Another great month of biking activity and I was much busier than I expected. I also got my next project off the ground, by passing my ADI part 1, but more on that later. Here's a look at what I got up to in October.
Training.
First up was Geoff on his Triumph 1050 Sport. Geoff is a member of my RoSPA group and already holds an advanced qualification, but wanted a final session before he took his RoSPA retest. The forecast was pretty bad, and we did discuss postponing to a drier day, but Geoff decided to make the most of the rain and have some wet weather refresher training to boot. Geoff rode really well, gentle on all the controls, extended his safety margins and was as smooth as a smooth thing being smooth! The only down side, the bikes were filthy afterwards! And the good news is....that on the 11th Oct, Geoff took his test and passed successfully, achieving a Gold pass grade, the highest grade possible. Great result and well deserved.
Wet training with Geoff
Resulting in unwanted bike washing!
Next up as Dave on his BMW 1200GS. David only obtained his full motorcycle licence 4 years ago, but he soon decided he wanted to be the best he could be. He joined his local IAM group and has already passed their advanced test. However, he wants to improve on his last grade, and possibly take further advanced tests in the future. We started in the rain, but fortunately it soon died out, so no need for another bike wash!
Bob came for training on his very nice BMW 900XR. Bob recently came back to biking after a 50 year break.....yes, you read that right, FIFTY years, so decided to have a refresher. We went back to basics with some slow speed control exercises and machine handling, and then headed out on to local rural roads to look at his general riding techniques. Cracking session and I hope to see Bob again in the future.
Peter rode over from Middleham on his BMW S1000XR for his training. Peter is another rider who recently came back to biking after a substantial break. After discussing his options, we decided it would make sense for him to complete the Enhanced Rider Scheme. Peter had 2 sessions in October and the successfully completed the ERS on his 2nd session. Next up he will be taking the BMF Blue Riband Advanced Rider Award and I will let you know how he gets on.
Chris has also recently come 'back to biking' and bought himself an NC750. I thought storm Ashley might have caused us to postpone, but in the end the weather stayed fine and dry with no wind. Cracking first session.
Robin came along on his 1250GS. Robin is an experienced rider who has previously undertaken RoSPA training, but felt it was time for a refresher. Great session with lots of miles covered, and all completed in amazing late October sunshine.
Rob was last up, having his session on the 31st. Rob has trained with me previously, successfully completing the Enhanced Rider Scheme earlier this year. For the previous session he used his Triumph Speed twin, but this time he was on his very nice CB1000R, complete with Leo Vince exhaust. Which sounded awesome! More training booked for November.
BMF Blue Riband.
On the 14th, I met up with Helen from BMF HQ to discuss the Blue Riband Advanced Rider Award. We met at the Marrow Bone and Clever in Kirmington, Lincs. The pub used to be owned by bike racer Guy Martin. It's about halfway between our respective locations and, as it still has a 'biking' theme, seemed like a suitable venue. The day we were there, there was a couple of old Rolls Royce's and a pair of RD350s.
If you've never been, it's defo worth a visit
All roads lead to 'Kirmo'.
Couple of classic Rollers.
Spirit of Ecstasy
Two lovely RD350s.
Helen from BMF HQ who has been a massive support in my role as National Lead.
IAM Examining.
Two tests to conduct on behalf of IAM Roadsmart in October. The first was with candidate Bryan who was riding his Suzuki 1000GT. Bryan put in a great ride, in changeable conditions, resulting in 1st pass grade. Great result.
The second test was actually a car test, but unfortunately the candidate failed to reach the standard required on this occasion.
RoSPA Examining.
Two RoSPA bike tests conducted in October. The first candidate was Andy on his 1250GS. Andy rode really well. He was smooth, showed good restraint where necessary but balanced that with good progress and managed several well executed overtakes. All of which resulted in him being awarded a Gold grade pass.
Unfortunately the candidate for the 2nd test failed to reach the standard required on this occasion.
Scotland - 5 days, 4 nights, 1100 miles.
On Wednesday 23rd, I set off for Scotland with my buddy Daren. I've known Daren for around 22 years and we've had a bike trip together every year since 2004, either in the UK or to main land Europe.
This year, due to other commitments were couldn't get anything sorted until October, not usually the best time to visit Scotland on a bike! We left on the Wednesday and headed to Moffat where we stayed for 1 night in the Buccleuch Arms. Neither myself nor Daren have stayed there before, but it is a well known favourite amongst the biking community, The hotel is centre to the town and has 'garages' around the back to secure your bike.
