Si. said:
Are the 5 day intensive courses any good? does anyone have any experience of these?
I did the direct access (DAS) course with Circuit Based Training who used to be based at Donington but I think are now are at Mallory.
I'd bought all my own leathers, lid, gloves etc but they did have a load of loan kit.
Having no riding experience before I booked the full 5 days. The first day we did the theory and highway code in the morning and then onto the bikes (Bandit 600) in the car park to do the basics of riding e.g. gears etc and manoeuvres. With that done I did my CBT.
Day two started back on the bikes riding around the infield and support roads within Donington Park. We then went "off road" around the in-field (for those who use to watch the RAC Rally at Donington it was around that. This was quite unexpected but gave you a good experience of bike control.
After that we were onto the road, was a bit nervous at first as all seemed a little fast (not the speed, the progression) but after 20 minutes I was loving it. We had radio communication, day glo vests and L plates. There was the instructor and 2 students. What was even more bizarre was they said you need to make "progress" i.e. use the bikes performance (not to the extend you were braking the speed limit or wheeling but you were expect to get up to the speed limit briskly). This was such a change from learning to drive in a car when you are going SOOOOO slow milk floats are overtaking you. Was nice to pull up to a traffic lights in the right hand lane, L plates on, dual carriage way (60 zone) and just leave the cars standing in the left lane
We drove about the East Midlands. Around the ring roads of Derby and Nottingham and around the test routes. I managed to get split up from the instructor at one point and the he did say where he was going to stop and wait for me over the radio but the reception was a bit dodgy where I was and I couldn't make it out. So I had an unsupervised ride back to Donington via the A50 and the chance to ride a little more briskly
Day three they tried to book me on my test but couldn't get a spot. The other student did and we practiced on the roads some more and then waited for him as he did his test. He failed. Made a bit of a mess of it to be honest. This got me a little nervous as he had been riding on the roads (ahem, illegally) for a few years before and was here to get "legal".
Day four didn't happen as the ONLY examiner for bikes in the WHOLE of Nottingham was ill and Derby was all booked up from people from Notts. So I was scheduled in a week or so later. Did the test and passed with only one minor and that was due to dodgy signs in Nottingham where I got in the wrong lane!
The fifth day I had left over they let me join a cornering course where we got to practice cornering on Donington's Melbourne loop
All in all I enjoyed, go for it!