Quite simply Bikesafe of Firebike outings for just a few hours is a taster for what is on offer of you choose to follow it up. Thumbs up to anyone who has taken interest in improving riding skills, but do you think a class 1 police driver / rider got there on a single Bike Safe course? All I’m am saying is there is a whole world of further training out there, and the vast majority of riders I have tutored just absolutely love the learning/ benefits. Many are still regularly coming out after passing Advanced riding tests many times, as those tests only takes you so far. If you want a whole day out with top Police riders in a learning situation then I highly recommend Rapid Training. Very challenging but the best.
And whenever Police riders go out on patrol with another Police rider, there is an unwritten rule that any rider errors are reported back in full technicolour to the the rest of the relief for much piss take and coffees all around. Errors attract nicknames like Leadfoot (obvious) Magnet (target fixation) and Triple X (misjudged braking and went through a Jag’s rear windscreen) It’s a good incentive to ride properly. So essentially throughout their entire career, they are regularly on observed rides else they‘ll be at the mercy of the entire garage!
I have done a while day out shared with a friend so it was very good value. How much £££ do you put on life?
I did one albeit maybe 10 years ago now in Sheffield. We were all over the peak district and it was a brilliant day out, spoiled only by me getting arm pump in Matlock Bath on my Gixer I learned more in that one day, than I had done in all the years I had been riding previously and still use the same principles and styles I was advised on ... with ONE exception. I flat out refuse to ride right in the left hand gutter to look round RH bends. I move to the left as far as I think is safe of course, but will not go in the gutter..too many punctures obtained in an earlier life. We also did an FBOS course as part of it (first bike on scene) which deals with what to do if you ever find yourself in that position...that in itself is a great tool and something every biker should know It still saves me a few quid on my insurance renewals too. Maybe next spring if all this Covid bollox is died down, I will book another one.
classic biker faux par ... when talking about positioning for bends most people jump straight to positioning for a view... when in the hierarchy for positioning... you have to start with safety and then stability.... no point in looking for a view running around on the loose gravel accumulated near the verge!
^^^This. I've never been told to ride in the gutter for a right hand bend, just as far to the left as is safe...
Although most riding faults generally come back to poor observation and information assimilation.... /\ /\ /\ /\ /\.... you might want to look and read again
Que??? All I said was I'd avoid the gutter (because as HootOwl said, it's generally full of gravel etc). If you re-read my post (#28) I was actually agreeing with you...
Take the BikeSafe day out and then book a free taster session with your local IAM Roadsmart Motorcycle group. Same training, same fun, deceptively quick & cool as. If it’s the same as the group that I am in, you will be accompanied by their Chief Observer (yours truly in this case) You will probably cover about 100 miles with a couple of stops to give you advice & a few pointers, it also gives you the opportunity to buy your Observer a coffee. Be warned though, we do not “commute” at all, you will be totally drained at the end of it. There is a huge difference between being physically fit and being bike fit!
Ouch. Was it a policeman who said the bit I've put in bold, or were they using IAM Observers to help out? They often do, I've helped out a few times myself. I know Martyn Hillier (the guy who invented Bikesafe and got the Queen's Police Medal for his work for it) and he would say something like "Use the whole road to extend your view, where safe to do so, but don't off-side (i.e. drive on the wrong side of the road) just for the sake of going quicker - the consequences of having an incident when you're on the wrong side of the road will bring the law down on you like a ton of bricks. You're not a police rider, so stay on your side most of the time and use the full width of that. Off-siding on single track roads is a strict no-no for the above reasons."
General point: in my 13+ years of observing 50+ riders during hundreds of hours, the same big 3 errors generally come up time and time again (and relate back to IPSGA in Motorcycle Roadcraft)... 1) Observation - people generally don't check their situation often enough. Mirror checks should be considered every 5 seconds, with shoulder checks when appropriate (not by rote). Learning to TUG (Take, Use and Give) information is a skill in itself and there shouldn't be a point in your ride where you're not actively applying IPSGA. If you're not, you've switched off and need a rest, so stop riding. You should be able to predict what's going to happen within a 'bubble' of 5 seconds all around you. The normal rider reacts to traffic and hazards, the better rider has a plan for how to deal with them. Proper observation (and making use of the info) allows you to maintain proper... 2) Position - keep left for right hand bends (not in the gutter), keep right for left hand bends (near, not on or over***, the white line) AS LONG AS there's nothing coming towards you. If there is, move in towards the centre a bit so some idiot who's texting doesn't drift over the white line and kill you mid-bend. In 20 and 30mph zones you can generally keep in the middle of the road whilst applying IPSGA. Learn how to use 'Limit Points'. There's only actually one 'good' position - that's the one that puts you in the safest place on the road at the time, considering the hazards you've observed. 3) Gear usage - people generally need to use lower gears than they do. Get the right Speed for the hazard first, then select the appropriate Gear for the speed. It shouldn't be vice versa. It lets you use engine braking properly and mechanically sympathetically (and your brake pads and tyres will last longer ). Get these 3 right and you'll be more than half way to being an advanced road rider. *** if it's safe to do so, you can use the other side of the road to extend the view (i.e. get a better view) BEFORE you then overtake. If the overtake is not on, due to a) something coming towards, or from behind, you or b) not having spotted a decent space to pull back into up ahead, you can just move back to your lane.
Which is why after decades of being a police rider I avoid IAM groups. (Say Hi to Martyn please) I can’t be doing with that “but I saw you do ....., that’s not in the book” every time. So not get me wrong, I am a very keen promoter of advanced rider training of all sorts and recommend the IAM and ROSPA, but after lots of police bike car HGV etc courses, I now prefer to take from the system what I chose and I do my own version. I do speed, I do ride on cross hatchings, I don’t always go around a mini roundabout to name but three things. I also ride between each kerb using all the road exactly as I was taught- the safest route is often a straight line. But that teaching changed years later to use only 2/3rds. I am not a slave to The System and I only these things when it is safe do do so though. A particular beef is using the engine for braking, quite hypocritically some instructors will often maximise engine braking to make their ride look smooth as their brake light does not illuminate. I’ve even seen the front brake switch connector pulled off to the same effect. But actually engine braking is part of the overall bike design, it’s a tool to be considered and sometimes used, the same as a horn or a light switch. As long as you have the ability to accurately match the revs and note the road surface grip. if you’ve not been trained in advanced riding- go and do it, it is truly a skill for life, Inbet your journey time decreases most of the time. Just use your head though and Make sure that you keep your concentration up.
I live in Kent bikesafe is not available, I contacted our police commissioner to ask why this was the case. No response, as we are probably have the busiest Roads in the country, it surprises me. What does not surprise me is the fact the commissioner cannot be arsed to reply. I am now booked on an DVSA approved enhanced rider scheme next week, will let you know how it goes. The police should be encouraging riders to learn how to ride safer.
A breath of fresh air. Love the expression, ‘not a slave to the system’. The answer to the question is always ‘it depends’. Andy
Anyone had experience with rapidtraining.co.uk. Got good reviews and seems well set up with years of experience. Only just come upon them. Bit of a commitment, financial and time, so would be helped by good independent opinions.
I had an instructor to 2 clients day as a present. Great day, great fun and the session by session feedback meant my riding improved during the day. My local IAM Roadsmart affiliated club observers get their riding standard reviewed every 2 years by Rapid. 2 of their training team support the track day provider I use and have ridden with them in France and Spain. Good guys. Andy
I've not done their road courses, but did some of their track-based training back when they ran them (which they don't seem to any more). Well run, enjoyable and most importantly, learnt a lot. Although track-based, what they taught was readily transferable to road riding.
