Thinking about learning to ride a motorcycle in the UK? Here’s what the CBT, MOD1, and MOD2 are really like in 2025, just my full experience as a first-time rider going through the process – if you’re not sure how easy it is to ride a bike for the first time, and want to see the whole process then this video will help you out.

This video follows Sam Whiting’s journey from stepping onto a bike for (almost) the first time doing the CBT, figuring out clutch control, slow-speed handling, and trying not to remember to turn the indicators off and even the dreaded U-turn in MOD1, and finally hitting the road for MOD2. Along the way, I share my biggest surprises, what felt easier than expected (and what didn’t), and some advice for anyone wondering if they’re capable of doing the test, and how the motorcycle test is different from the car test.

This is also the first step in a much bigger journey—this training is all leading up to a new moto-vlog series where I’ll be taking my bike on road trips across the UK. If you’re interested in motorcycle travel, exploring the best UK riding routes, or just seeing what it’s like to be a beginner biker setting off on their first big adventures, stay tuned!

If you’ve been through the test yourself, let me know in the comments what your experience was like! And if you’re still thinking about getting your licence, hopefully, this gives you a clearer picture of what to expect. Don’t forget to like and subscribe to follow along for future moto-vlogs and road trip adventures!

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Welcome back to the I Broke My Foot in Indonesia YouTube channel. I think it’s No, I broke I broke an I broke my ankle. And today on things that we shouldn’t be doing with a broken foot, we’re doing our motorcycle license. So, uh, you know, I’ve ridden a bike before, but I’ve not actually done any proper training. Go Sam. Yeah. Oh. [Music] You can’t park there, mate. And in about 5 to 10 minutes, I’ll be doing my first proper motorcycle training. So, I’m going to take some clips for you because I want to show you what it’s like, what’s possible to do when you have uh just come out of surgery with a broken foot. I’ll take some clips in the in the car park doing the technical training and out when we go for a road ride. Hopefully, my chest mount works okay. And uh then I’ll film the other parts of the test. There’s two more parts of the test that I’ll do on different days. And at the end, I’ll give you my feedback and tell you what uh surprise me and what I think you should know if you’re going to do your motorbike test in the UK in 2025. So, I’ll show you the machinery here. This is the This is the beast we’re dealing with. It’s uh the guy that runs the thing said it’s a Kawasaki Fireblade R1. So, that sounds pretty fast. Here we go. So, there we go. It’s got the the Citroen badge there, so you know it’s uh reliable. Ready to get going. I didn’t film much of the first part of the day because it was pretty boring to be fair. Uh in terms of what you’re going to get to see on camera, uh we started off with some basic theory about the bike and then how to maneuver the bike. And that included putting it on the center stand. So that meant I had to put all my weight through my broken heel bone on the center stand, which was not very comfortable at all, especially cuz I was just wearing like walking boots, not even proper riding shoes. And everyone thought that was very funny and I thought it was very embarrassing, but they didn’t know I had a broken foot to be fair. Um, then we did some basic stuff. So we got let loose on the bikes in this car park and we did pulling away and stopping. Then some emergency braking. Then we went NASCAR Indy500 style, left turns only, baby. We did like 10 laps of the uh of the car park, left turn only. Then we did some smaller circles and some figure eights. And to be honest, that was pretty much it. And then a couple of U-turns. Uh we then had like a little kind of dry run, a kind of simulation of what it might like to be on the road where we were doing our observations and lane positioning on some like chalked up lines uh on the road. so you can get a practice before you’re uh let loose on uh the A-Rods of the United Kingdom. Uh and then that was pretty much it. So, it went pretty smoothly. I have to say I think my instructor was uh pretty good on this part of the course, but also definitely like skipped through a lot of stuff. Um because the people that I was with uh I was the only one whose like first time doing this kind of training. Uh the one girl I was with, she’d failed the last one. She was just doing it on a scooter this time. And then the other two guys, they’ve been like riding on their CVT for years and they were just just up for renewal. So, I