Courses

Ronaldo

I attended the course yesterday and wanted to say how much I enjoyed the day and how useful I found it.

It was well organised, properly overseen and at a great venue. The riding was through varied and interesting conditions and areas.

I wholeheartedly support the Bikesafe initiative and would like to give a special thank-you to the Police Officer, Kate, who gave me one-to-one guidance which has already improved my riding.

Please will you pass my thanks onto the relevant persons.

Well done!
 

A big thank you to yourself for encouraging me to seek further rider training with an Advanced Riding Group. I joined ELAM (East London Advanced Motorcycle Group) and after working hard for over a year I took my Advanced IAM Motorcycle Test and passed. The learning curve was great.

Once again many thanks (we don't say it enough.)

Sayed

yes a brilliant course, thank you. Good balance between classroom work, instruction, riding and feedback. Also nice to see how the professionals do it. A course given by bikers for bikers to make more safe bikers..........I've completed the survey too.

Tony

When I did my BikeSafe course the guys in North London asked me to get in touch if I did any further rider training. I just passed the IAM test which was a very enjoyable process.

I'm going to enjoy riding with LAM for a few months and then maybe look at RoSPA or some other training.

Jamie

I must say I had an excellent day with the Bike Safe team on Monday. All the officers knew their stuff and took a serious topic and injected some fun into it with their quirky sense of humour.

I have always admired how smooth Police motorcyclists ride and Andy was no exception. It seemed at times like he was gliding along on a magic carpet. Good, honest feedback and certainly enough to give me food for thought about taking it a step further and taking a closer look at the IAM Skill for Life programme. Who knows, if I leave enough leaflets around the house, maybe the wife will buy it for me for Christmas. Beats a cardigan, any day.

All-in-all, a great day, everyone should try it.

David

Thanks for the group photo - appreciated - I'm the good looking one and not the ugly one with exactly the same name as me!

I'm sure you will receive other e-mails from the rest of the Olympics Delivery Authority guys, along the same really positive lines - it is still the talk of the office (well, amongst the biking fraternity anyway - the others have different views about bikes & bikers!).

From my regard it was spot on - great 'real-world' format and balance between the workshop aspects, the road work with very accurate feedback. It was considerately tailored for the differing levels of rider experience in our group, by the great bunch of Police Officers.

I learnt bundles and was reminded about lots more including the small things that make the big differences in terms of safety and pleasure. It has really made a difference to my riding and as a bonus it has bolstered my confidence, as I was doing some things correctly.

Ah .... forgot to mention that it was great fun also!

Now considering further ROSPA training.

Steven

This was my second BikeSafe session, the first was in 2004 (at Warren). All I can say is that the workshop again is just amazing in every way. Incredible value for money(with a great free lunch! and goody bag!!), a great laugh with the team, a day to talk bikes with real bikers, but most of all, an opportunity to become a safer rider. The feeling you get as you complete the session is incredible, especially as they guys give real advice that you can use immediately on the road as you ride off. Utterly brilliant, and a great was to encourage moving on to the next step, for me IAM!! Thanks especially to my observer, Colin Paris - I had such a great day with him, and I was lucky to have 1 to 1 with a first class trainer, and someone who is incredibly enthusiastic about the entire day - even brings in the nice biscuits and makes everyone fell welcome - top bloke

Just a note to say thanks for the Skills days. I personally took part in the 6th of December event. I enjoyed the new venue, format and ride routes. I really had a good time and found that my ride home, despite hitting Central London's rush hour was smoother and calmer. I felt unstressed and found it easier to predict hazards earlier. You probably don't need me to tell you that the riding skills of the Met Police BikeSafe officers really are superb, but I thought you would like to know your Officer's attitude, energy, enthusiasm and good humour are all outstanding. I had the most contact with Michael Best and Adrian Allsop who are both fantastic ambassadors for the Metropolitan Police Service as well as motorcycle road users we all want to emulate.

I and my colleagues are keen to help you promote the BikeSafe skills days to all our other TfL motorcyclist colleagues in the new year.

Paul

Thank you to the whole team at BikeSafe London for a very informative and enjoyable day.

