[Closed] cbt tomorow scared!!!! 🙁

you'll be alright.

i have done practice tests online and i keep failing..how the hell are you supposed to remember the difference between toucan pelican puffin etc crossings?! :/

You'll be fine don't worry.
I'm still not driving cars,did my cbt and test 4 years back.
Good Luck!

thankyou mkchris...not worrying is easier said than done! x

i did my cbt waay back in 1993,so can imagine it (the test) being somewhat changed.the thing i know will be the same though,is that the instructor will make sure that you are comfortable with riding your bike.they should give you ample opportunity with getting used to riding your bike in a safe environment.ask them as many questions as you need to (that's what they are there for).when it comes to the test ,they should ask you to ride on quiet roads (not much traffic).
when you do pass 😉 take it easy and practice on quiet roads during the day (until you feel better about riding your bike). at the end of the day ride your motorcycle as you would your bicycle (have eyes in the back of your head e.t.c) and ride defensively,keep in the middle of your lane (don't feel intimidated by other vehicles).you have just as much right as them for using the road 😉
most of all though enjoy riding your new bike (and good luck with your test 🙂

I used to teach cbt. It's not an unfailable test, It's a training course. However, I've been know to invite people back for additional training before signing them off. Only twice did I give people a full refund and suggest bikes were not for them. Both of whom thanked me for my honesty. The people who were "invited back" were generally those who thought they knew it all before they got there, those who believed they were buying a certificate. There's always a school around the corner who will compromise training for bums on seats. That's the reason I gave it up in the end. Bottom line, go with an open mind. Listen to the instructor, ask if It's not clear and if he doesn't sign you off on the day, remember the only reason is because they're looking out for your safety. Cbt can actually be a lot of fun.

well im just being honest and its only my story... 😉

18 months before my daughter was born we needed to save cash so we sold the second car, i bought a 125 and did my CBT so i could commute to work.

i did it up until a week before the baby was born and to be honest i was glad to sell the bike and see the back of the thing.

you are invisible, you can be the biggest and best rider in the world with all the right gear, perfect working bike but it means jack sh*t when some idiot doesnt see you and well, the rest could be history.

my brother only last week ended up in intensive care, a seasoned rider out on a sunday blast, came off a main rondabout, round a bend and was faced with a car on the wrong side of the road after it swerved out too far after doing a u-turn.

8 broken ribs, collapsed lung, broken wrist and collar bone...

the CBT was a joke to be honest, i was crap at the u-turn a sod to get right, they made me come back a week later and i passed. looking back it is mental you can just have 8 hours of training then be let out onto the roads.

again just my thoughts.... not to put you off or wind up any biker son here 😉

just read the othe rpost above

However, I've been know to invite people back for additional training before signing them off

Hang on, hang on.

A CBT isn't your driving test. The T stands for Training (and the B for Basic) - they show you how to operate your bike to a level where you're allowed to then start learning to ride. They cover how to make it go, stop, and turn, and where to look so you don't die.

It's not failable, if you're really struggling they'll ask you to come back the next day (as happened with a mate of mine).

Again,[i] it's not a test. [/i] You don't need to know anything about puffins, pelicans, or seabirds in general. Don't worry.

It's easy as pie, and you can't fail, if you're not upto scratch on any part you just keep coming back untill you get it. Just remember it's training not a test, you can't fail, but you might need more trainng (usualy free).

My top bit of advice would be figure out why youre being told to do things, I took the instructions at face value (e.g. look over your right shouder) whereas I should have been thinking about looking for cars being stupid and trying to overtake not just wobling my head for the examiner.

i have done practice tests online and i keep failing..how the hell are you supposed to remember the difference between toucan pelican puffin etc crossings?! :/

toucan = two-can = cycle path crossing

pelican = old skool crossing with green man on the far side of the road, usualy controlled by a timer and a push button

puffin = new skool with low level green men on the post, and a little black box on top of the post that leaves the lights red untill everyone has crossed.

They're all the same

red= stop

red + amber = about to go green (i.e stop but prepare to move off)

amber only = about to go red, stop if it's safe (but remember if the lights green as you aproach it can only do one thing, go red so you should be prepared to stop even when aproaching a greeen light).

