I'm glad tthis thread came up as, coincidentally, a friend of mine who I hadn"t seen for ages, popped in while passing a few months back and asked me if I would be interested in becoming a Blood Biker as they needed more in the area. I said no problem initially until I discovered the need for the IAM test, plus the purchase of certain riding gear and once you're qualified, siging up to a shift pattern for the blood runs despite being "voluntary". Regarding the above quote, I had an IAM assesment (free) in the mid 80"s and "failed" on a few points, one of which was that I was using the brakes too much and should be slowing down using the gears/engine braking until the need to come to a complete stop arises. I've no idea if that advice still applies but I also thought at the time " I ride for enjoyment, I don't want to ride like that". I did the Police Bike Safe course around ten years ago which many will know is not pass or fail, more an appraisal of your riding with advice given accordingly. TBH, one of the main reasons I booked it was that, at the time, a portion of the fee (£50 IIRC) went to charity but I'd say the course was worth it on it's own merit.
The more recent advice I was given by IAM was "brakes to slow, gears to go" so that does seems slightly different. To be fair both my observer and examiner told me that things had changed from when they first started. For example, on your test you clearly cannot exceed the speed limit, but the advice used to be "don't look at the speedometer when your overtaking" .I was advised not to try this myself!
I went out for a re-assessment And was told I was using the throttle and gears too much for slowing/braking seemingly for today’s anti pollution requirements it’s meant to be less engine and mainly brakes now, although I’m not sure what the brake dust does.
I come back to the enjoyment aspect which, I guess, means different things to different riders. I never carry pillions and not in the least interested in mpg, except when the fuel light's been on for 20 miles maybe! "Spirited" riding out in the sticks, on the ZZR certainly, enjoyment can mean using the power, gears & acceleration, lining up bends then knocking of speed with the brakes before sweeping through then blasting up to the next one. It could also mean leisurely rolling the throttle on/off if you're that way inclined. The "road reading" aspect is, or should be" a given, no matter what mood you're in or what bike you're riding. I can see the requirement for some sort of paper riding accreditation for something like Blood Run duties though, otherwise they'd have no idea of a riders level of competence/ability/experience.
Thanks for all the input guys! I know advance rider training isn’t for everyone but I’m hoping I’ll get on with it...I think I will! My Roadcraft book arrived today so will start to look through that when I get a chance! Having a newborn def makes this harder but I’m sure I’ll squeeze it in!!!
Hi Matt I think you will really enjoy the training, the test itself is about using the skills taught consistently. I have the IAM car and motorcycle qualifications and take a re test every 3 years, for me it keeps me sharp, also things move on, especially on motorways with signs and markings etc. Some of the current road racers are involved with the IAM nationally and locally. Maria Costello runs courses for female riders at some race circuits. Further training after the IAM qualifications with people like Rapid Training can take you to another level, you will get the skills to read the country twisty roads of even a half mile away, be it left or right bends, and anything of potential or real danger in between. Blood Bikers do a great service, and very rewarding, the car qualification is also pretty useful for things like transporting items to and from hospitals, patient transport etc etc. Keep the forum posted on your progress.
So a quick update... I’ve had my induction to WVAM and had a couple of chats with the chaps running. All very helpful and am now booked in for my first observed ride on Monday 12th. This is the first step to gaining my advance rider qualification and eventually being able to become a blood biker. Really excited to get started...have been reading Roadcraft and the IAM logbook both of which give an interesting insight into how an advance rider thinks when riding. Lots of it seems like common sense to me so hopefully that bodes well?!??!? And that’s about it for now, not a lot to report but looking forward to getting started next week! Although I’m having minor surgery on my back on Tuesday so fingers crossed it’s all fine to start the following Monday!!! Ride safe all!
A great thread Matt. I have enjoyed reading all the insights provided by IAM qualified riders. Good luck with your training and test.
Quick update... Last Monday I had my first observed ride with a WVAM observer. We started with a quick 5-6mile ride with him following, we then pulled over and he gave me an initial assessment. POSITIONING !!!!! That was the major downfall! He explained that your lane should be spilt into three sections (1,2 & 3) and you move between them to gain the best view. So...on a right hand bend you’d move over to the extreme left of your lane (no 1) to allow yourself to see as far around the corner as you can (as long as it’s a safe to do so). It was a completely new way of thinking and felt pretty foreign to me but after another hour or so he pulled us over and said I was getting the hang of it! Also got pulled up on my speed but I think the Thruxtons speedo must show slightly slow as I was trying to be careful. He tested me on the Highway Code and whilst I knew most, he def caught me out with a few so have been looking at that a bit when the little one has been keeping me up at night! I’ve been out practising a bit this week and feel more confident with what he explained to me and have my second observed run booked in for this Friday so we’ll see what else he’ll tell me to work on! Also have my induction for SERV booked in now for the 6th May, initially as a car driver but as soon as I pass my advance test () as a rider too. Really enjoying it all so far and glad to be learning more about riding! Also in BIG news...me and the missus agreed that once I’m volunteering as a rider I can get a second bike that’s more suitable for it...suggestions??? Cheers all and enjoy the sunshine!
