Category Archives: Motorcycle Training

Motorcycle Training news, from 1st Class Rider Training – Cardiff.

Motorcycle Training

Website Blog Index

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Since I started this Website News Blog I haven’t yet done an index of topics covered, so here is the first listing of subjects discussed here.

In future I will issue an index at the end of every month for convenience and ease of searching.

Jan 26  Welcome to the 1st Class Rider News Blog.

Jan 29  Motorcycle Training in Cardiff.

Jan 30  5 Most Common Causes of Motorcycle Crashes

Jan 30  Police Class 1

Feb 1  Principles of cornering

Feb 1  Five Rules of Braking

Feb 2 Motorcycle Training in France

Feb 3 RoSPA Advanced Motorcycle Test

Feb 4  Top Ten Selling Bikes for 2008

Feb4  BMW Sales Up in the UK

Feb 5  Today it Snowed

Feb 6  29th Bristol Classic Motorcycle Show

Feb 6  New Motorcycle Test

Feb 6  Filtering

Feb 7  New Motorcycle Test

Feb 8  Cardiff Motorcycle School

Feb 8  United Motorcycle Training

Feb 9  Harley Davidson Rider’s Edge

Feb 9  World of BMW Training

Feb 11  Your Bike and The MOT

Feb 14  Air Bag Jackets

March 1  Race Retro Show

Mar 5  Rider’s of Cardiff opens its doors

Mar 13  New Motorcycle Test

May 13  French Tours with 1st Class Rider Training

June 24  Trip to The Somme

June 28  Motorcycle Training in South Wales

July 4  Slow Manouvering and Emergency Braking Day

July 5  Thunderoad Motorcycles

July 6  Cardiff NSPCC Childrens Centre

July 7  BMW Motorcycle Technician

July 7  Slow Manouvering and emergency Braking Course

July 7  Advanced Motorcycle Course & RoSPA Test

July 8  Aberdare Park Races

July 10  1st Class Tours

July 31  Road Deaths Down

Sept16  James Toseland Open Day

Sept 18  Next European Tour  France & Belgium

Sept 27  Motorcycle Training Cardiff

Oct 2  Launch of our New Site for Motorcycle Training

Oct 5  CBT Training Cardiff

Oct 5  M4 Motorway Safety South Wales

Oct 6  Classic British Bikes

Oct 7  Classic British Bikes The Humber Trike

Oct 8  Classic British Bikes Matchless

Oct 12  AIS  Ace Instructor Services set to close

Oct 12  Hoggin ‘ The Bridge

Oct 15  Motorcycle Training in The Vale of Glamorgan

Nov 17  Direct Access training

Nov 19  Moulded Ear Plugs

Nov 22  Direct Access Instructor

Nov 25  Direct Access Training – What’s the Cost

Nov 25  Traffic Filtering M48 Severn Bridge

Nov 25  3rd EU Directive on Driving Licences

Dec 1 Christmas Hospital Teddy Bear Run 2009

Dec 2  Motorcycle Ear Plugs

Dec 3  Group Riding

Mar 25  Motorcycle Monthly Latest Issue April

Mar 30  Drinking and Riding

Apr 1  Booking your Motorcycle Test

Apr 4  Filter at your Peril in Norway

Apr 6  Bike Insurance

Apr 6  Booking your Motorcycle Test – Update

Apr 7  Think Bike!

Apr 14  New Motorcycle Test ‘Bungled’

Apr 15  Bikes now Tax-Deductable

Apr 16  Real Radio Bring a £ to Work Auction

Advanced Training, Advice, Cardiff, CBT, Events, Motorcycle Training, Motorcycles, News, Police Class 1

Real Radio Bring a £ to Work Auction

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Charity Auction – Motorcycle Training with 1st Class Rider Training-Cardiff.

Real Radio– Wales Based in Cardiff are raising Money to build a playground at the Children’s Hospice, Ty Hafan. Ty Hafan, which is based in Sully, South Wales cares for children with life shortening illnesses, and their families, and gives invaluable support at times of great stress within these families.

As part of this fund raising, the Radio Station is running a Charity Auction.

1st Class Rider Training-Cardiff has donated a Motorcycle Training Day as a prize.  You can bid for either a Full Day Basic Training for a CBT (value £125) or for a Full Day Advanced Training with a Police Class 1 Motorcyclist (Value £180).

For the CBT we provide the use of a Yamaha 125cc bike, all the fuel, insurance, helmet, jacket, gloves and waterproofs whilst you are training. So this is a great way to get started.

For the Advanced Day, it is better for you to use your own bike but we can provide a fuel injected Honda CBF 600cc.

Our training base for the CBT is at the Cardiff County Council Road Safety Centre, Maindy Stadium, Cardiff, and for the Advanced Day, you will find yourself riding the challenging mountain roads of Wales.

So, come on support this worthy cause and place a bid.  Visit the Real Radio Wales website and click on ‘Auction’  for full details.  The auction ends in 5 days.

Thank You.