Good luck.

As others said it isn't a test, but you will have to demonstrate you've grasped the basic skills - but not necessarily in any formal way. It should be fun (I know I enjoyed mine) after all it's your first adventure out on your bike.

You have to ride a motorbike like you are invisible. Read the road ahead and dont take uncalculated risks.
If you're worried about it, don't do it. If you want to do it, then accept that there is a risk and do your best to protect yourself.

"if you don't get knocked of or have your scooter nicked in the first year you are in 5% of the population" apparently (?)

I would recoment a course similar to this
http://www.bikesafe-london.co.uk/ i did that and it was great fun

this is a good book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Motorcycle-Roadcraft-Police-Handbook-Motorcycling/dp/011341143X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342527159&sr=1-1

Get your full test done and make sure you wear decent protective gear.

On a bike, you're not just thinking about your own ride, you'll end up doing everyone's ride/drive mentally for them.

I even had a student run off a roundabout and I still passed him. It was a question of apptitude though. After that, he wound his neck in and started concentrating. He demonstrated that he could ride safely. Of course, I had no control over whether he did or not after I passed him but I trained him to his full test and he became quite a tidy rider.

hhmmmf..well thats a mixed bag of feedback!..i do want to do this not only for the fact that its so much cheaper to run than a car but because its something ive always wanted to do..i am 28 and yet to get on the road so i feel its time i pulled my finger out my arse..as it were

I guess its just overwhelming having to learn all these things that ive never even thought of or noticed before.

In an ideal world i would like it to be similar to driving lessons where i could have a few hours each day to get to grips with it...unfortunately i live in the middel of town and this is where he will be taking me with about a million big ruondabouts and loads of crazy drivers about.
I do want to enjoy it im just a bit scared i will piss the instructor off because i dont know anything! 🙁

re ""and ride defensively,keep in the middle of your lane (don't feel intimidated by other vehicles).you have just as much right as them for using the road""

i thought i had to keep to the left to let cars by? :/

The CBT is very relaxed and the expectations of the instructor are minimal. He just wants to see that you can ride safely. No mega skills needed and certainly no barking of orders and criticism that tend to come with driving lessons.

You'll enjoy it.

I had to go back a second day for my CBT.In hindsight was a great thing. It was a lot for me to take in, I was physically and mentally tired, so going out on the roads would have been a bad thing for me. It was my first ever time on a bike as well.

Don't be put off, its all for your safety. After that i passed DAS in a weeks intensive course 🙂

Good luck.

well id like to think im not a complete moron so theres that at least...who knows i could fill in for stoner when he retires this year 🙂

dolcered what is DAS?

who knows i could fill in for stoner when he retires this year

Are you moody and anti-social?

what is DAS?

Direct Access - you learn on a big bike, basically. Doesn't apply to you on a 125.

Are you moody and anti-social?

He has an STW account, doesn't he?

he might be moody but **** he is fun to watch..nearly blew my hair off standing against the fence watching him take he big straight at silverstone

apologies.i just meant that you shouldn't let cars e.t.c push you into the kerb. i just rode my bike,like i rode my bicycle (staying in middle of the road,unless a car/e.t.c wanted to overtake.then pull into left when it safe for you to do so. apologies if i don't type what i mean very well 😳 at the end of the day,once you have done your c.b.t, you will feel a lot better (and your instructor will be a damn sight better than me/not difficult 😆

dolcered what is DAS?

DAS is Direct Access training.

As far as i remember your CBT allows you to ride on the roads for 2 years on L plates, after that you can retake it, or do the full test. I was 30 at the time, i decided rather than get a 125cc or a restricted bike that i would go on and get my full licence.

I opted for a weeks intensive course, learnt on 500cc machine and sat my test, and passed. The learning curve was steep,then one day it all clicked into place.

I bought a learners big bike after that, an kawasaki ER-6f, big enough for my shortness and as powerful as i want to get. Took it to the TT last year with the OH on his proper bike (so he says) Kawasaki Ninja.
We are team green on our bikes 🙂

i thought i had to keep to the left to let cars by? :/

Not sure if that's a serious question? If it is, don't do it. If you give a car half a space they'll try and fit a whole car through it. Ride in the middle of the lane so if a car (or bike/lorry/van) wants to overtake they need to do so as if they were passing another car.