do feel like I was kind of skipped over some of the basics on like how to actually use the bike, the bike position, like proper like throttle inputs and things like that. I would have liked a bit more information. Um, but I picked it up. If I hadn’t have just like if I was just learning for the first time completely fresh, uh it definitely would have felt like I’ve been thrown into deep water because there was like not really not a whole lot of explanation of like how to do it. Only being told what to do. Uh but anyway, we survived on this part. Uh didn’t fall off yet, which is very good news. I’ve got a serious case of helmet hair, but the first part of that CBT, the first part of the basic training is now done. Uh the instructor’s taking the other two people in the session out for like a ride on the road. So we’ll be going next. But now it’s lunch break. I just want to show you while the other guy’s away with this setup that one of the guys is running. Not with his motorbike, but actually with his car. He’s brought his own kettle and stove. It’s pretty unreal. So and he’s just been offering brews to anyone that walks past. bit of a bit of an odd group, but uh at least it’s good fun. It’s been going well. I’m now fully qualified to drive in small circles at walking speed in a car park. Uh now we’re going to practice on the road. I was surprised there’s not as much practice as I was thinking there would be. Maybe that’s because the people in the session have all done the CBT before. Actually, I’m the only person doing it for the first time. The other people can already ride. they’re just renewing theirs. Um, so maybe that’s why uh there’s not that much practice because I’ve also done a bit before. So I think he’s kind of speeding through it a little bit and and focusing more on on polishing what we know rather than, you know, teaching us how to use the clutch cuz we can all manage that already. Uh, but that was a surprise. I thought it’d be just um a lot of independent time doing like emergency braking over and over and over again, but no, we just sort of once you meet the minimum requirements can can get off as long as you’re safe and ready to go. But the instructor’s a nice guy and he’s very knowledgeable. So, I’m very excited for the next part cuz we go actually on the road. Uh, I’m going to put you on my chest. I’ll see if you can see anything and maybe you get uh first person footage of me failing my CVT first time. That would be incredible, wouldn’t it? So, I’ll see you later. Not really sure what I can tell you about this bit. It was just driving around uh albeit very slowly because the girl I was with was literally petrified of being on two wheels. uh she’d crashed in her last CPT, so I went to the front, but then I kept getting told to slow down cuz uh she couldn’t keep up cuz she didn’t want to go over 20 mph, but fair enough. Uh that probably didn’t set me up very well for then the stuff I did later in my training cuz then I was told that I had to go up to like 70 dead quick. So, uh a few mixed messages there. Not very exciting though. Just your normal like driving around at slow speed on the roads. The main thing basically being the row position and doing the shoulder checks, uh, indicating and turning the indicator off. That was it really. I’m not very good at turning the indicator off. Oh, and I should probably tell you that this section lasts about 2 hours and you have a one-way radio transmitter in your ear. So, your instructor can talk to you, but they can’t hear all the abuse you’re giving at them for telling you to tell your indicator off for like the 16th time. And I think it’s really hard to fail the CBT. I don’t even know how it’s possible to fail the CVT. Maybe the instructor was just being nice, but he did tell our group that the reason that that girl failed on her previous test when she crashed was actually not because of the crash. It was because of something else. So, I think you have to really really [ __ ] it up to to fail. Uh, and if you’re watching this after failing your CVT, please tell me what you did cuz I’m actually quite curious. Uh, no offense, but what you did wrong. Um I think they sometimes are more worried about too much caution uh or not enough caution or maybe just not enough of the shoulder checks. They will go on and on at you about doing your observations. So that is the main thing. Anyway, we did this and then that was it. It’s a few days later and it’s time for round two. This is my module one. So in the UK they split the test up into three parts. CBT which is like just being allowed to be on the bike. Module one which is all the skills and then module two which is all the road riding. Today I got module 2 and I’m on a much bigger bike, one of these. So I just got to shoot a quick