Does gravel grate on your nerves?

When it comes to motorcycle days out there are three things I have an intense dislike of – gravel, mud and road surface water!

It’s not that I’ve not faced them or been unable to ride through them on occasion – but that usually involves incredible tension, gasping for air, a heartbeat that can be heard the other side of the country, and the shakes for what seems like ages afterwards.

I’ve been riding about 22 years and I’m not about to give up doing it anytime soon, but I’m sick of the fear and worry about what “might” happen let alone trying to cope with it when it does.

So I did what I do best – I asked around, did my research, and found someone to teach me how to do better. Because what I kept hearing time and again was that off road skills translate to road riding making you a far better rider – and that’s my aim: to be better. And if there was one name that kept coming up time and time again it was Sweet Lamb Adventure in Wales.
They do 1-2-1, 2-2-1 and group training from novices who’ve never even seen gravel through to hobbyists, coaches and champions who all want to hone their edge.

Mark Molineux – my tutor and a real star

I learn best in a 1 on 1, because let’s face it I always have at least 100 of the dumbest questions to anyone else’s one question! and frankly if I’m going to make a fool of myself I’d rather do it with no one else watching!
My tutor was Mark Molineux – and what this man doesn’t know about off roading does not exist.

He began my day with some good strong Yorkshire tea, and getting to grips with my concerns, understanding my levels of experience and working out what miracles I was hoping to achieve – I wasn’t ready for nor wanted to be able to ride over hills, rocks and streams, my extreme novice status and focus was on surviving unexpected road issues.
I had hired bikes through the school and he wanted me to start with the Honda CRF250 which he said was bullet proof, before trying the Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 later in the day.

We headed out to the basin – which meant a ride for a few minutes along a trail with me diligently following in his road positions as ordered. By the time we got there I had the usual evidence my heart was working as it was sounding loudly in my ears! Mark got me doing figures of 8s in the slightly wet, light gravel, to see my control of clutch, brakes and gears.

After several minutes he stopped me and surprised me by saying: “Prendy you are so much better than you think.” Apparently my use of gears, brakes and clutch is quite good with a little refinement needed. We worked on arm and head/body position (think flapping chicken crossed with strutting peacock) also two finger coverage of brakes and clutch which was entirely alien to what I was taught in road riding.

The idiot-proof Honda CRF 250

As the day progressed we worked on riding around the paths, up steep hills and around corners all on the moving stuff, criss crossing it, slow control down hill on it and turning tight corners. I will admit that I had a mini melt down at one point rather early on when I was feeling sick trying to ride down a steep hill and Mark kept holding his hand up but kept moving. At first I couldn’t make out what he wanted and was by no means inclined to stop literally headfirst down the steep cliff and find out. Eventually I just stopped and yelled my terrified head off about stopping his dithering, getting a bloody move on and quit scaring me to death!! Did I mention Mark is a very patient man?

It’s a good job that the Honda is also idiot-proof. Despite having already ridden up one steep path with a slight switchback, for some reason when I stood at the bottom looking up at it and thought about going up I then started to panic. And for the life of me then couldn’t work out power or clutch and ended up revving it to the limiter for ridiculous amounts of time. Fortunately Mark rescued me, calmed me down, urged me to stop over thinking it. We left the bike to cool down for ten minutes to get the clutch working again and used the time for a quick lesson in the mechanics of a clutch, drive and disengagement.

We repeated routes over hills, turns, in both directions to avoid complacency, with plenty of breaks for questions and advice. I was surprised to hear Mark tell me the road that I’d started on at just 9 miles an hour that morning, I was then riding quite comfortably at 35miles an hour by lunchtime, crossing the gravel with ease.

The Himalayan feels like a mighty beast compared to the little Honda. Despite it being a lowered one I was on tip toes. Initially I found it hard to manoeuvre and realised that whilst my MT09 Tracer is actually heavier and I also can’t flat-foot it, that it is just a little bit lower and that bit makes all the difference to my management of it.

But like any bike, once the Himalayan gets rolling it’s much easier to handle. I was surprised how much at ease I felt on it in the turns and little puddles. And most amazingly Mark had me standing up fully whilst riding it. Last month I had to ride through a road where a river had burst its banks and unlike many of the other riders who stood up, I was firmly sat since I didn’t know how to do it safely (do not stand with bent knees). If you’d said at the beginning of the day that I would be standing up on the pegs, firmly in control of my bike by the end of it, I would have laughed out loud in disbelief. Yet there I was and with the biggest grin on my face.

