Failed CBT... completely lost confidence ??
Discussion
Hi everyone.. new rider here and went for my CBT today. I’ve been a pillion and my family has always had bikes so thought I’d go for my CBT and start the journey to getting my license. I’ve never ridden a bike before so totally new territory. Did the CBT with another novice rider and the day started off great, really confident but came to find the other rider picked everything up much faster than I did. Fast forward to half way through the day and I was basically forced to give up. With only 1 instructor between the two of us and no one else there, the other rider wanted to get out on the road and I just wasn’t ready yet so was forced to stop as I couldn’t be left alone practising at the school.
Absolutely gutted and feel like I’ve lost out majorly. At this stage I will say I am a young (26) women who’s always wanted to ride a bike, I’ve had a car licence for 9 years so completely familiar with the road but I just needed a little longer to get used to the controls. I really want to go back and try again on a one on one but worried that has massively affected my confidence and means I’ll have to pay another £130!!
The instructor was great and understanding but it was just frustrating I had no option to stay and get used to the slow control so I could’ve gained confidence instead of being forced to stop altogether.
Any advice please???
Absolutely gutted and feel like I’ve lost out majorly. At this stage I will say I am a young (26) women who’s always wanted to ride a bike, I’ve had a car licence for 9 years so completely familiar with the road but I just needed a little longer to get used to the controls. I really want to go back and try again on a one on one but worried that has massively affected my confidence and means I’ll have to pay another £130!!
The instructor was great and understanding but it was just frustrating I had no option to stay and get used to the slow control so I could’ve gained confidence instead of being forced to stop altogether.
Any advice please???
HustleRussell said:
Riding a bike is a skill which must be learnt.
Practice makes perfect.
Thanks, I think if I’d of done a one on one in the first instance I wouldn’t feel like it because I’d not have lost 4 hours of training because I had to stop. So frustrating. Especially when you see other pick it up so quickly! Practice makes perfect.
LaurenW21 said:
I just needed a little longer to get used to the controls. I really want to go back and try again on a one on one
There it is. Can you book a half day or a day’s training before, independent of the test? I do feel it’s likely that you’d pass if you just did the CBT day again as you say...
I know it’s costly. I passed my CBT at the first attempt but I feel that I had ridden poorly and had got away with it because the observer wasn’t great (too many students). When I first rode a bike after completing my CBT I had never felt less qualified or prepared for anything in my life. I had passed but I didn’t feel that I’d deserved to!
I know it’s costly. I passed my CBT at the first attempt but I feel that I had ridden poorly and had got away with it because the observer wasn’t great (too many students). When I first rode a bike after completing my CBT I had never felt less qualified or prepared for anything in my life. I had passed but I didn’t feel that I’d deserved to!
Some people learn faster than others, that's always the way.
I'd call the riding school and explain what has happened and see what they say, they may offer a private 1-2-1 or they may advise to do it again at £130, but you've already got some experience so doing again may be all you need to get to the point when you can get on the road.
You could also book one of those schools that guarantee a pass...
Ultimately riding a bike is a dangerous hobby, I would advise everyone to get a bike license and I'm glad to see you want to ride bikes and have the guts to share your experience. The instructor has to make a judgement for your safety and other road users, don't take it personally.
The good news is you already have a car license so you won't have to do theory etc for your bike test (unless they've changed it since I did my test 20+ years ago).
Good luck!
I'd call the riding school and explain what has happened and see what they say, they may offer a private 1-2-1 or they may advise to do it again at £130, but you've already got some experience so doing again may be all you need to get to the point when you can get on the road.
You could also book one of those schools that guarantee a pass...
Ultimately riding a bike is a dangerous hobby, I would advise everyone to get a bike license and I'm glad to see you want to ride bikes and have the guts to share your experience. The instructor has to make a judgement for your safety and other road users, don't take it personally.
The good news is you already have a car license so you won't have to do theory etc for your bike test (unless they've changed it since I did my test 20+ years ago).
Good luck!
Get back on the horse girl (well bike), its only money and it will suddenly just click and you'll be a better rider for it. Plenty have gone out been before pushed themselves to hard not known when to stop and come a cropper. YOU knew when to stop ans ask for more tuition, that is a good thing.
