From the training page
www.adventure.gs
Common ‘faults’ with those taking the IAM test, not necessarily failure points please note. We know what makes a bad rider, we know a ‘fail’ when we see it! But what separates an average rider from the IAM standard, a good rider from a very good one? I note that some of those presenting themselves for test show the traits of having been taught to pass a test, just that, just enough! They do not think for themselves, show any individuality, they don’t make quick, snappy, accurate decisions and then get on with it. Rather they wait until a Fax comes in! For the most they lack flair! Yes, that word again. (Flair...natural ability or talent…. style). They do ‘this’ or ‘that’ because they’ve been told to! Not really knowing why, not knowing there are occasions when it’s not required. They nearly all have one or more of the following ‘faults’ to their riding.
Not in any particular order of importance, just as they’ve entered my head.
1) Heads turning, shoulder checks but seeing nothing. If I’m behind someone who does a shoulder check, and I’m out to that side...I want to see their eyes. But........
2) Too many shoulder checks! The more expert we get, the smoother we get, the less shoulder checks we need! Fact. OK we need a shoulder check when turning left or right...but do we? Moving towards a junction and we’re going to turn right off the main road, we’re positioned close to the white line, bread van coming towards us and we turn right behind it, it comes past us two foot on our right and we turn right behind it, what the hell do we need a shoulder check for! Anything coming past us is on the front of said bread van going t’other way! We want to be looking where we’re going, into the junction.
Leaving built up areas we don’t need left and right shoulder checks. I know the police teach / taught it, but then they used to teach the Hendon Shuffle! We’re leaving a built up area, we can see the National Speed Limit signs well ahead. We’re scanning our mirrors, we know what is happening behind. Where’s that red XR3i gone? He might have turned off, he might be overtaking, then fairysnuff lets shoulder check, and slap ourselves on the wrist for not picking it up. Remember, the better more proficient we get, the smoother we become, then the less shoulder checks are needed!
3) Not looking far enough ahead.... time and time again I see riders, yes on test, move out for a parked bus, lorry, car, hearse, roadwork’s. They ride up to it and have to give a shoulder check (again) to move round it. The obstruction was clearly visible two hundred and fifty yards ahead as we negotiated a gentle bend and the view opens up..... we should flow gently and smoothly into position, as the view opens up, thus negating requirement for said shoulder check. This of course requires good forward observations!
4) Tackle one hazard at a time.... ties in with 3 above. No planning, no thought, no gumption! (shrewd or spirited initiative and resourcefulness! same Oxford dictionary as for flair!) Again ..... not looking far enough ahead!
5) Contrary to the above, it might sound, not enough head movement for cross views. There is a difference between this and the above, and if people can’t spot the need and the difference between the two then we aint gonna do much with them! Time and again you can follow people and their head and neck might just as well be all glued together. On a recent test, approaching a ‘T’ junction with a main road, we’re gonna turn left, the candidate didn’t look to the right until ten feet before the junction “Wow, that’s good isn’t it... a cross view like what we’re taught!” then had to stop because of a van coming along the main road from our right, going the same way as we’re going to go. A cross view early, van seen, speed estimated, our speed adjusted, nothing behind it, we plan, plot and scheme and we get to the junction behind the van and turn left to follow it.... no need to stop! We’ve now actually got more time to check the road surface, personhole covers, gravel etc. It’s hardly rocket science is it!
6) ‘Association of Michael Flatly Wannabe’s’ people still coming for test doing a foot tapping routine. It’s quite simple...... it really is quite simple ........
Roundabout junction A57 over M1, we’re going from Sheffield towards Worksop. Cars stopped at red light over motorway nearside and offside lane, with traffic exiting the south bound slip road, onto the island ‘cos they’ve got a green light. Plenty of room, candidate quite rightly moves up between the cars. Our lights change, candidate snicks into gear, puts left foot down, right foot onto footrest and sets off. Cars either side have already gone, ‘cos we’ve had a green light for a couple of seconds. IF the car(s) on our nearside had gone round the roundabout in front of us, as they could, and IF the cars on our right had gone straight on down the A57, as they could, we’d be in serious trouble. They’d be in trouble .. we’d be in serious trouble! RATHER we should see the slip road light change, go to amber, ‘cos we can see it, get the gear, and making sure traffic on the slip road has stopped, especially the nearside which could be masked, but wasn’t, WOOOOOOSH gone! I’m not saying ‘jump’ the lights, but as soon as we get a hint of a glint of a shade of green we’ve gone! .... history!
