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CBT DAY – OK, so it’s not as easy as it looks!


My first thought when I wake up and step out to make my way to the training centre… “Why the hell did I choose to start this debacle in November!” Its bloody freezing, however the forecast says it’s going to be dry so I don my leather jacket and make my way to Suffolk Rider Training. I had a good idea of what to expect thanks to finding the ‘Ride to’ Journal via Instagram (they didn’t ask me to give them a shout-out but I will because they were lovely and sent me sweets with it in the post!) You can find loads of information here if you are thinking about starting: https://www.rideto.com/


The CBT days are LONG with an 8.30am start! In true ‘small town’ Ipswich style I was greeted by a familiar face who happened to be a friend’s Dad. Rob and the other instructors at the school were instantly warm and welcoming which helped to calm the excited nerves! I brought my own helmet and gloves with me but they have all of the gear available for you to use so there is no need to go out purchasing this in advance. During the first part of the training they offered some great advice about where to get the most suitable motorcycle clothing and what to look out for so it’s worth taking all of this advice on board before investing in your gear. I can imagine that a lot of people change their mind about whether biking is right for them after their CBT because, as it says in the title, it’s not as easy as it looks! So it’s just not worth splashing out on all of the gear in case you decide that it isn’t for you.

In my group I’m joined by another young girl who has never ridden a motorbike before and two men around the same age as me, one of whom had also never ridden a motorbike and another who had completed the CBT before and had a little bit of practical experience. All four of us chose the more difficult option of completing the day on a geared motorcycle. Rob stated at the beginning that if they felt we were struggling then they would switch us to a little push and go instead for the afternoon. That added a little bit of pressure for me because I’m competitive and really wanted to be a natural, so I was instantly against the idea of being ‘downgraded’ and determined to smash it! I want to ride big bikes so I decided that if I couldn’t complete the CBT on a small one then perhaps I’m not ready? However, I’d missed an important point which I really want to highlight… the CBT day (Compulsory Basic Training) is not really designed to teach you HOW to ride a bike, but more about the road safety aspect, observations, signals and positioning. I really could have done with some extra time getting to know the balance of the bike and I learned this the hard way once we’d completed the initial introductions and head out to the car park to start practicing.

The first bike you see in the foreground was mine for the day. I’m terrible at measurements so I couldn’t tell you exactly how big the practice area was, but there was not much room to manoeuvre in when you’re a wobbly beginner. We went through some basic maintenance checks and had a walk around the bikes before separating out with an instructor each and opening the throttle for the first time. I was paired up with Rob so there was lot’s to reminisce about to distract from the cold in between turns. The first exercise was simply to move forward a few metres to practice using the breaks, but I was obsessed with trying to be top of the class using ‘75% front break and 25% back break’ and doing as I was told. I learned pretty quickly; when you’re riding a motorbike… DON’T LOOK DOWN! I dropped the bike as I applied the brakes and went over with it. So embarrassing, it was the one thing I didn’t want to do! But of course these bikes are built with bars for beginners so no harm done and I wasn’t going to give up! I was reassured by the instructors that I definitely wasn’t the first person to drop the bike in the first stage. I shook it off, had a giggle and (cautiously) jumped back on.

Within 20 minutes of getting going we’d moved onto gear changes and once again it seemed like so much to do in a short distance! I managed to change up and down the gears pretty smoothly first time but I was just too tense with the handle bars worrying about getting everything else right. So while I was walking the bike around at a slow speed, I did it again and dropped the bike for a second time. I was very aware of the fact that no one else seemed to be struggling with holding the bike up while they were just walking it slowly (although they did stall multiple times). I was sure I’d blown it and would end up on the scooter! My thoughts turned to building up my thighs in the gym to make sure I could squeeze the bike and hold it up! The instructors were absolutely brilliant though and commented that actually a huge amount of people aren’t able to achieve the gear changes straight away and that I was doing much better than some. It was the boost I needed but I’m not sure they were telling the truth! Although I’d now dropped the bike twice while I was pretty much stationary (face palm), I was actually competent enough once I got going and I think I had pretty awesome clutch control if I say so myself. Game face on, the rest of the morning went smoothly as we practiced positioning, observations and indicating. I grew more confident but the indicators did give me some jip because my little thumb was just too short to reach. So that’s a hurdle I will definitely need to find a knack for. When it comes to purchasing my first big bike I’m sure I’ll need to do some handlebar modifications in the first instance to accommodate my puny hands.


After a couple of hours out in the car park, and polishing off a nifty figure of eight, it was time to head back indoors for some theory over a working lunch. Again the instructors kept it really laid back and good fun but I just couldn’t wait to get out on the road. I was paired up with Rob again for the ride out and was feeling much more confident by now. This may have been misplaced, because the next challenge I would face was to perform a hill start coming out of the training centre. I also had the addition of a lorry zooming out of the unit next door just as I was about to pull out which was really not needed in that moment. I started up the hill but I fell back into the mode of trying to be a star student for my observations and road positioning and forgot about my relationship with the bike. I panicked about not having a handbrake like a car, stalled the bike and went over for a third time…mortified! This time it was a difficult one to laugh off because there was traffic going around me and the bike took a little while to start back up again. I know that observations save lives but it hit me that this cannot come at the cost of me falling off the bike on the road. In the CBT environment, doing these observations feels awkward and un-natural, once we got out on the roads I was relieved to find that it became much more natural to complete all of the checks as needed without them being forced. I couldn’t let it defeat me, this whole adventure is about taking back some control and ownership of my life and doing something for myself. I had to keep going and luckily that was the third and final time I dropped the bike and I’m pledging that it will absolutely never happen again. The fear is in me now!

We rode around the local estate for around 30 minutes before I absolutely nailed a (practice) emergency stop. Then we set out across the town centre for the rest of the course. I was able to hear Rob through the speaker in my ear and I found myself replying to him only to realise that it was a one way system and I was talking to myself. It was probably for the best that he couldn’t hear my responses, I love a chat and needed to concentrate and think forward to being out on the road on my own.

I came away grinning from ear to ear and although I had a wobbly start, I was beginning to feel absolutely ready for the next step; attempting this on my own. I was hoping to do some intensive courses to obtain my full MOD 1&2 licenses as quickly as possible and get on the big girl bikes. But I now know that I’m going to need to build my confidence a little more first, so as I was being handed my certificate of completion (yay!!) I was already plotting my next move; time to acquire a 125cc to practice on! Watch this space……

2 comentarios


Invitado
03 abr 2022

I did my training at Suffolk rider, they where all really nice and very knowledgeabl, finally finished my part 2 on the 10th January this year and am loving the freedom off my bike and the open road.

Ashley Sudbury suffolk

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Invitado
26 nov 2021

Haha, well done for not giving up!

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