Motorcycle CBT

I must be in some kind of mid-life crisis: I decided to learn to ride a motorbike. The thought had been in my mind since I’d sat on a colleague’s bike a few years back. I loved the feeling but without any knowledge of riding bikes, I was like a small child on a pony ride at the beach. I would regularly see the convenience people enjoyed in Spain, hopping between places in lovely weather on a scooter, and thought this is a lifestyle for me.

The first stage in learning to ride is to do a Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) course so I booked in with a local firm, Triskelion Motorcycle Training. Gruff, who runs the business is well-known locally – especially amongst bikers. He’s a good guy and Alan, my instructor, was absolutely superb – really calm and patient. Everyone there was passionate about bikes and really knowledgeable.

I’d watched a few YouTube videos, like CBT PASS! – *A STEP BY STEP GUIDE*, and had a good idea what to expect. The training was virtually identical to the videos, which is a testament to how consistently the scheme is implemented. I subsequently found out that many places do rush their candidates through training so you need to look at reviews etc. to find a good centre. They are taking you from potentially no prior knowledge (that was me) to being road-legal. Triskelion have a set price and they will get you there, without any further charges, no matter how long it takes. Indeed, I did my course over a couple of days because it was poured it down during the afternoon on the first day.

I knew motorcycling was riskier than driving a car but I didn’t realise the extent. Every single biker I have ever spoken to has a story of at least one accident resulting in injury and, quite often, hospitalisation. In fact, most bikers I spoke to at the centre, proudly recounted stories of injuries. The injuries are quite common and horrific and if a centre is doing its job properly, they will make sure you realise that, probably with photos.

You can get away with not knowing how a car works, to drive a car. I don’t know mechanics and having been in company cars in the automotive industry for so long, even basic checks were done for me. My first beloved car, a 90s Fiesta, blew up on the motorway because I didn’t know about needing to top up with engine oil. Actually the AA guy’s words were “bone dry” and then scrap man’s offer? £250. If you want to ride a motorbike, you need to know how it works and you need to check it all the time. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance (a must read) illustrates that repeatedly. Daily checks for petrol, oil, water, damage, electrics, rubber, ‘you’; and weekly checks of brakes, suspension, tyres, chain and steering. Any minor problem with a bike will probably result in hospitalisation.

Of course, biking has looks really cool with trendy race suits and who doesn’t look good in leather right? Well, turns out race leathers are entirely inappropriate for road use (designed to slide not stop) and wearing all that clothing is uncomfortable. You are either too hot or too cold and there are other irritations like having an itch or flies all over your visor. Dressing to ride a bike is like wearing a space suit, I imagine; it looks great but its an endurance.

Part of my attraction to a motorbike was the ability to stick one on the back of a camper van as it would be low cost to run. The age old-problem with a camper van is when you actually want to go anywhere, you have to pack everything up. Well, motorbikes aren’t that cheap to run and insurance can even be more than a car. Oh yeah, and they get stolen, they get stolen a lot. Unless you have a large monster with paniers, they’re also really impractical for transporting anything and rucksacks don’t seem a good idea when you are at speed.

I naively thought being a competent cyclist would would be helpful – nope: The two are nothing alike. You don’t even need to be able to balance really as bike’s self-balance due to centrifugal courses (why bikers rev at low speed, despite the misconceptions). It feels insane when you throttle a bike and pull away and you quickly become aware that your mode of transport is a seat atop an engine with two small points of contact with the road. Riding a bike is a very active process. Your brain has to be engaged all the time and you have to physically manoeuvre about quite a bit. In fact, I would say, it’s tiring. You can’t ride a bike if you have heavy stuff on your mind, it just won’t work.

Well, I passed my test and now I can acquire and venture out on 125cc. But I won’t – for all the reasons above. I did the test to make an informed decision and, well, education has won over fanciful thinking. I just don’t want to be another road accident statistic. But that lifestyle of hopping between places in lovely weather? Well, let’s be honest, that’s only a couple months of the year in the UK anyway. I’ve passed my CBT now so if I decide to hire a two wheels abroad I could always sit my full test, or as rental shops outside the West tend be ‘lenient’ with these things; I am now at least a little bit safer than I would have otherwise been.