Just wondered, how many lessons everyone took before they finally passed their motorbike test and were legally able to drive. I know it's all about how learning skills, and how quick you are at learning, but am very interested to know.   I'm going to be onto my 6th one next week, long way to go yet                                                                                                                                                                              

well if you have your own bike and can practice then its not too bad but if you use the instuctors it will take a lot longer, I had 3 lessons and did 500 miles on my 125, but like you say everyone is different and if you can drive a car it will be easier as you will be used to traffic flow etc.

Like Julie ... I had my own bike   I did 3 lessons after my CBT then tore the ligaments in my ankle so couldnt hold up a big bike, so got a little one did 1500 miles over 6 months & then had a few more & did my test. (tho my 1500 miles were mainly with Mr P behind telling me what I was doing wrong when I did something I shold not have done)   Lessons even tho you may ride are a good idea before your test as it will get you out of any bad habits you may have developed whilst riding.                                                                                                                                                                             

yes you may be able to ride well but you need the lessons to teach you the `style` of riding for the test, If you go for training after the test its all different, thats when you learn to ride properly.I was very crafty and took my test about a month before it all changed so I had an easy time off it, loads cheaper too, it amazes me how people on an average wage can afford to start biking these days!

Tell me about it ... thanks to the torn ligament I ended up doing the new test ... whilst it was not hard to do the training for it was completely different to how it was before... and how much the prices had gone up !!                                                                                                                                                                              

I know what you mean I've already paid £99 for my cbt and I'm onto my 6th lesson, at £20 a time, that like £120, then I've got to take my hazard perception test which is £31, and I don't have a bike yet.    Def gonna get one as soon as after christmas though.   xx                                                                                                                                                                             

No lessons, no CBT when I took mine.   But I'm ancient, according to Jacko's test http://www.bikermatch.co.uk/sites/bm/forum/posts.asp?to...ic_id=6765   Although I was riding bikes before I drove cars, I took car test first. Rode big bikes for    erm .. .. much to long, about 10 years ... only on my provisional. Fortunately, only got nicked once riding big bike on prov. Eventually took bike teat in 1989. And then I took it while I was in Guernsey.                                                                                                                                                                                 

One thing that wil help you if you have your own bike (unless doing a DAS) you can have your lessons on your bike that way the instructor is not charging bike hire in his fees to you.                                                                                                                                                                              

£ 20 is pretty good for a lesson and use of a bike, think mine were about £45 for 2 or 3 hours, think it helped doing long sessions rather than hour long lessons.   Tony when I was 18 I had a gs400e and no licence, if I had known then what i know now I prob would have been scared stiff!                                                                                                                                                                             

I did about 15 hours in 3 stints for my module 1 and about 10 hours for my module 2, again in 3 blocks. I'd recommend learning in about 5 hour spells.   The theory test, I just bought the dvd from asda and did mock test, after mock test. Now I'm addicted to it like it's a bloody pub quiz.                                                                                                                                                                             

I'm a little like GT.  

I started a course when I turned 17, spent four lessons learning the Part 1 test and taking it.  But I then got knocked off before my next lesson and so hadn't really had any on road training at all. 

By the time I was back on the road I'd missed the rest of the course and forfeit the fee.

So I put in for my test and without any on road training, I passed.  The examiner had to explain the rules of the U-turn to me!

Then, a few years later I decided I ought to pass my car test so my Dad taught me reversing, I put in for my car test ... and passed that as well!  Again, without any training.

However, as I'm a firm believer of the theory that you pass your test and then learn to ride, I wouldn't be that bothered about the number of lessons you take.  Just as long as you've taken enough to pass your test, then that'll do.  Then get your test passed and put your name down for some proper training.                                                                                                                                                                              

I've never had any training at all. Did take two goes to pass my test tho. first time was on a C90. Not surprised i failed that. I'm happy with my riding and have no intention of doin any training in the future. if you spend all your time analising your riding you'll just be constantly dissapointed and end up as some training junkie and a real bore at parties. But i'm sure you'll have a lot of pretty bits of paper to show people.                                                                                                                                                                             

