CBT Fears

[DRider]

This largely goes out to UK-based riders, as the UK seems to be one of the only countrys to impliment CBT. I've got my CBT coming up in little under two weeks, which gives me some good time to read up the Highway Code again, but, the folk at the booking center didn't seem too confident in me, as I've never ridden a motorbike before, and my only experience is with a push bike. I should be doing my CBT on a 125 also.

How did the CBT generally go for everyone else who's done one? Now I have a huge fear that it will take me ages to do it properly. Guh. -.- The guy just HAD to tell me a big story about one really smart guy who didn't pass it for a one year period. lol

 

[carlsant1]

There is no reason to worry about it at all, only if you had riden a bike in the past and not bin able to do it, i had never riden a bike before i did my cbt, and "passed" it without any problems.

The one thing i will stress is clutch control, that is the main thing you will have to learn while doing your CBT. everything else will more or less come naturally. going on the road might scare you a little but just remember that you have all the right in the world to be on the road and the space you occupy is yours and no one else has the right to say otherwise.

If your are uncomfortable with any part of it then let your instructor know, you must not go on the road if you are not comfortable on the bike, it will only deepen your worries, as you will be put into a pressured situation to apply the skills which you are not confident with.

Just keep calm and take it at your own pace, remember, your paying them to teach you, they are not testing you so do not feel like you are being tested.

But enjoy it most of all!

 

[CurlyBlakey]

Don't worry at all, the CBT is more tuition than test, everyone who's done it was in a same/similar position to you!

 

[DRider]

Cool. Just big worries that I'll never get to ride. I'm more than likely being stupid. Apparently we'll be getting snow here in about a week.. that should be fun to do my CBT in. lol Thanks for the words of encouragment, I was being really stupid. Hopefully my confidence will bump up more as I get closer to the event.

 

[66shinobi]

I was in the exact same position as you were.

I spent a while looking at all the how to ride a motorcycle videos a lot of the vlogging guys here have done which paid off a lot. The guy told me he was impressed by how much I knew for someone who'd never even sat on one before.

as said above it's more of a tuition than a test. I even fell off while practicing a mock right turn but still managed to pass first go. As long as you show your willing to listen to their advice and put it into practice you can't go wrong.

Good luck

 

[Friz]

Most people that do it have never ridden before.

A CBT is as it sounds, Compulsory Basic Training. Its Training. You can't really pass or fail it, they'll just say whether you need to go back for more training or not.

More training is never a bad thing.

At the end of the day, its just establishing whether you're safe to be let out onto the road. Its about whether you'll kill yourself or if you can avoid someone else trying to kill you. Its not a great place to be a lot of the time, with cars trying to run you over at every opportunity.

 

[AZZ3R]

I was the same, but honestly you will be fine. When I got there I met the instructer and he was a nice chap, he was throwing in joke here and there too make sure you didn't feel intimidated.

When on the road rather than him shout or tell you off he would just mention to you "check your road postioning" or "A little early indicating there"

(you get the picture)

Honestly don't be worried atall, it's an introduction to motorcycling, by the time you get on the road you will fully focused and ready to ride, and when your done you will think were did that go.

I did my CBT on a 50cc and then luckily I have a decent size drive I tought myself how to ride gears when I bought my RS. (coulpe vid's from YT helped too) check some CBT vids out it will fly by.

 

[Gogosor]

When I started on a bike I was also terrified, being nervous is natural, motorbikes are intimidating at first. They will start you off on a nice closed training spot, you will have plenty of time to get use to the controls, ask questions, the guys are there to help you out. You will get your balance very quickly, a 125 is light, and it will soon become very natural riding it.

Don't worry, they won't plunge you in the deep end, you will find that the baby step we all took will soon lead to a full A on your driving licence.

Trust me, you will be smiling all the way home after your first day of training

 

[AZZ3R]

Trust me, you will be smiling all the way home after your first day of training

This is true.

