Compulsory Basic Training (CBT) 2007

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My First Time On A Geared Motorcycle (and probably my last !)

Sunday 17th June 2007 saw me at the offices of Dunfermline Motorcycle Training, (isn't the plastic plant outside a nice homely touch !!), to participate in my third CBT. The two years since my last visit have flown by and yet again I had put off sitting the actual test.  Maybe next year...

Dunfermline Motorcycle Training is run by a husband and wife team, Bill and Elaine who combine years of expert knowledge with just the right amount of personal abuse to keep the whole day ticking along in a good humoured manner.

This year I was determined to try out a geared motorcycle as I had never ridden one before and curiosity was getting the better of me.  I'd seriously considered replacing my poor destroyed Dylan with a geared bike, maybe a Yamaha YBR 125.  DMT have two Yamaha YBR's and two Honda CG's.  I was given one of the Honda's as it was felt it would offer me a little more leg room (at 6'3" I'm not exactly petite).

For the next three hours I lurched, stuttered , stalled and staggered around the CBT course,  Maybe I'm just lazy after years of scooter riding, but what a lot of work all this gear and clutch carry on is.  I suppose if I had persevered I could have mastered it in time, but it was obvious that the level I was currently at was not going to get me out on the afternoon road run, and therefore not get me a shiny new CBT certificate come the end of the day.

Elaine had agreed before hand that if I was struggling I could swap to a scooter so I bailed out of the geared bikes at midday and was presented with a Sym Jet scooter. It has to be said the scoot had seen better days, and was a little on the stunted side for my height.  I then found out it was a restricted 50cc, I hadn't been on one of those since the days of the Bajaj Spirit.

Despite the fact I must have looked like a right prat we took to the roads in the afternoon and all went quite well.  The wee Sym nipped along happily on the straights, and actually handled quite well.  However on anything even resembling a slope it became decidedly asthmatic which was a little embarrassing.  Despite the fact the radio link between an increasingly shrill Elaine and her charges was a bit unreliable, which led to more than a couple of unexpected detours, by 4pm we were back at the office and in possession of the all important certificate.

All in all an interesting and fun day.  It allowed me to put any romantic notions I had of owning a big geared bike well and truly to rest.  Scooters are so much easier and if I was about three foot shorter and not in any particular hurry to actually get anywhere I'd be happy to recommend a Sym Jet 50cc as a fun little machine.

Should anyone in the Fife area be looking to take a CBT or their motorcycle test, (one day Elaine - I promise !), then I am happy to recommend the guys at Dunfermline Motorcycle Training.  You can contact them on:

01383 732978