Completed IBT, still on the fence?

skyhighflyer

Hi folks

Has anyone been in a situation where they completed IBT and still had doubts about whether biking was for them or not?

I'd been thinking about getting a bike for a while. I remember the Aprilia RS 50 and 125 being my dream bike when I was younger but the parents basically vetoed that plan. Ended up with a car licence and 8 years later got the itch to try biking again. I decided to go for the full A and a couple of weeks ago I completed the IBT modules 1, 3 and 5.

I must stress that I found my instructor excellent - took their time to explain all the theory on day one and made sure I was at ease on the bike in the training area before we went out on the road on the second day. I'm deliberately not mentioning their name because I want to avoid any implication that my hesitancy comes from anything they did.

I think my hesitancy comes from a few issues:-

There was a fair bit of tailgating from cars during my lesson and that put me off (despite having the L- tabard on and generally doing the 50 / 60 / 80 speed limits where applicable). The only part where I went much below the limit was a brief few km that we spent on a 100 km /h national road and I was doing 80-85, which the instructor said was fine.

The bike was literally the first bike I've ever sat on and was a 600 as required for direct access. I found it to be fairly heavy and powerful and think I might be suited to something smaller. When I was going 80km/h it felt like I was doing 160 in my mind!

The other issue was the danger aspect: when following the instructor I was happy enough as I knew he'd give me a heads-up on the radio but I kept thinking - what if I'm going round this corner on my own and there's diesel / a branch / whatever and I come off the bike?

I did definitely enjoy certain bits of the training (the quieter back roads mainly) but I don't think I ever completely got over the nervousness.

The bikesafe video that came out this week hasn't helped, and I've actually stopped telling people I'm going for the bike licence because almost everyone I've said it to (bar one lad) has tried to put me off it.

Not really sure what the point of my thread is (sorry!) other than to ask whether anyone had a similar experience when starting out and whether they got over it or just decided to call it a day?

All thoughts welcome

serious3

i think we were all nervous when newly qualified, remember this tho youve only done the minimum hours required by law to get you out on the road, the difference between being under instruction and being out on your own is huge, if youre not comfortable on the 600 have a look at a 400cc version of the bandit like a cb400, xjr400 etc. tip off out on your own on the quiet roads for an hour or two every few days and you'll be surprised how much confidence you'll get very quickly. don't give up just yet mate the best is yet to come.

Pugzilla

I believe you should keep going. Vast majority of non-bikers will tell you to not to get a bike. They also know nothing anout motorbikes bar the accidents they hear about on the news. It's more dangerous than a car, but the risk is greatly exaggerated. If you're sensible and stay alert you should be okay.

If you still feel the same after 3-4 months of riding then you can reconsider it again. If you stop now you will never know if you would have enjoyed biking or not. You might regret it.

Richard tea

OP I was in the same boat. I think I decided about 10 times in my first year of getting a bike that it wasnt for me and I was going to pack it in:o I didnt though and im delighted I didnt. Im just over 2 years on a bike now and have covered 10,000 kms commuting. I have a 20 year old cb400 and I found/find that heavy but once you start moving weight is not an issue.

Just like you mentioned about not knowing whats around the next corner, I still worry about this but its not such a bad thing.

Depending on where you are based I would strongly recommend getting out for a sunday spin with the lads off here or from a spin on IBF. You will learn an awful lot from just going for a spin with other bikers and it will build confidence. I would get out more on them if I could but working shift & family commitments usually gets in the way.

Also like you mentioned, 99% of mates and family tried to put me off getting a bike but im glad I didnt listen.

Can I ask if you want a bike for commuting or just for pleasure or both?

zubair

I remember crawling behind lookbehindyou when I was doing my IBT and on the bike for the first time, I couldn't keep up with him and I don't think he was even hitting anywhere near the speed limits. I was very nervous when I first started.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

There was a fair bit of tailgating from cars during my lesson and that put me off (despite having the L- tabard on and generally doing the 50 / 60 / 80 speed limits where applicable). The only part where I went much below the limit was a brief few km that we spent on a 100 km /h national road and I was doing 80-85, which the instructor said was fine.

Cars will tail gate you at times but as you grow in confidence you'll be filtering so you can easily get away from that gobsh17e that's driving behind you. You'll also probably be filtering to the front of traffic lights and be the first and fastest away. It's not often I notice tailgaters when on the bike but when I do I just get away from them.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

The bike was literally the first bike I've ever sat on and was a 600 as required for direct access. I found it to be fairly heavy and powerful and think I might be suited to something smaller. When I was going 80km/h it felt like I was doing 160 in my mind!

Your concept of speed will change as you get used to the bike. That 600 will feel slow in a couple of months.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

The other issue was the danger aspect: when following the instructor I was happy enough as I knew he'd give me a heads-up on the radio but I kept thinking - what if I'm going round this corner on my own and there's diesel / a branch / whatever and I come off the bike?

Your mindset is almost exactly where it needs to be for cornering. You should consider the hazards that might be on that bend but you shouldn't think what if I come off you should think what will I do. This is why you move your road position for better visibility when cornering. Also with good preparation for a corner, braking, gear changes etc should put you at the right speed to drive/ accelerate around the bend smoothly which means if you do hit some slippy stuff you are less likely to lose it.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

The bikesafe video that came out this week hasn't helped, and I've actually stopped telling people I'm going for the bike licence because almost everyone I've said it to (bar one lad) has tried to put me off it.

Those videos scare most of us. I tend not to watch them but have seen the one you are talking about. Just learn from that video and ride safe.

skyhighflyer wrote: »

Not really sure what the point of my thread is (sorry!) other than to ask whether anyone had a similar experience when starting out and whether they got over it or just decided to call it a day?