 

[Chrus600]

Trust me, you will be smiling all the way home after your first day of training

QFT. I was grinning like a maniac afterward.

Unless you are utterly, utterly useless, you will get through it. And I mean useless, which you likely aren't.

The guy I had in mine was only like three years older than me and it turned out he was a fellow PC gamer. Pretty cool guy, ran into him at the same dealer I bought my bike from some time later oddly enough.

 

[91biker]

when i done my cbt just over 4 years ago, i had three other people doing it with me, one guy run a red light and passed and one guy come off on a mini roundabout and still passed his cbt, and this goes to daffee and friz neither of those guys were me and no i did not wright off the bike i used on my cbt lol i have such a bad reputation for that.

But good luck on your cbt hope you pass it, shouldn't be hard at all

 

[Friz]

and this goes to daffee and friz neither of those guys were me and no i did not wright off the bike i used on my cbt lol i have such a bad reputation for that

Are you sure?

 

[gpzDave]

The CBT is a fun day, if you go to a good training school that is. Go to one with a good reputation, ask around. It's not difficult but you do need to listen if there is something you find difficult to start with, like at the time I was RUBBISH at 'figure 8' things. But just listen to what you are told and you'll get the hang of it, the road part is pretty easy too, as long as you read your highway code.

 

[91biker]

and this goes to daffee and friz neither of those guys were me and no i did not wright off the bike i used on my cbt lol i have such a bad reputation for that

Are you sure?

yeah i'm pretty sure none of them were me, this was before i got advice from my dad (crazy off roader) and his mates who at the time were racing in clubs for honda and yamaha. once i'd had advice off of them thats when i turned suicidal, although so far i've been pretty unsuccessful, time to ride faster!

 

[DRider]

Aw maaaan, I love you guys. No homo. Thanks for all the encouraging words guys, actually looking forward to it now. ha It's really nice to know that other people were in the exact same predicament as me. Hopefully I might be riding on the same roads as you soon.

 

[Sphynx]

DRider - the only reason that they will technically 'fail' you is if you prove to be a danger to yourself or others. I find it a little odd that some of the examples on here were 'passed' (I'll use that word, as the 'pass' does get you a certificate that allows you to proceed, after all), as that's what the CBT is trying to spot - normally, they'd recommend a little more training in some of these examples, then pass you.

If it makes you feel better (I've lived in Cumbria, on the coast near Millom), this was my CBT in Kent:

- I turned up on the Saturday in the car with the radio reporting that we had the strongest winds in the last 15 years.
- The site is next to Manston airport, so it's a wide open area next to one of the longest runways in the country (it was an escape route for the Shuttle and Concorde)
- We left the site and took a short cut past the nearby farm to get to the urban areas and a petrol station, only to stop and turn around because a tree had come down over the road, bringing a power cable with it.
- After turning around, a gust of wind altered my route straight into the front of a police car arriving to mark off the danger area (luckily, both she and I knew what caused it, so no hassle from her)
- We pulled next to the forecourt to fill up and stopped because of traffic - just in time to see a thirty foot long Sainsbury's advertisement whip by in front of us like a will-o-the-whisp. It was big enough to take out all three of us.
- About 3/4 of the way through the ride, it started to rain (an understatement) and started bouncing two feet off the ground (no exaggeration). At this point my radio went 'weeeeee.....' and died. Thinking it batteries, the instructor decided to call it a day, especially as he considered us all 'passed' in any case.
- We drove back along the side of Manston, with us all leaning at 45' (again, no exaggeration) just so we wouldn't all over. it was the weirdest sight you can imagine - we all looked like we were continually turning a corner, even though the road is as straight as an arrow for a good mile.
- When we took off the radios, I upturned mine - the ding turned out to be water. About half a litre of water pouted out of the air-intake, just like I was pouring it from a jug.

If some one who at that time had had 1/2 hour on a bike can pass under those conditions (oh, what fun....), seriously, don't worry about it.

 

[gpzDave]

I might be riding on the same roads as you soon.

Thanks for the warning