Didn't get my cbt... gutted

[emzed]

sorry to hear it didn't go to plan for you All the best for the next time

[stejefferies]

Hi Danny

My last CBT was amazing. I went to a different school this time (i have passed it previously on the 2 occasions I did it), but I learned more in the 4 hours at Leeds School of Motoring than I had in the previous 2 CBT's. They are a real professional bunch and put you at ease from the off. When I'm ready for my DAS course, they have got my business.

As for the clutch control on a bike, if you can borrow a 125 for a few hours one day on some private land (im not too sure if it works on other bikes or just the CG125 and GS125) but, if the clutch is in good condition you can pull it just past halfway and feel the biting point. this REALLY helps - knowing where it is and being able to get to it without worrying about it is half of the challenge I had. Once I found it, it became second nature to me.

Hope it helps!! =)

[MaCCa1]

Sorry to hear about your experience. I did mine in Glasgow on a 4 to 1 basis at ride on and the guy was great with us...seemed to be able to spend the right amount of time with each of us where we had some issues...so I suppose its all down to the quality of the trainer. In fact when i had the lessons in may this year, we had a different instructor take us out on the road one day and the difference was shocking...if we had that guy again I would have complained.

Good luck in getting it sorted out - I passed on my 125 at the start of the month and last couple of days have been magic - massive queue on the m77, south of glasgow - about 3 miles long and I just cut my way right through with a smile from ear to ear!!!

[AndyR]

Hi Danny and sorry to hear about your troubles.

It seems to me that finding a decent school is difficult at best. I'm looking for a school for my wife as she's after a Honda 125 Shadow, (I'm going to go grey before my time), and doing her test.

One school I called I asked a few questions about the training and what's required, the woman on the phone kept on saying to me "Who knows?" which offers no encouragement at all. In fact the only encouraging aspect of the call was that the school takes your cash for a course, (in this instance it was £600), and said they offer all the training needed to get you through the test, the only extra thing to pay would be for the actual test itself if she failed the first time.

The school I've gone with is in Beverley who I went for an assessment ride with, (the bastards pulled my riding to pieces - too fast, banking it over too much on bends, lack of life savers - But then I am 'old school' since I passed my test well before the CBT & theory rubbish came in ), and yeah they were very good.

Ask around, go to bikers cafes and pubs, ask around for someone who passed their test recently, which school they went with, etc.

Best of luck with the whole test thing.

[eteb3]

My first post here, more or less a newbie to biking too (if you don't count the road trip to Tunisia soon as I passed my test in July ) Reading back over, it's turned into a long 'un - I'm not usually this bad! But I feel for you, man, I really do.

Had exactly the same experience as you for my CBT - I failed totally the first time, ended up paying for expensive second course even though...

...as a trained teacher I have have to say I've never seen such lousy "teaching" in all my life - certainly not when you're paying for it. As soon as I'd stalled for the 10th time, I was placed with the trainee "instructor", who has a looong way to go. My learning curve curved steeply downwards, taking my confidence and self-respect in the same direction. I felt the same mix of defeat and seething anger that you had.

So, to be practical:
To be fair there were some great instructors at the school - the ones that were full-time rather than just retained for when they need bodies. Worth asking who's taking the course when you go back, and what time they've had instructing.

Second thing is to pass on what the best instructor said to me at the very start of the first day (after I'd stalled for the 3rd time that day, 3 minutes in): "Think of it like wringing out a towel."

Whatever it was that was making it hard, it wasn't after that. I don't know if it'll do the same for you, but I didn't stall again til after lunch - somehow that got both hands working together, rather than thinking about one at a time and snapping the clutch out.

Third thing I'd say is don't waste time with an intensive course to pass your test. Get one day of tuition to suss the shoulder checks and safety stuff, then go hire yourself a CG and find a school car park. Do a Saturday morning of figure-8s between empty coke cans til you think you'll never drink the stuff again. Then do 20 emergency stops in the caretaker's drive. Then ride home for lunch a more confident rider than you thought possible. Ride to work the rest of that week and take your test a confident man.

Basically it's like anything: practise, practise, practise - and you just don't get the opportunity to do things at your own pace if you're being "taught".

That's my two-penn'orth. I'm off to bore the pants off the people in the repair forum now. But good luck and don't be down - everyone's their own best teacher.

[Manky Cat]

Sorry about your cbt Dan, but welcome to the forum anyhow bud...

[grotbag]

Originally Posted by eteb3

My first post here, more or less a newbie to biking too

I'm off to bore the pants off the people in the repair forum now.

Hello. If you stop off at the new members forum first eteb3 and introduce yourself, you may find you get more help to sort out your problem

[jonnywombat]

Hi Danny, sorry to hear about your CBT I would say listen to Maccy coz she has recent similar experiences.. my CBT was a very long time ago

Hi eteb also.

[ruthb]

Aw! Could have been worse though, my boss did his cbt last saturday on a scooter he's bought to commute. Fell off onthe practice ground and broke his wrist, went in hospital yesterday for an op to realign his bones I think the whole training business is down to finding an instructor that you can get along with, that teaches you without making you feel like an imbicile. I had a few bad experiences but got there in the end Good luck next time

[DannyF1966]

Again, thanks for all the words of encouragement. I called the school I went to, and they want to charge me £22 per hour for further training, on top of the £95 I've already paid them. So I've booked a one hour, one-on-one, pre-cbt lesson with another school (a school that has been mentioned in this thread) on the 12th Oct, and I'll see how that goes.

After that I'll decide which school I want to go back to for the cbt. I'm not going to do it on the cheap, I want quality tuition that makes me feel confident on the bike. So if that means paying for another full day with the second school, then so be it.

My brother has also offered to take me to a car park and help me practice the slow manouvres (he's been riding for 20-odd years), so I'll take him up on that if I can arrange a 125 for the day :-)

Will keep you all posted :-)

Dan