We've all been there and faced some fears/ concerns at some stage. I wouldn't encourage you to give up at all, it's one of the best thing I've ever done but only you can decide if it's for you. It will get easier if you stick with it though.

I don't think you'll find many people who called it a day responding to this thread.

ratracer

Congrats on doing the IBT and welcome to the wonderful world of biking.

If you'd come on here and said you had done IBT, the instructor was too slow, cars kept getting in your way etc, I 'd have told you to give up biking for your own health.
Your thoughts/feelings at the moment are perfectly normal for your first time out on a bike. If you think you might enjoy it, stick with it.The apprehension and nervousness won't be long disappearing, the 'what-if's' shouldn't as it is these 'what-ifs' that help keep you safe on the road Always ride like people can't/won't see you and learn to adapt your road position so that they can.

After a short time you will realise just how much fun biking is.

gerrowadat

What the other lads said. I'm only a month out of my IBT and still bricking it above 80kph and on corners, but I'm noticeably better now that I've got the practice in. It's all practice and confidence and knowing the abilities of the machine.

Tailgaters will happen, I personally think the L tabard might encourage them. I say the same thing to L-platers in cars, go at your own pace, don't be intimidated, if they want to pass you they will.

the size of bike doesn't matter as much, I did the IBT on a 650 and I'm down to a 250 now and would rather a bigger bike for the versatility, the 250 has struggled a few times.

rowanh

I did the ibt in Jan, felt similar to you. The first few times on the bike were seriously nervy, i think it just takes a certain amount of time on it to gain a basic level of control so that you have confidence in your ability and very quickly the nerves die down. Within a few few days of commuting on it i started enjoying it in a way i hadnt before then. Id say just go for it, i got a ninja 250 which i think is very easy to ride as bikes go, id like a 600 or 650 now but im glad i started on the 250 and ill keep it until after the winter at least.

skyhighflyer

Thanks for all replies so far.

serious3 wrote: »

Can I ask if you want a bike for commuting or just for pleasure or both?

I think both: I commute to work on a pushbike at the moment so my logic was that a bike would be the best of both worlds - able to keep pace with traffic but also able to filter thru traffic.

ratracer wrote: »

Congrats on doing the IBT and welcome to the wonderful world of biking.

If you'd come on here and said you had done IBT, the instructor was too slow, cars kept getting in your way etc, I 'd have told you to give up biking for your own health.
Your thoughts/feelings at the moment are perfectly normal for your first time out on a bike. If you think you might enjoy it, stick with it.The apprehension and nervousness won't be long disappearing, the 'what-if's' shouldn't as it is these 'what-ifs' that help keep you safe on the road Always ride like people can't/won't see you and learn to adapt your road position so that they can.

After a short time you will realise just how much fun biking is.

I definitely think it is something I could definitely enjoy in the right circumstances - I enjoyed the 60-70km / h twisty bits on the IBT for sure.

Thanks for all the replies so far, seems like I have a case of beginners nerves more than anything else. Someone made a good point to me today when they said "I bet you were nervous your first time on a busy road in a car too" and they're right, I think I'll give this a go anyway, seems a shame to go through the hassle with getting a permit and IBT and not to at least give it a chance. :pac:

zubair

I think as you become more confident you will get more enjoyment from it. At the moment the nerves have probably given you a bit of a negative experience.

You should download some tutorial vidoes/ books in the meantime and also start researching what bike you might get. This might help turn the nervousness into excitement and you'll look forward to getting out there and practicing what you've learned.

DubVelo

skyhighflyer wrote: »

I think both: I commute to work on a pushbike at the moment so my logic was that a bike would be the best of both worlds - able to keep pace with traffic but also able to filter thru traffic.

I thought lots of bicycling would make me a natural getting on the bike with a motor. I was very wrong.

There's no rule that says you have to go out and buy a 600 straight away. What's that saying? You're picking your first bike, not your last.

I'd say pick up a something between a 250 and a 500 and get out and build up some confidence.

LiamLad

Lads im a few stages behind the OP, anyways ive passed the theory and now ibt is the next stage...question is do you need any previous experience for the ibt?.......like ive never driven any bike not even sat on one just been a passenger is all!

M450

LiamLad wrote: »

Lads im a few stages behind the OP, anyways ive passed the theory and now ibt is the next stage...question is do you need any previous experience for the ibt?.......like ive never driven any bike not even sat on one just been a passenger is all!

The point of the IBT is to take you from zero experience to being comfortable going out on the road. I had never sat on a bike before doing it.

LiamLad

Thanks for the reply ya i thinking that just most other fellas i know doin it had been on field bikes before and were able to work gears and all that.....if its from zero exp im quite content!

Dods106

Hi I have recently completed the ibt. First time on a bike never even sat on one before but always wanted to. Got on with the training and enjoyed it. I was shocked it went so fast and would have like another days training or so. Went looking at bikes and couldn't decide on what to get. Took a couple of diff bikes for test spins and I must say it helped me big time, confidence has grown some bit and it's great to be on your own on a quiet road. Do what you feel comfortable with and stay at that pace. I thought small bike to start with. Tried one cylinder and two cylinder bikes and felt dealers were pushing certain bikes but all told me to stay away from a 600 bandit. Took a bandit for a spin today. Loved it. Really comfortable with it. The four cylinder engine is so smooth and easy to work with. Who says you got to do high speeds happy out at 40mph for now. Take your time and do your own thing block out everyone's opinion. I stopped telling people what I'm doing and it's helped me to build my own confidence. Go try a few diff bikes and give yourself loads of time and space while out there. Best of luck!