to the bike which you will do your test on two examples of these would be a Honda CB500 or a Yamaha ER-5 both 500cc machines.
Practical Test
On your test day it is very likely you will be nervous so you are usually taken for a ride before the test to get rid of the nerves… you will make some mistakes here! Don't worry! You will go into the test center and meet your examiner who will talk you through the examination procedure and ask you some quick maintenance questions about the bike, such as tire tread, things you need to do before you ride, stuff about if you want a pillion on the back and general safety related stuff.
There are two parts of the Practical test. A new off road section which will make you demonstrate you're in control of the motorcycle; this will include the U-turn, emergency stop and an avoidance exercise(full listing is on the DVLA site). After you have completed this you will be on the road section of the test which is where you have your examiner following you on another bike giving you instructions via radio. As will all the Parts of Motorcycle Training ride for yourself! The instructor/examiner will look after themselves! Just ride as you would when on the road, be aware of your life saver checks over your shoulders and act as if other road uses because they can't see you!(because they probably haven't looked for you)
If you successfully complete all of these steps congratulations you will have a nice shiny licence out of it! But what now? Well that is up to you. Decide on your first bike (have a look at a Suzuki Bandit 600 really good) and buy a full set of armour (Helmet, Gloves, Boots, Jacket, and Trousers) they all are essential! Then head out and get some practice, remember don't go mad! Stick to what you learnt through the course and be very prepared to get wet and cold, but hey that's part of the fun of riding a motorbike.
I hope you have found this useful. I have used my own experiences of learning to write this piece which was from last year so it should have some meaning.
I will be writing a small piece on Safety when riding and some of my experiences which I hope will make people safer on the road when they first start out.
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