Best route for first ride following CBT?

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Don't worry and chill out...there are a few of us living up this way..MONGO, ME, & WEDGE are all from the Abertillery area...one of us will more than likely be happy to help you out if you need an escort on the road to gain a bit of confidence.

MONGO will probably have you pulling proper wheelies within a day of being with him....

[UK Bike Forum Member]

  Cheers Guys!  I'm gonna pass on the wheelies, but donuts however i'm up for 

[UK Bike Forum Member]

In the days before all this CBT malarkey you could just swing your leg over any bike up to 250cc and ride off on L plates. Well that was the theory anyway. When I brought my first bike I had no idea how to operate the controls or what they were for. As for road sense, didn’t give it a thought. The salesman tried to show me how to ride but I was so unbelievably cackhanded, he gave up in disgust and arranged to have the thing delivered. What followed were 2 or 3 weeks of the worst attempts at motorcycle riding witnessed by man. Anyway after the obligatory trip to the hospital and many hours of practice I eventually gained some semblance of control.

The point I’m trying to make is that for many of us it seemed so hard in the beginning but with practice it got easier and then we wondered what all the fuss was about.

Keep at it and you will get there, it just takes a bit of time and effort 

[UK Bike Forum Member]

I remember my first outing on a 250 after I'd passed my test. I was going up a hill and a car came down (on my side because of parked vehicles). I had to stop suddenly and then get going again on the (quite steep) hill.  Anyone watching must have wondered what the bloody hell I was doing, something between Riverdance and Swan Lake was a good likeness I'd guess.

Andy.

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Cheers Guys!  I'm gonna pass on the wheelies, but donuts however i'm up for 

mmmm donuts.....

[UK Bike Forum Member]

In the days before all this CBT malarkey you could just swing your leg over any bike up to 250cc and ride off on L plates. Well that was the theory anyway. When I brought my first bike I had no idea how to operate the controls or what they were for. As for road sense, didn’t give it a thought.

Bendy's first bike..............

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Me foist machine,back in them days of normality,sensibility,respect.When you get your machine,ride it on a quiet area for a spell get the feel of it,master its controls so you can practicaly ride it backwards so to speak,then go out on the mad-bad highway,enjoy,and be safe,good luck.

[UK Bike Forum Member]

In the days before all this CBT malarkey you could just swing your leg over any bike up to 250cc and ride off on L plates. Well that was the theory anyway. When I brought my first bike I had no idea how to operate the controls or what they were for. As for road sense, didn’t give it a thought.

Bendy's first bike..............

Those were the days, jumpers for goalposts and no such thing as a British homosexual

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Anyone else struggle like this with their first go or am i really just rubbish?

Not rubbish, just practising 

I barely scraped through my CBT, and the instructor told me that he could tell that it was my nerves on the day that affected me, which is the only reason he passed me, so yes, I was bloody awful! 

I did slowly get better though. I did my CBT on a Saturday, and had my first proper ride on the Monday, with my brother following me on his bike to show me where to go, and see what I was doing wrong. We started down an industrial estate so I could get used to my bike, then went out onto a few slow roads to get me used to traffic. You'll be surprised at how quickly your confidence builds when you haven't got an instructor watching you deciding whether you get to keep riding or not!

I live in Aberdare, so my brother took me up and over the mountain to Terry's for a cuppa, and showed me how to avoid the suicidal sheep on the way  After Terry's, we headed back to mine to celebrate a great day out, with only a handful of basic mistakes.

Then I dropped the bike. Right outside my back gate. In front of my neighbours!    Daft mistake, I just let the clutch out too quickly and the bike pulled harder than I was expecting, so I lost my balance. It's all part of the learning curve though :)

Take your time and enjoy yourself on the bike, and don't feel pressured into doing anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you're like me, having a lot of experienced riders around on your first time out might be a bit intimidating, especially when everyone's offering advice. If you do feel like that at any point, just ask the guys politely to give you a bit of room. They're a great bunch on here, and they've all been through it before, so they know how it feels.

Above all though, enjoy yourself! 

[UK Bike Forum Member]

Anyone else struggle like this with their first go or am i really just rubbish?

Not rubbish, just practising 

I barely scraped through my CBT, and the instructor told me that he could tell that it was my nerves on the day that affected me, which is the only reason he passed me, so yes, I was bloody awful! 

I did slowly get better though. I did my CBT on a Saturday, and had my first proper ride on the Monday, with my brother following me on his bike to show me where to go, and see what I was doing wrong. We started down an industrial estate so I could get used to my bike, then went out onto a few slow roads to get me used to traffic. You'll be surprised at how quickly your confidence builds when you haven't got an instructor watching you deciding whether you get to keep riding or not!

I live in Aberdare, so my brother took me up and over the mountain to Terry's for a cuppa, and showed me how to avoid the suicidal sheep on the way  After Terry's, we headed back to mine to celebrate a great day out, with only a handful of basic mistakes.

Then I dropped the bike. Right outside my back gate. In front of my neighbours!    Daft mistake, I just let the clutch out too quickly and the bike pulled harder than I was expecting, so I lost my balance. It's all part of the learning curve though :)

Take your time and enjoy yourself on the bike, and don't feel pressured into doing anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. If you're like me, having a lot of experienced riders around on your first time out might be a bit intimidating, especially when everyone's offering advice. If you do feel like that at any point, just ask the guys politely to give you a bit of room. They're a great bunch on here, and they've all been through it before, so they know how it feels.

Above all though, enjoy yourself!