Reading all of the above makes me wonder. Passed the IAM Motorcycle Test in the '80s - mainly to be able to borrow more money, for a bigger bike, from my Mum & Dad - I did no training and just read the IAM book. I know that the examiner was a copper as he followed me on a Police bike! I do intend to do it again to appease my family about getting back to biking after my accident. Question: Was I just lucky to pass, or is it much harder now?
Probably more able to meet the examiner’s expectation on the day than luck. As to passing today, when you get back on the road, do a Bike Safe day and take the advice you are given. Clearly I advocate the IAM RS ARC but there is also ROSPA who use the Police handbook, Road Craft rather than a bespoke document using Road Craft as a source but designed for your average rider. The ‘system’ is the same, the mentoring style and delivery will vary. When the time comes, please feel free to give me a shout for a chat. Andy
Just looked here: https://bikesafe.co.uk/gloucestershire/ This is what I will do. Thanks - good advice.
It’s all very well and commendable to get tuition/help/guidance, but one never stops learning. I think many take a test and never revisit training, I would highly recommend getting occasional training top ups, taking a test means not at lot. It’s the training and it’s effect on your riding that counts.
Continuous improvement. Statistics show that in as little as a year of undergoing advanced riding training, you can start losing the discipline if you do nothing. That is one reason ROSPA retest every 3 years and IAM RS now offer a class of membership that requires the same. If your IAM RS affiliated club is big enough, they should be able to offer continuous assessment. My group offer a wide range of follow on training and as an Observer, my riding standard is independently reviewed every 2 years by Rapid Training. Andy
@PerryL, BikeSafe is a subset of IAM anyway so you might as well just speak to Severn Advanced Motorcyclists (of which I was Chief Observer until fairly recently) about a refresh. Once you've passed your IAM test it remains for life (even if using the knowledge gained doesn't remain in use with some people). If you want some form of re-test, you'd probably be better going for a 'F1rst'.
I would say once training is complete up to advanced test level the next stage of training is more polishing than making a new object. It seems that organisations like Rapid training, or other retired class 1 riders offer a more suitable training mantra. I remember when I started with similar outfits they said forget trying to impress your observer, IAM/Rospa examiner, you’re now in the real world and we expect better.
That is interesting. So, officially, I am an advanced rider! Trouble is - I don't think that I have any evidence. Dunno what F1rst is, but I'll look it up tomorrow.
A friend and I are both waiting for a date with Rapid Training. We're both retired class 1 police motorcyclists. Our Rapid Training coach is someone we both worked with back in the day and who we still regularly tour with which enables us to get free regular check runs from him. However we've decided to pay like everyone else for a warts and all proper refresher. I think we're looking forward to it.
I am sure it will be great, not being a PITA but I quite like someone I don’t know well to go out with, ass it’s nothing personal and it can’t lead to any friendship issues down the line?
my most favourite Policeman ever was a motorcycle "cop". He was based in Surrey and sported an average length ginger/red beard. You would often see him stopped having a friendly word with a slightly errant motorist. How do I know it was a "friendly" word I can hear the cynics say? well, if you met the chap you would realise he was almost incapable of any other approach. I got the full treatment once and after the gentle wrist slap, we talked mostly about the car I was driving. Happy memories, and this approach now almost extinct.
I think I know what you mean. Integrity? If so then in this case I know that being long time friends with the coach won't affect the integrity which is why two of us are paying a friend instead of just going out on a jolly with him. We expect and want to be told where there's room for improvement. I'm fortunate enough to be able to arrange for him personally to take us because I know how good he is. Not only is he class 1 but a police driving school instructor, so he was the man who decided if you were good enough to be a class 1 in the first place.(although he didn't take me when I did mine) If my ego is going to take a bruising which it will, I want it to be from someone I know is a better rider than me and who I respect. Which is what I think we all want from a coach/instructor?
I have been lucky enough to ride with some advanced riders in the past, never got as far as IAM but picked up a lot from the other riders. Would recommend reading Roadcraft. Brought my riding on in leaps and bounds when when I traded up from an R6 to an R1 many years ago. Some serious re calculating was required, with road position and observation and planning. Became safer and quicker as a result.
I agree with @michel couque that Rapid adds considerable polish on top of a 'basic' foundation in roadcraft. I got several things from Kevin Williams at Survival Skills. First, it's not police-style roadcraft and offers a different take on advanced riding. Second, it gave me another (IMO, far better) mindset and psychological approach to road riding. Third, it improved my approach considerably to hazards (yes, even better than Masters). Last but not least, it gave me a riding plan for others and my own inevitable human errors. It's self-published and sorely needs a professional editor, but Kevin's book Mind Over Motorcycle gives a flavour of Survival Skills: https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/kev...rback/product-1epnqjky.html?page=1&pageSize=4
Stephen Haley's "Mind Driving" is brilliant too (and doesn't cost $37): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mind-Driving-Skills-Staying-Alive/dp/1873371160
Just to update, i had my 1st observed ride yesterday and it went really well, my observer Richard was friendly and although i was a tad nervous at first he quickly put me at ease, even though i consider myself to be a competent rider i learned a fair bit and enjoyed the session, i need to work on my positioning going into right hand bends and use a bit more physical rearward observation ie. looking behind at certain times and not just relying on my mirrors and also i was always of a mind that when reducing speed to enter lower speed limit area's eg. from a 50 into a 30, gears should be used to reduce speed with a minimum of braking, but i learned that its best practice to brake first then select the correct gear...little things like that dont seem much but make a good bit of difference to the bigger picture. Looking forward to my next session next week.
Further update...i'm going for my fourth observed ride session tomorrow morning, and on the whole i am really enjoying the experience, i think my riding style and awareness has markedly improved, even though i thought i was already a competent rider. I am finding the course to be fairly straightforward and most of it is just honing skills that already exist, although 2 aspects have challenged me and made me work and think hard - slow speed riding and optimising /maintaining speed limits, the latter is not easy and i always fear that i'm gonna exceed the legal speed, its takes skill to be able to ride within the required parameters, and riding too slow is as frowned upon as riding too fast!...as for slow speed riding ,i have learned to use the clutch in close conjunction with the rear brake and to look to where i want to go, not at the ground in front - it all falls apart if you do (don't ask how i know!)....all highly recommended.