I've only had my licence for a year. Did my CBT, then DAS 2 weeks later, having never even sat on a bike before - the best thing I've done.

Accept there is a risk and have that in your mind. If you ride like a loon chances are you'll end up in hospital, don't and you stand a better chance of not.

I've commuted pretty much everyday (break over the winter with ice on the roads) on my bike (90 mile round trip on A roads, B roads and Mway) and haven't had any near misses or scares - maybe just lucky, maybe just careful.

I would say though, I wanted to do it, if you're scared or anxious it's hard to stay calm, relaxed and in control.

Also - flippin' u-turns!!!!!

Also - flippin' u-turns!!!!!

i genuinely did think i had to stay to the left out of the way..because im not going very fast wont i piss the drivers off?!

You'll be fine, just stay calm. The trainers all yell at you, don't panic. I think they are just testing how you cope under pressure. U-turns are a doddle if you can ride a mountain bike. It's roundabouts I hate - hadn't noticed until I tried them on a motorbike how few people know how to indicate properly, or care that it is important.

What I found is that you have a lot of info coming at you quickly, need to master the controls of the bike, read the traffic and the road signs and take the instructions from the shouty guy in your ear, all at once.

If you can practice the slow speed stuff at home before you go, you will be well ahead.

i cant practice here as there is always police about,its the roundabouts i am fearing the most! im not exactly big either..you can see on my profile pic my bike makes me look tiny..so i dont think i would fair well from a collision

also someone told me that when a lorry passes you that you can feel it suck you in !!

I was paired up for my DAS with a nit wit who kept staying on the left in the gutter despite constant nagging in his (and therefore my) ear from the instructor. They wouldn't let him on a big bike as he technically hadn't demonstrated sufficient skills on his CBT. This went on for 4 sessions! I think maybe bikes weren't for him.
They gave me another session for free as we'd spend so much time dicking about with the idiot on the 125 and not enough time getting me up to speed (literally!) on the 500.

this is so ****ing confusing..half the people i know who have bikes are telling me stay to the left as middle riding is a bit dirty and now you guys are saying stay in the middle

A truck isn't going to suck you under. Trucks shouldn't be passing you anyway, if you are making "reasonable progress" they are limited to 56mph on an A road I believe ?

Don't be scared, listen to your instructor, ask for help if you don't understand anything and don't panic, you will be fine.

For the purposes of training, stay in the middle. Do what your instructor says, not your friends.

thankyou xx 😳

As already said, you're being trained, and if you take the training on board as it's given you'll pass.

The instructor will tell/show you which bit of road to ride on.

Dont even worry about it. Do the CBT enjoy it and just enjoy riding. Ride safe and keep an eye on the car drivers and you will be fine. I got my license 5 years ago and wish i had done it long before that.

The instructors will keep you right with what you need to know by the end of it you will be able to get out there and start to get experience.

All the best!

Do what your instructor says, not your friends.

This. You're over-thinking what is, so far for you, an unknown quantity. You won't just be stuck on a bike and be told "off you go then, luv" whilst a handlebar-mustached hells angel laughs raucously in your ear.

CBT will teach you to handle the bike. Lessons will teach you the skills you need to pass your test. You're not expected to 'just know' all this; if that were the case, no-one would need lessons.

Ignore armchair experts. At best they'll tell you the same thing an instructor will, but they could also give you contradictory advice which, whilst well-meaning, might confuse you and hamper your chances of passing.

The one exception is the advice I'm about to give you now. If you haven't already, buy gloves.

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That yard looks well big enough to practice a U-Turn !

Good luck - motorbikes are awesome.

i will let you know how i get on tomorow and if i ended up sitting in the middle of a roundabout crying and rocking back and forth

Ask questions. A good instructor will not mind one bit. Better to know why you might choose one road position over another rather than blindly floowing someone's advice (even the instructors).

Where in the country are you?

norfolk

Not too bad for traffic then.

