CBT NOVICE – MANUAL
If you have never ridden before and want to ride a manual bike, (one with clutch and gears) CBT Novice Manual, is the course for you, and if you are booking a full course to take your test, it will be the first day of an Intensive Novice Course. It does mean that throughout the summer months you need to book on a Monday, which is the day that I reserve for Novices, so it pays to book ahead to reserve a place.
If you are a novice but want to do the CBT on an automatic bike, often referred to as a “Twist and Go” you should be ok on an AUTOMATIC MOPED, NOVICE OR EXPERIENCED day. If you are particularly nervous about the course and especially if you can not ride a push bike, please tell me before you book. Generally speaking if you struggle with a push bike you will find a moped more difficult until you gain confidence with your balance and that could take some time.
It could be worth booking a TASTER LESSON to prepare you for your CBT, ask for advice when you book. A Taster Lesson would last for one to two hours, agreed in advance and would give you a chance to give things a try if you are unsure
If you are ready to book go to the Contact page to book and fill in the form so that we can offer you the best course to suit you.
If you would like to know more, the following is what you should expect on a CBT Novice Manual day.
Andy the head instructor explains about a Novice CBT Novice Manual day
Learning to ride a Manual Bike (one with clutch and gears) as a complete novice takes more time, which is why I like to keep novices separate from experienced riders. I want this information to be informative and transparent, so you know what to expect on the day. All novices are different but typically we would spend the first 2 hours on the track getting used to the basics of clutch control and braking, by moving off and stopping just over a short distance to start with.
I’ll then send you all the way round the track in first gear, just to prove to yourself that “yes I can ride a motorbike” ? but so far only slowly. ? After a few laps in first gear I will show you how to go up and down through the gears, so we are gradually increasing the speed as you gain confidence and of course you still need to remember to stop!!
If all goes well within the first 2 to 3 hours, I can have you riding around the track getting the bike into 4th gear on the straights, 3rd gear for the corners and planning your stops nicely so you stop where you want the bike to stop. By which time you are probably in need of a comfort break, so we have a break.
CBT Novice Manual continued
After the break, we return to the track to complete all the basic riding skills, (Element C) which includes slow riding, junction work, emergency stops, U-turns and the figure of 8. That will probably take at least another 2 hours by which time you should be at a level that we both consider you are ready for your road ride.
We have another break before covering the safety talks (element D) which cover the theory side of riding to finally prepare you for your road ride. During the road ride, you will be in radio contact with me all the time and you will be used to the radios because I use radios on the site as well as on the road.
The road ride will be a minimum of 2 hours and I go in front to start with to lead the way. We start off slowly and gradually build speed up throughout the ride as you gain your confidence. We are based in the countryside, so you are not going straight into town traffic, so you have time to get used to being on the road before getting to the town.
Throughout the ride, sometimes I will be in front then I put the pupil in front, so it is a combination of me showing you what to do and you demonstrating to me that the basic skills that we have covered on the track, you can now put into practice on the road.
You are bound to make mistakes because everybody does but the whole idea of the ride is to explain where you are getting things wrong, show you, by demonstrating in front or stopping to talk through things again so we reach a level that would allow you to ride unaccompanied.
On return to the site during the de-briefing I will cover any areas that I consider you need to continue to practice to develop your Basic Skills and after successfully completing your CBT you are awarded with your DL196 which is your CBT certificate.
Well done, you can now ride your Motorcycle wherever you like, unaccompanied apart from on motorways for 2 years and if you have been bitten by the motorcycling bug, we hope to see you back again for further training.
Safety is paramount
Not all pupils complete a CBT Novice Manual in one day, if I consider that a pupil is not ready for the road ride on a manual bike after training on the track, between us we have to come to a decision. If you have achieved a good level of clutch control, have good balance, look confident at speed and cornering but during the junction work you are struggling with your planning and approach, maybe starting to panic and overshooting the give way line and possibly took several attempts at the U-turn before getting it right; I might suggest that you revert to an automatic bike for your road ride.
I will suggest this option if I feel that after your CBT you will be perfectly OK on your own bike by practising from home to start with before attempting to go into a busy town. I will only do this if I think that it is in your interests because the road ride is easier on an automatic bike and it should result in you completing your CBT successfully. As the law stands at present you will still be able to ride a manual bike on completion, even if you complete the road ride on an automatic.
Bear in mind that you have probably had at least 5 hours training on the track at this point and the road ride must include everything through the town. If a Pupil is still struggling with basic skills at this point, or they don’t want to move onto an automatic, I would have to ask you to return for further training.
If during the road ride you fail to reach a level where I feel that you would be safe to ride unaccompanied on completion I would have to ask you to return for further training. It is my job to train you safely and I have a legal and moral obligation to conduct CBT’s within the DVSA guidelines.
If either of the above examples does happen it will be down to my experience to decide whether you will need to do part or all the CBT again and how much it will cost, and I will discuss everything with you at the time.
CBT Novice Manual at Anglia Training Services, “the road to your licence”