IAM or ROSPA - Did the training but not the test?

Oh right they dont have Sparkle with IAM. Must be the girly training

If they don't, they're doing it wrong - I'm IAM, not ROSPA

Never heard it mentioned once and its not in the Roadcraft book. I thought it ment have a shiny bike. Any advanced training is worth it and worth doing test at the end of it.. Either way Col its a the outcome will be the same.

Sparkle is exactly what it says on the tin IMO.

Making the ride 'Sparkle', or making it shine, making it look good. Swinging from bend to bend, and from one advanced position to the next. Making the ride look effortless, like you have all the time in the world, and you are properly in control, implementing the system, and taking everything in your stride.

You can be safe without gunning it out of corners IMO. I take Orose' point about a lower gear being more appropriate, but that was the cause not the symptom. The symptom was he was quicker out of corners. What if I'd had been in a lower gear, but just chose not to twist the throttle as hard? I didn't want to exit those corners any faster than I went into them, I don't see the point in accelerating for 200yds, then having to brake again before I can tip into for the next one. I know a rider making good smooth progress through some twisties looks good, and believe me I could have made a lot more smooth progress than we were making yesterday if I had wanted to and not been on an observed ride, but as it was I just wanted to flow through at a nice steady relaxed pace. Simple as that really. I don't see how that's a safety issue.

Yeah I agree that's how I ride, with sparkle. since I started the training I am not tired after a run due to being smooth and fast.

Have i missunder stood your post above mate??? Low gear high gear.... Irrelevant. Should in the right gear for the speed, and the speed should be for the vanishing point if needed to be lower. depending on the bike of course, I ride twisty roads in 3rd and flowing in 4th/5th generally.

Ive done 3 rideouts with IAM and yes, ive been told i need a bit more sparkle too!! But i always feel im under test conditions when im with him (and i do know that im not) and do tend to hang back a bit more than i would if i was alone. Im not really bothered about the test, thats not why i joined, but i kind of feel that i owe it to my observer to take it, hes given up his time to help me (and he has helped me LOTS) and it would reflect well on him if i take it and pass.

do the test, end of keeping to the limits shows good speed and machine control. if you cant do it you dont have it ?

Originally Posted by robh539

Yeah I agree that's how I ride, with sparkle. since I started the training I am not tired after a run due to being smooth and fast.

Have i missunder stood your post above mate??? Low gear high gear.... Irrelevant. Should in the right gear for the speed, and the speed should be for the vanishing point if needed to be lower. depending on the bike of course, I ride twisty roads in 3rd and flowing in 4th/5th generally.

Yes, you have misunderstood. Speed out of corners irrelevant. If IAM / ROSPA think you need to be chasing the limit point right up to the speed limit on every corner, just because the circumstances are such that you can safely do so, then I disagree. It's perfectly safe and acceptable IMO to ride slower out of a corner. If I have one 40mph bend, followed by another 40mph bend, followed by another, then I feel no need to be accelerating up to, and braking down from, 60mph in between each corner. I'm happy to flow along at 40 all the way through.

Originally Posted by AndyBrad

if you cant do it you dont have it ?

There's a big difference between can't do it, and don't want to do it. I'm in the process of deciding if I want to do the test.

Originally Posted by -Ralph-

Yes, you have misunderstood. Speed out of corners irrelevant. If IAM / ROSPA think you need to be chasing the limit point right up to the speed limit on every corner, just because the circumstances are such that you can safely do so, then I disagree. It's perfectly safe and acceptable IMO to ride slower out of a corner. If I have one 40mph bend, followed by another 40mph bend, followed by another, then I feel no need to be accelerating up to, and braking down from, 60mph in between each corner. I'm happy to flow along at 40 all the way through.

I thought i may off. yeah i see your point. I dont know what i do, will think about it next time im out. I never use the brakes into corners, i guess i try and run as close to the limit as i can. I do see your point to be fair with them.