TAKE YOUR TIME

Passing the Module Two motorcycle test and gaining a full motorcycle licence might feel like you've made it. In truth and being blunt it is the start of a very long journey to being a proficient rider. It is a huge achievement for sure but you must realise this is only a few steps up a very long ladder. In fact, you have only climbed 4 steps, the CBT, DAS training, the Mod 1 and the Mod 2 tests. Now the real hard work starts as you will have to remember what you have been taught but you are on your own with no advice or guidance, just remembering a voice in your ear. The basic motorcycle training is a great start, it sets all the foundations and gives you something to work on. You are vulnerable and will not be bike fit or have the ability to concentrate for long periods of time, you will get sore and uncomfortable on your quest for more miles. A few words of very good advice, TAKE YOUR TIME.

LEARN VITAL SKILLS

You should spend some time on your new motorcycle and get used to the characteristics, it will take some time and a few miles of riding it. Don’t feel any peer pressure from people you ride with and never try to keep up, that is a recipe for disaster. Always ride your own ride and as you become more familiar with your motorcycle and start to feel comfortable, you should enrol for some further motorcycle training. The next step is to take a course that will teach you how to ride after completing learner training. There is a huge difference to riding out on the open road in country lanes, to pottering around the training routes. You need the next step, you need more information and you have to change out of the basic mold and learn what real riding is all about. Advanced motorcycle training teaches you how to read the road, plan your journey, be in full control, be able to recognise danger early, negotiate corners properly and to perform safe and calculated overtakes. These are vital skills that will keep you alive.

KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER - Further training

• The basic test is just the start
• You need to feel comfortable
• Do not succumb to peer pressure
• Ride your own ride
• Take further training
• Enhance your own skills
• Undergo advanced motorcycle training
• Stay safe at all times