Despite the weather being a bit cold the officers made it fun, fast (when safe!), interesting and safe at all times. They are clearly enthusiasts in motorcycle safety and they take personal pride in delivering better, safer riders at the end of the day.

I would certainly recommend this course to every new rider and even an experienced rider every 18 months / two years.

Gregg

"Thank you very much for your email and for a great day out . It was a very enjoyable day and I rode home with more confidence than at the beginning of the day.

Paul

"Thank you very much for your email and for a great day out . It was a very enjoyable day and I rode home with more confidence than at the beginning of the day.

I think I picked up a few good habits from the ride and Andy will be pleased to hear that I've figured out what the problem was with my mirrors... I have recommended to another middle aged biker that he should sign up and hope he does.

I intend to carry on with IAM "skills for life" course and just need to make the time."

Paul

"I recently attended the Bike Safe course at Hendon and would like to say how much I enjoyed the day. The presentations were made in an informative and friendly way with a nice balance of humour and seriousness. It was obvious that the Officers involved were keen Bikers themselves and did a great job in putting the candidates at ease.

An observed ride, by a highly trained Officer, was at first a daunting prospect, but all suggestions and criticisms were made in a friendly and constructive manner. The candidates were also praised when adopting good riding position and showing good technique. I gained a great deal from my turn to follow the observer by picking up on his position in the road etc.

I would certainly consider undertaking further training, i.e. IAM, and would recommend BikeSafe to all motorcyclists irrespective of age and experience."

Leigh

"After we had all shaken hands, took photos and said our goodbyes there was a distinct feeling amongst us all, that we hadn't emphasized our gratitude sufficiently.

Right from the very start, you and your fellow motorcycle police overwhelmed us with your commitment and sincere concern for our safety without undermining the pleasures of motorcycling.

From hard hitting and to the point lectures, to the friendly roadside chats, the 'hot tips' and 'heads-up' on 'Hazard Awareness', general advice and most importantly the 'why's of doing it your way, made our day with you quite indispensible.

We all left with an abundance of information that not only made us more competent to deal with modern traffic, but actually increased the pleasures of motorcycling.

How do you thank someone who has just made your favourite pastime even better, and maybe saved you from pain, suffering, even your life?

It's almost a shame that no-one will ever know just what was in store for us if we had continued doing 'it' the old way. So shaking hands and saying thank you for a wonderful day, just doesn't even come close to our gratitude. The Bike Safe Motorcycle Police really are Knights of the Roads."

Allen

Brilliant day yesterday, learnt so much and really helped my confidence, so much so that I did about 2 - 3 miles of filtering through the jam on the 406 on the way home!! thanks to you all, and Kate you're a great teacher.

Jo

Just to say a massive thanks to all the team @ Bike Safe. Did the course today and i have to say it was fantastic, most informative, interesting , helpful , with some really good pointers on my riding from Phil. I will be taking his advice and taking some further training. Thanks again.