 I failed my 125 test the first time,.. but 20 years back now, so none of that CBT or DAS stuff, I was going too slow. I think I'd been riding on 'L's for a couple of years, a lot of that green laning, so I'd got the control bit sorted,... and the crashing!   At the same time, I was taking lessons for my HGV/PSV, (which I also failed first time) and there was a bike school next to the HGV one on the docks, so I had an hour riding round Hull with them to help me increase speed a bit and stop been nervous.  I got my HGV passed on a tues, and the bike on thursday of the same week,.. I had some pressure on that week!  I was allways told the same as what Geoff just said,.. pass, and then learn how to drive/ride.                                                                                                                                                                                  

I did some star rider when I was 17. I got bored and took my test and passed before finishing the course. best move I ever made cus I don't think I could be bothered now                                                                                                                                                                             

"I'm happy with my riding and have no intention of doin any training in the future. if you spend all your time analising your riding you'll just be constantly dissapointed and end up as some training junkie and a real bore at parties. But i'm sure you'll have a lot of pretty bits of paper to show people."

So in other words, don't bother with further training, BikeSafe courses or the advice of every road safety officer or bike cop in the country!  Just carry on as you are and with a bit of luck and a blessing from the Holy Mary, you won't end up as a statistic.

As I've said before, male riders with a few years under their belts are far more reluctant to have their riding analysed than newer or female riders.  And it's attitudes like the one above that suggest an explanation for this.  Is their riding truly worthy of pride or is it a case that having been riding for a good number of years they are nervous about being told their riding could be improved upon or even worse that they have a few dangerous habits.

We are all aware that over the last decade or so, there has been a trend for increased bike accidents involving men in their 30s, 40s and 50s.  The press seems to aim the blame for this purely on the "born again bikers", but I feel there is more to it than this.

Modern bikes are both very safe (highly maneuverable and with excellent braking capabilities) but also potentially very dangerous having far greater power to weight ratios than anything that came before.  And experienced riders or otherwise, our riding standards have to be improved to cope.  Certainly a test pass from thirty years ago and then a couple of decades on a CX500 aren't going to prepare us.

Nor is advice like that above!

But then again, perhaps it's all the fault of car drivers?  Perhaps their driving standards should be raised, or they should be forced to ride a bike for a couple of years to take account of a very small minority of road users who choose to travel by a means that is more exciting but also potentially far more dangerous?  I read so many posts on this forum blaming car drivers for bike accidents and then in the next breath read some post from someone saying they don't need to improve the safety of their riding!!

Every single rider out there, regardless of experience, would benefit in terms of how safe their riding is from some time with a good instructor.  And anyone who believes this isn't true for them is simply kidding themselves.                                                                                                                                                                              

Some people ride oblivious once their test is passed that's it they ride how they did on their lesson ... I agree they need extra

Others however continue to learn whilst out on the roads .... I have learnt more in the 5000 miles I have done this year than I did in lessons and I hope to continue for years to come.

If you want to spend yer money on extra training cus you feel inadeqate in some way then carry on. Don't any of you presume you are in a position to judge others becouse of standard you've set yourself.   wether i or anyone else requires training is a matter for them to decide not becouse in your opinion you think they should do it. What i do with my time on my bike is my business not yours. if i want to do extra training then i'll decide to do it not you.                                                                                                                                                                             

If advanced riding is a waste of time, as some are saying.   How come bike cops can catch speeding superbikes on their big heavy police bikes?   Oh yeah, they've had advanced training.   Knowledge is power as the saying goes, and you can never have too much of it. Being the realist that I am I tend to know what my weaknesses are and acknowledge them. If I can't remove or reduce the weakness on my own I go to someone who's better than me for advice - which is all advanced training is.   Only 'the bestest ever rider in the universe' won't benefit from other peoples experience or advice. 'Constructive criticism' is called that for a reason.                                                                                                                                                                              

but who of us will (or should) be riding like a police advanced motorcyclist ??

The bikes that they ride would also not be a bike I for one would choose ... 

Yes knowledge is power ... but so is knowing when there is no point in learning something as it will neither benefit or be of use to you.                                                                                                                                                                             

'Yes knowledge is power ... but so is knowing when there is no point in learning something as it will neither benefit or be of use to you.'
There's nothing that's not worth learning as it may one day pop up in a pub quiz.   I used the coppers as an extreme example to back up my argument that any sort of learning, not just as far as bikes go but in general, is usually beneficial.   Can you fry a perfect egg? I can because I was taught by a chef. My mum who has been frying eggs for 50 years (not constantly, she does other things) can't do it as good as me because the only way she knows is her way. She refuses to learn the 'chef's way' because she already knows how to fry an egg.