What a way to end my day! Poor Mark – I couldn’t stop hugging the man and grinning because I felt so very different to the morning’s start. Then I was frightened to my core with a fear of my bike washing out from under me and hurting myself. By the end of it I knew that it was going to take a lot more than a little twitch on gravel. I knew what that would mean (ie not instant death) how to relax, better body position, not fighting it, and knowing that unless something really is desperately wrong, that I am more than capable of taking it as par for the course.
I received a Sweet Lamb Adventure neck buff as my graduation gift 😉

⏹️Did the day give me what I wanted?✅ 100% – the knowledge and skills to banish the debilitating effects of fear.
⏹️Will it make me a better road rider? ✅100% – I now have the skills to identify the lines to take, a better biking position, better understanding of what the bike will do and how to use brakes and clutch should I happen upon gravel.
⏹️Am I going back? ✅100% – because skills need training. I need to go back to ensure I hone those skills, and even expand upon them because I want to be a better road biker.
⏹️But will I take up off roading as a hobby? ❌not in a million billion years 😂

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A picture on the wall of Sweet Lamb – words to live and ride by.

First Biker On Scene -be prepared

If you were the first biker on the scene of an accident would you know what to do?

I regularly ride, either by myself or with others, both just days out or touring over a period of time. And I’ve tried to ensure I’m prepared for the worst having taken part in several BikerDown courses.

But you can never learn too much and I soon realised that FBOS is the natural step up for real world preparation. Fortunately my bosses, White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors agree, so they were happy to send me off to the day long course.
This course, run by Motorrad Tours Toursafe, is an accredited qualification that lasts two years and is worth every penny. It takes your learning to new levels because it focuses on incident management and then trauma management until the emergency services arrive to do their thing.

I attended the course, which was led by Chris Margetts from Motorrad TourSafe, at Shefford Fire Station. I felt very nervous prior to it as I felt my BikerDown skills were more than a little rusty. But two things became very clear. One – as the course progressed and they looked at areas which are similar, such as safe helmet removal and stopping catastrophic bleed, I realised I remembered more than I knew. And Two – this course was not about the medical care it was about trauma care. It was about focusing on managing the incident – understanding the scene so you could stop it escalating with further casualties, keeping all current casualties safe, informing authorities, gathering more info and then dealing with the trauma the injured parties have experienced, keeping them alive till the emergency services arrive.

Where the day really came into its own was in its interactive sessions. We learnt how to log roll patients safely such as if they were suddenly sick, understanding and determining the deterioration of a person from alert to unconscious, how and when to introduce CPR. (I for one never learnt the words to Nellie the Elephant as a child, and I’m pleased I don’t have to start now!)

As it’s held in a fire station, the team, which included Dan and Paul from Motorrad Toursafe, set up a road accident scene and then tested us on what we did as if we’d discovered it on a day’s ride out.

At the beginning of the day when faced with an emergency you realise just how things seem to be sped up, even including your ability to count breaths. By the time you make it to the afternoon’s testing scenario you feel so much more in control. Yes the adrenaline is still very much going but your common sense is shouting that you need to take the time to LOOK before leaping. Walk the scene, breathe, talk to yourself and that will all assist in making you far more useful to the casualties than rushing in like a knight in shining armour (or toughened leather and textiles!)

It’s also great with getting you to think and prep for after the incident when you and whomever you’re with are encouraged to record information so they don’t forget what they did should organisations like the police want to know. Also to decompress with a sit down and have a coffee and check in with each other, to think about bike recovery, and even whether you want to manage the rest of the ride or tour or make some changes.

Those who attended the course included my fellow biking friends from HBAM and members of the South Central region of the Evolution Women’s Motorcycle Club.
It was really clear, and good to see, just how important this course was to all of us. We’re in biking for the joy of it but each and everyone of us is realistic about the dangers of using roads whether here or abroad.

It was reassuring to know that if you book a tour with Motorrad TourSafe that each Tour Leader has been through the course and is thoroughly experienced. Having them teach you those same skills really adds to the wealth of knowledge you possess and personally I feel much calmer knowing rather than guessing what I would need to do should I be first on scene.

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Helpful links:
Motorrad Tours for accredited FBOS and tours
HBAM – Herts & Beds Advanced Motorcyclists
Evolution Women’s Motorcycle Club
Rider Trauma Kit – first aid kit for bikers

Is the MT07 Y-AMT an automatic fit?