intro cuz they’re waiting for me inside. Uh I’ve already got hat hair even though I haven’t even put the helmet on yet. And ready to go. So I’ll take some clips and I’ll see you later. So he said this was a uh Harley Enfield versus. So this is the biggest bike I’ve ever been on. It’s still got L plates on. Uh, but it is a 650 which is at a zero in pounds how much my insurance is going to be when I ride this one after I’m certified. So, um, I’m a bit nervous because it’s the biggest bike I’ve ever been on, but I’m pretty excited. Can’t wait to get going. And to be honest, I can’t wait to get this done so that I can just crack on with the road stuff and really get to it. The module one training is basically just doing your CBT training again, but on a bigger bike. And that might sound scary that you’re on a bigger bike, but everyone that I’ve spoken to agrees that actually doing it on these bigger bikes is way easier. And I think there’s two reasons for that. First of all, they’re a bit heavier, so they feel way more stuck uh to the tarmac, to the to the ground. They feel like really sticky and grippy. And the other thing is that these bikes were in way better condition. Like the throttle response was much smoother. Uh the gearbox was much smoother. And they just seemed like they’re much better condition. They’re definitely not uh beaten up as much as those CBTs are, the CBT bikes are, the the 125 Hondas. Uh because there’s so many people like who’ve never like shifted gears, I guess, that are trying to like stamp it into gear. Uh these ones nice and easy to control. Uh so we did the same thing like a little slalom figure of eights. Uh you did a little bit more faster stuff. So, like I said, practice some emergency stops again and stopping within a box like you’re trying to follow traffic and stop within a target area. And then some swerving and maneuvering, but again, same kind of stuff. Uh, and then getting used to keeping the clutch in and holding the brake down, the back brake down a little bit to keep the bike nice and tight is the the way it could be kind of described. And uh, I kind of felt really confident at the end of these. This time there’s way more time for independent practice and it kind of felt more like how I would have liked to have done the CBT. Although this time I feel like we got even less information about how to do this stuff properly. It was just kind of expected we’d already taught it properly in the CBT. And again the other guy that I was with doing this, he could already ride. He was already like doing like enduro riding and some kind of motocross. So he was already super confident on the bike. So again I felt a bit left behind. I think part of that’s cuz I was doing this in February in winter. I think if you did it in summer during normal riding season, you’d be with a lot more people who are doing it for the first time because the conditions are way nicer. I did do a mock test, uh, like I put myself through a mock test. So, I remembered all the steps that we told we’re going to have to do during the test and then I went through it. So, I actually recorded that and I’m going to talk you through what you actually need to do during a proper test in a minute. So far so good. Uh, no major incidents. I haven’t gone over the handlebars, which is uh, nice. It’s better than I expected. Uh, a lot of the skills are the same from the CBT, but you have to do them to a higher standard. And then there’s a few more we have to do like a bit uh more serious emergency braking, getting up to beyond the 30 mph and the same like swerving out of the way of uh uh cones. So to imagine you have to swerve out the way of an obstacle on the road. So that bit I got a bit nervous for. Uh the U-turns were doing a bit of tighter U-turns and stuff like that. I did drop the bike once uh but I caught it. This didn’t fall over, but I put the foot on the floor. Uh, I was surprised that my posts surgery foot has held up to that. That was one of the things I was actually most nervous about is putting the foot down and then having this incredible pain in my foot from where the screws are. Luckily, uh, I didn’t get that. It was a It was painful, but, uh, not enough to put to put me off. Not enough to think that, okay, I’m not ready to ride. So, we stopped for a quick lunch and then we got to do some more of the evasive maneuvers and more things like that. So, we’re kind of halfway through the testing and then that’ll be it for the day and tomorrow is the real deal. The test itself is only 12 minutes. Um, but a lot riding on it cuz I think there’s they get booked up with test dates very quickly. So, if you fail this one, you can be waiting weeks for another one. So, there is a bit of pressure on me to get it right. Otherwise, I’m not sure I’ll be