Paul

Please pass on my thanks to the whole team and especially Matt. This weekend (14/11/2010) was quite simply brilliant. The weather ironically was a good thing too as I have a theory that if you can do it in the rain then you can enjoy what you have learnt in the dry. I am subscribed to a web thing where you can ask questions and people reply with there 'tuppence' worth and I started a thread not so long ago about leaning of a motorbike. Following the weekend I thought you may appreciate the comment I have now posted as my eyes have been opened and I know that my biking is going to become faster, more enjoyable but safer. My Reply: Okay people, here is the next instalment of my experience, which is loosely based on the original thread of lean angle and in response to other posts on here Firstly the video explaining the limit angle is good, very good. Thanks to all the other guys for your helpful comments and I will now summarise what I think to be an answer to my original question. I have discovered that leaning a bike is a means to an end. i.e. it gets you and your bike around the corner or turn. What's more important than how far it leans or how fast you go is doing it in a safe and controlled manner. When done correctly using all the methods available, i.e. limit point, position, speed, gear, experience, confidence, surface condition, weather, traffic, signs, etc. it feels way better. I don't corner as fast as some people and nor do I lean as much but I now have the information to really enjoy it, rather than going just a bit to fast not feeling totally in control, wandering across the road and generally craping myself just to try and get round fractionally quicker with a marginally greater lean. The reality is with more time, practice and training I will become faster at cornering / riding but in a way that I will enjoy. I'm sure there are still going to be moments that scare the living crap out of me. My learning curve (no pun intended) has been very steep and I still have lots more to learn, but following this weekend's BikeSafe course with the London Police I have realised, probably the single most important fact about riding and it's no great revelation either, but judging by the way some ride they have yet to learn it. Don't get me wrong I like speed as much as the next person and previous to this weekend I have grabbed a handful without thought, just to go fast. The greatest single fact I have learnt is that biking is about attitude and a willingness the learn and be taught and not just knowing that ! but by accepting it, I can become a better, safer and ironically a faster rider and enjoy it at the same time. I saw a police bike pull away from me at the weekend not because he was going faster as measured on a Speedo but because of how he rode. (by the way I was on a blade) and this reinforces my point that speed is a product of many things not just your right hand. I now accept that biking is about learning, knowledge, practice and a whole load of other things but most importantly my attitude. I believe that anyone can point a bike in a straight line and go fast, only a rider can demonstrate control, finesse and speed that I witnessed at the weekend and I have decided I want to be a rider not a person who just points and squirts. Thanks again everyone for all your advice and I hope my soap box rant is of some use to someone somewhere.

Rob

After finally doing the course last Sunday after all my rescheduling, I feel the need to write and say how pleased I am that I applied and (eventually) took part on the course. Obviously I gave my thanks at the end of the day, and completed the inevitable 'feedback' form, however it is after coming home from that cold wet and demanding day that I really reflected on what a helpful and positive experience it was. Do convey my thanks to the all the Met officers involved-especially my observer Brady Woodnick. Fortunately had 1:1 observation on my rides, and that experience and the verbal and written feedback I received was, and remains so helpful. It was a real breakthrough for me, that has enabled me to see a clearer way forward to becoming a safer and more confident rider (and importantly to really enjoy my new Bonneville in my retirement!). I certainly intend to check out further training (a project for Spring 2011). Thanks again Regards Stephen PS If one day a guy called Nathanial with a Triumph Triple applies for the course, then maybe it's because I told him all about it in a conversation in Willesden Sainsbury's car park yesterday!

Stephen

I am writing to say what a fantastic day I had yesterday on a BikeSafe South workshop. The morning session was well run and informative with good information, video's and safety tips. The afternoon ride out was very enjoyable and again so helpful with my riding skills. Having some training every couple of years can only be beneficial to any rider, and I am extremely glad I attended. The ability of the scheme to have one police officer for 2 riders is amazing, and ensures you get 1:1 feedback, encouragement and support. My officer for the day was Mick Cheeseman, who was an absolute pleasure to ride with and talk to. Thanks again Paul, and thanks to HSBC for organising the day, and encouraging participation.

Karen

I would strongly recommend people that have never done this course to give it a go. I went to the one in Warren on Saturday and had an awesome day riding and learned a LOT. I had a police bike riding with me for the whole day and giving me feedback on what I was doing wrong and places where I could improve. I actually feel a LOT safer riding now than I felt last week. Not only the course was great but the country roads and scenery as well. I cannot recommend it enough." I would also mention that I think this course took me from beeing just a commuter to actually enjoying riding my bike. It transformed the way I ride. Thank you all at bikeSafe for putting this together

Sandra

Thank you for the picture but also wanted to write and thank you all from both myself and my other half Mark. We had a great day, this was my 3rd bikesafe in as many years and always find it both enjoyable and informative, pick up new stuff every visit. Mark has been riding for over 20 years and never had any formal training of any sort, he learnt, enjoyed and now has a thirst to improve his riding and safety further! His bedtime reading of choice has now changed to the riders handbook in the pack. This day is excellent value for money and packed full of useful, practical & even life saving tips!