Regardless of the progress the other rider was making compared to yourself, you shouldn't have been forced to abandon after half a day and the to re book again at an additional cost.
Its understandable that they wanted to allow the other person to complete their CBT, but at the very least you should have been offered the chance to return as soon as possible and complete the full day again without any additional cost.
Don't be too disheartened though, just view it as an extra half days training and approach your next CBT with a fresh mindset. If the training school you used previously aren't willing to offer you what you have already paid for, then I'd suggest going try a different training school.
For what it's worth, my partner had a terrible time going for her MOD1 & 2 with one training school and started to absolutely hate the idea of riding a bike and it massively dented her confidence.
She switched to another school and absolutely flew through everything and loved every minute of it. She has her own SV650 and is a canny little rider and so glad that she never took tgr easy option and gave up.
Its understandable that they wanted to allow the other person to complete their CBT, but at the very least you should have been offered the chance to return as soon as possible and complete the full day again without any additional cost.
Don't be too disheartened though, just view it as an extra half days training and approach your next CBT with a fresh mindset. If the training school you used previously aren't willing to offer you what you have already paid for, then I'd suggest going try a different training school.
For what it's worth, my partner had a terrible time going for her MOD1 & 2 with one training school and started to absolutely hate the idea of riding a bike and it massively dented her confidence.
She switched to another school and absolutely flew through everything and loved every minute of it. She has her own SV650 and is a canny little rider and so glad that she never took tgr easy option and gave up.
airsafari87 said:
Regardless of the progress the other rider was making compared to yourself, you shouldn't have been forced to abandon after half a day and the to re book again at an additional cost.
.
Also this, poor show on their part IMO. One of my mates dropped his bike at some lights on his CBT, no real damage so instructor let him carry on and passed him..
Thanks for all the advice. I’m going to ring and ask them what I can do but think I’ll feel a bit cheated if I have to pay full price again. I know everyone learns at a different pace but just feel if I could’ve stayed on the school until I felt comfortable for the rest of the afternoon then I would’ve been in a much better position but I had no choice to do that.
I’m just gutted and after feeling so disheartened it doesn’t make me want to do it again which is frustrating.
I’m just gutted and after feeling so disheartened it doesn’t make me want to do it again which is frustrating.
Listen OP, I've been riding bikes for 36 years and I'm still learning. When I picked up my first bike I had never ridden one and I couldn't even get it off the garage forecourt. When I got to the first junction I stalled and when I restarted I over compensated, over reved the engine, lost control and my brand new 30 minute old bike went crashing down the road. It took me ages riding around an old car park to get the hang of it. I now consider myself to be a fair rider and motorcycling has brought me so much pleasure and introduced me to some of my greatest friends I'm really glad I didn't give up. Keep going. It sounds to me like you just need a little more time to get used to the controls. Also, keep this in mind, getting used to the controls only facilitates the riding and after that you must build your craft, grow some (bikers) road sense and who is to say that your rising chum that day wasn't hopeless at those things!
Gixer968CS said:
It took me ages riding around an old car park to get the hang of it. I now consider myself to be a fair rider and motorcycling has brought me so much pleasure and introduced me to some of my greatest friends I'm really glad I didn't give up. Keep going. It sounds to me like you just need a little more time to get used to the controls. Also, keep this in mind, getting used to the controls only facilitates the riding and after that you must build your craft, grow some (bikers) road sense and who is to say that your rising chum that day wasn't hopeless at those things!
Thanks, that gives me a bit of hope! I’m going to ring them tomorrow and just see what they say. I’m going to try and get a one to one and so there’s no pressure and just keep at it.
LaurenW21 said:
Gixer968CS said:
It took me ages riding around an old car park to get the hang of it. I now consider myself to be a fair rider and motorcycling has brought me so much pleasure and introduced me to some of my greatest friends I'm really glad I didn't give up. Keep going. It sounds to me like you just need a little more time to get used to the controls. Also, keep this in mind, getting used to the controls only facilitates the riding and after that you must build your craft, grow some (bikers) road sense and who is to say that your rising chum that day wasn't hopeless at those things!