If we’re setting off to ‘go go go’ into an open situation with no danger whatsoever, and we don’t have time to swop the feet over, fair enough in my book. Gerronwiit! Just make sure that the right foot is on the peg within six inches of moving off. Most of the time of course, with cross views and a bit of application, we’ve got the time to get the gear (left foot already on the footrest) drop the left foot and put the right foot on the footrest. If we’re setting off in traffic then we want to move off with the foot covering the footbrake to regulate our slow speed. But we’ve got time of course ‘cos we can see traffic ahead setting off..... can’t we? There is no need whatsoever to sit there at traffic lights or whatever with the right foot covering the footbrake! Fact. The police used to teach this many years ago... still being taught! “In case we’re going to get rammed in the rear!” (?) I was told. Well I never held with this theory. Cover the gearlever. If I’m gonna get rammed in the rear I’m gonna get my gear, get my arse out of there, and go go go! Not brace myself for impact! So don’t stop three feet behind the car in front with no-where to go. If he catches fire, stalls wont start, finishes his chips off, or we’re going to get rammed, we can get out of there! (When we’re stationary our biggest potential for harm comes from the rear. (see item 17.)
7) An inability to see through a series of bends, to the bend we can’t see round, and go to the place on the road where we want to be for that bend, by the smooooothest, flowing line. (One hazard at a time again eh!) All candidates know the correct position for the hazard ahead, it’s just unfortunate that for the most they’re late picking up that position and their ride becomes ‘sweepy swoopy’ wastes time, loses speed, looks crap and is crap.
8) And in the same breath, there are those candidates who are on the perfect line for the left hander coming up, just inside the white line, who suddenly and abruptly sweep across to t’other side of the road for the ‘maximum view’ (On a couple of occasions had to dive back again because of something coming into view!) We should ask ourselves, “Is it safe?” “Is it to advantage?” If the answer is yes to these questions then OK. Most of the time it’s not to advantage ‘cos we had a good enough view anyway! Certainly for the speed they were doing! By all means use the other side of the road, but let’s get there in smooth flowing lines. If ‘The Line’ doesn’t take us there then let’s not bother. As one guy said to me, 65 years old and only just back into ‘biking’ “I get it Mick, you want me to gel the corners together!” (Oxford talks about pufty hair cream, but ‘gel’ will do nicely..... we want to gel the corners together!)
9) ‘The Line’ eh! what’s that?
10) Exaggerating ‘the position’ in built up areas where there’s no real need. Because they’ve been taught nearside for right-handers, up to white line for lefthanders, they do it at 30 or 40 mph when we have a sight line of two hundred yards and can stop in a fraction of the distance we see to be clear. The car behind of course is asking, “What’s this twerp in front doing, turning left, no right, no left...!”
11) Speed in built up areas sometimes creeps up when being sucked along by the car in front. I’m not talking about when there’s a long line of traffic. Many’s the time the rider in front is doing 30 to 32 mph (where it’s safe of course) a car joins from our left or right ahead of us and is now going our way. The car builds it’s speed up to 40 and the rider in front gets ‘sucked along’ and is soon keeping a nice distance behind said car...at the same speed!
12) Often a lack of ability to ‘suss out’ the traffic ahead, and pick a smooth, safe, uninterrupted passage through. Again... not rocket science. Fail to use the advantage the motorcycle has given them.... thinking car! Needs planning coupled with good forward observations, anticipation, and an accurate assessment of speed and distance!
13) All tied in with not looking far enough ahead. (again!) We often have the scenario whereby the candidate waits for an overtaking opportunity, and I can literally read their thoughts by body language / movement. “Oh, I can overtakes now, I’ve an overtake on. Let’s see, err, gear, oh, right, I’ll come down to thirds, err, now that’s OK. mmm Mirror, oh yes the mirror mmm seems ok, oh hell, a shoulder check, right done that, now we go, we’ll show him what these Ninjas will do!” Then they ride ROUND the car they’re overtaking. That’s of course if they haven’t now missed the opportunity.
RATHER look beyond the vehicle in front, read the road, anticipate, plan plot and scheme, as I like say, We’ve caught the vehicle up, we’re travelling faster than it, so we’re already planning to overtake long before the opportunity is there. Do the homework, scan the mirrors, position out, cross views, and you’ll see the bit of road that’s just round this corner that’s straight enough. Gear already, mirrors scanned, all homework done, and as the bend opens up WOOOOOOOSH! gone. Without exception I can ask a candidate “And where was I when you looked in your mirror prior to that overtake?” the answer nearly always is “Already out there!” Time and time again I see people ‘riding round’ the hazard, or the vehicle being overtaken.
14) A rigid insistence not to overtake at or near a junction. OK we know what the book says, and any doubt whatsoever..... BUT junction ahead totally clear, NOTHING can emerge, and many is the time we can be past the car ahead before the junction. So why not? OK sorry, I know what the book says! But what speed is the car doing, could he possibly turn into that junction? If he’s doing fifty mph five yards before that narrow drive we can see into, he couldn’t possibly turn into it...now could he!
15) An important one this one - Do not analyse (Oxford again...examine methodically and in detail!) their own riding, the riding of others, the last series of bends, the entry, negotiation and exit of that last roundabout, the last overtake! It’s only by analysing ones riding, oneself, that we can improve. It matters not a jot that someone is teaching us if we don’t analyse for ourselves. No-one can kneel and be touched on the shoulder by the magic sword and be pronounced ‘an advanced rider’ “Arise Sir BOF, you can now wear The Badge!”