That was a question I asked myself after I took a phone call from my local Yamaha dealer, Flitwick Motorcycles, inviting me to come in and test ride a new automatic in the MT range.

Automatic bikes with top flight features are no longer the stuff of the far flung future – and for Yamaha it probably makes sense that it should be fitted to their MT range which covers their most in-demand bikes. In their newly created automatic pool are also the MT09, the Tracer 9 and Tracer 9 GT+.

What does the automatic bike offer? Well the basic stuff is that it has no clutch or gear lever. It’s a bike that simply uses the power or lack of in the throttle to determine the gear you are in.

But of course there is so much more – a switch so that with the flick of a finger forwards or backwards you can manually change your gears if you wish, even whilst in automatic mode. Two automatic modes, D and D+ which I’ll go into. Also the ability to stay in manual transmission and only use the bike as a geared bike – using that switch of course. And a little bit of luxury – with cruise control.


Flitwick Motorcycles very thoughtfully arranged a circuitous route to the Oakley Motorcycle Club night, for myself and the other five riders trying out the range, led by one of their team, Paul. It took in some lovely countryside with sweeping bends which tightened up nicely with a few sharp turns, dual carriageway, town work and a fair few roundabouts.  This gave me the opportunity to put the MT07 through its paces.

So what did I think?

To start the bike the sidestand must be up and the bike in neutral and then just hit the start button. To make the bike go you simply flick the bike into 1st gear (the finger switch is on the left of the handlebars and conveniently situated so your forefinger doesn’t have to travel far. Once I was ready to go I tested the throttle with a little twist and this little bike pulled away, eager to go. A very quick and responsive throttle.

As I pulled away and up to the roundabout I was amused to see the gear indicator going up as I moved along the road and then down as I approached the roundabout. Personally you’d have to be pretty deaf not to hear the gears thumping through either. It’s a tad clunky sounding especially when pulling away in first gear – but this is the budget version bike so am sure it will be smoothed out as more bells and whistles are added to models.

I won’t lie – it was initially very disconcerting not to have a clutch as I automatically wanted to pull it in for my slow work but by the time I’d been riding about 20 mins I was finding it very useful indeed not to have to think about it. You just concentrate on approaching roundabouts and turns and it’s quite liberating not having to divert your attention to anything else.

In the D-mode the bike pootles along – if this was your first big bike I can see why you’d enjoy it, but working as Marketing Manager for White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors I always ride my MT09 Tracer, so the 07 did feel a bit tame which is understandable with that smaller engine. With smaller engines you do need to wring their necks to get going up hills – and I’m not too old to recall the fun of that 😉

When I hit the twisties I found the down side to the D mode. As an engine braker I roll off for corners and don’t need back brake unless I’ve really misjudged it! The bike felt really odd and when I looked at my dash I discovered it was trying to take my corners in 5th gear. Rolling off just wasn’t making those gears drop quickly enough. Initially I was forced to brake mid-corner to force the bike to get down to a reasonable 3rd gear but then of course the power wasn’t there. Thankfully it was at this point I remembered that gear switch and how to use it, which worked well as I could force it to go up and down prior to the bend without having to use the brakes.

Fortunately when we stopped for a break and I relayed this to David Linsdell, who owns Flitwick Motorcycles and was Tail End Charlie on the ride, he concurred and told me he prefers to ride in D+ mode which is more receptive. So I gave that a whirl on the way home. And it’s like riding another bike!

Sooooo much more fun. The D+ range keeps the bike in lower revs and is far less sedate for country roads giving you the power and smoothness you need to flow through those bends far more safely. In town I found that mode was too racy – the bike wants to stay in low gear and those revs are very vibey at 4k in 2nd when it should have flowed quickly up to 3rd gear like it does in D mode.

However as soon as you flick the gear switch to what you need, the bike settles down nice and quiet. I will say that means there’s a lot more finger flicking to compensate in this mode. But, since I like gears I’m not complaining. If this was my bike I’d not hesitate to stay in D when in town then switch to D+ as soon as I hit country roads and bends. Incidentally you don’t have to be stopped to move between the modes – just roll off the revs completely.

