Modified: My wife has done her CBT - help!

All help welcome but especially from the ladies please
In no particular order, she has some questions about training and generally getting started:

Were you treated any differently because you were female (e.g. as if you were totally stupid!)

What sort of bike did you learn on / would you recommend?

Were you nervous and if so did the lovely instructor calm you down?

Did you find CBT an enjoyable experience?

Thanks

My mates wife was doing her lessons but felt intimidated by instructors attitude to a girl. Consequently she has been riding around on her 125 for about 2 years but couldnt get the courage up to go back for the das course.
Now she has found a female instructor (in bathgate I think) might be worth looking into (you'll probably find a couple of lady instructors in Glasgow) I had the same instructor as her and there was a woman on my course and she seemed fine.

It could be a perception thing or over sensitivity on the lady's part or lack of sensetivity on my part. Whatever makes the experience the most comfortable and least stressful for her. PM quedos as I think she went down the restricted route and became a little frustrated with it, (although I'm probably wrong again )

Whichever way she decides to go, just make sure you give her plenty of support and encouragement and count yourself lucky, my other half only wants to sit on the pillion despite me offering to pay for the lessons etc.

If she is willing to go east, speak to Trish at City School of Motorcycling 0131 669 4555. Even if she doesn't want to come so far for the training, just giving her a call will help. She is fab and very knowledgeable and patient too, isn't she Northwind

Can't speak from womans point of view

But Bike-It in Paisley where I done CBT and DAS were really good and very professional.

We had girls on CBT and throughout DAS. Instructors treated everyone the same.

Very courteous and called an eejit when deserved

bikes used were CG125's and Suzuki Van Van.

Van Van are much nicer on CBT as they are slightly heavier and more stable than the CG's.

What I can say about my instructors were they had your safety first and foremost on the list.

Fisrt post CBT lesson, I got cut up by an impatient driver approaching a roundabout.

I got an earful of angry instructor over the two way as he read the riot act through the driverside window to a very nervous cage monkey

I can't say anything cos I went to buckie and had a nice holiday with it.

Started on a 125 and finished on a 125 after the 500 got the better of me hence why i'm restricted ( and i'm behind everyone else)

Go for the DAS and if not for her she can drop down for restricted to ensure she gets a licence.

Hated the CBT cos I was cold and it was chucking it down but the rrest was fun!

When I did mine I was physically fit and strong (looking after horses) and I was 43, but I have to say I struggled physically over the 4 days, (having said that a lot of it was emotional exhuastion too - I was very nervous about the test in general).

I failed first time but having recovered from the "ordeal" I went back and passed no problem 1 month later. All the instructors were great - very encouraging toward women in general really.

A couple of my friends (who are knocking on 50) and quite petite now want to have a go and I said I thought theyd be better off doing the 125 test and going restricted for a couple of years rather than battle with a big bike which I found quite difficult at first.

hope that helps.

ps I said all that but clicked direct on the poll

Pro-Scot in Kirkcaldy are good. The instructors there are quite happy to have girls as they are easier to train...no testosterone fuelled racing around.

Bikes used for DAS usually have dead low seats and centre of gravity, ie: CBF500, and more user friendly than the more unstable 125's, so girls should handle them no bother and have no concerns about this. If they are cut out to ride a bike, they'll be turning them on a sixpence in a day.

Book in for a DAS course, and an assessment will be made on your 125 riding and the school will decide if you are ready to progress to 500's or if you will continue and do your test on a 125. Guaranteed pass does not mean your guaranteed to pass on a 500.

Not a lady but...

Trafalgar motorcycles in Greenock, woman called sara owns and runs it with ehr dad I believe. Not heard a bad thing said against them. They use cg125's there and they are great to deal with.

i did my das over 2 weekends. first weekend cbt on sat and riding about on CG125 sunday, next week ER5 sat and sun. test monday. which i failed and re sat 10 days later passing with only 2 minors.

cbt i enjoyed DAS instructor was a knob, a right male chauvenist. it didnt bother me as i was in the wrens for 4 years and am used to it. he wouldnt help me pick up my bike when i dropped it 17 times on the u turn on the sunday, kept saying things like, "well you want to join the big boys and ride a bike you better learn to pick it up" "woman should be in the kitchen not out on bikes" a wiggle of the pinkie at him usually shut him up for a bit.

tell her to grow a thick skin and go out and prove them she can do it.

i actually trained some of the guys from the riding school to pass their advanced test. cbt guy was lovely and other was still a ****. wouldnt listen to any advice from me at all. cant be bothered with that.

anyway all the best to her.

oh yeah i went to Harleys in Springburn for my training - wouldnt really recommend but saying that it was 5 years ago maybe t hings have changed.

[STRAMASHER]

DA everytime, why restrict yourself/herself to certain bikes? All or nothing, and you get that full license for the rest of your days.

What about ropping-in another gurly to go for it at the same time? Maybe would not be so "traumatic"? My missus and pal went that way and had a really fun time. Both passed 2nd time with Bikerite and went onto ride a Bindit400 and CBR600 respectively.

Good luck