Potential Instructor wanting someone to take me on!!!!!

[steven843]

Hi guys, I've recently attempted to become a qualified motorcycle instructor. I've gone through a training course and gone to Cardington and failed. If anybody knows someone who could take me on down trained could you give me a message. I am based in southampton but willing to travel slightly if required but would need to borrow a bike if possible. If anyone could help me or even point I would really appreciate it. I am not fussed how big or small the company is but I just want someone willing to give me a chance! Cheers guys!
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Current Bike - 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6
Previous Bikes - 2002 Honda NSR125 R, 1989 Yamaha DT50 MX
CBT Passed - 5-5-2007 A2 Passed - 17-11-2008

[_mjs_]

Best of luck to ya buddy
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Previous Bikes: 2006 Honda XR125L > 2003 Yamaha DT125R > 1996 Honda CB500
Current bikes: 1997 Kawasaki ZZR 600 E5 > 2006 Honda Varadero XL125V

[steven843]

[Rogerborg]

Indeed, I imagine that you couldn't have picked a worse time to be looking.

All the best, I really feel for training schools at the moment.
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Biking is 1/20th as dangerous as horse riding.
GONE: HN125-8, LF-250B, GPz 305, GPZ 500S, Burgman 400 // RIDING: F650GS (800 twin), Royal Enfield Bullet Electra 500 AVL, Ninja 250R because racebike

[steven843]

For anyone who was interested in this post I am now being trained to reach a down-trained standard. Are there any instructors on here who could answer any questions I have?
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Current Bike - 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6
Previous Bikes - 2002 Honda NSR125 R, 1989 Yamaha DT50 MX
CBT Passed - 5-5-2007 A2 Passed - 17-11-2008

[lllN30lll]

There's somebody called Pink Floyd , Pinky? on here.
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Turbo R1
CRF450R

[yen_powell]

[Imonster]

[steven843]

steven843 wrote:
Are there any instructors on here who could answer any questions I have?


I'm a little out the loop due to a career change but may be able to help. What do you need to know?


Right my boss has said I have to do a full cbt next Saturday and if its not up to standard then don't come back so lets get these questions rolling. For element B how would you explain daily and weekly maintenance checks?
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Current Bike - 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6
Previous Bikes - 2002 Honda NSR125 R, 1989 Yamaha DT50 MX
CBT Passed - 5-5-2007 A2 Passed - 17-11-2008

[Timmeh]

[steven843]

Ok possibly my question was a bit misleading here. What I mean was every instructor has a word to help you remember maintenance checks ie bolts

B rakes
O il

etc what word do instructors on here use is what I wanted to know fella and yes that question does come across as vague now i look back on it.
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Current Bike - 2004 Yamaha YZF-R6
Previous Bikes - 2002 Honda NSR125 R, 1989 Yamaha DT50 MX
CBT Passed - 5-5-2007 A2 Passed - 17-11-2008

[Timmeh]

My instructor man used BOIL

Brakes
Oil
Indicators
Lights
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GSXR400 x2 | '94 RVF400 | '93 TZR125 4DL (again)
20:22:30 BLUEX5: i would love to be forced to undergo a**l plugging with different sizes
20:48:18 Temeluchus: comp you hunk of smouldering homos3x you

[TheSmiler]

When I went for my CBT I was taught BOLTS;

B- Brakes
O-Oil
L-Lights
T-Tyres
S-Steering

Just explain how you would check them individual items, so check the tyres have no cracks, check that when you twist the handlebars you are not catching any cables. Or that the brakes work (roll the bike forwards and press the brakes).
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CB125>CG125>GN125>ER5>K100RS>R1100RS>K100RS
A2 completed 23/07/15 Ready for the Golden Crisp Packet

[suzukiGN125]

the word I learnt was betops;

B - breaks
E - electrics
T - tyres
O - oil
P - petrol
S - suspension/steering

[yen_powell]

I don't remember any acronyms, just laminated a very small set of cards that fitted in my pocket with all the elements broadly outlined. A quick shufty would remind me of anything I may have missed out.
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Blackmail is a nasty word........but not as nasty as phlegm!
XT1200Z and a DR350 in bits

[Imonster]

[steven843]

[steven843]

[Imonster]

[steven843]

[pinkyfloyd]

**Long post alert**

OK I'll answer as best I can. Every school has different ways/methods of reaching the same outcome. Yours may be different. I will explain a few things the way we do things and I would honestly take them on board. But first a bit if background:

I'm working with Kickstart in Gosport. The owner Gary has been an instructor for 33 years. In 2 months (2 months today to be exact) I have, under his and his team of 3 including himself tuition I have obtained my "downtrained" card. I put in lots of hard work and lots of stress but it was something I wanted to do. I still need to tidy a few things up and I am a long way away from Cardington ready but I have enough work done to get my warrant. Today was my first solo road ride with a student. Went well. Anyways.