On the dual carriageways I tried that lovely invention of cruise control – and wondered what on earth I should do with my right hand! 🙂
It’s very relaxing and allows you to stretch or alternate hands and give yourself a rest. It’s a left handed control for this and gives you the option to set it and either return to the same speed if you’ve braked and it cuts off, or to reset it completely. I found it made the dual carriageway less work which makes it an ideal feature if you’re doing long journeys or on roads were there’s not much action. Definitely worth it.

Build wise this little bike seems pretty solid. The colour scheme I rode was called Ice storm and is light grey with bright blue wheels. It’s a fun combination. It’s also available in a deeper blue and of course a beautiful and very stylish black. The front, like a lot of modern bikes, has that Transformer look to it and with the central light has an added touch of the Cyclops. I wasn’t riding at night so not sure what the levels of lighting are like.

There’s no screen at all but on the dual carriageway I didn’t feel any excessive buffeting of my body or helmet. The brakes work well and will have you stopping when and where you want – can’t ask for more than that.
You could spend all day playing with the dash. It’s clear and bright and comes with different templates for you to choose from on how you want things to be displayed which adds to a personalised feel for your bike. For the test I kept it on a simple one with a higher focus on revs.

The MT07 has a seat height of 805mm. I am 5ft 6 with a 30.5” inside leg measurement – so not a shorty by any means. But given the wide seats on most motorcycles I lose quite a few inches and usually end up on tip toes. I’m not one for bum shuffling every time I want to stop so I’ve had my Tracer, which was originally 845mm, lowered, also bought the low-seat, and use it on the lowest setting yet despite all that I can only get about 3/4s of each foot down.

On this ride out I was the only rider who couldn’t flat foot their bike. But the seat is fairly narrow (and actually quite comfortable), so as I could get 3/4s of each foot down I did feel happy. (If you’re a shorty and wear the Daytona M or LadyStar boots with the increased internal height, which I need when I use the higher seat, you won’t have to worry with this bike about getting your gear lever adjusted so your boot will fit! – IYKYK!)
Add in a weight of 186kg and I found the bike lightweight and manageable to manoeuvre too.

So what didn’t I like?

If you haven’t learnt how to use your pegs and get your bum off your seat you soon will as you’ll notice that when you hit the worst of the bumps the suspension really does feel like you rather than the bike are absorbing them.
The self-cancelling indicators sound such a fab idea but in reality they stay on far too long (in town you’ll pass several side streets before they click off). You do have a “soft cancel” where with a light touch the indicators will only come on for three seconds. Or you could just do the old fashioned method of cancelling them yourself 😉.


But I actually found there’s very little to dislike with the MT07 – yes it has a clunky gearbox and its suspension is harsh, but neither of these are deal breakers especially bearing in mind that I feel this model is gen 1 and may be a lower entry level.
And a quick check on the specs shows that the rear shock has some adjustment if one knows (unlike me!) what one is doing.

I think this little bike has a big place in the market. If you’re suffering from arthritis in your hands and feet, or perhaps have other injuries such as partial paralysis, or just don’t like gears as they do make heavy work in traffic, then this bike may appeal with lots to offer like cruise control. Considering the AMT is just £350 more then the normal manual transmission version that’s quite a lot you get for that money. It’s a nippy little thing, and apart from those just beginning their big bike life I think it will also greatly appeal to riders who just don’t want or need a bigger bike.

Yes – I do like the automatic gears – (it takes the pressure off working the clutch and allows for a relaxed ride) – with the key point of added ability to switch to manually changing the gears if the automatic doesn’t quite give you what you want. The combination is a good one.

My thanks to the team at Flitwick Motorcycles for inviting me to test ride their MT07 Y-AMT. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
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When you need to beat a numb bum!

As a happily married woman I don’t normally get the urge to kiss anyone other than my husband. (Unless it’s Jason Statham … but can you blame me?)

But after I got both my Tracer seats back, which I recently had remodelled by Fred at A&R Pound, I wanted to smoother the poor man with kisses!

Fortunately for him, I managed to restrain myself, but the man is an abserloot darling and both me and my bum thank him lots.

I’m 5ft 6ins with an inside leg measurement of 30.5ins. I’m not one of those girls who are comfy flicking their bodies every which way, as they get a leg down ready to steady their bike. I need and want to have at least the ball of each foot down to be a happy bunny.

