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:roll:


Well, to give credit where it's due, the school I've been going to (when I can afford it, obviously not very often) did get me through my CBT. But not all of the instructors suit my style of learning and the last lesson I had was miserable - three hours of negativity and not a word of praise, even when I did ok; clearly the instructor thinks this is an acceptable way to teach and maybe it works for some people, but not for me. I ended up with what little confidence I had in shreds and feeling like jacking the whole thing in.


Not everybody who is good at something himself is able to communicate and to teach somebody else those skills, and not everybody can adapt his style of teaching to the individual learner.


Two female riders have recommended another instructor to me and I'm going for an assessment/lesson with him today. Lovely weather. This will be my third school, and now I've ridden a bit more I can see that not everything is my fault and that I've gone from being a wobbly, scared rider to one who can do 60mph (my bike's top speed) with a reasonable expectation of not killing myself. The slow work is another matter, of course. How anybody manages a U-turn on a bigger bike is beyond my comprehension.


Today will help me decide whether to stick to a 125 and work towards doing my test on that, or whether it's even worth considering something a bit bigger. I certainly don't need something fast or particularly powerful and modern 125s are capable of giving me whatever I need. I have accepted that I will have to repeat my CBT, which is not the end of the world. But at my last lesson the instructor told me he wouldn't even give me my CBT based on my performance that day - and I haven't been on the road on a bigger bike yet, and won't today because it's just an introductory lesson to see what level I'm at.

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I hated the u turn


Easier on a big bike though, nice big fat tyres and feels more stable.


Glad you're keeping your head up :thumb:

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Sad to hear yet another bike school being slated for poor training techniques. Makes me wonder why these people bother to be instructors if they don't want to encourage people to ride.


But keep persevering. One day it will all click into place. Get on a bigger big as soon as you can, they are easier to ride.

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If it helps I went through 3 instructors when I did my licence, first ones where big school and crap second and thrird where smaller and good.


If you have done 3 schools in 2 years I did 3 schools in 3 months...

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I was lucky and had a good instructor for my cbt and used him for my test. When I needed a local trainer to the test center he sorted that out and they were just as good.


And I would rather u turn a 125cc than my gsxr. Sod all steering lock on that thing.


Keep on going, chin up and enjoy being on the bike :)


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

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Sad to hear you are not getting along with this new school. How big is it? The school I went to was very relaxed. It's ran by a couple and have one other instructor, so very small :-) What really helped me when doing the U turns was when the owner simply said "just try and go as tight as you can, if you drop it, you drop it, no problem" That instantly put me at ease, and after 10min of progressively getting smaller and smaller turns, I still hadn't dropped it!


Good luck for today, I hope it goes well!

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As regards dropping it he said 'three strikes and you're out... ' I may tell the owner at some point but the other instructor will just tell him I was hopeless and which of us is he going to believe? In any case his teaching style is just the same.


The guy I'm going to today is a one-man band so at least I'll get consistency if I stay with him. He is used to teaching females and still has mid-size bikes - school 2 has got rid of all theirs because all people want is a 125 or a scooter to do their CBT and then straight onto a big bike. Women do learn differently and 62-year-old women lacking in confidence should not be treated like 17-year-old cocky lads. And if I haven't progressed after the hundreds of pounds I've spent there I wonder if it's not all my fault. Even my very critical husband says I've improved. Slow work is an issue but obviously I can't practise that without a bike, and even if I had a bike and somewhere to practise I couldn't get there without an instructor to escort me. I can do some of it on my little bike but still would need to get used to spaces between cones and so on.

It's an instructor's job to encourage and build on what you can do, not knock you down. Anyway I'm trying to put that behind me. Two days after that I did a 90 mile ride to Dolgellau and back without adverse effects.

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Sad to hear yet another bike school being slated for poor training techniques. Makes me wonder why these people bother to be instructors if they don't want to encourage people to ride.


But keep persevering. One day it will all click into place. Get on a bigger big as soon as you can, they are easier to ride.