Thanks, that gives me a bit of hope! I’m going to ring them tomorrow and just see what they say. I’m going to try and get a one to one and so there’s no pressure and just keep at it.
Don't be discouraged OP. I was in exactly the same situation on my first CBT back in November. No experience on a bike beforehand other than riding pillion once on a friend's bike many a year ago.
I thought I was progressing well throughout the morning and was confident I would be taken out onto the road. The other two lads on the course had biking experience before and were more skilled than I was at manoeuvres. After learning to use gears, I did feel I spent WAY too long just going up and down the car park and manually turning it round ( I was told off for trying to steer it round).
At midday, I was told I didn't cover enough slow manoeuvres to be taken out on the road that day (!!!). I was disheartened and disappointed but enjoyed being on a bike. Lockdown III happened soon after and I couldn't get another CBT day in until a few weeks ago in April so I had many months wasted in between and tbh forgot about motorbikes altogether (I drive a car every day and this is purely for entertainment).
I took my second CBT session and I felt MUCH more confident on the bike this time round and the road riding session was actually enjoyable rather than worrying. Being able to drive a car really helps and shows the difference between experienced road users vs. the 17 year olds. My second session cost me an extra £50 (half day rate) and an extra 5 months but I felt much more confident so I don't really care in hindsight. I also had a a different instructor second time round who I gelled with much more than the first instructor so I think that really makes a difference too.
TLDR: Don't worry about it, get another day booked back in ASAP and it will be much, much better I promise you. I'm now starting my DAS motorbike lessons this weekend! Best of luck!
I thought I was progressing well throughout the morning and was confident I would be taken out onto the road. The other two lads on the course had biking experience before and were more skilled than I was at manoeuvres. After learning to use gears, I did feel I spent WAY too long just going up and down the car park and manually turning it round ( I was told off for trying to steer it round).
At midday, I was told I didn't cover enough slow manoeuvres to be taken out on the road that day (!!!). I was disheartened and disappointed but enjoyed being on a bike. Lockdown III happened soon after and I couldn't get another CBT day in until a few weeks ago in April so I had many months wasted in between and tbh forgot about motorbikes altogether (I drive a car every day and this is purely for entertainment).
I took my second CBT session and I felt MUCH more confident on the bike this time round and the road riding session was actually enjoyable rather than worrying. Being able to drive a car really helps and shows the difference between experienced road users vs. the 17 year olds. My second session cost me an extra £50 (half day rate) and an extra 5 months but I felt much more confident so I don't really care in hindsight. I also had a a different instructor second time round who I gelled with much more than the first instructor so I think that really makes a difference too.
TLDR: Don't worry about it, get another day booked back in ASAP and it will be much, much better I promise you. I'm now starting my DAS motorbike lessons this weekend! Best of luck!
It is not uncommon not to make it out onto the road - do not be hard on yourself. One day training isn't a lot if you have no bike experience.
Obviously I don't know how the school you used charge, but most wouldn't recharge the full amount.
It's a cost sensitive business CBT. Look at what you get for you money, 50% of a day of an instructor, bike, insurance, venue and (eventually) the charge from the government for each CBT cert.
There is a little room to give anything extra away.
I would say you had a good school with a 2 student to one instructor. Some run at 3to1 or even 4to1 and charge much the same as you paid.
Stick with it. you will glad you did.
I am a instructor (including CBT) - the money is poor so I did the maths, I doubt the boss can pay me much more if wants to turn a profit.
Obviously I don't know how the school you used charge, but most wouldn't recharge the full amount.
It's a cost sensitive business CBT. Look at what you get for you money, 50% of a day of an instructor, bike, insurance, venue and (eventually) the charge from the government for each CBT cert.
There is a little room to give anything extra away.
I would say you had a good school with a 2 student to one instructor. Some run at 3to1 or even 4to1 and charge much the same as you paid.
Stick with it. you will glad you did.
I am a instructor (including CBT) - the money is poor so I did the maths, I doubt the boss can pay me much more if wants to turn a profit.
Edited by OverSteery on Thursday 29th April 18:14
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