DIARY - Saturday 1st September 2007 Compulsory Basic Training or CBT as it is commonly referred to, really works. Offering a safe environment to learn how to ride a motorcycle it's a far cry from my own experiences of learning to ride. In 1965 I had a James 125cc, a mean green machine with leg guards; I must have thought it was the bee's knees. My boyfriend of the time must have thought so too, because with his own motorcycle broken down he decided that he would teach me to 'ride it properly'. This involved speeding down country roads around Harrogate, howling round corners leaning over to a degree I would have not believed possible, all without the safety equipment we take for granted today, no helmet, no armoured jacket. Call me a wimp if you like but I did wonder if I really had to ride like that. Was it the way to do it? Already the difference in male/female outlook was showing. I remember pulling him out of the ditch for the umpteenth time and that was the end of a beautiful friendship. I left him and took my bike home. One of the CBTers today had had a similar experience at another local training school and he was not amused. John had decided the easiest way to get to work was by motorcycle and although never having had experience of them he was full of enthusiasm he told me, when he went to the training school. It was harder than he imagined, the gears the braking, the indicators, turning corners everything seemed to come up so fast he could hardly cope. He said he was given the impression that he was holding the rest of the group up and the instructor was not helping him sort out his difficulties. His confidence took a nose dive when, instead of shutting the throttle off, he wound on the power and wheelied, totally out of control, up a steep grass bank and ended up in a heap, separated from the bike. 'Hope your not going to do that out on the road' the instructor told him, 'hurry up we need to get out and complete the rest of the training'. John told me he was appalled they expected him to go out on the road and he refused to go, saying that there was no way he could handle a bike in traffic. He left the training school without completing the course. That was twelve months ago, it has taken him this long to pluck the courage up to try again. Just what can you expect when you go for your CBT? You should be shown how to ride the bike, building up your level of competence until you can keep the bike completely under control while turning left and right. U turns and figure of eight turns demonstrate being able to control the clutch, an emergency stop shows you can apply the brakes correctly. Gear changing should be correctly timed and smooth. Any Instructor worth their salt will demonstrate all these techniques and be able to vary the teaching to what the customer needs. Above all it should be fun. With any luck you will feel a real sense of achievement at having mastered the skill and with a minimum of two hours riding on the road your confidence will increase tenfold. John left today clutching his CBT certificate, grin factor nine and rising!