Want to improve your riding? Want cheaper insurance? Want to have fun?

Advanced Training can give you all of this and much more!

Why do advance training? You are much more vulnerable on a bike, it can only help by being more prepared and developing your riding skills as much as possible.

Advanced training is about improving your concentration, observations and to understand the capabilities of your bike. Being aware of what is around you means you are less likely to be caught unawares. Not being prepared has quite a big affect on you and your bike, which can cause incidents.

To some this may sound tedious or that's it taking the fun out of biking, in fact it is completely the opposite. The skills become second nature and you much more confident, but you must be committed to listen and learn. Its boils down to the question what do you think makes a 'Good Rider?'. People assume it means that you ride fast, not necessarily true. Being a good rider is about being in control, confident and capable of dealing with the challenges of an everyday ride. Once the skills are there, they carry on developing along with your riding, speed and abilities.

Organisations

There are a variety of training organisations that offer advanced training qualifications. Private training organisations exist, offering a variety of courses, which depending on what you course you choose will vary in length. The instructors will have the highest qualification required to instruct, which is governed by RoSPA (The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents), a list of qualified RoSPA Instructors is provided on the website, located on the bottom left of the page within a document called 'Approved Motorcycle Instructors'.

RoSPA along with the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) have their own training organisations. The examiners are qualified to Police Class 1 driving qualification who are a combination of serving, retired police officers, members of the First Service and certain civilians who work with these professions. The people who train and prepare you for your test are known as observers. These are people who have passed their advanced test and taken further internal group training and assessments to allow them to pass their skills onto others. Both are experienced and trained to an exceptional standard.

Groups operate all over the country, once you have joined your local group you will go out for regular assessment rides. After each session you discuss each stage of your ride and receive constructive advice. When you are ready you then apply for your test. There is no pressure from anybody or limit on time for you to take your test, you go at your own pace. The group contains both men and women members of all ages riding a wide variety of bikes such as Fireblades, BlackBirds, CBR600s, CB500s and BMWs.

Additionally there is time for fun and games, the organisation provides opportunities to attend regular meetings, ride outs and events. As well as weekly local ride outs, trips are held to a variety of places such as Ireland, Wales, Scotland. The events include off-roading, slow riding days and riding skill days on track.

On a riding skills day you will have an allocated instructor to advise and guide you throughout the day. You will be surprised how one day one track can improve your riding and confidence. Slow riding workshops are also held, normally at a local vicinity giving people the chance to practice something that probably is one of the hardest parts of riding, and in fact avoided by some riders.