Advice, Changes, Motorcycle Training, News

New Motorcycle Test ‘Bungled’

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A Parliamentary Transport Select Committee setup to examine the DSA’s implementation of the New Motorcycle Test say it was ‘bungled’.

In a report of over 140 pages they also claim that the reduction in the number of Driving Test Centres carrying out Motorcycle Tests was ‘unjustified’.

(Tell us something we didn’t know).  The report vindicates many of the criticisms and complaints from the Motorcycle Industry.  Trainers and riders have encountered problems since the test was implemented last year.

The Training Industry has seen a sharp drop in the numbers of riders taking up training.  In some cases this drop is reported to be as high as 62%.

This of course will have a knock on effect.  If less riders are going for tests, then less bikes will be sold, less riding gear and less bikes in for servicing and maintenance in the future, etc etc.

The report concludes that the DSA handling of the implementation of the new Multi Purpose Test Centres was ‘bungled’.

It says that ‘Many candidates and trainers now have to travel too far for their motorcycle test.  This adds to the cost and in some cases exposes candidates to fast and dangerous roads on the way to the test site – before they have even taken their test’.

It says that the DSA needs to ‘give greater priority to customer service and convenience for test candidates and trainers’.

A case in point is the campaign for a test site to be placed in Aberystwyth (or nearby) – an as yet unsuccessful campaign.  What this means is that if you train with the Authorised Training School in Aberystwyth you are then faced with a ride to Swansea or Chester to take a Module 1 test.  The Module 1 test takes about 10-15 minutes to complete.  So a round trip of over 200 miles for a 10 minute test!

Now add in the fact that the test candidate may be under 21 and taking a test on a 125cc!  What a trip that would be.

When the point is argued that if the rider is going for their test then they should be up to riding on almost any road! You must remember the Crash Statistics year on year in the mountain roads of Wales make shocking reading -and these involve already qualified and ‘experienced’ riders.

At 1st Class Rider Training-Cardiff. we are relatively fortunate in that we can take our candidates to the new Centre at Neport, but we find that we are now in competition for test slots with training schools as far afield as Hereford and beyond.

So what does this Transport Select Committee report mean for the industry?  Well I think it means…The Horse has gone…let’s close the door!

For those training schools that may have closed, and those hanging on but with a massive drop in business it means nothing in the short term.  It just confirms what everyone was saying at the time, but the changes were imposed upon the industry with no redress and no-one listening to those trainers who are doing a very challenging job.

I wait with mounting excitement to see what the DSA response may be, or will Rosemary get a big brush and add it to the mountain of junk already hiding under her plush DSA carpet.

To read the full report visit  http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmtran.htm

Motorcycle Training, News

Think Bike !

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TV & Radio Campaign.

I’m sure by now you have become aware of the current ‘Think Bike – Think Biker’ campaign running on TV & Radio in the UK.

For some time ‘bikers’ have been deemed anonymous by other road users, often hidden behind dark visors or blaring headlights.  The current campaign serves to give each biker a personality and therefore an identity.  The radio ads include a short pen picture of the rider before asking us to watch out for him or her.

The TV ads depict the riders and bikes surrounded by large flashing neon signs showing their name and character traits. ie. ‘Andy- Shy Retiring Type’.

This £3.5m campaign launched by Transport Minister Paul Clark shows a radical change to the normal ‘Think Bike’ campaigns of the past, after research showed that drivers are more likely to notice riders on the road if they know them personally.

The ads seek to put the motorcyclist at the centre of the campaign in a bid to encourage drivers to see the person behind the visor.  Motorcyclists only account for 1% of road users but make up 19% of road deaths.

At 1st Class Rider Training-Cardiff we support this campaign and I believe that to give the otherwise anonymous rider a character and a personality will help drivers acknowledge and be more aware of our presence, hopefully without the need for us to wear or names on our jackets and carry large flashing neon signs.

Also in the pipeline is a further campaign aimed at new riders.  The ‘Be alive on the Road’ campaign is aimed at encouraging new riders to wear protective clothing and to take further training.

Motorcycle Training

Bike Insurance

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Cheap Insurance for Advanced Riders.

For some years I have used ‘Bike Team’ Brokers for my Bike Insurance.  This gives me cover for my Private use and for use in connection with my business at very reasonable rates.

But now any of  RoSPA’s Advanced Riders can access highly competitive motorcycle insurance through the safety charity’s official alliance with the specialist brokers, Bike Team.

There are over 3000 motorcyclists who are members of the RoSPA Advanced Drivers and Riders groups who will now qualify for premium discounts of up to 25% !

Bike Team also pledges to price match quotes and offer renewal freezes for RoSPA qualified advanced riders.

Bike Team offer a range of attractive policy add ons such as including cover for riding in the EU for up to 90 days and free ‘no claims discount’ protection.

For a quote give them a call on 0800 917 5429  or visit www.biketeam.co.uk  They have worked for me.

Advice, Cardiff, CBT, Direct Access, Motorcycle Training, News

Booking your Motorcycle Test

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DSA Motorcycle Test Booking System is ‘Down’.

