Bike taster experience for wife

[MBVitoria]

Hi all, wife has always had an interest in bikes.

As she's turning 40 this year I thought it might be fun to get her a bike taster session, just to see if it's something she wants to take further or at the least, to scratch an itch.

Something that would give her some basic tuition including how to change gears, few laps of a car park etc.

Any suggestions or alternative ideas? I'm just outside Chester so anywhere within an hour or two would be fine.

Cheers.

Edited by MBVitoria on Sunday 17th November 12:28

[MrGman]

Surely just a CBT?

[MBVitoria]

MrGman said:

Surely just a CBT?

Ah that might be it then.

Stupidly I thought a CBT didn't include how to actually control a bike and use gears - I assumed it was more something you do on a moped only?

[MrGman]

No, you can specify twist and go, or manual, it all be £100 for the day, start off in a car park, ending on the roads. If she likes it she’s already one step of the way to getting her licence.

[Simon_GH]

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

[myvision]

Simon_GH said:

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

What classroom/theory stuff?

[black-k1]

Simon_GH said:

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

The down side of such an approach is that it'll be all playground and 3rd gear max.. You can't ride on the road until you've passed your CBT.

[John D.]

black-k1 said:

Simon_GH said:

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

The down side of such an approach is that it'll be all playground and 3rd gear max.. You can't ride on the road until you've passed your CBT.

You have to ride on the road to pass the CBT. It starts in a car park where they teach you the basics of controlling a bike, but the second part is riding on the road with the instructor/assessor.

At least thats how it was in 2010 when I did it. Some people weren't allowed out on the road as they were so hopeless in the car park, and had to come back another day.

[lukeyman]

Make a day of it...

https://www.motorcyclelive.co.uk/feature/learn-to-...

[Tango13]

Ask Birky41 to let her have a go of his Maico 490, what could possibly wrong...

[OverSteery]

myvision said:

Simon_GH said:

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

What classroom/theory stuff?

3 of 5 compulsory CBT elements are theory (not riding a bike).

[OverSteery]

MBVitoria said:

Hi all, wife has always had an interest in bikes.

As she's turning 40 this year I thought it might be fun to get her a bike taster session, just to see if it's something she wants to take further or at the least, to scratch an itch.

Something that would give her some basic tuition including how to change gears, few laps of a car park etc.

Any suggestions or alternative ideas? I'm just outside Chester so anywhere within an hour or two would be fine.

Cheers.

Edited by MBVitoria on Sunday 17th November 12:28

Not a CBT - You would be better off with some sort of pre-CBT, taster or new rider session one-to-one.

CBT is a long, tiring day. Many who have never ridden a bike previously, struggle to make it to the final road ride with a manual bike. Typically it's a mixed ability class and there is a need to keep the day moving forwards.

She may have a great day and love it. Or she may well be the only female present and many bike schools have an overly male culture and aren't very patient with new female riders; so she might hate it.

Read the google reviews very carefully. A CBT at the wrong school could be an unpleasant experience for her.

I run a motorcycle training school. We've trained many customers of similar profile to you wife, and it's not uncommon for them to had bad experiences before coming to us. We would recommend initially a 90 min New rider session, which would be one to one.

Have a look on Facebook. For South Wales there is a group "South Wales Female Bikers", which is a geat place to get recommendations. She could try there or maybe there is something similar for "up north" ?

Wales is pretty good for off road training; some of them have courses for people who have no bike experience Yamaha Off Road Experience maybe?


For CBT look for a school that maintains a 2 to 1 student/Instructor ratio throughout the CBT.

Edited by OverSteery on Sunday 17th November 16:25

[vonhosen]

MBVitoria said:

Hi all, wife has always had an interest in bikes.

As she's turning 40 this year I thought it might be fun to get her a bike taster session, just to see if it's something she wants to take further or at the least, to scratch an itch.

Something that would give her some basic tuition including how to change gears, few laps of a car park etc.

Any suggestions or alternative ideas? I'm just outside Chester so anywhere within an hour or two would be fine.

Cheers.

