MOTORBIKES AND SCOOTERS LEARNING TO RIDE

We check out everything you need to know to get a licence and get started.

It always looks easy enough and fun too. It's also economical, environmentally-friendly and hugely convenient for all kinds of people. How you get started largely depends on your age and what you want to ride so here's a rundown of the basics.

In this day and age you can't just swing your leg over a 1,000cc sportsbike and launch yourself into next week. In fairness, you've never been allowed to do that but the point is that things have been tightened up in recent years to ensure all riders are trained and safe on the bike or scooter they're on. The starting point, as you may well be aware, is a little thing called Compulsory Basic Training (CBT).



The tuition involved in completing the CBT can be, and indeed is normally, done in a single day. The good news is that most training agencies run courses on Saturdays. After a basic eyesight test - reading a standard number plate at 20.5m - you take to your bike on an enclosed training area. The training ground is used to allow you to familiarise yourself with the bike's controls and low speed manoeuvrability, away from the hassles of impatient motorists.



Once that's out of the way, it's time to go into the classroom to learn the correct motorcycle road protocol. The final part of the day is an actual road riding session. This will last at least two hours and for the whole time you'll be followed by an instructor, who'll be in contact vi...