Another blow to the struggling Motorcycle Training Industry Testing System.  With only a small amount of  Motorcycle Testing Sites striving to serve the UK the DSA announced yesterday (31st of  March -at least it wasn’t an April Fools Day announcement) that due to a BT Fire the DSA payments system is ‘down’.

This means that you can not book motorcycle tests via the telephone system or online as the DSA can not process the payments for the tests.  The DSA recorded announcement states that it is unlikely to be rectified ‘within the week’.

This is a huge blow and a great inconvenience to clients and trainers alike.  With Motorcycle Training already hit by a reported 62% drop since the introduction of the New Motorcycle Test this is another major setback.

What does this mean for you if you are looking for Direct Access Training or CBT in Cardiff.  We are pleased to announce that CBT bookings are not affected and we can continue to serve you with the delivery of CBT courses.

Direct Access Training can still go ahead in preparation for your test but we are currently unable to book your test or fix a date.

The DSA booking centre staff can only advise us of any vacancies for tests but they can not be booked or even reserved.  They state that it would simply be a question of a free for all when the lines are repaired and the system is back up and running, as Training Schools fight to get available tests to clear their back log of waiting students.  That’s reassuring then!

This throws the whole system into disarray.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause you but it is completely beyond our control.

CBTs are unaffected.

The DSA Booking line number is 0300 200 1122.   Our Direct Booking Line is; 0845 467 0165.

Direct Access, Motorcycle Training, Motorcycles, News

Drinking & Riding

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You couldn’t make this up!

It was reported earlier this month, that a Female Motorcycle Instructor was drunk whilst out training her students on the road.  She fell from her bike three times whilst carrying out Direct Access Training -not in Cardiff I hasten to add.

It was in Bradford that the instructor was found by Police to be almost four times over the drink drive limit.  She was also found to be in possession of two brandy bottles hidden in her jacket…..one of which was empty!

She pleaded guilty at Court and faces a possible jail sentence.

At 1st Class Rider Training we have for some time had the use of a breath test screening device and have used it when students who we suspect have been drinking heavily the night before a training session, turn up smelling of intoxicants ‘the morning after’.

Many people do not realise the effects that drinking in the evening can have on their driving the morning after.

Using a ‘Driving Instructor Association‘ approved Breath Testing Device we reserve the right to require students to undergo a screening test if we suspect them to have an excess of alcohol in their body.  This safeguards us, the students themselves, and any other trainees who may be riding with them.

As we only use instructors with the highest degree of professionalism my instructors will willingly subject themselves to such a test at any time for the full peace of mind of the students they are training.

As for the case of the drunken instructor in Bradford, we know her test was ‘positive’ but it wasn’t reported how her student got on in their test!

Advice, Cardiff, CBT, Direct Access, Motorcycle Training, Motorcycles, News

Motorcycle Monthly. latest issue, April

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The latest issue of Motorcycle Monthly is out and is available free from 1st Class Rider Training.  The April issue contains news, views, reviews, offers, competitions and much more.

The new Ducati Multistrada is tested, Latest Oxford Products are reviewed.  Also a guide to buying your next bike from an Auction and a ‘road test’ of an ‘Off Road’ Training School, and that’s just from the front page!

So if you are doing your CBT or Direct Access Training in Cardiff make sure you get your copy from us at 1st Class Rider Training.

It’s out now!

Advice, Cardiff, Motorcycle Training, Motorcycles, News

Group Riding

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This Case raises serious issues and has serious implications for all those who ride in a group. Whilst we at 1st Class Rider Training would never condone the example given in this case of Ken Clark riding at 85mph in a 60mph limit, I am sure I do not need to explain how this could be applied to any kind of group riding activity, including our own tours, ride outs or even during motorcycle training.  I would urge any interested party to take a few minutes to sign the petition and pass it on to anyone else you may think it may effect.

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/Lead-Biker-Fined/

Motorcyclists at the head of a group of riders will face stiffer penalties for speeding under a crown court ruling.

Being the lead rider in a group is an aggravating factor making you partly responsible for speeding offences of those behind you according to the decision.

The ruling can be applied in any future cases where two or more motorcyclists riding together are accused of speeding. The head rider might be only a few mph over the limit but could be given the same penalty as the worst offender behind.

Road traffic solicitor Robert Dobson said: “Any crown court decision can be stated in future cases. This is potentially a very dangerous judgement for motorcyclists.

“Riders in a group change position frequently.

“If you are riding at the front any group at excess speed, then the very fact you’re at the front is an aggravating factor.”

Ken Clark, 49, reached 85mph on his Yamaha R1 while leading a group of three riders on the 60mph A272 near Rogate, Sussex, last June.

The speed is within the usual threshold for a fixed penalty of three points and a £60 fine.

But Chichester Crown Court ruled he should receive the same penalty as a following rider accused of going 103mph.

Barrister notes on the ruling given to Clark after the hearing state: ‘Although his was the lesser speed, [the bench] found it an aggravating feature that he was the lead motorcyclist, was setting the pace and he knew that the other two motorcyclists would want to catch him up and would be speeding to do so.’