Edited by MBVitoria on Sunday 17th November 12:28

Nah

Make a weekend of it

[s p a c e m a n]

OverSteery said:

myvision said:

Simon_GH said:

I’d go for a geared 125 lesson and then if she likes it, a CBT. That way she’ll spend the whole time with the bike and not have to bother with the theory / classroom stuff needed for the CBT.

What classroom/theory stuff?

3 of 5 compulsory CBT elements are theory (not riding a bike).

I did the CBT with my missus at the start of the year because she also wanted to try out motorbikes and had never been on one. As said there was no real theory stuff, there was 15 mins of us standing around looking at a bike being told what everything did but then it was riding around in a school playground on geared 125 hondas, out onto the road and then out CBT certificates.

If she's into bikes then just do the CBT, it's a day of messing around on a bike and she'll need to do it anyway if she wants to take it further.

[OverSteery]

s p a c e m a n said:

I did the CBT with my missus at the start of the year because she also wanted to try out motorbikes and had never been on one. As said there was no real theory stuff, there was 15 mins of us standing around looking at a bike being told what everything did but then it was riding around in a school playground on geared 125 hondas, out onto the road and then out CBT certificates.

If she's into bikes then just do the CBT, it's a day of messing around on a bike and she'll need to do it anyway if she wants to take it further.

Yes, there are plenty of schools out there who will take the money and not deliver the course that people have paid for. It's illegal, but the DVSA struggle to police the system and close the cowboys down.

In Wales the latest statistics show that a motorcycle rider is 58 times more likely to be killed or seriously injured than a car driver. Decent training school provide proper training.

[s p a c e m a n]

I've just googled it as we used a very reputable school..

The Highway Code, Road positioning, Legal requirements, Staying safe on the road, and Importance of good motorcycle equipment and clothing

That's what they did, it took 15 minutes with a group of 6 of us, you're making it sound like a morning in the classroom reading books and doing tests

[8IKERDAVE]

I'm in a very similar position to you. My wife also turned 40 this year and has said many times she would like to 'give it a go' having been on the back of my bike a few times.

I went to the local training school and bought her a CBT voucher which I'll give to her as part of her christmas present. If she enjoys the day I'll be on the lookout for a little 125 (thinking Honda CBF or similar). Then, hopefully the journey will commence onto bigger bikes.

Selfishly I was a bit reluctant at first adopting the mindset of "this is my hobby and my form of escapism". But, as the years have gone by, my eldest lad has started to come out with me and I've accepted it to branching out into a family hobby which is actually nice. I have the fear of course that she could have a spill, but it would be hugely hypocritical of me to try and block it. After all, she has watched me go out time and time again in the 16 years we've been together and more than likely had that very same fear.

[RazerSauber]

Another vote for a CBT. My first CBT was a good progression from theory to practical, then out on the road. If a 16 year old can do one without a problem then I'm sure she can crack it. I will say that the instructor is massively important. My first instructor was a throbber and made the experience really poor. The 2nd one was lightyears better. Casual in approach but not unsafe. It's important to choose a riding school though. Don't borrow a friend's scooter or bike just in case it goes wrong. An experienced instructor and a fully insured bike are the way to go.

Go used with all the gear minus a helmet to start (or check out clearance items that can be exceptionally cheap). You'll take less of a hit to the wallet if it goes no further, and it's always handy to have a spare if she gets the bug. It's going to be an expensive day if you're after all new gear, a new bike, and having to get some lunch at the biker cafe when you're shopping. Cafes are not optional when biking!

[Billy2023]

I did this for my wife last year. She suddenly shocked me and my daughters one night by saying she wanted to get her bike licence. She is very risk adverse and we were stunned!
I spoke to a local training centre and arranged for her to do her CBT and then spend the next day 1 on 1 with an instructor on the road. I thought this would give her a better idea if she wanted to do it rather than just the CBT or straight into a DAS.
She loved it, passed her DAS and quite often comes out with me.

[MBVitoria]

Thanks for the insight all, I've found a place that does a short taster session for £40. Knowing her, she does get quite anxious about new challenges so I think on balance, a short session would be better than a day's CBT.

Hopefully if all goes well that can give me an idea for our next wedding anniversary gift!