CBT

soleside · 9 Aug 2007 at 22:38

I've recently bought a Honda XR125L and I'll be taking the CBT as soon as my provisional comes through. And now the nerves have started. I've never been in control of a bike before and I don't know what to expect, how easy/hard is it to pick up? Obviously some people take to it better than others so I guess all I'm asking for is personal experiences of learning, and some tips.

Mind, I can't remember the last time I was this excited either.

PardonTheWait · 9 Aug 2007 at 22:45

They're quite hard to pick up, try not to drop it in the first place.

In all seriousness it's a piece of cake, don't sweat it

Dano · 9 Aug 2007 at 22:58

Mohinder said:
They're quite hard to pick up, try not to drop it in the first place.

In all seriousness it's a piece of cake, don't sweat it

It's only a 125, you'd have to be a right wussy to find that hard to pick up

Yeh, don't worry at all, you'll get it down in no time.

Avalon · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:04

If both my ex and more recently my 'almost' sister can do a CBT with no experience then just about anyone can. Just remember although it's 'only' a 125 they are still a lot of fun, I took my old GZ (don't ask) out for petrol before I sold it after 2 years of being on 600/1000's and it still put a smile on my face. It may be a 125cc single in cruiser style but being so low I found it funny going round corners to the extent I did 40 miles to get petrol

Get a decent lid, spend a few quid on protective gear and a good sprocket lock/disk lock and chain, XR's make ok field bikes so are prime for being lifted sadly.

As far as the actual CBT goes if it's an al day course (and it should be, far too many outfits do it as a half day now) then check if you need to take lunch! The rest will be taken care of on the day.

loki101 · 10 Aug 2007 at 00:18

as long as your not stupidly weak a 125 will be easy to lift up, and dont worry about CBT you will be fine

Glaucus · 10 Aug 2007 at 02:25

Ignore them, it's the simplist thing to pick up, riding a bike is simple. Learning life savers is *** hard part and you don't have to do them all the time in a cbt.

CBT is almost impossible to fail. I only know two people who have failed. one went through a red light, the other got taken out by an artic lorry :rolleyes:

. How the hell do you miss a lorry (he was fine not even a scratch so it's safe to laugh).

Don't worry about it, they will assume no one can even ride a push bike and teach you everything you need to know.

pitchfork · 10 Aug 2007 at 08:35

Don't worry man, it's easy!
I just went round all my mates with bikes, borrowed them and learned like that.
It's a hell of a lot easier than driving a car.

amx · 10 Aug 2007 at 09:59

Just remember to keep your head up and look where you wanna go and not at the front wheel or the ground two feet in front of you!

SgtTupac · 10 Aug 2007 at 10:03

I went to my CBT without any knowledge of riding a motorbike. Didnt know anything. Found it quite easy when i got there, if you got a good trainer you'll be fine.

Scort · 10 Aug 2007 at 10:05

soleside said:
I've recently bought a Honda XR125L and I'll be taking the CBT as soon as my provisional comes through. And now the nerves have started. I've never been in control of a bike before and I don't know what to expect, how easy/hard is it to pick up? Obviously some people take to it better than others so I guess all I'm asking for is personal experiences of learning, and some tips.

Mind, I can't remember the last time I was this excited either.

When I did CBT, I had never ridden a bike before and was anxious about riding, but once I actually got onto the bike and started moving, all that went away and I found it very enjoyable and far easier than I expected.

I did my CBT as part of a Direct Access course, if you are looking to go down that road, wait until you get on the ‘big bikes’ they are so much better than the 125s, it’s like a completely new world; I was astonished how better they are on the road.

Anyway good luck on your CBT, it’s a breeze so long as you listen to what you are told and don’t try to push yourself, just go with the flow and take in as much info as possible; you’ll probably be on the road by yourself the day after, don’t turn into one of the many unsafe ‘learners’ we have knocking around

Scort.

soleside · 10 Aug 2007 at 16:13

Cheers for the input guys, I think my main fear is co-ordinating the gears, and mainly going down gear. I know I have the balance as I've been cycling for years, which too has taught me not to look at the front wheel.