riding for a year or two knowing what the UK is like for waiting times. So, you can’t film anything to do with your test. you can’t film the test center and you can’t record the test yourself. So, I wasn’t able to do my live test. But here’s footage of when I put myself through a mock test. So, I went through all the steps and did all the practice in the car park the day before so that I was ready for my test the next day. And this is what I did as part of my independent practice time. The first thing is to go through the cones. You have to do a slalom without touching any of the cones. And then that is going to bring you into doing two figure of eights. Now, for the figure of eight, there’s no um size limit. You can see it went back through the other cones there. And you can make it as big as you want. So, I went really wide. I thought it’s much better that I went over the top and had lots of space rather than fall over or brush a cone. Once you’re through with that, you’re going to do a loop around. And they have to hit a minimum speed of like 18 or 20 mph. And then here, we came to a stop. Uh you do that over a much bigger area in the real test. Then you have to pull forwards and you have to stop within a marked area. It’s not an emergency stop. It’s just like you’re stopping in traffic. After you’ve done that, you’re going to do a U-turn. Uh this is a right-hand U-turn because technically you should never need to do a left hand U-turn on the road. And you have to again stay within an area. What we did in training was way tighter than it was during the real test. So that was nice. Then you’re going to come around through a medium speed corner and then you have to do an emergency stop. Now you have to do the emergency stop once you’ve reached a certain speed, 52 km an hour, going through a speed trap. Then you’re going to come back round again and you’re going to go through and do an emergency avoidance. So you’re swerving out of the way of a cone this time. Again, going at that 52 km an hour as a minimum through the speed trap. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to be asked to bring the bike to a stop. And if that’s what I remember properly, that’s all there was. It was actually pretty simple and probably took even less than 12 minutes. You You’re not going to believe this. No wonder Liam calls me granddad. I didn’t go bloody fast enough. They almost they almost failed me for not going fast. Oh god. I can’t believe it. They almost failed me for not going fast enough on the emergency avoidance. I actually did get up to speed, but I came off the throttle too soon. I came off the throttle before the speed trap, I think. Um, but I think I only got a minor for it cuz he let me have another go and overall I did pass. Otherwise, uh, I’m pretty sure I did everything else spot on. He didn’t mention anything else. So, uh, that means passed module one. I’ve got my certificate and I’m still on track ready for module 2. That’s all the road riding stuff. Um, I think that’s going to be good. Going to give me some more confidence. Some thoughts I’m having halfway through. Um, I do think if I hadn’t ridden a bike before uh at all, definitely doing it that this stuff straight away would be like too much for me. I just wouldn’t have confidence in like the balance and bike control. Maybe if I come from like a mountain biking background or something like that, it would be an easy step up. But, um, I think it’s too much too soon for for almost too much too soon for me. uh someone who’s got less confidence than me probably would need to do that extra training. Maybe even stick to the CBT and do lots and lots of hours of just the skills in a car park so that when you come to do it on a test on a big bike, it’s like just easy for you like next step. Um same about the road riding, but I’m not going to buy a 125 just because uh I’m old enough to do my direct access, so to me it just seems like an unnecessary expense. Uh the other thing is I would have like more time to practice the emergency avoidance. because we didn’t really get to do it going up to full speed. Um, we did it in a shorter area going up to like I got up to like 25 miles an hour. We didn’t have that much room in the car park. We did do it on the road and we did get up to 30 mph doing it on the road swerving around drain covers and other inroad obstacles, but not like a in a test a mock test. So, that would have been good. But, um, I still take full responsibility for it. I should have just kept on the throttle later. So, that is my fault at the end of the day. I’m not not bitching about anything that the training center’s done. Uh so yeah, but just just some thoughts so far. Anyway, excited for module two. Uh hopefully this one goes well if I can manage to concentrate