Vanessa & Mark

I greatly enjoyed my ride out with Matt and learned a lot from him. I had thought that my observation and anticipation was quite good but now realise that it can be much improved. I am now considering having some more training and would be grateful if you or Matt could recommend any person / company that could help me . Hope that I won't be having any more roadside chats with any of you gentlemen for a while !

David

Thanks for the email and photo. I had a brilliant time on Friday, I thought it was a worthwhile experience. All the best.

Tom

I recently had the distinct pleasure of attending the BikeSafe program here in the USA (North Carolina). Great training opportunity and I thank you for the outstanding job you have done with designing a worthwhile program that focuses on the fundamentals of safety and promotes good riding habits. It was a great course and will continue to recommend it to other riders. Please continue to train as many as you possibly can!

Robert

Thank you for your email. I recently attended a Bikesafe Training day at Gateway services on 1 May 2011. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all the Officers involved for making it such a worthwhile and enjoyable day. I found both the classroom sessions and the observed rides very useful. The classroom sessions were presented in a way that maintained interest and was enjoyable whilst imparting a great deal of useful information and advice to learn from. My observed ride was ideal as there were only two of us to the one Officer so it felt that I received a high level of observation and I found the feedback to be very useful. The day has definitely made me more aware of safer riding, and I am very pleased that I attended. I would definitely recommend it. I have been trying to think of useful feedback that I may have and have the following observations which I hope you find of use. For me, protective clothing is something I feel could be discussed more as it is sometimes difficult to know what is recommended as a minimum and what to look for quality wise etc. At times I found that I was concentrating on watching for directions at the expense of riding naturally. This wasn't really much of an issue but I wondered whether radio links could be something to consider? Anyway, thanks again to you and the team for a great day. I'd like to add that I felt that it was quite a privilege to ride with such skilled and dedicated riders and I was impressed by how the Officers were all so enthusiastic by biking. Lovely old job

Nigel

I really enjoyed the BikeSafe course and learnt alot from it. I got great feedback from Kate, which has made me feel alot more positive about my abilities as a rider and what I can do to build on them. I have already recommended the BikeSafe course to my work colleagues, who are now considering doing it after hearing about my day out with the 'Police' and how much fun it was!!! I have applied for the IAM and should hopefully be hearing from them soon. A big thanks to you all for putting the time and effort into the course. Keep it up. All the best and be safe.

Nij

Adrian, I'd like to thank you, Andy, Kate for a fun and educational experience. You all made the day thoroughly enjoyable. Having attended the course I can say it's the best £45 I have spent. A small price to pay for tips, advice and course content which could save my life. It was a terrific day and I loved the mixture of roads used giving me time and opportunity to put into practice what was explained in the presentation room. I was impressed with the high professionalism of the staff and dedication you afford to attendees. I would recommend this course to every rider as simply a "must do" if you are serious about keeping safe on a bike. Long may it continue. Thank you for a splendid day out, informative, educational and great fun. Very best wishes.

Cemal

Good morning, Just a quick note of thanks to the team at Scratchwood who hosted/tutored the BikeSafe day on 13th April 2011. I found the day very friendly, informative and enjoyable. The classroom session was well delivered and provided an excellent overview of the skills we later developed on the road. The majority of the day was spent out and about riding a variety of roads over decent distances. This enabled the tutors to give very useful feedback and suggestions regarding areas for improvement. Since passing my full test a year ago I had concerns that my standards may have slipped in some areas. The BikeSafe day provided more than just a refresher as to the correct manner of riding to DSA standards. It assisted with progressing my skills and will no doubt contribute to making me a safer and more aware rider. I would strongly recommend the course to anyone keen to review, improve or advance their riding abilities. Thank you to the team & all the best for the future.

John

Dear Bike Safe Team,

Sincere thanks, great day despite a very damp November day. Very encouraging and helpful advice, I need to do the IAM course at last, New Year resolution! Forgot to mention on feedback form, the course also has the potential to break down perceived barriers between Police and public, the Police Officers are not acting in an enforcement role and you see their fun side and desire to make motorcycling safer and save lives. I’ve worked with the Police from time to time over many years, I’ve seen the good, the very good and very rarely the not so good.

Keep up the exceptional work, john.