Hi Matt, glad you are enjoying the training, it's all about IPSGA, once you have that mastered it opens up a whole new world to riding fast smooth and above all else safe whilst making good progress, keep the forum updated on how it goes as you progress.
Hi iceman, Yep I’ve read all about IPSGA and understand it but it’s def going to take some practise to make it second nature! It’s a lot to think about...I guess that’s why it’s called being a “thinking rider”. Cheers
Well done Matt. The advanced riding is about smoothness and reading the road. My son passed his A2 test in August last year and came with me to Scotland with a group of advanced riders. With their input and encouragement he took on board what they were showing/telling him and by the end of the week he was leaving me behind in the twisties - he has a Honda CB500X and made it boogie despite crap tyres! Ive been riding a lot of years and can turn it on when it’s appropriate but it proves what an A2 compliant bike can do if the rider is given the right tools and guidance. Best of luck!
So second observed ride completed! After the first, I got my report with your riding marked out of three. 1 is good and 3 is needs development. The report had mostly 2 & 3’s in it and to be honest I was relatively happy. I knew what I needed to work on and his comments were very fair. I did about 150 miles practise before the second ride and then we met last Friday morning. The first part of the ride we swapped around so I followed him. I borrowed his spare helmet (with intercom) and he gave me a commentary of what he’s thinking. JESUS! It was constant!!! Like really useful verbal diarrhoea! It was eye opening and showed me the level of thought I had to get to. We swapped around about half way through and he gave me feed back as we rode! It went really well this time. He was very pleased with my positioning and we talked about the limit point too. I’d heard of it before and had a pretty decent understanding of how to use it and in the subsequent part of the ride he was happy with how I was implementing it. We headed back to his garage after about 3 hrs and the last thing we needed to try was slow control. He asked me to do a figure of eight outside his garage... Well... Safe to say that it didn’t go well! I was pretty confident in my slow control but it was TERRIBLE. Pretty much a foot down on every attempt! The ground outside the garage was pretty uneven and tight but it’s a poor excuse as he was riding around behind on his MASSIVE GS making it look simple. I was pretty tired by then so stopped but will def be concentrating on slow control this week. Just need to find a deserted car park so I don’t make a tit of myself! Just received my report from that ride and amazingly I got all 1&2’s!!!! Absolutely chuffed to bits and looking forward to the next one. Haven’t been out for any practise yet this week but will head out soon! I engaged much more with the “advance riding” philosophy this time. By that I mean I could see how it could improve my riding and how I would end up using it all the time. After the first one I couldn’t quite see it fitting into my riding the whole time but that’s definitely changed. Following him was a revelation! He never broke the speed limit but rode soooooo smoothly and basically kept the same speed the whole time. With me behind trying my hardest to keep up !!! Another good week of it and looking forward to cracking on! Ride safe all!
That's great @MattGaydon, re: the slow control, tight figs of 8, throttle and back brake, look over your shoulder at where you want to go, so basically your outside arm will be straighter than your inside arm depending on the sharpness of turn, it assists with the body turn and helping turn the head, even a little buttock shuffle on the seat. Have you applied yet? There is a bit of a backlog and you can go through the process while waiting for your test.
Haven’t applied yet but will chat to my observer this week and hopefully we can get cracking with that too!!
Hey folks! Been a while since I updated this thread!! I had to take an enforced break from training due to illness but have now done two more sessions and just started the process of booking my test. My last training ride was with a different instructor who was great! Gave really helpful advice/feedback and made the whole morning great fun. Hopefully will take the test within the next couple of weeks! My enrolment process for SERV has also been paused so once I pass I’ll restart that with an aim to start doing runs before the end of the year! Super excited to finally be getting near the end of the process so keep your fingers crossed gang! Ride safe! Matt
Sorry to hear you have been ill Matt, but good on you for sticking with the training, also the instructors approaches can vary (although the syllabus is the same), it makes a huge difference when you gel with the instructor. Keep the forum posted on your progress, it may motivate other members to take it up. Ride safe all.
Well done Matt for sticking with the advanced training. It really does improve your awareness, confidence and riding. Which IAM group are you with?
