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Failed cbt - very disappointed!


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So a bit of history first: I first did a cbt a good 5 years ago with no previous experience (at all) on a bike or car. Passed well, found the experience really enjoyable. Life happened and I ended up going travelling for a while (yes a did a bit of cheeky moped riding). Recently really wanted to get on the road again so pre ordered a 125cc and booked in my cbt thinking it would be much the same.


Get to the centre and there's two other people there, son and dad, dad is the only one with experience in the group, son at 19 doesn't have any (which is what I would count myself at really). So they mention the eye sight test, which they forgot to do with me, and we meet the instructor. Everything goes fine and we start to ride the bikes..


It all seemed fairly quick if I'm honest, we were told not to leave our fingers over the clutch and front brake, which on reflection, wasn't checked on. We did simple start and stop with no problem, riding around a circuit no problem, then into U turns, which I had a problem with.. I kept popping my foot down, then got the hang of it after the instructor said to give it more power and that it didn't matter how much revs there were.. which I thought meant it didn't matter how loud I was, just to finish the manoeuvre.. which I did haha. Kinda the same thing happened with the figure of eight but it didn't seem to matter again. Later on I was told I need to stop over revving it.. and told I need to stop being stressed.. which didn't help at all haha. Then we did changing up to second and junctions and emergency break, and more circuits, all no problem and not over revving once. The 19 yr old was a little worse than me and was then told unless he could a U turn again he wouldn't be going on the road, which he couldn't, so he didn't. I was then told it was very close to whether I would be going out or not.. later on, just before the road safety talk, I was told that I would also not be going out. And to be honest, I agreed with it, but I felt the instruction was also part of the problem because I have done it before without a hitch?


The whole thing felt quite stressful, at some point we were told if we didn't do the shoulder checks on the road they would beep at us, which, whether true or not, didn't help my increasing nerves. In any case, I was told to book another cbt and pay full price again if I wanted to do it, so was the young lad. So the only one to continue to the road was a guy who had already ridden before.


So..


I really want to do the cbt (and now to build my confidence back again after a terrible day). It's been really frustrating trying to figure out what I can improve on when I didn't have these issues the first time?


So should I rebook with a different school, or rebook and do an auto, or take some lessons first? Any advice or thoughts would be a massive help.. as I feel pretty terrible about it.

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Hello and welcome, you could try another school, but maybe you just need some extra tuition on a 1 to 1, the hardest part is the clutch control but once you find the biting point it does become easier, the key point is slow controlled movements of the throttle,clutch and brake, better luck for next time and remember it is NOT a test it is training so you can be riding to a safe standard on the road :thumb:

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Welcome along. I had much the same when doing my CBT. My first instrouctor was an arse! Started the day with we're not doing this or that and that he wanted to be finished after a couple of hours.


I dropped the bike quite early into the session and the nerves got the better of me. We got out onto the road and within the first 10 mins he'd already given me two warnings, but not telling me what they was for. So I pulled over and told him to take me back to the training centre.


I got an email at the end of the day, which I replied to with what happened on the day, how bad the instructor is and that the training centre itself wasn't fit for purpose.


I had a call from the training company asking me to reattend the centre and discuss, which I did and then rebooked but with a different instructor.


The second instructor was so much better and not rushing anything. Totally rebuilt some confidence in my abilities.


So I'd say rebook, but explain what's happened and if they are any good (and most of them are) they will put you with a different instructor who will take more time with you.


Fish

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As a former Lift Truck instructor I can tell you one thing . Being good at something and effectively teaching it to others are two very different things . You probably just had an instructor who wasn't very good at instructing . Book again with another school and have another go . I'm only going by what you have written but try not to focus on the other trainees too much .

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You won't be first or last to have similar issues, I know I did.


Just go with a different school. Learn from the good they taught and go again.


Better you find the rubbish instructors on your CBT

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This bit

 

The 19 yr old was told unless he could a U turn again he wouldn't be going on the road, which he couldn't, so he didn't.

 

and this bit

 

I was then told it was very close to whether I would be going out or not.. later on, just before the road safety talk, I was told that I would also not be going out.

 

tell me you should go and find another school. There are better ways of inspiring confidence in people :D

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I had a good instructor, but one person did not go out on the road and she herself said she was panicking and too nervous during the initial training as she could not to grips with clutch etc coordination. I overheard the instructor say the school would be happy to do some basic lessons in the yard out with CBT so she could practice. Maybe something like that would help.

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I thought most places give you a 'second chance' to go back the next day or 'another time' to complete the training

and get you up to scratch if you're not able to fully do parts of it in the limited time they have.

Usually at no extra cost.


But sounds like the trainer had a very strange way of "inspiring confidence".

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Absolutely go with someone else and i bet you wont be the first that has done that from that place. Im so lucky with our training school. He really couldnt do any more for me. Lovely man with bags of patience. Good luck and i hope your next instructor treats you better.

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Perfecting clutch control on a bike is piss easy: just be a complete bellend like me and spend a day struggling round the CBT circuit without realising you were in 2nd gear the whole time, and after that your clutch control will be shit hot!