16) I often see riders negotiating a bend on the ‘correct line’ in the wet..... but there’s a dry line a foot or a couple of feet off the ‘ideal’ line. let’s be in the dry On the straight they move abruptly to miss a personhole cover! If you don’t want to ride over the damn thing see it when it’s in the far distance and get the correct line early.... otherwise let the suspension do its job! Never sacrifice safety for position!
17) Don’t suffer the duffer, create a buffer! Having settled down to a nice speed in a built up area, following other vehicles, and not looking to glide past because our speed is OK, then let’s back off the vehicle in front and allow a much larger gap, I call it a ‘buffer zone!’ Think ‘Two second rule’ then think ‘even more’! We can move into it when traffic ahead is slowing and the prat behind is on the mobile, or eating his chips...or both. (6% of serious motorcycle injury accidents are rear end shunts!) We can see what’s happening ahead much better, we don’t have to brake half as much, ‘cos we’re in that lower gear... aren’t we! If anything happens in front of us we’re gonna be a witness.... not involved… right!
18) Coming too soon! errr mmm sorry, that should read ‘coming in too soon’ Yeah another common fault, coming in too soon! We position for view, we position for safety, right! View is safety, right! We can work better with what we can see than what we can’t see, right! Well why then do people come in too soon on entering a bend. Right hand bend, we’re positioned to the nearside, we can see further than if we are up near the white line, and before the view opens up, before we can see where the road is going, they leave the nearside, losing their view, and are up to the white line before the corner opens up! If anything comes into view towards them, or the bend tightens up, they aint gonna be at home for supper that evening! There are no ‘apexes’ on corners, on the road, that we can’t see round! A left hand bend, we’re up near the white line looking round it. Come in too soon and now we’re in against the hedge, still going round a lefthander, no view, lost it. Anything parked, pedestrians, we’re gonna hit them. AND we’ll run wide on the exit... back towards any oncoming vehicles AND if the corner tightens up we’ll just quite simply not make it.
19) No mention of speed yet eh! It's not about speed, it's about smoothness. But often corner speed is not maintained, negotiating corners on a closed or trailing throttle, when we could in fact be on gentle acceleration, chasing the arrow head, limit point, vanishing point, whatever they'll call it next month! A person who is smooth, who reads the road, has forward observations, has anticipation, and plans, will get there quicker than the point and squirt merchant, and with far less wear and tear to the tyres, suspension, brakes, and central nervous system! Deep joy too to the pillion!
Advanced riding isn’t about having green stickers all over your ‘bike, helmet, and pyjamas, it’s about common sense, observations, planning, assessment, positioning and getting on with some decisive riding. Why negotiate three hazards when you can turn them into one! Why negotiate that right hander and THEN overtake Doris and Albert in their Morris Minor 1000 when with planning, cross views, accurate assessment, you can drop into the right hander and past them all in one manoeuvre, maybe stop there for the next left hander. NO sweeping and swooping about! It’s not magic, it’s not rocket science! It’s common sense......err .... gumption! We’ll show other road users that we’re ‘Advanced Riders’ not by the badge, but by our smooth uninterrupted progress that doesn’t interfere with them. Those that ‘know’ will comment “Now there goes a good rider!” Those road users that have no idea whatsoever will have no idea of our passing!
Some of these views might not be those of the IAM, or indeed other IAM Examiners. Please feel free to question them. For those who don’t know me, I started riding police motorcycles in 1966. (LE Velocette ‘Noddy’ bike, Heartbeat style, round Barnsley!) When it broke down (frequent) I used my own BSA 650 Lightning! Seventeen years Road Traffic motorcycle patrol, police instructor, examiner, royal escort / VIP and the training of police motorcyclists for these roles. Three years undercover as surveillance motorcyclist with the Regional Crime Squad. Last working day spent on motorcycle patrol, retired in 1995. IAM Examiner for sixteen years. Now having my own company ‘Advanced Riding Techniques’ of which RiDE magazine said in the July ‘97 issue, “Highly recommended.” The only one of eight training schools / courses tested that was! Numerous track days each year, and a Diploma and three awards from the Nürburgring High Performance Courses!
I did 82,000 miles on the BMW 1150 GS in two and a half years! Then 60,000 miles on my 1150GS ‘Adventure’ in two and a half years. 14,000 miles on the 1200GS Adventure and 50,000 miles on the F650GS Dakar in just three and a half years, but this did include a five and a half month double unsupported crossing of Asia. A 19,300 miles journey through Russia, Siberia and Mongolia, through the Gobi Desert to China, and returning through all the ‘Stans’ … twenty three countries in all. The full story can be found at
www.adventure.gs
Ride with pride, rubber side down and between the hedges.
Mick Wheeler.
www.adventure.gs
www.AdvancedRidingTechniques.info
[email protected]
September 2007
Hope it helps....
Micky
Or did you ride faster wheere appropriate/safe to do so 
.. encountered in "Irish conditions" and can do all thats expected by a Trainer here - by the time you get home to U.K. - the test is a doddle!
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