Buccleuch Arms.
Secure parking for your pride and joy.
The following day we rode to Fort William via Inveraray, Lochgilphead and Oban. The weather was very kind, and despite the forecasted rain, we managed to stay dry all day.
We stayed in the Premier Inn in Fort William, not the greatest hotel I've ever stayed in, but good location and relatively cheap.
Castle Stalker, just north of Oban on our way to Fort William.
Friday saw us ride over the 'Pas of cattle' into Applecross, where we spotted a couple of stags on the 'beach'.
About to head over the pass.
A great view from the top.
not 1....
but 2 stags. We then headed across to Grantown on Spey via Dingwall and stayed in The Garth Hotel. A lovely small hotel that I have stayed in previously with Motorrad Tours.
Saturday morning dawned fine and dry, albeit only 5c, and set off to ride over the Cairngorms to head for our final night in Dumfries.
Glenshee Ski Centre.
The road through Glenshee.....awesome!
Castles at every turn.
Made me chuckle.
The final night was in Dumfries, at another premier Inn, a much better experience than Fort William!
Overall, a great trip. We set off with only the first night in Moffat booked and decided to take each day as it came due to the mixed forecasts. Around 2pm each day we rechecked the weather apps and booked that nights accommodation. A plan that turned out really well, made easier by the fact there was only the 2 of us and it was late October.
New project - Approved Driving Instructor.
First off, I am not packing it in as a bike trainer! I love doing what I do and have no intention of stopping. However, the bike training goes very quiet over the winter months, so I wanted to find something that would cover the quieter periods but still involve delivering some form of 'road safety'. I don't intend to teach learners, that's not the aim, the aim is to be able to offer 'advanced' driver training. Quite a few of the people I've trained on bikes, have asked about doing similar in their cars, so I thought I would give it a go and see what happens. However, the relevant legislation states that anyone delivering driving instruction for payment, must be an approved driving instructor and the legislation does not differentiate between provisional and full licence holders, it just says if you're being paid, you have to be an ADI. A few online forums had people who disagreed, so I asked a friend who is a solicitor who specialises in Road Traffic law and he was of the same opinion as me. He did say it would probably need someone to end up in court for a judge to make the decision, but as I don't fancy being that test case, I decided I would get the necessary qualifications. So, what exactly are the necessary qualifications?
Well, first off, you need to have to be over 21 and have held your full licence for at least 3 years. Next you have to get a CBS police check. The next stage is to pass the ADI part 1. For those that don't know, this test consists of 100 questions across 4 subject areas, which are;
1 - Road procedure.
2 - Traffic Signs and Signals, Car Control, Pedestrians, Mechanical Knowledge.
3 - Driving Test, Disabilities, Law.
4 - Publications, Instructional Techniques.
You have to score a minimum of 85 out of a 100, but you must score at least 20 in each category. So you could score more than 85, but if you get 19 (or less) in 1 category, you fail. No prizes for guessing how I know!
The Hazard Perception test consists of watching 14 videos, 13 of which has 1 hazard, and 1 which has 2 hazards. You score from 5 to 1 depending on how timely you correctly identify a developing hazard. But if you click too much, or in 'patterns', the computer doesn't like it, and voids your score for that video clip.
The pass mark is 57 out of 75.
Here's my result sheet, As you can see, I scored 92/100 with the 4 categories scoring as follows, 22, 23, 24, 23. I also scored 60 out of 75 on the Hazard Perception test.
However, despite the fact that I passed the same tests 4 years ago to qualify to be an ERS bike trainer, I didn't pass first time this time! But now that I have passed it, I now need to book part 2. The extended driving test. Unfortunately, there's quite a wait for those, so although I've applied and paid my money, I haven't yet got a date, but I'll keep you posted. The final stage is what the DVSA call a 'Standards Check'. An Examiner sits in and observes you delivering a lesson. Providing you pass all 3 parts, you get your ADI qualification. Wish me luck!
My GSA.
As I said at the beginning, it's been another very busy month. Here's my GSA mileage figures for October, boosted by 1100 miles round Scotland.
01/10/24 - 21047
31/10/24 - 23228
GSA mileage in October - 2181.
FireBike mileage for October - ZERO!.....I must try harder!
Total mileages for the year to date;
GSA - 12484.
FireBike 3072.
Motorrad Tours 2490.
Total for the year as of 31/10/24 - 18046..
So, there you have it, another month completed. I hope you've enjoyed reading about what I got up to as much as I did doing it all. Until next month, ride safe everyone.
Ian S.
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