Would you recommend trying out on a carpark/free space before going for the CBT? I'll be picking the bike up this weekend so I'd have the perfect opportunity.

Dano · 10 Aug 2007 at 16:26

soleside said:
Would you recommend trying out on a carpark/free space before going for the CBT? I'll be picking the bike up this weekend so I'd have the perfect opportunity.

When I did mine (admittedly some seven years ago now) they took us to a school playground (no kids sadly) before letting us anywhere near the road.

If you are able to legally get some practise in before hand it's all good and will not hurt in the least unless you start off learning bad habits.

Glaucus · 10 Aug 2007 at 16:29

Dano said:
When I did mine (admittedly some seven years ago now) they took us to a school playground (no kids sadly) before letting us anywhere near the road.

They do that everywhere.
They'll teach you all you need on some private land before going out on the road.

Starting it,
changing gears
weaving in and out of cones
Turning at road junctions
Emergency stop etc etc etc

You really do need to know nothing for a cbt.

the shadow · 10 Aug 2007 at 16:49

C.B.T easy good luck :cool:

soleside · 10 Aug 2007 at 20:23

I found *this* earlier, is it any good?

Thanks again, the nerves are calming.

Scort · 10 Aug 2007 at 20:32

soleside said:
I found *this* earlier, is it any good?

I used that site to get an idea of what was expected of me on CBT day, it is worth a read I think.

Scort.

cyclops12 · 10 Aug 2007 at 20:40

AcidHell2 said:
Ignore them, it's the simplist thing to pick up, riding a bike is simple. Learning life savers is *** hard part and you don't have to do them all the time in a cbt.

CBT is almost impossible to fail. I only know two people who have failed. one went through a red light, the other got taken out by an artic lorry . How the hell do you miss a lorry (he was fine not even a scratch so it's safe to laugh).

Don't worry about it, they will assume no one can even ride a push bike and teach you everything you need to know.

when did the cbt involve going out on the open road??
when i did mine [part 1 back then] it was done in a car park in and out of cones
and when my brother done his only a few years back it was the same

Glaucus · 10 Aug 2007 at 20:42

cyclops12 said:
when did the cbt involve going out on the open road??
when i did mine [part 1 back then] it was done in a car park in and out of cones
and when my brother done his only a few years back it was the same

it has for at least a decade. You have to go out for 2hours or untill the instructor says your riding safe.

Element A First the eyesight test then a safety talk 30+ mins
Element B Learning the controls of the bike 45+ mins
Element C Learning to ride the bike 2 to 3 hrs
Element D A long but important talk 45+ mins
Element E Riding on the roads 2 hrs minimum

cyclops12 · 10 Aug 2007 at 20:45

wow
thank **** i did mine years ago
thanks for the reply

Northwind · 12 Aug 2007 at 03:10

AcidHell2 said:
CBT is almost impossible to fail.

Fail rate is now just over 20% on first time CBTs... (well, OK, officially nobody fails, but it is what it is) No surprise to find that 20% of schools account for 80% of the fails, a lot of schools will give any monkey a certificate as resits don't make them money.

I failed since I couldn't do clutch and throttle control at all, but I was good enough at the rest to bluff my way on despite that... til eventually it caught up with me and I ended up a total wreck

Wrecked my confidence and took me 2 goes before I was prepared to go out on the road. But every time I did it, at least one person (out of 6 in 2 groups) had to come back for another try.

But then, if I'd gone to the other school down the road they'd have given me a certificate no problem- a mate of mine fell off after about 20 minutes of seat time, on his first proper hard braking stop, and broke his hand. They passed him and sent him off to A&E :rolleyes:

Then, when it expired he went to do the resit- the instructor was ill, so they watched him ride round the carpark twice and passed him. He still can't ride, though

So, one of the questions is- do you want to learn to ride safely, or do you want the piece of paper? I wanted to learn to ride, so I went to the school that has standards.

Course, this all means that 4/5 people do pass first time

and hopefully you'll be one of them. But if you go in expecting it to be a piece of p***, well, that's maybe not doing yourself a favour. Anyone can do it though.