CBT test for a 16 year old

[aaron020873]

I know it is a long time since most of us have done the CBT and some will have never had the need to do it but i have a question.
My 16 year old who has never ridden a bike before did his CBT today and the whole thing lasted 3.5 hrs from start to finish. I thought it was supposed to be a full day (it was when i did it) so how can someone who has never ridden a bike before be safe to go on public roads after such a short amount of time?
What are your thoughts and experiences? Should i be complaining?

[Alexander94]

I used to live in France and I took the BSR (similar to the CBT, allows you to ride a 50cc bike on the road but over there you can do so at 14) and that consisted of a short classroom session on road safety then an hour (or 2, I can't remember it that well) on the road and that was it, we were unleashed on public roads. I obviously wasn't complaining but I do agree that it doesn't seem like a good idea letting someone go on the road alone after such a short amount of time under instruction.
That must just be how it is though

[timwilky]

My daughter did a cbt go see if she would like the idea of riding a bike. I approved. Any training is better than none. My twin brother fell off on his 2 laps of the block but still passed.

Things did improve. Until they changed the rules again and again. One day there will be no new bikers

[Littlepeahead]

Out of interest, were most of the other people on the course refreshing theirs after 3 years rather than first time riders? Or car drivers?

When I did mine as part of my DAS I was done in a couple of hours. Although I hadn't ridden a bike for 10 years clearly I hadn't forgotten how to, and I'm a car driver.

A couple of youngsters on the course had never driven a car or ridden a bike before, they got a whole day.

Maybe if everyone else on the course had a lot of on the road experience and your son is road savvy they felt he didn't need more.

[aaron020873]

There was only one other person on the course I don't know about their experience though. Maybe it is just my fatherly concern and I'm just being daft.

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[aaron020873]

My son is quite road savvy though.

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[Corny Gizmo]

I share your concerns, I only did my CBT 4 years ago, I was there from 9am till 3:30 ish, only cos the other lad fell off his bike so we came back early. I passed but didn't feel it was adequate training.

My sister is talking about doing hers and I know I wouldnt let her out alone until I had done some accompanying rides with her, with radios etc.

[ophic]

Many teenagers "graduate" from pushbike to motorbike. How much training do you need for a pushbike? none at all.

[Bibio]

its Compulsory Basic Training. they are not teaching you to ride a bike they are teaching you how to control a bike to a point they consider you to be safe on the road without further instruction.

your lad must have show that he was competent to be let loose out on the public roads. yes the training says a day and some people take the whole day and more to get to a point where the instructors deem them fit to be out on public roads. be glad they decided that he never needed more training, i know i would but i would also be taking him out for a day and seeing for myself.

i personally think that the mod1 should be part of the cbt. i dont know if it still applies but years ago if you never passed your test within the 3 years you were banned for a year.

i still think its unfair that bike riders have to go through such stringent and multi tests when car drivers have no such restrictions. make the car learners do a mod1 and such as well. if you had the money a 17 year old car driver just passed their test could jump straight into a high powered sports car with only a basic level of driving skill.

[aaron020873]

I agree with what your saying bibio but I won't be able to hack a full day at 29mph, I will be accompanying him though on some shorter rides and keeping a very close eye on him.

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[Heorot]

I did my CBT 5 years ago aged 62 and had never ridden a m/c before. I tried on a Honda CG and couldn;t manage the controls and balance so I did it on a scooter. It comprised a short walk though explaining the course, a short session explaining the controls and riding round the compound, followed by 2 1/2 hrs riding round Norwich in a group of 6 riders. As none of us fell off or showed rank incompetance we all passed and were given our certificates. A few weeks later, I bought a Honda CG and rode it for 2 years before passing my DAS.

[Littlepeahead]

My ex had to go through CBT the times before they felt he was competent. Which would be less of a worry if it weren't for the fact that his full time job is as a pilot!

[Aquila]

My nephew passed his 3 weeks ago,lasted a full day,morning in the compound then let loose on the road in the afternoon.


Bought him a 125cc scooter last week,he is well chuffed,think he has has his eye on the sv though!!!

[Aquila]

This is the scooter....
http://i57.tinypic.com/29vcait.jpg

[timwilky]

I share your concerns, I only did my CBT 4 years ago, I was there from 9am till 3:30 ish, only cos the other lad fell off his bike so we came back early. I passed but didn't feel it was adequate training.

My sister is talking about doing hers and I know I wouldnt let her out alone until I had done some accompanying rides with her, with radios etc.

You cannot have passed
There is no test. You attended a training course

[L3nny]

1st CBT I did at 16 lasted all day but all 3 of us were 16 year olds who had never been in control of anything more powerful than a BMX and were going to be on 50s.

2nd one I did also lasted all day but was with another guy who was in his late 20s and looking to take the full test, in this one he realised we could both already ride (already done CBTs before and driven for years) and instead he just turned it into a lesson to prepare us for the big test.

From what I have heard I think there is a huge difference in the instructors, some are keen to get as many people through the CBT as quickly as they can, others see it as a whole day to give the person as much training as they can fit in.

[aaron020873]

So it seems it depends where you do it as to the training/time spent as well as other obvious factors to do with your ability thanks for all your responses it has helped to settle my mind a bit.
Littlepeahead even I'm worried about your ex after reading your comment.

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[nutzboutbikes]

I think the best way to learn is on the job, if the trainer thinks he is good to go then he probably is.

[650]

I know it is a long time since most of us have done the CBT and some will have never had the need to do it but i have a question.
My 16 year old who has never ridden a bike before did his CBT today and the whole thing lasted 3.5 hrs from start to finish. I thought it was supposed to be a full day (it was when i did it) so how can someone who has never ridden a bike before be safe to go on public roads after such a short amount of time?
What are your thoughts and experiences? Should i be complaining?

MENTAL isn't it, but that's the way it is. a 16 year old can run wild on a moped, on the roads...but can't drive a car. Admittedly they could do more damage in a car, but they're an absolute liability on a moped. I felt completely baffled when I did my CBT, when I was 30! I had 11 years driving experience under my belt and so thankful for it, I'm convinced I'd have been a stain on the road if I did it in my teens.

[Corny Gizmo]

I think the biggest issue with the whole CBT thing is the fact it only teaches you how to control the bike. Nothing about road sense and rules, signs etc.

I know you are "supposed" to have read the highway code but not many 16/17 year olds are that bothered about reading up on things like that, no the ones round here anyway.

You cannot have passed
There is no test. You attended a training course
I gained my certificate of attendance then :)

[Littlepeahead]

Even with a full licence it's no guarantee of road sense. Like common sense, it's not that common!

I'm sure we all know plenty of people who've had a full car/bike licence 20+ years who are still a liability.

[Corny Gizmo]

True LPH, actually scarily true haha, At least with a proper test you have to take a theory test - maybe some knowledge goes in and stays in :)