Hello everyone,
I havent posted here in what seems like ages. Because it is. After buying my GS, my wife and I found out we were expecting a baby, so all the mileage I've been doing has been on foot, backwards and forwards between the nursery and kitchen to refill bottles of milk. Back in the saddle good and proper this year though, so onwards and upwards.
Anyway, I did Bikesafe today in North Yorkshire. I thought I'd post a review in the hope it might encourage other people to do it.
The day started at 9am with a meetup at Selby Fire Station. Mixed, diverse group. A lady in her late 40's who passed her test in March all the way through to a chap who passed his test in 1976 and wanted a refresher. The rest of us were in the middle of that somewhere. After introductions, Martin, my namesake and traffic officer from North Yorkshire Police, started our classroom instruction.
I don't want to spoil it for anyone but it focused on roadcraft, as you'd expect, using both video and computer visualisations of real accidents which we were invited to comment on and discuss. Various riding techniques/situations were also discussed and overall it was very well presented. We were actively encouraged to participate in discussion rather than being lectured to. The presentation style was informal and I think everyone felt comfortable enough to ask questions and query things.
I definitely took a lot from the classroom section of the course, particularly the accident analysis sections/discussion. It raised some points which I'd never really thought of before and also reminded me of some things I'd been taught, but forgotten about.
After lunch at 12 (take your own packed lunch), we paired up and went out for our assessed ride. Each person was assessed for roughly 1.5 hours. It was tough as the temperature was around 30c. Made it hard to concentrate but it certainly beat pouring rain. Half way around, we stopped for refreshments
After the assessments were complete we all met up at services for a cold drink (of pop..) in the shade and a nice chat. The ride itself was fantastic, taking in some brilliant roads, as you'd expect in North Yorks.
All in all, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better use for £20 when it comes to motorcycling. Unless you're already an advanced police rider, you're virtually guaranteed to learn something from doing the course. The fact that it's presented in such a casual but informative way, only makes it better. The police offices, far from being intimidating, were the complete opposite, amiable and welcoming. I think I can safely say we all felt completely at ease for the entire day.
Think I'll be doing it again in a few months once I've had chance to put some more miles in.
I havent posted here in what seems like ages. Because it is. After buying my GS, my wife and I found out we were expecting a baby, so all the mileage I've been doing has been on foot, backwards and forwards between the nursery and kitchen to refill bottles of milk. Back in the saddle good and proper this year though, so onwards and upwards.
Anyway, I did Bikesafe today in North Yorkshire. I thought I'd post a review in the hope it might encourage other people to do it.
The day started at 9am with a meetup at Selby Fire Station. Mixed, diverse group. A lady in her late 40's who passed her test in March all the way through to a chap who passed his test in 1976 and wanted a refresher. The rest of us were in the middle of that somewhere. After introductions, Martin, my namesake and traffic officer from North Yorkshire Police, started our classroom instruction.
I don't want to spoil it for anyone but it focused on roadcraft, as you'd expect, using both video and computer visualisations of real accidents which we were invited to comment on and discuss. Various riding techniques/situations were also discussed and overall it was very well presented. We were actively encouraged to participate in discussion rather than being lectured to. The presentation style was informal and I think everyone felt comfortable enough to ask questions and query things.
I definitely took a lot from the classroom section of the course, particularly the accident analysis sections/discussion. It raised some points which I'd never really thought of before and also reminded me of some things I'd been taught, but forgotten about.
After lunch at 12 (take your own packed lunch), we paired up and went out for our assessed ride. Each person was assessed for roughly 1.5 hours. It was tough as the temperature was around 30c. Made it hard to concentrate but it certainly beat pouring rain. Half way around, we stopped for refreshments
After the assessments were complete we all met up at services for a cold drink (of pop..) in the shade and a nice chat. The ride itself was fantastic, taking in some brilliant roads, as you'd expect in North Yorks.
All in all, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a better use for £20 when it comes to motorcycling. Unless you're already an advanced police rider, you're virtually guaranteed to learn something from doing the course. The fact that it's presented in such a casual but informative way, only makes it better. The police offices, far from being intimidating, were the complete opposite, amiable and welcoming. I think I can safely say we all felt completely at ease for the entire day.
Think I'll be doing it again in a few months once I've had chance to put some more miles in.