Just as everyone else is saying listen to your instructor and if in doubt ask. You'll be fine.
There's a lot to take in on one day and I had to go back the following weekend before I was given the thumbs up. If they'd passed me on the day I would have been worried though as I didn't feel safe at all but a few days for it to sink in and I sailed through.

youll be fine, they dont chuck you on out on the roads straight away, plenty of time in the yard.

Take things steady and don't get cocky.

I was told off by my examiner for overconfidence 😳

Don't forget to feed back on how it goes.

On road positioning - unfortunately the standards for the CBT / main test are not what experienced bikers / advanced trained ones use.

for CBT you will be told to keep left of centre of the lane. the correct road positioning is right of centre of lane.

Motorcyclist lobby groups have been trying to change this for years but unfortunately the authorities will not.

Same as they teach the "hendon shuffle" ie when stationary cover the foot brake so balance on one foot in neutral. so to pull away you have to swap feet to get the bike in gear and then swap back again to pull away as they still want you to cover the rear brake

accept the training to CBT standards then afterwards get a lesson or two to help you actually gain some understanding of real world riding

Oh - and good luck. Listen to your trainer, concentrate on wht yo are doing. make sure you eat something as low blood sugar is the enemy of concentration.

You will be fine

good luck (but you'll be fine 😉

So how did it go?

TJ, It's because you can't expect a total beginner to automatically sacrific position for safety. In my experience as an instructor, this was often the case. However, if I came across someone sharp enough to do this, I taught them the better road position. Examiners don't mind where you ride so long as It's safe. By the way, for L test training, those sho were sharp enough were few and far between. Outside the sum line is Bette for those who understand. Inside the sump line is better for most of those who are learning. As you know, both are better than on the sump line.

for CBT you will be told to keep left of centre of the lane

I wasn't. Exactly the opposite in fact.
I remember it vividly. There were 4 of us on the course, 2 of us on 125s and 2 16 year olds, one on an MTX50 and one on an old 50cc scooter. Both of the youungsters had obviously ridden away from the roads for some time, the lads MTX was in lovely nick, and the old scooter was well maintained, too.

Anyway...
During the training the instructor told all of us, and especially the lads on the 30mph 50s specifically NOT to ride near the kerb, but to get towards the centre of the road. His words were something like "You can do the speed limit, don't be shy, get out and use your bit of road" or words to that effect

Outside the sum line is Bette for those who understand.

Bloody smart phone. Sump line and better are the words it screwed up this time. There may well be others as well.

Well, she's either sat rocking in the middle of that roundabout fogging up her visor with tears of despair or she's out in the sun seeing how many tanks of petrol she can use learning how to back in the Habana

I remember that day and passing my full license, what a buzz.

I wish someone had taught me to 'enjoy' nerves and make me see failure could be remedied and wasn't life and death when I was a kid and look forward to the rewards.

Nerves are good. Use em to focus.

Hope the OP got on alright today.

Definitely agree with TJ re being right of centre and don't understand this keeping left to let cars overtake. Can cars actually overtake ?!? 😉

There is an awful lot to learn after CBT and as posted above, additional training is a must. Well worth it though as the rewards are huge and there's nothing quite like it 😀

I did both train and pass my test on a BSA 650 with sidecar so It may have confused them.

Try and relax and enjoy thetest, just think of it as another lesson. That seemed to work for me more than 30 years ago 🙁 if you are nervous and uptight you wont be as comfortable on the bike. Good luck

Right, I reckon by this time you'll have done it and it'll have gone well or badly. So this is in case it went badly.

nicolahabana - Member

im pretty sure im going to miserably fail an unfailable test

Folks say it's not a test but at the end of the day, you leave with a certificate or you don't. A difference that makes no difference is no difference 😉

I "failed" 3 times. First time I was a disaster, I just couldn't get clutch control sorted at all. I had good bike handling skills and balance though, so I managed to persevere for ages even though I was never really in control, without ever fixing the problem, just bluffing and bodging my way through the lessons without ever actually doing anything right, and getting worse and worse. Absolutely horrible, I had to quit eventually as I was a broken man, confidence completely destroyed. That was on my own bike, and if I'd not already bought it I'd never have tried again!