enough on driving with all stupid bloody checking over your shoulder every 30 seconds you have to do. Um that you know I spend so much time looking in my mirrors and over my shoulder I don’t have any time to look where I’m going. Um but if I can manage to get over that, if I can if I can deal with that, then module 2 should be okay. So, uh, catch me in a few days next week when I do mod two. Okay, it’s very bright, but that’s good. It’s blue sky. We don’t see many of them. And it is the next part. I forget what day it is, but the next part of my motorbike training. I’ve got to do the module 2 training, which is all on road. So, I think it’s going to be about 4 hours out on the road. And hopefully, if I’m any good, I’ll get outside the business estate. So, I’ve done a bit of on road, but now it’s ready to get the the the systems in place for learning all the proper checks and things like that. And then we go uh out, blast around, and uh get some practice and hopefully do a mock test for tomorrow. So, I’m a bit late cuz I came straight from another job interview, but uh I’m going to go into the test center now, uh into the training center, kit up, and then hopefully they let me take you with me on a chest mount. If not, well, I’ll have to find something else that works. See you in a minute. My module 2 training on the road was the same sort of thing as the CVT, but it’s just more extended and then you also include faster roads cuz you’re on a bigger bike, so you can go faster. Uh the instructor is stricter, so they kind of pick up on more things that you might fail on or get minus for. Uh those sorts of things are like use of the indicators and switching them off, doing your observations and shoulder checks properly and enough and at the right time. uh your lane position, uh getting up to speed uh on faster roads, so getting up to the limit and then also following in traffic. So, uh that stop start kind of traffic and also keeping the right position. You’ll do hill starts and you’ll do lots of like uh pulling over at the side of the road and pulling away. We used a much bigger variety of roads. We covered the test route uh and like the test area which is really good because I’m not that familiar with the area. Although it’s like my home area, I haven’t uh lived there for years cuz I’ve been living abroad. So, a lot of the roads have changed so or I can’t remember them. But the nice thing is unlike a car test, there’s no maneuvers. And that’s kind of the thing that confused me. I thought there’d be like lots of maneuvers you’d have to do because that’s kind of a big part of the car test. But there are no maneuvers. It’s just normal driving. That was quicker than expected. just a couple hours today and then we’re all done. I I think they made a bit of a balls up of the timing to be honest. I told them I’ll be here at midday. I came at quart 12 and then uh they said, “Oh, we’ve got one of the guys just gone out so we’ve only got time for you for for an hour and I was like, “All right.” So, I don’t know. Uh but I’m coming here tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. So, they’re going to fit me in at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. So, I think I’m going to do a lot of riding tomorrow, probably 3 or 4 hours, and then I’ll have my test straight afterwards. Um, I thought I was pretty hopeless on a bike and was going to need like to do extra training cuz the guy my instructor says nothing ever good about me. And I asked him like, “Have you got any feedback?” He goes, “No, no, no feedback.” I go, “All right.” And then um I was like, “What do you think I’m going to pass?” He goes, “Yeah.” So, so there you go. So, so fingers crossed. So, it’s 7:00 a.m. If you ask me, that’s witch an hour. I haven’t been up this early for a long time. I had to get up. had to get up at 6:00 to get here and we’re out ready for some training. Uh the guy I’m training with, his test is at like 10:30. So that’s why we’re starting so early so we can both go out on the road. Means I’ll get a nice long break. Hopefully I get two sessions. Um my confidence is not an alltime high. So I’m also half asleep. Let’s hope once I I get going uh we find find a bit of movement with it. But bloody hell, it’s miserable being up this early. I’ll see you later. Another very severe case of helmet hair tells you that I just got back from my road ride and I’ve been out on this beast, the Honda Davidson, uh made by Yamasaki and uh going well. I’m getting a bit more confident. I’m not I’ll be honest with you, I’m not bursting with confidence, but uh the guy said instructor said it is normal. You know, the test is to make sure you’re not really a danger to yourself or others. is not to make you like amazing on the bike. And that’s kind of where where I feel