I'm thinking of taking the ROSPA advanced test for motorbikes (http://www.roada.org.uk/riders/test/index.htm) this summer. There's also the IAM, but I like the fact that ROSPA you have to do every three years which should keep your skills in check.
Anyone else done this test and if so, do you recommend ROSPA?
Done neither but always fancied a go, some insurance companies even discount too!
Although I cannot complain at £147 fully comp protected ;D
I've been meaning to do it for a couple of years now. I've ear marked this guy. He come highly recommended.
http://www.ridecraft.co.uk/
I passed my IAM test this time last year. Highly, highly recommended by me. My riding is much safer, I anticipate far better, and strangely it has also brought a new type of riding enjoyment at a much lower pace.
I imagine ROSPA is similar.
Martin.
NB ... Do the ROSPA ... Do anything that will help you !
I would imagine that most blokes on a GTR site are of the older more experienced brigade so all have a few years riding experience BUT we can all learn from other people, from riding abroad, from riding in shit weather, from watching others fall off etc ..... you know what I mean !
I see Martin passed his test last year and good for him .. it has to be of benefit.
There are, I am sure, plenty of Instructors out there and to a degree it will depend on who you get and wether you gel with them and how they take their lessons and what pace they expect of you ..." making progress " as I call it is a subjective matter but should always be fun !
It would never hurt to take a look at Roadcraft, watch a bit of video on cornering at speed and all that and then go out and try it at your own pace in your own time and see how you get on. There are some very quick riders out there but as I say " any one can ride fast it's just how you do it "
PLANNING and CONSISTENCY are in my view the qualities that are required and you may find that initially your speed drops as you concentrate on thinking about what you are about to do as opposed to just going in there blind thinking that all is well !
Anyway, that's enough from me .... good luck !
I have a copy of Motorcycle Roadcraft which I have read from front to back. It's not everyones choice of learning but it all makes sense and it's full of excellent information which you can go out and practice.
I'm the first to admit I'm not the fastest biker on the planet and I dont have a problem with that. I ride to relax, if others want to blat past me then they can crack on, it doesn't bother me in the least.
I do think I need to do the ROSPA or IAM. There's many a time where I think to myself "was that manoeuvre really safe?" As as LW says, we should be enjoying ourselves on the bikes, not having near misses.
For the crazy moments it'll be a track bike ;D
NB, when I ride, I apply the same style and degree of planning as I do at work when I'm driving. I honestly think that is what has kept me safe all these years. You continually evaluate everything as you roll along. I always ask myself, is it necessary to overtake and do I have a gap to get back in. Why not have a go at one of the Bike Safe courses first and see what you think to that. I can make some enquiries for you if you are interested.
Done the bike safe which was good. Managed to have two coppers following me on a bike!
Quote from: Norman Bates on December 01, 2010, 12:25:16 AM
Done the bike safe which was good. Managed to have two coppers following me on a bike!
Did you find that they gave you a bit of a free rein to do what you wanted speed wise as long as it was safe? They normally do, but at the same time they tell you that if you pick up any speeding tickets they are down to you.
I started ROSPA some years ago , but due to Divorce etc I could not afford to see it through at the time. Then 3 years ago , not wanting to fanny around with re tests I opted for IAM. Wish I had seen ROSPA through.
Some big big inconsistencies in teaching & examiners. Long story , but was well documented by me & one of Devons instructors for IAM who unfortunately is no longer with us (not bike related ) on an Fjr forum. Left me feeling pretty let down.
Best thing you can do in my opinion is get hold of the Police Riders Manual, it's available through HMO . I thought it was a fine clear educational book. If you ride by the methods set in that book , your there. But that's just my opinion.
Sorry to hear that Mr Ziderman ... and that is the problem with a lot of things to do with driving , riding and road skills .. rules are rules but when it comes to assesments and teaching things can get very foggy .. for example, overtakes .. what may be acceptable to one examiner as a swift well planned in and out overtake may be seen by another as a a bit dodgy or rushed or even dangerous and no matter how much you want to argue with the examiner if he fails you he fails you, and people like yourselves with all the good intentions in the world walk away feeling quite bewildered by it all and that is a great shame.
Stick to Road Craft and you wont go wrong. Good Luck.
That's it Mr Rusty...I took my training with DAM Devon Ad...... I lived just in Somerset at the time(land of my birth) so my post code meant I had an examiner from Taunton in Somerset. The Devon lot rammed life savers into me like no ones business. Sure they have a time & place , but they really did pee me off. Spent most time with yer head over your shoulder. All due to there known examiners , obviously being sticklers for it. There were other pathetic issues like when riding over the word , slow in the road. I was picked up on fact that I should ride over the O & not the L ..something to do with how much slippery white paint you might ride over.....
To cut a long story short the Somerset examiner pulled me in half way through test & told me in no uncertain terms "If I looked over my shoulder once more , he would fail me" suited me fine & I passed.
OMG .. that typifies what I am talking about ... riding between letters in the road ... that's how anal some people are I'm afraid ! Nice to hear you passed though !
Anal spot on mate. The Somerset examiner was spot on & wish I had done my training with Somerset group instead.
A life saver all the time is overkill. I think I'll get my road craft out and polish up.
Quote from: Norman Bates on January 18, 2011, 06:56:55 PM
A life saver all the time is overkill. I think I'll get my road craft out and polish up.