 

To be fair, Joeman, they did get me through my CBT and the owner did say my problems were all in my head and I feel a bit of loyalty towards him for that. And they do seem to have heaps of passes, not just youngsters but all ages, but very few women, which probably just reflects that there might be fewer women learners. But even he will now make negative remarks "I don't want to put you on a big bike until you're more consistent on your 125," which sounds fair enough, but then when you come to book a lesson and his immediate response is "Are you more consistent yet?" it's a bit disheartening. He even forgot that on the one lesson he took me for when they still had the 500ccs, he said I looked comfortable on the bike, he even forgot that I'd ever been on one! They do have one instructor who is very good, he gave me positive feedback for every single thing I got right and was patient with everything I got wrong. He said some people need 6 lessons, some need 66, it's okay, they get there in the end. But I can't just rely on being able to book one individual, it's months between lessons anyway, and if I can't guarantee getting him I'm not prepared to keep paying good money to be squashed and discouraged.

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Throw them on the scrapheap. And name and shame them.


Anyone who teaches like that is clearly an idiot.


Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

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:D So, very pleased today. I didn't get off a 125 and didn't get onto the road, but I made more progress today than I have done in my previous 3 or 4 lessons and I only wish I'd known about Marches Motorcycle Training, Oswestry, a year ago. I actually learnt something and received praise for getting things right. And the instructor said he thinks I'll make a good motorcyclist.

:D :D :D

Edited by Psychybikey
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Glad I passed my test in 1978 when you didn't have to bother with all this CBT stuff. Having said that, I wonder how many of those who lost their lives back then would still be with us if they'd had to have some training instead of been handed the keys to a 250 and off you go. Don't be put off by a bad experience, it's like been at normal school, some teachers love what they do and are great at getting across what they are trying to teach you, others hate being in the place and can't wait to get out at the end of the day. Hopefully this time you will find someone to encourage you and bring out the best in you. Please do keep going with it, it's a great feeling when you finally lose the L plates.






Sent from my Commodore 64.

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Sent from my Commodore 64.

:laugh:


Pyschy glad you've found someone who you're getting on with - I was lucky with my bike training in that I has an awesome instructor from the get go but my first driving instructor (which was many years ago....) was horrible and knocked all my confidence out. Switched to someone else and it just all clicked.


We know you're gonna get there! Keep on chipping away at the doubt you can do it :thumb:

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Psychy - well done for ditching the crap instructor! Anyone learning to ride a bike deserves to enjoy the experience. If you're like me, you might find it easier to just go a do your own thing, spend some time riding on your own just to get the hang of it and get comfortable. Personally, if i have an instructor/teacher watching and judging, i go completely to pot and can't do a thing. I had to get my cbt then spend a season riding a 125 by myself and learning in my own way with nobody watching.

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Yes. And not only that, I don't think I should hand

over my hard-earned cash (and it is hard-earned) in exchange for negativity, criticism and discouragement. I am the paying customer, after all. I can get all that stuff at work for nothing! Anyway, as I say, I intend to put it behind me now.

I think I might be quite happy to stay on a 125 but we'll see how it goes.

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Interesting reading this (and other posts) about how people get on with their instructor when training.

I did DAS a year and over the course of 6 sessions I had 4 different instructors. I assumed this was the norm but it seems from what people say on this forum most only ever have one while training.

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  • 3 weeks later...
:roll:


Well, to give credit where it's due, the school I've been going to (when I can afford it, obviously not very often) did get me through my CBT. But not all of the instructors suit my style of learning and the last lesson I had was miserable - three hours of negativity and not a word of praise, even when I did ok; clearly the instructor thinks this is an acceptable way to teach and maybe it works for some people, but not for me. I ended up with what little confidence I had in shreds and feeling like jacking the whole thing in.


Not everybody who is good at something himself is able to communicate and to teach somebody else those skills, and not everybody can adapt his style of teaching to the individual learner.


