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Thoughts on the Enhanced Rider Scheme


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What are your thoughts on this new 'advanced' training scheme? The backdrop is, I feel that my riding has actually got worse (in some ways) over time rather than better. I can't put my finger on it but I know I've got into some bad habits and there's something wrong with my riding. I'm not a post-test noob - I've been riding for several years.


As far as I can tell, the options for advanced rider training are the old-school Roadcraft-based IAM and ROSPA, which really doesn't tickle my fancy at all (for lots of reasons) and then something new, being promoted by the government, called the Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS). There isn't that much info about the ERS online, so a few months ago I made some enquiries, got in touch with an ERS school and obtained lots of information about it. In the end I decided against it for many reasons (not least of which because the riding school I contacted treated my simple request for info as a preamble to a kind of "covert contract", as if I'd handled soft fruit at a market stall then decided to buy nothing). I felt like a sales prospect even after the guy said he was only doing it for love not money (just covering his basic costs for the day he said LOL) and since I owe nobody a living and didn't see any utility to numero uno what was on offer, I said no.


Here's the most important breakdown of the ERS syllabus:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dvsa-enhanced-rider-scheme-syllabus/dvsa-enhanced-rider-scheme-syllabus#structured-planned-approach-to-riding


As you can see, there are 7 'core modules', and there's nothing wrong with them as yet another Bikesafe or generic post-test clipboard checklist, but the scope for interpretation of competence is all on the head of the individual riding instructor providing the training. It's a strange concept, because the instructor could tick your riding off as 'advanced' and that would be the end of it, forever. Or they could provide more training in a manner that suits them (which would be more profitable), and then tick your riding off as 'advanced'. Personally, for a £120 day (which is what I was quoted) it's not what I'm after. I don't want a useless bit of paper to file alongside my 100m swimming certificate saying that I'm now 'enhanced'. I want to find out what might be suboptimal about my riding posture, setting up for corners, foot positioning, etc. Something a lot more individualised and completely bespoke, not institutional or standardised or a pro forma in any way. For that to work, I have to actually trust and believe in the instructor's ability, and then dictate, e.g. "follow me along this route, and observe and tell me what I'm doing wrong".


What are your thoughts? Are there any better options out there?

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I want to find out what might be suboptimal about my riding posture, setting up for corners, foot positioning, etc. Something a lot more individualised and completely bespoke, not institutional or standardised or a pro forma in any way. For that to work, I have to actually trust and believe in the instructor's ability, and then dictate, e.g. "follow me along this route, and observe and tell me what I'm doing wrong".


What are your thoughts? Are there any better options out there?

so why do you think RoSPA/IAM DON'T do this, then?

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A good instructor should sort you out with any issues you think you may have or some you might not think you have, 20min following you will probably be all they need to work out what you need to change, I would just speak to a decent instructer and explain what your after doing.

Edited by Bender
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I have done the ERS, it is essentially the basics of Roadcraft (i.e. learning to pursue crims on blues and twos without chucking it in a hedge straight away) distilled into tiny little blocks where if you get the general idea then you're good enough. I remember being told straight away I was moving my K100 around on foot wrongly as I was moving it backwards by holding on to the bars, my explanation of needing to cover the front brake because the ground was sloping downhill dismissed as mere excuses as it's not what the book says.. A bit on straight lining roundabouts (I don't do this), a bit on getting up to speed quickly when joining motorways (do people really need help with this??), a bit of filtering (poke yourself in front of the car that is second in line, don't go right to the front), and a lot of off siding for better visibility which I don't do day-to-day either.


Overall pretty meh and it didn't affect my insurance one bit. There is certainly no time for little things like foot position either, everything that needs to be learnt is crammed in to the time already. If you want to improve your actual machine control/cornering I wonder if something track-based may be better, like that California Superbike School or whatever else there is.

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Thanks for the thoughts guys. Very useful to read an actual experience of taking the ERS! Since the ERS is still relatively new, etc. The ERS seems like another way to propound more of the same, then, and definitely isn't interesting to me. So it's more or less the same as an extended Bikesafe, taught alongside IAM, ROSPA, etc. Not useful at all - massively oversold to be blunt. The California Superbike School does seem more helpful and useful for real-life country bimbles on clear, dry days. I read all the TOTW2 stuff and tried to implement it. Kind of dangerous where the best racing line overlaps with Roadcraft positioning for left-handers (and lo and behold an oncoming vehicle isn't maintaining lane discipline because they're dodging potholes - ouch) - but I don't want to get started on all that. LOL. But realistically I think my best bet might be to just find an instructor who can really ride well and ask him to follow me and comment. No papers or certificates needed - just honest feedback.

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I did actually nearly suggest ready TWOTW but thought I might get shot down on here for it.. Personally I found it very useful and the techniques have allowed me to hustle a variety of bikes quite successfully though it does take some experimentation to find out what each bike responds well to and what just outright upsets it.


As far as road riding skills go I found youtubers like Roadcraft Nottingham to be helpful in suggesting techniques like off siding and vanishing points though I wouldn't say they're exactly fun to watch. But it's free and you can go and try it all out at your leisure.. I would say my own road craft isn't the best though, far too focused on the upcoming bit of road most of the time!

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Offsiding as it's properly defined (i.e. moving beyond the centre line) is no longer taught in policing and hasn't been for some time. Unfortunately there are still some civilian instructors who push it, it's not really appropriate on today's roads.


Taking a wide view by sitting to the right of your lane is worthwhile for many reasons but should only be practiced where road surface allows and on bends where you can easily move closer to the nearside if an obstruction or hazard is encountered.


Correctly taught, roadcraft methods are well worthwhile however as the book says it relies on a centrally flexible element - the rider. Your judgement on when and how to apply the road craft principles is a key factor and unfortunately many teach the principles too rigidly and miss the point.


Agree that Twist of the Wrist is a good resource for machine control.

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