When I bought my MT09 Tracer back in 2015 I had it lowered, bought the lowered seat and have always ridden it with my Daytona Ladystars, which have an internal lift (and I have an additional Daytona lift in there too!). Even with all that I’m still not flat footed – the built in lift makes it look like my foot is closer to the floor but my heel is quite off the ground, but I manage much more easily – and probably have toes which can bench press loads from having to push me and the bike backwards!!

Seated wearing my Daytona Ladystars

However, having lost 2 stone, my derriere has been noticing that it’s more of a plank of wood masquerading as a seat than a comfy place to plonk my substantial rump! I can tell within 5mins of when I’ve reached 50miles riding because I start fidgeting trying to get my poor bum comfy.

I’ve been riding regularly again since last Summer, and my comfort levels of handling my bike seem to have improved – to the point where out of the blue I popped the original seat back on the bike wondering if I could now cope better with a higher seat. Miraculously I was unfazed by it and happy with my feet/groundwork when wearing Daytonas – but it was still a block of wood.

(I truly love you Yamaha but why do you make seats so awful and uncomfortable???)

Fred was recommended to me by one of my ladies in the South Central group of the Evo WMCC – so off I toddled with my main seat. Fred is greatly in demand – and having got my seat back I can certainly see why.

He told me it might take up to 3 weeks but he’d do his best to get it ready as soon as possible, and true to his word the turnaround on this was remarkably much quicker.

Fred scoops out the “brick or concrete” call it whatever it feels like, replaces it with some better quality stuff and then wraps it in memory foam. He replaces the original seat cover, (or can do a different colour if you want to buy that as an extra) and all for the grand sum of £35-40.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. Or in this case, in the riding, so I ventured out on a 2.5 hour trip over to Stratford-Upon-Avon, had lunch and back again. And when I got home, that’s when I thought about kissing that wonderful man!

I realized I’d forgotten to even think about my bum after the first five mins and I never noticed when we got past the 50 mile mark. That was a trip with just one petrol stop, so it was even more remarkable how comfortable I was.

I was so delighted I decided to get the lowered seat done too and Fred ensured he maintained the lower level I wanted to keep.

Both my seats have now been transformed into comfy ones

That way I can use it when I want to wear my new “normal” motorcycle boots. I treated myself to a pair of  Falco Viky Ladies boots. Waterproof and with reinforced toe and ankle protection, they look much better with my MotoGirl and Richa jeans than the Daytonas. The jeans (a blue and a black pair) were also a recent purchase and are for attending Summer events where I want to be able to walk around in comfort without my temperature going through the roof, which it does even with textiles.

Am pleased to say the boots are not only perfect in height, with the lowered seat, but, along with the jeans, are also comfortable for walking around in after testing them out at the Ladies Day gathering at the John Bunyan.

On the left is the normal height seat with the Falco boots. On the right is the lowered seat with the same boots.

So if you’re literally feeling the pain in your bum and your pockets won’t stretch to some big name comfort touring seats, then I can heartily recommend A & R Pound as a cost-effective alternative which delivers 100%, along with the good nature and great customer service of this small business.

By the way – I know some people think A & R Pound ceased to exist after the fire on the business estate which destroyed their premises. But I can assure you that they are very much alive and kicking, having found a niche of a cubbyhole to work out of so it’s well worth dropping by. They’re at The Baldock Industrial Estate, London Road, SG7 6NG, 01462 862704.

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BikeSafe – Building a great foundation

I’m telling you IPSGA is fascinating!
BikeSafe, run by police forces around the country, has now been standardised so that it’s the same wherever you are.

Before I begin let me just apologise as I forgot to take pics as it was classroom stuff and then I was concentrating hard on riding on a wet and cold day. Therefore all the pics here are of me enjoying an actual day of sunshine this week when I decided to ride to Bourton-on-the-water for a pasty and a cup of tea. As you may have noticed – almost all my bike rides are centred on food😊

I attended BikeSafe many moons ago, at London’s Ace Cafe, first on my GPZ500 and then on my FZ6s. Both were a one day event by the Met Police with some theory work based on Roadcraft followed by mainly a day of riding.

On the way to Bourton on the Water, close to Stow on the Wold

I learnt a lot but it’s some time ago, so I felt it would be a good way of re-learning about the road system and reading hazards better, as well as assessing how far I’d come since I got my mojo back last year.
I chose to do mine with Bedfordshire Police as I’m now more countryside based. To begin with there are now e-learning modules you need to complete before you attend. These prepare you for a day of theory before you return the following week for an hour and a half of riding assessment.

