Learner Motorcyclists

[donkeychomp]

First off don't get me wrong, I'm all for them. Anyone who takes the test nowadays...bravo. Takes ages and a lot of money but these people ensure our lineage, if you will. However I assumed these riders are accompanied by an instructor and lately I've seen lots of them tootling about on their own.

Today was an eye opener though. Leaving work (about a 7 mile trip home, takes 20 mins) I spotted 4 of them on what looked like maybe 125cc bikes and slotted in behind them. No instructor. 30mph zone, they did maybe 20...hit a 40mph zone, they did maybe 25. After two miles of this the tail back behind me was immense. Then something really odd happened. A car was parked on the kerb, half on the road, half off. In a car you'd normally zip past that but the lead 'biker' stopped. Nothing was coming but he sat on his bike waiting for who knows what and then gingerly rode past the car. All the other three did exactly the same. Cars, trucks, buses behind me all beeping like mad (I didn't by the way)and finally we were all off. At 20mph in a 40 zone. Then something even odder happened. They all pulled over on a narrow road and parked their bikes so the front end was pointing out. Basically blocked one side of the road. Took me maybe 2 minutes to get past them once there was no oncoming traffic. I have no idea how the mile long queue behind me took.

So the question is...where was the instructor and if this lot were deemed safe to go out on their own...how bad are modern bikers going to be?

Alex

ps yeah OK a bit of a rant but it took me 50 minutes to drive 7 sodding miles

[chrisg]

All i can think of, is that there visiting the UK or working here from abroad and not used to our left hand system🤔

[donkeychomp]

Maybe Chris but this lot had head sets on and certainly looked like they were doing some sort of test. They failed.

Alex

[chrisg]

Deffinately not normal behaviour for bikers, i recall seeing bikers parking like you mention in Italy.

[donkeychomp]

Ahh. Maybe they were all from abroad after all. That would explain an awful lot!

Alex

[linx]

Very strange. I have 2 daughters who have both done their CBT and been learners in the past year. Neither of them ride like that or were ever taught to. Even when they were out with the instructor, they did the speed limit. We usually have 2 students to one instructor in the UK white doing the CBT. I bought my 16 year old a 50 which does 45mph because I deam bikes that only do 30mph as dangerous.

[docmartin]

Strange as you say….

Here in rural north Wales, there are quite a lot of kids on L plates now, and they do seem to get a pace on….

When you think back to when some of us being shown what the controls of the bike, the dealer would quickly run back in the showroom only to watch you set off on your first ride….

[linx]

Jul 31, 2023 8:43:19 GMT 1 docmartin said:

Strange as you say….

Here in rural north Wales, there are quite a lot of kids on L plates now, and they do seem to get a pace on….

When you think back to when some of us being shown what the controls of the bike, the dealer would quickly run back in the showroom only to watch you set off on your first ride….

😂 Very true

[veg]

Reminds me of the late 80’s when I worked at Albany super bikes in Coventry we had an elderly customer mid 70’s called Jack he’d ridden for most of his life a lovely old boy. He ‘down sized’ from a Honda cb125t to a c90. He picks it up the sales manager goes through the controls. He totters off 50 yards up the road is a set of lights he starts to rev his bike at the lights in neutral bangs it into gear and flips it. Bike goes one way he is on his arse. We run over to make sure he’s ok he sat in the middle of the dual carriage way grinning completely unhurt .
Never to old to mess up.

[Gitram]

never too old to style it out.. as young people might say..

marti