We use BOLTSS if its a ped, BOLTTSS if its a geared bike. But we have our own method of doing it. Firstly we walk our student a few yards away from the front of the bike/ped and the talk goes something like this:

"Ok we're going to talk about basic maintenance, its broken down into daily and weekly checks but whats the first thing that you do when you open the garage? ....... Yes, thats right, you look at the bike, its your baby, is it all there? Is there any puddles under it? What could they be? (oil, petrol, a few will get brake fluid, even less, battery acid!) Has chav next door smashed your lights, stolen your mirror because he's broke his? Make sure its all there. After that we like to use an acronym. Thats a word made up from the initials of other words, NASA, SWALK etc. The one we use is BOLTS. (then we spell it out, for the peds BOLTSS, for the geared, BOLTTSS)"

Question and answer time as we run through the letters. Let them do the thinking. Ask them what each letter is. For the geared we explain the extra T but it is something like this:

B - Brakes
O - Oil
L - Lights
T - Tyres
T - Transmisson, thats your drive chain on geared bikes
S - Steering
S- Suspension

Then we break it down into daily and weekly explain some we do daily, some weekly but not what. We show them with a question and then a visual demo. "How long do you think it would take to check the daily items?" Normally they will say around 5 minutes. We ask them if they are going to set their alarm earlier? Then we show them and it does sink in a lot better.

Sit on the bike off the stand. Apply the front brake and push the bike forward and ask what we are testing? Answer: Tyres: Are they flat? front brakes, suspension. Then put the back brake on, bounce on the seat a little. Rear tyre, suspension, rear brake. Took 20 seconds, not even.

Put the bike on the centre stand. start it up, lights check, steering check, give them a visual by turning the handlebars and increasing the throttle, tell them if that happens you got a problem. Listen for grinding. Are there wires caught? honk the horn. Then explain the use of horn between 11:30 and 7AM (cant use unless its emergency).

Turn bike off, thats daily checks done in 30 seconds.

Then talk some more.

"Now we'll get into weekly checks, being good bikers that we are, once a week we'll give our baby a wash. While we are there we can check everything else."

Check the tyres, ask what the legal tread depth is. while the bikes on the centre stand stick your arse on the headlight and rock the bike onto its back wheel, rotate the front wheel and ask what they are looking for. Bulges, splits, nails etc show them the TWI (tyre wear indicator). While we are there, check the disc, is it warped, cracked etc? Explain about brake pads, brake lines, fluid and why not to top up the reservoir. work our way from front to back, Lights, are they cracked? Is there water in there? Oil levels, explain the sight glass and dipstick options. rear lights, work our way around, rear brake, chain, check tension and how to adjust and lube, battery, explain the furring, what it is and how to wash it off (full kettle of boiling water, empty the whole thing over it, bit of vaseline on the terminals after). Lastly we tell them to be religious with their tyres. Explain the contact size (size of your palm, smaller) and explain that the manufacturers handbook will give you the correct pressures, do not go by what it says on the tyre, all that means is the tyre will take that much air before it becomes unstable. Explain that you do not go to a garage to check, those machines read different in each garage. 30psi in one might read as 33psi in another AND the handbook states always check with cold tyres. Riding to a garage will heat them up. Invest in a pump and a reliable pressure gauge.

Then another jokey info chat.

"Have a look around the bike, are all the nuts there, we have a saying, the bigger the nuts the more important (some bikes have cosmetic covers on the engine casing, if you have one use it in your talk)... That cover there, its purely cosmetic, makes the casing look good, got tiny nuts keeping it on, if one is missing is it important? no, its cosmetic. (point to the rear suspension) Bigger nut. Is that important? Yes it is. That massive one on the steering yoke, That important? Yes, its one of the biggest nuts on the bike, it holds the front end of the bike onto the rest of it, bloody important nut that one. Remember folks, the biggest nut that is on the bike is the one that sits on this seat here.... you."

Tell them that if they look after their bike, it will look after them. Daily checks can be done while the bikes warming up before you set off. Weekly when you clean it.

Job done.

For the Element C question:

We go brakes before gears. We want them to be able to stop before we let them go faster.

Or order of things is as follows (we have a huge pad): riding around in both directions to get the feel of the machine. Big figure 8's. Then slow control, some weaving between cones (mod 1 style) and smaller figure 8's. U turn after slow control then brakes, emergency stop and then we go onto gears. Junctions we do last.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[pinkyfloyd]

[Matt B]

[Pie-Roe]

I'm not surprised at some of these ped boys if CBT instructors are asking online how to give one. This is pretty shameful.
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[pinkyfloyd]