The whole ethos of the IAM ( and Roadcraft ) is that riding becomes a system based approach. It makes you analyse and plan all the time. I think its a great concept, and does work. What it does not do is teach machine control skills.
Yes, I agree with this, which was why I was glad when my Observer sent me a copy of
which was something I'd been looking for since I started riding, ie a comprehensive and useful guide to how to actually *ride* the bike.
This is IMO the " missing link" with simple IAM training. It creates in you the notion you are skilled, but in fact you may not be...especially if you start to push the envelope.IAM and Rospa all preach riding within the speed limit.
As mentioned somewhere above, that is "preached" with a nod and a wink with comments like "when you're overtaking, you want to be looking at the road ahead, not down at the speedo", ie they can't *tell* you to exceed the limit, but if you want "make progress", provided you don't do it in an unsafe or inappropriate manner, you won't get told off for it.
Its like passing your basic test without ever having driven on motorways!
Which, of course, everyone does!
My other great concern, as already stated, is whether a new IAM passee can judge limits at high speed, and adopt restraint at the correct point ...since they have no experience of riding real roads at such speed. Developing this ability is down to ones own empirical approach and learning method. Yet the level of self confidance is that high ...it can blind you to your own needs.
Well "appropriate restraint" is one of the things that you're Observed on even before you take the test, plus you get to follow the Observer down various types of roads and watch how he rides them (just remember to ride your own ride otherwise you might end up in an embarrassing situation
![Embarrassed :o](https://foc-u.co.uk/Smileys/efocicon/embarrassed.gif)
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There always is someone faster out there...its no shame to back off and go at your own pace.After all, you dont know whether that faster rider is skilled or is indeed outside their envelope and is moments from binning it.
Sure, I don't disagree at all. On a ride out with the SAM group once, heading south on the A339 from Basingstoke, some Power Rangers came up behind us and proceeded to do stupid overtakes on blind bends, across double white lines etc. The consensus as we sat and chatted at the next break was "what a bunch of twunts!"
Nobody felt any inclination to try to emulate them.