This way of doing things greatly appeals to me as I do love a bit of theory – I like to know why I’m doing something and what its purpose is. The IPSGA system (Information, Position, Speed, Gears, Acceleration) is something I thought I was doing anyway. But after the e-learning and classroom theory I realised just how little, or rather how short-sighted my vision was. This really does open up your world, raise your vision and really makes you think about hazards and just how much information is really out there to help you be seen and stay safe.

My theory was run by PC Mark Fairclough at Bedfordshire Police HQ in Kempston. A guy who was a biker before he was ever a copper, he’s retained his sense of fun, and acknowledgement of the joy of biking. He was succinct, informative, and answered all questions as honestly as he could. I know he’s never had anyone tell him the IPSGA system makes for fascinating reading – but I stand by it😁, especially when it’s properly brought to life by people like him.

My beloved bike Cassius basking in the rare and wonderful sunshine after a weekend of rain!

My riding assessment day dawned dark and wet yet I wasn’t put off asI rode over to Shefford Fire Station for the meet. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years, it’s that anyone can ride in the dry, but can they keep it together for a bit of the wet stuff?

I used to be fearful of wet conditions until the day I did Bikesafe on my FZ6s and whilst dry in the morning, it hurled it down in the afternoon – to the point where the closed pockets of my waterproof jacket collected water! I was on Bridgestones back then and the officer taught me just how much I could still “lean” and move with a lot of flexibility in my ride in the wet.

Since then I’ve moved onto bigger and more capable bikes – and better tyres. My weapon, or should I say armour, of choice is Michelin Roads (used to be called Michelin Road Pilots) and am currently running 5s on my boy. I LOVE these tyres.  They hold to the road like glue, come rain or shine and they STOP when you need them to so the wet stuff holds no fear for me – although I have a healthy respect for it.

It’s picture perfect round here.

My observer was PC Emily Ingle from Cambridgeshire’s Force. (This BikeSafe covers three areas: Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Constabularies, who come together to support each force and run it jointly.)

I’m a modern woman and fully accept equality for all regardless of gender/non-gender, or a preference for non-disclosure. But to have a female biking cop, – well that’s a high five right there and I won’t let anyone tell me different👌

I was pretty chuffed to see a fellow female biker in such a position. There’s nowhere near as many women on bikes as men and certainly a female police motorcyclist isn’t an everyday sight so it was great to meet her.

Emily was precise, gave a briefing and we headed out. I was pretty nervous to start with, as she expected, but was able to relax into it – and thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I rode as I ride normally, albeit since the theory classes I’ve been putting IPSGA into practice in much greater detail – and I promise I did try to keep an eye on my speeds😉

Did I mention how pretty it is? Must visit the museum – home of Brum, next time!

So I was really pleased with the very positive feedback I got regarding my riding. Emily said I “gave a systematic ride, progressive where safe with good anticipation and planning.” And that I “plan overtakes well and showed good discipline for when the overtake was not on.” (I think she meant I used my common sense and didn’t try an overtake, in the rain, on painted lines, just as the road speed signs were changing too😂).

Best of all, she commented: “Prendy was comfortable on her motorcycle in all road, and traffic situations, the weather was wet and overcast but this did not affect the application of the ride.”

As you may know from my previous posts, I’ve had a break from biking as I’d lost my mojo and when I came back to it, it was as if I was a newbie. Feeling unsure, wobbly and insecure meant as a consequence I was extremely unhappy. Thanks to some one to one training with the legend that is Paul Mostyn and then practice, practice, practice, I had reclaimed my joy of two wheels and felt much more confident, so it felt great to get this extra input from Emily that I’d returned to my happy place, in command of my machine.

Fancy a spot of lunch? Can recommend a hot beef pasty😋

Emily also gave me some pointers to develop such as mirror checks for speed limits, tips for consistent smoothness in the bends, and polishing my ride to make it the best that it could be. We spoke about advanced rider training of both RoSPA and IAM. This was a useful addition to the short talk Elise Allen, a motorcycle observer with HBAM gave at the theory day.

A goodie bag from BikeSafe

So all in all a grand course, and one I was very glad that I had taken part in. BikeSafe has a set fee of £65 no matter where you are in the country and I think it’s great value for money.

My thanks to both Mark and Emily for their commitment to making the course informative, interactive and full of good tips and pointers for improved riding.

As they say in BikeSafe “Be skilful, be safe, be seen”.

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