As I have been involved in a collision, I have had my confidence shaken (if not stirred) and I wanted to make sure I was in a good enough place to do my test. I started looking around for some local schools that could give me some basic training. I came across the efforts of the Met Police - they offer some classroom time and a ride under the supervision of a motorcycle cop, who will assess your skills and give you some pointers (if needed). This sounded ideal to me; the cost was only £45, it was close by, and it looks good to the insurance company. So, I booked a day on the Bikesafe-London course.
I am worried that writing this will end up sounding like an advert for them.
It started off with a cup of tea, and a brief discussion on the psychology of riding and how our brains work - and how this helps contribute to the high proportion of rider accidents. Next, a wee talk about cornering and positioning. I found this to be particularly helpful, as my training consisted of a few hours guidance when I did my CBT. Then, we went out for a ride.
We were lucky in that our police-to-rider ratio was great - we were one on one. I was paired up with Gordon. After a few minutes of chatting, it was obvious that one of Gordon's biggest joys in life is riding. He was a rider that happened to be riding a cop bike.
We did a quick blast through the local high street for some city riding, then we went out to a local Frankie & Bennie's restaurant for a quick bite. We spent the afternoon riding through the beautiful countryside; after which I was given a few pointers. It was awesome.
My favourite part was when the police blocked traffic for me so I could pull out of the car park....
Actually, the day taught me a lot about how to ride - it reinforced the philosophy I have been developing in my day to day ride. I have a mantra that runs through my head when I ride: 'this is not a competition. I am not riding to beat that guy. I am going to be the rider that sees all the hazards before they can hurt me.' I also often imagine that my mom is riding pillion - would she be scared if I took this corner this fast? Would she want me to overtake this car?
Gordon liked my smoothness. I have to work on my positioning around corners, his instructions at first seems counterintuitive to me; however with practice it will come - I was making good progress by the end of the day.
It also showed me the benefits of being a smooth rider. When I'm positioning myself correctly, its a natural extension to be riding at an appropriate speed. When I'm at the appropriate speed, I am in control, and everything just seems to slot into place. The ride becomes so much more enjoyable. It isn't about getting there first; its about getting there happy and getting there safe.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day out, and would recommend it to anyone who can do it. I look forward to applying what I learned to my every day riding. I will likely take part in an IAM course on bike riding as well - rumour has it they are quite good and they don't have the same reputation as the IAM for cars.
Fingers crossed it will be helpful when I go to do my practical test....
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