ROSPA Vs IAM

Think you'll find that most examiners will be a member of both. When I took my test the examiner said IAM pass/Rospa Silver. At the end of the day I am better driver and if you learn one or many different things you will be ahead of the game. Isn't being a safer driver the main point irrespective of which route you go.
 
Ceri JC said:
This too was the most memorable day of doing IAM for me. Predominantly because although I was supposed to be a student and was on one of the bikes least suited to gymkhana, I was considerably better at it than everyone else, including the senior observers.
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The chap I had most respect for at our 'machine control day' was riding a Honda Goldwing. He was spectacularly good at slow manoeuvring. So much so that I think it had a very positive impression on my own performance - along the lines of, "if he can do that, I've got no excuse"! The only exercise he couldn't manage was the one where you walk around your own unsupported bike - there just simply weren't enough handholds on the smooth plastic fairing.


Ceri JC said:
I've done IAM and there are some silly stylistic things they get hung up on, like they want you to ride a sportsbike as though it has tourer ergo and pretend your sintered pad sportsbike is actually a drum braked relic from the 70s that needs the brakes to be dried every time it gets a bit damp.
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I remember having a bit of an argument over this as well - being told I needed ride in a lower gear in order to have the necessary torque for the road conditions. Since this would have meant riding in second gear in a 40mph limit, I asked the observer whether he had actually ridden a 1200GS ... We agreed to disagree and I actually ended up scoring surprisingly well for a first outing.

I don't know how it would have turned out if Roynie and I had continued with IAM. I remember being deeply unimpressed at being scored down on my third observed ride. The other 'associate' we were riding with was a complete knob and, frankly, a danger to himself and everyone else on the road (speeding, hooting at other road users to let him past, overtaking stationery traffic where there was clearly no room to pull in ...), yet he had been doing IAM for much longer than me. Even so, at his debrief he received roughly the same marks as me. I was a bit taken aback, but didn't say anything. As soon as he had got up and left the table, the observer took my log book back from me and admitted that he might have made a mistake - and promptly up'ed my score! It seemed just a tad too random for my liking. As it was, that was the last score I ever received. We were just coming to the end of my next observed ride, when I got a call from Roynie saying that he had had an accident. Naturally, I abandoned the ride and, as fate would have it, we never got to do another before leaving the UK ...
 
mrsroynie said:
...The only exercise he couldn't manage was the one where you walk around your own unsupported bike - there just simply weren't enough handholds on the smooth plastic fairing...
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Well, that's advanced riding for you then! Jeez, he must be a real danger on the road. :tosser
 
The Reverend said:
Well, that's advanced riding for you then! Jeez, he must be a real danger on the road. :tosser
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No, not "advanced riding", just simple bike handling. And though all these things clearly came naturally to you at birth, some of us benefit from a little instruction every now and again.


:tosser right back at ya!
 
Why? :nenau

What has walking around your bike doing a balancing act got to with anything other than Billy Smarts Circus?

Do you do it regularly? When you park at the cafe? When you're out with the boyfriend?

If you want to do it, that's fine by me. It's just got feck all to do with advanced riding.
 
The Reverend said:
Why? :nenau

What has walking around your bike doing a balancing act got to with anything other than Billy Smarts Circus?

Do you do it regularly? When you park at the cafe? When you're out with the boyfriend?

If you want to do it, that's fine by me. It's just got feck all to do with advanced riding.
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You are probably right. There really is little need for advanced riding techniques for the odd jaunt to the cafe with your girlfriend on the back. But then I didn't buy a £10k bike to keep it in the garage ... and there have been occasions, when the road unexpectedly ran out, when it has proved extremely useful to be able to perform the odd Billy Smart's balancing act.

Advanced riding is a lot about confidence in your abilities. How many times have you seen posts here discussing the "heaviness" of a bike? Those people are exactly the people who could benefit from a day doing "slow control" of the kind taught by IAM (and, probably, by RoSPA). They walk into a showroom, push the bike off its sidestand and think "Wow, that's a heavy bike. I'd never be able to pick that up if I dropped it." So lacking in confidence are they that they never consider that if the bike is operating upright, as it is designed to do, it is, to all intents and purposes, weightless. They might buy the bike because it is practical or fashionable, a bit of a status symbol, or just to keep up with their friends. But they daren't take it too far off the beaten track just in case they might drop it, trying to turn in a narrow road, for instance, and damage it or not be able to pick it up. That fear is what stops a lot of people improving their riding skills. You can never call yourself an advanced rider if you cannot manoeuvre your bike at slow speeds - whatever about balancing acts and Billy Smart's Circus.
 
If I could add to this debate, from the view point of an IAM Examiner?

It has never seemed fair that if I Test two candidates on a given day & one does “just enough” to pass, whilst the other is a “riding God”, to quote Richard Hammond, they both just get the same “Pass”.

The IAM have at last done something about it, in that the top riders, & I personally think we’d be talking less than 10%, will get recognition of that fact, by being awarded a "F1rst" pass.

It’s also always been said that “If you join RoSPA, you have to re-Test after 3 years”, which is indeed true, but any IAM member has always been able to undertake a voluntary re-Test, & many do, particularly motorcyclists, as opposed to car drivers.

To be blunt, with over 100,000 members, the IAM couldn’t cope with some 35,000 re-Tests a year, but I think the chance to aim for the F1rst pass will motivate more than a few to come back for a further Test.
 
