Hello, hello,

The eagle-eyed amoung you may have noticed a few beta tests popping up of our new look website.  It is looking really quite lovely and we hope you will like it too.

There are a fair few important announcements coming up in the next month or so, so keep your eyes peeled for some exciting news.

The new look site will be up soon.  In the meantime, to wet your appetite, here is a little snapshot of our new design.  Enjoy …

Thinking of taking up riding? Well now is absolutely the right time.  Just a quick heads up, as we come into the summer months we are becoming busier and busier and as a consequence availability is at a premium. If you have specific times or dates you want for your training then get booking NOW or you may lose out.

Finally, for anyone out there that is not aware, March 14th (Mothering Sunday) is the date of the ‘Ride for Afghan Heroes’; a ride-out to show appreciation for our troops. Please note the registration for this event is closed and they are asking for non registered riders NOT to attend for fear of bringing the road network to a standstill! It will be a great turnout with more than 10,000 registered riders and it will undoubtedly receive high profile publicity. This is just what we need at the start of the riding season. Hope to see you there.

If a loved one has a birthday in the New Year then what better to give, than a voucher towards the best training around.

Here we are in October and those cold wet days are upon us. Many will stop riding, some won’t. There is no need to stop, with good kit and a sensible attitude winter riding is still good fun. Time spent learning to ride well in the cold wet weather will reap dividends come the warmer summer months. Grip is at a premium in the winter. Learning to feel the road and balance the throttle in these conditions, plus reading the road and plan further ahead is what will help make you a good summer rider. So guys and gals check the bike over and join us year round riders.

From the 27th April 2009 the Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has introduce the new 2 part motorcycle test to comply with European legislation.

The revised motorcycle test module 1 has provided new challenges for would be motorcyclists. Much has been written about the new manoeuvres. Details can be found here: http://www.dsa.gov.uk/Category.asp?cat=551

Whether we like it or not it is here to stay! And the sooner we embrace what has to be done and get on with it the better.

We at Riding in Action are very well placed in the training industry providing the space and facilities to be able to practice the manoeuvres required to pass module 1 of the practical motorcycle test.

The ability to be able to practice the manoeuvres at full speed are of paramount importance, if the student is to be able to perform the test safely. Much has been written in the media about the disasters that have occurred in the early days of the test.

‘New motorbike test is under fire’ – BBC.co.uk (26th May 09)
“The government is under pressure to rethink its new motorcycle test following a series of crashes in the first few weeks of its use.”

If you have never done this manoeuvre at the full speed (50kph) then there is a distinct possibility of panicking and applying the brakes when turning. We all know this should never be done, however, when faced with the unknown we do silly things!

Failure to get up to the required speed.

If you have never practised at the correct speed it is too late during your actual test to start to learn.

“A brake and swerve maneuver on a wet road is fraught with danger for even an experienced motorcyclist, so there needs to be a safer option for inclement weather conditions” BBC.co.uk (26th May 09)

The avoidance manoeuvre in the wet might sound scary, however, once you have experienced and practised the manoeuvre the reality is, it is quite safe and easy to perform.

What has not been reported is why the failures have occurred! The answer in our opinion is simple, to practice the manoeuvre a riding school needs to have adequate space to practice them at full speed. The truth is that the vast majority of schools are unable to offer these facilities. The DSA’s minimum space for a CBT training site is 80ft x 30 ft (less than the size of a tennis court). The Module 1 practical test is conducted on a area of approximately 300ft x 150ft (about the size of a football pitch! It is therefore not difficult to see the problem.

The DSA has seen fit to hire out their sites for schools to practice on, however, with the demand placed upon them (their own usage for the test and the number of schools wishing to use them) it very likely that any student will have very little time on the site to practice.

Which ever school you choose to train with, be sure they have the facilities for you to practice the manoeuvres at full speed. DO NOT BE FOOLED!

Rest assured that we at Riding in Action have a huge site with all the Module 1 manoeuvres laid out for you to train on.

We hope to see you soon.

Like car drivers all riders who wish to take the practical test will have to take the theory test specific to motorcycles.

Your age will dictate which bike test you can take.

16 moped only
17 to 21 A2 restricted license.
21 and older A2 restricted or full Motorcycle license

The new motorcycle test is broken down into two parts or modules.
Module 1 is an off road riding exercise lasting around 10 minutes
Module 2 is an on road ride followed by the examiner to demonstrate your abilities to ride on the public roads safely.

Module 1 is what all the fuss has been about and whether we like it or not its here to stay. So is it as difficult or as dangerous as has been reported? Of course not. Do you seriously think the government would introduce a procedure that has the risk of litigation?

The difficulty has arisen over the training schools lack of available space to practice the required moves. Training areas are typically car parks or school playgrounds. Prior to the introduction of module 1, training schools only used their training area for CBT’s and an introduction to the larger bikes before to going on the road.

It is interesting to note that the minimum size approved by the DSA for a CBT site is 80ft by 30ft ie about the size of a tennis court. Now with module 1 we need enough space to get up to 32 mph to do the braking exercise and accident avoidance maneuvre. It is not surprising therefore, there have been crashes! Most schools do not have the space to practice at full speed.
Yes they can hire the DSA sites (when the DSA are not using them) but for only 15 minute slots, barely enough time for a single student to have one try, let alone repeated practice.

We at RiA have a huge size with more than enough space to practice all the maneuvres over and over again until the student is fully confident in what has to be done. Take a look at the video below to see the avoidance maneuver at full speed and ask yourself does this look dangerous? You can also see part of our site, giving you an idea of how much room we have.

The point is just how many guys and girls are out there who because of peer pressure are just too afraid to admit they cannot do something. I have to say it is mostly the guys (bloody testosterone). The basics are easy but getting good at something requires practice and someone to honestly tell you if and where you are going wrong.