IAM myself, but earlier in the threadI said I was all set to buy him his first bike, had it all teed up, he didn’t want one.
I also use an electronic Helite and so would he
RoSPA I have found to be utterly useless, they have failed to reply to three of my emails requesting further training.
One email missed can happen, two, a bit worrying but three, inexcusable.
I then called them and that was just as useless., the person on the phone had no idea where my local group was and no contact details Waste of time
That’s a bit rubbish, but the link above shows the local groups across the country together with the phone numbers and email addresses of the local contacts to cut out the need for contacting HQ. I gather the HQ had some staffing issues, but I can understand how off putting that would have been.
When I moved house I was put off the new IAM local group when, having been a qualified senior observer in two other local groups, the local group I tried when I moved seemed obsessed with speed and exceeding the speed limit. Just not my thing I’m afraid and not my experience elsewhere, hence my suggestion to have try-outs at various local groups as different approaches appeal to different people.
Interesting comment regarding “Speed” and “Overtaking”
I was talking to someone who attended the “Police Advanced Motorcycling Training” (Not Bike safe) He was left behind as the Police riders rode so fast he was always playing catchup!
Reason being is that Police/Emergency Services need to get to the scene of the incident ASAP The mantra being " We are not on our way, we are there" (Words to that affect)
For us “Non Emergency Riders” I would suggest that excessive speed and the need to overtake everything is not necessary" (Happy to be corrected)
This video makes a good watch…
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The other side to this coin (as there always is another side) is that I have been involved in advanced riding since first passing my IAM test when I was 19 and I’m now 54. During that time I have been fortunate to have trained with Police Class 1 riders on many occasions including various days at the Police Driver Training Centre at Hendon (NW London). It is very clear that these riders have exceptional levels of skill and experience on bikes that most, if not all of us, are unlikely to get close to in our own riding careers. That said I have always found them very understanding of the skills gap and very willing to match their training to the level and experience of the person they are teaching. Pushing pupils to achieve a little more can and should be part of that experience, when safe to do so. I’ve no doubt that there will a few who want to push a little too much for whatever reason, however overall I found what they have to offer has always been very helpful indeed and the example they set is something I have always strived to get closer to. The most important thing is always ride within your own limits and whichever advanced training you undertake from a recognised and experienced source you are sure to learn something beneficial.