I’m at. I did, which is not not going to boost my confidence. I did drop the bike uh fell over. I pulled up to like a a junction. I was like about to go and then a car was coming, so I stopped. Uh not like a busy road, but I was it was just way down. I could have definitely gone, but um it just like mental blank and I just was stationary and basically doing a track stand. And then I just [ __ ] went over. Uh, so that’s no good. But I picked myself up and got back on with it. Luckily, nobody run me over. I didn’t die. A few little errors, but in terms of like what’s going to pass me the test so far, I think I’m doing pretty well. So, we’re going to go back out on the road in this absolutely miserable weather. Would you believe it? I mean, it’s raining, but would you believe it? This is like some of the better weather we’ve had today. It was pouring it down. So, uh, we’ll see you back out on the road and then it’s my test. Right, it’s test time. I’m bloody nervous, to be honest. Uh, luckily the one I just came back from definitely definitely like the best I’ve felt on a bike since I’ve been training here uh, on the big bike. So, kind of getting back into it. Um, just got to pull it through now. Let’s hope I remember the question to do with maintenance of the bike. I’m not very mechanically minded. My dad will tell you that. So, who knows what kind of nonsense I’m going to say when they ask me how to check the oil and um yeah, just got to keep focused on the road. Remember to turn my indicators off and remember to uh keep the bike nice and tight coming around the corners. But I reckon I’ve got it in the bag. Just got to be confident now. Got to tell myself I’m not nervous. I’m just excited. Obviously, I can’t film during the test. So, I’m going to catch up with you and let you know how it goes after this. Obviously, no filming during the test, unfortunately. Same like with the module one, but this is what you do. Uh, you’re going to arrive and then you wait your turn. Very nervous. I think I went for a Wii about six times in 5 minutes. And then, uh, you go in when you’re called and you need to give your CBT certificate, your module one certificate, and your driver’s license. So, don’t forget those or they can fail you on the spot. And then after a quick chat, you’re going to be taken out into the yard and you’re going to have to do an eyesight check where you look at a number plate in the distance. I think it’s 20 meters away. And then you’re going to be asked before you even get on the bike uh to show me and tell me questions. So these are like bike theory about um maintenance or operating the bike. So, for example, I was asked um to tell him about how the bike handling changes when you’ve got a passenger on the back and also to show him how to check the operation of the brakes. I found a really good video uh before my test from I think it’s three counties motorcycle training and I’m going to link that in the description cuz it was so good, so clear, and I just recited what they said and that was really really helpful. I watched it the night before and then you just go out for a normal ride. So, my examiner was super super nice and actually he had a really good reputation as being nice and he put me really at ease. Uh they were definitely like working with you. They definitely want you to pass instead of working against you. Um then we just went out for a normal ride. So, I’m really lucky I kind of pulled it through. Um this was probably my best and honestly my most relaxed ride. I was not worrying and I think part of that is because I didn’t have someone in my ear like calling out all the mistakes this time so I could just get into the flow. I did get a minor for undue caution at a roundabout uh because there was a lorry looking to come on um and I wasn’t sure if I could pull away fast enough uh so I thought it was better to wait. Uh I got one for starting an overtake but then realizing that I was already near the speed limit so I came like stayed under the speed limit but then I couldn’t overtake the car and then I got one for lane position on the roundabout. Um just making my life more difficult. I went into the wrong lane so that was all. Um, but overall it was way easier than expected. They they just want to see you’re safe. So again, like no maneuvers. They’re not really trying to catch you out. They just want to see you’re safe, going with the flow of the traffic and doing all your checks. Um, so it was actually very straightforwards. Um, they’re not bothered about perfect riding and bike control. And that’s why I was nervous. You know, I thought if you didn’t pull away, you know, straight as an arrow or you were a bit jerky coming to a stop or you’re in the wrong gear or something like that that they would get a minor for it