My IAM pov

Martyn H said:
If I could add to this debate, from the view point of an IAM Examiner?

It has never seemed fair that if I Test two candidates on a given day & one does “just enough” to pass, whilst the other is a “riding God”, to quote Richard Hammond, they both just get the same “Pass”.

The IAM have at last done something about it, in that the top riders, & I personally think we’d be talking less than 10%, will get recognition of that fact, by being awarded a "F1rst" pass.

It’s also always been said that “If you join RoSPA, you have to re-Test after 3 years”, which is indeed true, but any IAM member has always been able to undertake a voluntary re-Test, & many do, particularly motorcyclists, as opposed to car drivers.

To be blunt, with over 100,000 members, the IAM couldn’t cope with some 35,000 re-Tests a year, but I think the chance to aim for the F1rst pass will motivate more than a few to come back for a further Test.
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It's taken a while but the IAM website is live with the F1rst pass details, so if you are good you could be on the list without even knowing ( I was ! )
Stick with the IAM training and see if you get the opportunity to become and Observer, that way you are kept on your toes with reg. riding abilities and gives you the chance to pass on all your skills to others.
 
Signed up for IAM skills for life and got the pack through in 3 days.

Half way through book and hopefully be able to make a start with the riding soon.

Anyone got an idea how long it takes to get to being test ready?
 
Well i'd say that's pretty much down to the individual - some pick things up pretty quickly and some take a bit longer. It'll also depend on how much and how often you can get out with an observer (and your sort of relationship with him/her!).

Good luck, and I sort of genuinely mean that. I'm so passionate about the whole riding thing and nothing delights me more than somebody who says 'tell me more - I want to learn and be better..'

But don't rush into taking your test, taking and passing it is not your goal, being a blindingly good motorcyclist is. Don't stop the learning process just cos you get a little green badge!! :thumb
 
giles lamb said:
But don't rush into taking your test, taking and passing it is not your goal, being a blindingly good motorcyclist is. Don't stop the learning process just cos you get a little green badge!! :thumb
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Thanks, at my age it is the forgetting process I am trying patch up :blast
 
Jester said:
What are the fianncial benefits of IAM vs ROSPA (notably discounted insurance and any other cost benefits, discounts etc)
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The main one is you getting home after every ride, and are then able to continue supporting you and yours.
 
Jester said:
What are the fianncial benefits of IAM vs ROSPA (notably discounted insurance and any other cost benefits, discounts etc)
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Probably not much, It may save me a few quid, but as I also want Euro-Breakdown and other stuff it depends if I can find a policy that ticks all the other boxes and still gives a bit of money off for the IAM. I really should have done it years ago when it may have saved me a lot more dosh, and youngsters here (on a BMW:nenau) are likely to find it helps more.

I think the IAM have other ties which gets you discount here and there. Not sure about ROSPa, but as they are pro-camera and pro-nanny state I decided to steer clear.

I want to improve my riding, I generally know what to do and how to do it, but having someone following along and forcing me to drop the bad habbits, and picking up on other points I may not be aware of is well worth the £139 - any future cash savings are just a bonus.
 
Jester said:
What are the fianncial benefits of IAM vs ROSPA (notably discounted insurance and any other cost benefits, discounts etc)
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I'd say you'd save more money by being ruthless in shopping around for insurance etc, and by riding something really slow that noone crashes or wants to steal.

Alistair.
 
For many years I've struggled to get my mind around the whole issue of IAM v ROSPA v ADVANCED TRAINING debate. Advanced training on the road with Rapid Training, and track based sessions with the California Superbike School have proved to be the most beneficial in my experience.
My main grievance with the IAM/POSPA set up involves the issue of speed limits. There seems to be a smoke and mirrors approach to them! Observe them or fail/get a lower pass, but during a break and a de-brief cheerfully recount stories of how quickly one got from to A to B while touching 3 figure speeds! To me it seems to be question of do as I say, not as I do.
I'm convinced that advanced training is most worthwhile, define what you want to get out of it, and choose appropriately.
 
Don't have a problem with the speed limit thing.
While under training and assessment you are demonstrating that you are aware of the speed limits and that you can stick to them.
Once out on your own - it's down to you.
 
AberdeenAngus said:
Don't have a problem with the speed limit thing.
While under training and assessment you are demonstrating that you are aware of the speed limits and that you can stick to them.
Once out on your own - it's down to you.
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That precisely is my problem. Hypocrisy. To actively promote adherence to a set of rules, only to admit to breaking them is bizarre. I made the decision that real world advance training was the route I'd take.
 
Doing what they have to do

Gipsy said:
That precisely is my problem. Hypocrisy. To actively promote adherence to a set of rules, only to admit to breaking them is bizarre. I made the decision that real world advance training was the route I'd take.
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How can any organisation openly suggest that people break the law-however stupid that law might be? That's not hypocrisy that's being pragmatic. If the IAM or any other such organisation advocated breaking speed limits can you imagine the uproar. We all know what happens in the real world but you really can't expect people to put their necks on the block for you.

I did a Bikesafe weekend several years ago and was told to ride up to 90 mph but I would expect the officer to deny saying any such thing should I have been stopped. I would not expect him to put his job on the line on my behalf, I would have taken full responsibility for my own action

If we lived in a society where freedom of expression was a reality then you could have a problem with mixed messages but until that happens there has to be pragmatism

John
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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