Two female riders have recommended another instructor to me and I'm going for an assessment/lesson with him today. Lovely weather. This will be my third school, and now I've ridden a bit more I can see that not everything is my fault and that I've gone from being a wobbly, scared rider to one who can do 60mph (my bike's top speed) with a reasonable expectation of not killing myself. The slow work is another matter, of course. How anybody manages a U-turn on a bigger bike is beyond my comprehension.


Today will help me decide whether to stick to a 125 and work towards doing my test on that, or whether it's even worth considering something a bit bigger. I certainly don't need something fast or particularly powerful and modern 125s are capable of giving me whatever I need. I have accepted that I will have to repeat my CBT, which is not the end of the world. But at my last lesson the instructor told me he wouldn't even give me my CBT based on my performance that day - and I haven't been on the road on a bigger bike yet, and won't today because it's just an introductory lesson to see what level I'm at.

I paid an independent instructor but he was a nightmare, he took my money with no issues but when it came to the training he was poor & didn't give me adequate training, I failed my mod 1 but I knew I didn't stand a chance

I was on the verge of giving up but rang up camrider & they offer a free assessment which I took up as it was free, they were brilliant, gave me all the training I needed & I actually enjoyed the training.

My advice would be to a larger school with a good reputation, I'm sure u will get there in the end !

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Have to admit I had two good instructors on my lessons who were very encouraging. On the other hand my son while learning to drive had a terrible instructor who used to shout at him, so after 21 lessons we changed to a one man band who had got my wife through (How the hell he did that i have no idea) and he put him straight in for his test....he passed first time. A good instructor is the key to a pass.

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Flipping heck Jill when I rode out with you you were absolutely fine, got yourself to the Ponderosa and back on your own (and it was raining!) and the only blip was stalling at the traffic lights but anyone can do that.


There is no excuse for being a trainer and being negative, no-one learns through criticism and negativity - encouragement is what you need. Hopefully you have now found someone who will help you on your course to your test and not put you off. I had a few lessons with Kevin from Complete Bike Training in Shrewsbury, he was great - professional and supportive and that's what you need to make you feel positive.


If you want to meet again let me know!

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  • 2 weeks later...
:roll:



My advice would be to a larger school with a good reputation, I'm sure u will get there in the end !

 

This school - a 'larger' school does have a good reputation, fills its Facebook page with its successful candidates, 100% pass rate nearly every week - I just don't think it's now the right school for me and there is no excuse for somebody knocking you down and destroying your confidence, even if you're hopeless. The new guy, the one-man band, has come from personal recommendation from two other female riders, and he takes one pupil in the morning and one in the afternoon, so you get individual attention. The lessons, because of this, are open-ended - at least two hours, but you can have longer if it's going well or there's something you want to nail before you finish. He told me he thinks I'll make a good motorcyclist. Size, as they say, isn't everything. Also of course you have to decide how far you are prepared to travel. I have to take time off work for lessons. But thanks for the advice :)

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Flipping heck Jill when I rode out with you you were absolutely fine, got yourself to the Ponderosa and back on your own (and it was raining!) and the only blip was stalling at the traffic lights but anyone can do that.


There is no excuse for being a trainer and being negative, no-one learns through criticism and negativity - encouragement is what you need. Hopefully you have now found someone who will help you on your course to your test and not put you off. I had a few lessons with Kevin from Complete Bike Training in Shrewsbury, he was great - professional and supportive and that's what you need to make you feel positive.


If you want to meet again let me know!

 

Thank you. I certainly will.

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Psychy - well done for ditching the crap instructor! Anyone learning to ride a bike deserves to enjoy the experience. If you're like me, you might find it easier to just go a do your own thing, spend some time riding on your own just to get the hang of it and get comfortable. Personally, if i have an instructor/teacher watching and judging, i go completely to pot and can't do a thing. I had to get my cbt then spend a season riding a 125 by myself and learning in my own way with nobody watching.

 

And indeed I do, but there are two issues there: 1, I am probably developing bad habits - well, I know I am - and 2, I need to be taught what to do to get through the test, which I do need an instructor for.

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