The System (from Roadcraft.. the basis of both IAM ands RoSPA) states consider lifesaver, not do them all the time as if your doing a 125 test
P
Quote from: Lord Rusty on January 16, 2011, 10:09:49 AM
OMG .. that typifies what I am talking about ... riding between letters in the road ... that's how anal some people are I'm afraid ! Nice to hear you passed though !
I cant agree that picking a course that avoids white paint is anal. Paint and metal are best avoided in the wet!
I decided to do some advacne training in 2007 when i moved from a 600 Hornet to a cbf1000.
I joined the local IAM group and passed the test and felt my riding had been transformed. However whilst doing IAM I met a local RoSPA tutor who encouraged me to join his group as a next step. I asumed the training and test would be very similar but I was wrong.
The Rospa training was more detailed and aimed at getting the best grade possbile at test. I acheived Gold and felt that the test, including a comprehensive de-brief was a more in depth exmaination of my riding. The IAM test had a minimal de-brief and is off course a pass or fail with no marking or grading.
I came out of the RoSPA training at a "next level" and realising what I had missed out on i the 6 years on my Hornet
Having said all of the above I'm sure that what a trainee will get out of either IAM or RoSPA come down in many ways to the people providing the training. In my case RoSPA was better and the three year re-test is a good incentive to keep up the standard.
I know that my advanced skills allowed me to get to grips with the GTR in safety.
After passing the Rospa test I then trained to be a tutor with my group and I get so much out of seeing other riders improve their skills, regardless of their test result.
P
Any training is better than none.
I am a member of both IAM and RoSPA, and would recommend both.
Try BikeSafe as a taster www.bikesafe.co.uk
Reading RoadCraft is a start, but it is better read then practiced with a tutor.
Bridge the Gap and get some advanced training - it may save your life
Quote from: patrick on February 11, 2011, 09:07:52 PM
Quote from: Lord Rusty on January 16, 2011, 10:09:49 AM
OMG .. that typifies what I am talking about ... riding between letters in the road ... that's how anal some people are I'm afraid ! Nice to hear you passed though !
I cant agree that picking a course that avoids white paint is anal. Paint and metal are best avoided in the wet!
I can testify to the slippyness of paint. It was Spanish paint mind, put down by an idiot.
The picture bellow represents a 3 lane motorway. The dashed line are obviously the lane dividers!
The Red line is a concrete barrier.
Ok lets set the scene. Damp drizzly day that was very overcast. Buzzing down the motorway.
Oh no some road works, one lane is closing ..... slow down and prepare to merge.
The lane (left lane) merges into centre lane on a slight bend guided by said concrete barrier.
Next thing the front wheel tucks and me an the wife are sliding on our arses/ backs with an artic bearing down on us (we were going that slow).
I just aquaplaned on my waterproofs until my head came to rest on the barrier!
It was surreal, not a mark on the underlying leathers but the over-suit was in tatters!
WHAT HAPPENED YOU MAY ASK???
The road workers had painted out the lane dividers with what seemed like gloss paint in one continuous line, which I had to cross as the lanes merged.
It was like black ice.
I am always warey of painted lines on the road more so now than before, lines here do tend to have a little grip compared to that used abroad.
In France for example, Zebra crossings. Very similar glossyness to them. Had an arse clenching moment crossing one of those in the wet at no more than a brisk walking pace!
Nygie, that sounds nasty. I'm very conscious of road markings since having a close encounter with the black markings you see on the motorway. I think another member on this forum had the same issue. Going around a sharp motorway bend in the rain, hit the black markings and the bike went into a tank slap. This is it, I thought. Luckily the bike corrected itself, but it was a cold sweat moment.
I will probably end up doing the ROSPA this year just to be more safe. I'm definitely sure I can plan better ahead and want to get rid of some of the unnecessary risk I take. That's why I do more track days. Speed and sensibility on the track, sensibility only on the roads
Cattle grids are a pet hate of mine. Which is unfortunate really seeing as how I enjoy riding across moorland which is usually littered with..., yeah cattle grids. ::)
The thing is the bend in the road was only very slight, probably a 120 or so bend in the dry.
I had never come across anything so stupid in all my life. A waste of paint too, painting the areas where there was no white line to cover! If it was in UK I would have taken pictures and sued there asses! >:(
That bitumen shit is scary too, coming down a down hill twisty in the pouring rain. It was everywhere on this one French road. Only 6" - 2' in length but lots of them...... I think my arse was twitching at the same rate as my heart was beating! ;D
Quote from: Nygie on February 12, 2011, 08:46:01 PM
The thing is the bend in the road was only very slight, probably a 120 or so bend in the dry.
I had never come across anything so stupid in all my life. A waste of paint too, painting the areas where there was no white line to cover! If it was in UK I would have taken pictures and sued there asses! >:(
That bitumen shit is scary too, coming down a down hill twisty in the pouring rain. It was everywhere on this one French road. Only 6" - 2' in length but lots of them...... I think my arse was twitching at the same rate as my heart was beating! ;D
French roads are great of the beaten track aint they!
Still lots better than the main UK ones :o ;D
Yes yes ...we all know in the Wet it's a lot different. But in the dry with modern tyres theirs no problem.. With the amount of Tar Banding & white paint on the roads , if you tried to avoid it all, you would have to get off your Bike & push it. Be like bloody slalom course otherwies.