October 2026 - Another fantastic bike riding filled month. Training, Examining, Masters mentoring, renewing qualifications, and a few customer test passes thrown in for good measure....brilliant!

Well, with the weather continuing to be pretty kind (storm Austen and Boelo not withstanding) October has been another action packed biking month. Here's what I got up to.

Customer test passes.

Always great when customers go on to take an advanced qualification, and even better when they get in touch to let me know. Congratulations got to Mark (BMW R1200), Malc (BMW S1000XR) and Richard (BMW 1200GS) who all passed their RoSPA advanced tests recently. Three fantastic results, all deserving of the hard work they each put into their training. Well done guys.

Training.

Geoff came along on his Z1000SX. Geoff has trained with me several times over the last few years, and this time it was in preparation for his up and coming IAM retest. Cracking session, and all completed in glorious sunshine.

Next up was Zoe on her Z400. Zoe passed her DVSA test earlier this year and wanted to improve her skills as soon as possible. She contacted me, we discussed options and decided to go down the DVSA accredited Enhanced Rider Scheme. This was Zoe's 2nd session. In her 1st, she quickly understood the theory and was soon putting it into practice. That day was no different, and I'm pleased to say she successfully passed all the 7 core elements. A great result for a new, young rider.

Following on from Zoe was Rob on his lovely Honda 900 Fireblade. Rob is back to biking after a substantial break, so decided to have a refresher day and is looking to now complete the DVSA approved Enhanced Rider Scheme. Robs bike brought back some great memories, as I had an identical bike 'back in the day', and even went to Switzerland on it. Rob is planning to be back again in November.

Jonathan finished off the month with 2 sessions on his very nice BMW K1300S Motorsport. Jonathan will hopefully be applying for his RoSPA test soon, and was looking for a couple of 'intensive' sessions to ensure he was delivering a consistently high quality ride. Lots of miles covered across the 2 sessions.

IAM Masters mentoring.

Alongside my 'normal' training, I've also been conducting some mentoring on behalf of IAM Roadsmart for IAM members who wish to progress to taking the Masters advanced test. The Masters test is usually conducted in a location away from a candidates usual riding roads and may involve a journey of up to 100 miles. The idea being, that the Masters test will challenge the candidate to ride on roads that are unfamiliar to them. 

The Masters qualification is valid for FIVE years after which time the IAM will invite the candidate to re-qualify. Upon re-qualifying they will then be awarded either a Pass or Distinction and the online Register updated.

My 2 candidates were John on his Guzzi Mandello, and Debbie on her Yamaha 600. Both had their final session in October, and will hopefully be taking their Masters test in the not too distant future.

John and his Guzzi.

Debbie and her 600 Yamaha.

IAM Requalification's.

As well as being a Masters Mentor, (see above) I am also an Examiner and National Observer Assessor for the IAM. But to be able to do these things, I have to be assessed too! So on Tuesday the 13th, I spent the day with IAM Area Service Delivery Manager Steve Ellis as he took me through the requalification process. I met Steve at Ferry Bridge Services, where we spent around 90 minutes talking through various scenarios and theory. We then hit the road, for the riding and coaching aspect of the qualifications.

After several hours together, Steve gave the great news, that I has requalified successfully. Well chuffed!

Examiner certificate.

National Observer Cert.

Masters Mentor Cert.

IAM Examining.

Only one test to conduct in October, but unfortunately on this occasion the candidate did not meet the minimum required standard to receive a pass. That said, much of the candidates initial ride was very good. Speed and positioning were good, he used his mirrors well throughout the test, and these were backed up with shoulder checks were necessary. He also gave clear signals, and used his brakes and gearbox well (although the was the occasional use of gears to slow). I'm sure that with some further observed rides, the candidate will be back to test with a much more positive result.  

RoSPA Tutoring - Advanced Riders North Yorkshire.

Managed 3 sessions with the group in October, 2 Tutoring and 1 conducting a Tutor check session. This is to ensure our group Tutors are delivering at the highest level.

A few photos from the various sessions.

Pre training coffee and catch up time.

With fellow Tutors (L to R) Simon, Dave and Ian.

Pre training cuppas.

MCN.

Not managed to get my face in MCN much lately, and then got 2 cheeky little mentions in October! First mention was courtesy of customer Kev, who got himself and his fab Next up was a photo from Septembers Rocket 3 in MCN, but mentioned me in his comment. Many thanks for the plug Kev!

Next up was a photo from our tour in September.

The photo is outside the 'famous' James bond Hotel in the Swiss Alps. But how's this for coincidence, the photo next to it, is from Helen W, also outside the same hotel, from her recent trip. The coincidence is that Helen is also a Tutor with the same RoSPA group as me!

My GSA.

If I'm honest, not a lot to tell you about my bike this month. I did have a minor issue with the indicators taking on a mind of their own and deciding when to flash and how long to flash for, but a visit to the guys at the excellent Barrie Robson BMW soon had it sorted. Although most of the month was fine and dry, I did end up having to wash my bike, not once, but twice! Other than that, it continues to perform as it should. It really is a great bike. With less training to do, and no eutopean trip in october, my monthly mileage was significantly less than the last few months.

Miles in October.

So here's my mileage figures for October.

01/10/26 - 58,152

31/10/26 - 59544

GSA mileage in October - 1392

FireBike mileage for October - 0

Total mileages for the year to date;

GSA - 19,181

FireBike - 907.

Total - 20,088.

Training for everyone - will you be next?

As you have read, another great mix of people and bikes. Whoever you are and whatever you ride, please come along and have some training. You'll ride great roads while learning new skills and re-enforcing the old ones. Thanks for reading, and until next month, ride safe.

Ian S.