2nd try, was largely about fixing the damage from the first. Did it on a hire bike- easier to ride. Went better, got out on the road this time, and I got the basics sorted but I was still totally lacking in confidence after the first time and when we came to the end of the day, had a long chat with the instructor and said I didn't want to ride away by myself- wasn't ready. So booked a third, and thank ****! got it nailed.

But this is partly because there's 2 sorts of CBT- the one to get you on the road no matter what, and the one that actually cares whether you're halfway competent. I'm glad I did the latter...

My mate Stu, he did the former. Left the school barely able to steer, wrote the bike off after a month. Got another one, trashed it too. After 2 years, his CBT expired so he went back to the same school and halfway through the morning session he crashed and broke himself, couldn't carry on. They sent him off to the hospital with a new CBT certificate and said "Well you've been riding for 2 years, you'll be fine".

He's not dead mind so maybe it worked out in the end.

So what happened then?

[i]how the hell are you supposed to remember the difference between toucan pelican puffin etc crossings?! :/ [/i]

That will be the least of your worries...

Just ride like you own the road, and everyone else is trespassing on your land. You have to 'dominate', therefore positioning is key.

Q - The car in front has its right indicator on, what is the only logical conclusion for this?
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A - The light works...

Be safe, never trust a tin-top, and don't tuck your trousers into your boots, it makes you look like those old boys you see on classic bikes on a sunday. 😉

A - The light works...

The only reliable logical conclusion is that the light works intermittently.

(-:

Hey OP, how did you get on?

i passed! 🙂 ....ok so maybe it wasnt worth the panic

i was there 11 til 4pm it was absolutely pissing down and windy but somehow i managed to get through it..

The hardest part was at the start when i had to go in a little car park bit and do straight lines and figure of 8s etc but then he said right you can follow me all the way back to mine now (having been on a bike for 30 mins)..i thuoght i was going to throw up as this was 2 roundabouts and through town away...

Strange because as soon as we hit the road i was straight and calm and natural ulike how i had just been going slowly on an empty car park..
I panicked a bit when the ruondabout loomed but its only because im not experienced with where to go and when ...
I go back to his alive and thought yess its over..

Then he handed me over to his female assistant and i had a further three hours going around town learning the correct way to indicate..turn corners..where to position myself in the road and at traffic lights ..how fast to go and when...etcetc..the other lad with me already knew what he was doing so seemed quite bored but for me i have never concentrated so hard in my entire life..
At one point i was cruising along getting soaked and i realised wow i am actually doing it and its not scary at all..

I am just waiting for my l plates and then i shall be off on my adventures 🙂

I would highly reccomend anyone to do a cbt and get a bike if they think theyd like to because its one of the best things i have ever done!

ps i have untucked my trousers out of my boots 😳

Good work, well done!

😀

nice one (see you could do it 😀

ps i have untucked my trousers out of my boots

I'd get a flurescent/reflective jacket as well, they make you look like a builder going to work but more importantly if someones seen you long enough to make the judgemet that it's a fassion faux-pas then at least they're not going to pull out on you.

Well done- good job!!

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Now enjoy yourself and aim for your full training as soon as you can (to avoid picking up bad habits before you go do your full test 😉 ). Then you can ride anything and the world is yours!
Life is good on two wheels 😀

my jacket as seen above has reflective strips and i have a bright pink helmet and a bit fat habana..im pretty sure i will be seen 😀

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life is good! ...pink ninja next 😛

Well done you! I was the roughly the same age when I did my cbt I then spent a year or so on a DT125 bought cheaply through adtrader (MRPP loved that bike) then did a Direct Access course and carried on riding my 125 for 6 months before getting a Kawazaki GPZ. I say get out there and enjoy it! I still shout yippee on my commutes to and from work even on the scooter (GT200).

ps i have untucked my trousers out of my boots

I was digging the swashbuckling look.

Which ninja have you got in mind? I loved my ZX's.

I'm not even allowed to store my bicycles in the hall.

Rolling a motorbike in there would end in tears.

ha! i like bikes in the hall coz you can sit and look at them from your sofa 🙂

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