18-12-11, 03:47 PM
(18-12-11, 02:36 PM)Grahamm link Wrote: On a pedestal? No. On a higher step than those who haven't had any more training than what they needed to pass their basic test? Certainly, but I'd say the same if you'd done RoSPA or any other such advanced training too.
There are other forms of training too. Riding around London on a moped is one, a very good 'training scheme' albeit rather more dangerous of course. When I was a DSA instructor in the mid nineties my school scored the local Pizza Hut contract to train up all their nasty little delivery boys on their C90s, we also took a lot of the trainee taxi cab drivers (also on C90s) who wanted to go on and get their full license. In terms of machine control and traffic positioning most of these guys were 10/10 -that's because they all rode in London and you have to be damn good in London traffic, but it doesn't take long to get good if you ride everyday in the 'smoke'.
I had little to get done with these sorts of students, basically just removing some bad habits, hammering home highway code and cooling down a few overly aggressive filtering techniques, but it was a very high pass rate. As for machine control, the Pizza boys had their own code of acceptability. This was usually put on display before my lessons started in the shape of one handed wheelies, stoppies, doughnuts (whilst facing backwards) and going round in a tight circle one handed wearing away a footpeg in a shower of sparks. You had to smile, I didn't mind as long as it stopped when I said so, they could do anything basically.
Most of these guys probably dumped biking as soon as they got a proper job, but the ones who went on certainly didn't need any advanced training and I think the same goes for most people who've ridden for a while in London.
I would say the complete training experience is a daily London/city commute, a bit of regular dirt track riding (initially with a tutor like Geoff Mayes for eg), a race school session or two and the odd track day. Then you are complete. The dirt tracking is a part that shouldn't be neglected I might add, it's the only safe way to discover your limits of control -not on the road.
You have to crash to learn*
*Geoff Mayes (said whilst wearing a plaster cast on both legs)