:oops:

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So a bit of history first: I first did a cbt a good 5 years ago with no previous experience (at all) on a bike or car. Passed well, found the experience really enjoyable. Life happened and I ended up going travelling for a while (yes a did a bit of cheeky moped riding). Recently really wanted to get on the road again so pre ordered a 125cc and booked in my cbt thinking it would be much the same.


Get to the centre and there's two other people there, son and dad, dad is the only one with experience in the group, son at 19 doesn't have any (which is what I would count myself at really). So they mention the eye sight test, which they forgot to do with me, and we meet the instructor. Everything goes fine and we start to ride the bikes..


It all seemed fairly quick if I'm honest, we were told not to leave our fingers over the clutch and front brake, which on reflection, wasn't checked on. We did simple start and stop with no problem, riding around a circuit no problem, then into U turns, which I had a problem with.. I kept popping my foot down, then got the hang of it after the instructor said to give it more power and that it didn't matter how much revs there were.. which I thought meant it didn't matter how loud I was, just to finish the manoeuvre.. which I did haha. Kinda the same thing happened with the figure of eight but it didn't seem to matter again. Later on I was told I need to stop over revving it.. and told I need to stop being stressed.. which didn't help at all haha. Then we did changing up to second and junctions and emergency break, and more circuits, all no problem and not over revving once. The 19 yr old was a little worse than me and was then told unless he could a U turn again he wouldn't be going on the road, which he couldn't, so he didn't. I was then told it was very close to whether I would be going out or not.. later on, just before the road safety talk, I was told that I would also not be going out. And to be honest, I agreed with it, but I felt the instruction was also part of the problem because I have done it before without a hitch?


The whole thing felt quite stressful, at some point we were told if we didn't do the shoulder checks on the road they would beep at us, which, whether true or not, didn't help my increasing nerves. In any case, I was told to book another cbt and pay full price again if I wanted to do it, so was the young lad. So the only one to continue to the road was a guy who had already ridden before.


So..


I really want to do the cbt (and now to build my confidence back again after a terrible day). It's been really frustrating trying to figure out what I can improve on when I didn't have these issues the first time?


So should I rebook with a different school, or rebook and do an auto, or take some lessons first? Any advice or thoughts would be a massive help.. as I feel pretty terrible about it.

 


I failed my first CBT due to poor clutch control pretty much stalled it every time I went to pull away and to be honest I had got myself wound up and that made it worse. School said to come back in a couple of days. I paid £50 and was taken round the paddock course once and I was fine it clicked and I felt calm, went out on a 30 minute road ride and the guy said I looked really good and got signed off. I know it easy to say do t feel bad but I did as on the original day the other 5 guys passed easily so I felt pretty shit but after a couple of days of feeling sorry for myself I went back and the rest is history now slowly doing my full licence.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Not entirely sure how to reply to all but all the replies have been amazing and done me some good to get back no my feet (wheels?). It's taken me a while to reply due to work commitments and some illness but i'm all good now! I've booked in a new CBT with a different school but the soonest they could do it on the 8th, which is understandable given lockdown 2.0.. so wish me luck and i'll update when I pass (right? haha).


It's so nice that other people have also failed this and gone on to be good riders, it's something you don't hear about at all so it was good to know this. Hopefully I will be a bit calmer and less intimidated next time, the reviews for the new school seem really good and the guys there seem pleasant rather than confrontational.


So thanks everyone!

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I know this won't be well received but the point of a test is to determine your suitability to be out on the road on a motorcycle . Failing this test might have just saved your life and possibly the lives of other road users and pedestrians . I'm sure you will succeed in the end if you are determined enough so don't give up .

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I know this won't be well received but the point of a test is to determine your suitability to be out on the road on a motorcycle . Failing this test might have just saved your life and possibly the lives of other road users and pedestrians . I'm sure you will succeed in the end if you are determined enough so don't give up .

 


You're very right with this, I think it was a mixture of all sorts of things as to why I didn't pass the first time, I think I was just shocked that I could pass before and couldn't pass on that day. I honestly didn't feel like I was good enough to go on the road this time so it was a good decision there, just a shame that I felt the instruction was unhelpful.

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When i did my CBT pre DAS a while back, hadnt been on a bike in many years, i had brilliant instructors, they created a great rapport almost imediately and that helped the day go. Whilst i passed 2 other guys failed, one couldnt get the hang of the clutch and the other was really poor in all aspects, despite the school actually giving the other 2 guys 1 to 1 instruction for an hour whilst i was patient. When i went onto DAS one of the failed guys was on that too but he just couldnt get the hang of the bigger bikes either. I think its a lot like that, nerves can get the better of you, and this directly translates into really poor performance because you are constantly on edge. Or you just arent suited to bikes. I think you'll be fine with the right instructor.


The right instructors are key.

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It's so nice that other people have also failed this and gone on to be good riders,

 

Cannot speek for all but who said anything about being good riders... Failed our CBT first time but managed to get a full licence in the end...

Relax enjoy on the 8th...

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  • 3 weeks later...

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