and then these can add up really quickly. That wasn’t the case. Um, I was a bit jerky a couple times. Um, but just didn’t even mention that at all in the debrief. So, that’s clearly not the kind of thing they’re looking out for. As long as you don’t just stack it and fall off or wrap it around a tree. You’re not going to [ __ ] believe this. I’ve passed. I can’t believe it. They’re giving licenses out to anyone now. Yeah, I passed. I got a couple minors um for like lane discipline, same as in my driving test years ago on like multi-lane roundabouts, lane discipline on the roundabout and um two others, but to be honest, I I’ve kind of like my brain kind of switched off, you know, so now um just yeah, lane lane discipline really and distance between the cars. Um but but yeah, so uh I’m very happy now. I can go and get a bike. I can go and get the equipment. So if you’re interested to see all that kind of stuff, then I want you to comment on this video what bike you think I should get cuz I need advice. I’m going to be on the bike hopefully for a couple years overlanding. So if you know anything about it or you just want to see me go through something miserable, comment down on down below. You know, if you want me to take a like 1980s Honda XR and you want to see me learn to become a mechanic in the middle of nowhere, then that might make for a funny video. So, you can drop it down below. Or if you’ve got any real suggestions, then comment down there. I’m thinking something like a Royal Enfield Himalayan 400, maybe a Honda CRF. I’ve got to keep the budget tight. I’m not made of money. So, but yeah, um once this uh wave of pure joy is washed off, I’m going to give a little bit of feedback like maybe what kind of tips I would give someone who’s in my position doing the direct access straight away with like pretty much no experience. Uh what I would change and some things I felt. But the main thing I’m thinking now is that that test was easier than I was expecting. I think every examiner is different, but uh I think he was pretty forgiving. I was expecting him to be I’m about to be bloody run over. It’s cuz I haven’t got my high viz on. uh it was more forgiving. So I had a few wobbles but you know just like um about to go and then saw a car so I break instead. He didn’t mention anything about that afterwards. So so I guess it’s fine. So I think it’s a bit more forgiving than than kind of like a car test. Um and he said that in the start. He said you know this is a recreational thing. That’s why it’s not not quite as you know procedure based as a as a car test. But did all my observations, all that kind of stuff. So I think he was happy in control of the bike. Uh I’m happy. Hope you’re happy. So maybe there’ll be a little bit after this, but if not, I’ll see you in the next one. Before I go, I just want to give you my final kind of thoughts on how the whole experience was, uh, and my personal experience and the key kind of takeaways. Um, but if you have made it this far, thank you very much for watching. Uh, you must like watching me ride a motorbike. So, if you want to see more of that stuff as I go traveling around the UK and eventually all over the world, then hit the subscribe button to keep up to date. So, here are my final thoughts. Uh there was good that there was three clear sections. The CBT is definitely how to operate the bike. Module one is definitely polishing slow maneuvers. It’s not about learning them. And module two is kind of polishing how you ride on the road. It’s not about learning how to ride on the road. Um there wasn’t a whole lot of teaching. It was more like just telling you what you’re doing wrong. Uh which was kind of disappointing for me. Um, overall I was mainly disappointed with a lack of explanation. Um, you know, I’m a dive instructor, but I’ve also been a boxing coach and a gymnastics coach. So, I know you should never assume knowledge and you always need to understand uh and explain how things work, not just what to do. Um, I wasn’t explained how things worked. I was just told what to do. Um, that left me feeling really lost. Um, and if I hadn’t have done actually the training abroad in Thailand, I did like a a kind of CBT kind of thing in Thailand and I did uh some enduro, uh, I would have really struggled because I they wouldn’t wouldn’t have even told me how to operate things like the clutch. Although on the other hand, probably because I did quite well in my CBT because I was used to um operating a clutch and and riding a small capacity motorbike, I think some things were skipped and that then probably had a knock-on effect later in my testing and training experience. If they’d have taken the time to explain like the body position, uh the input and control techniques and cornering mechanics and so on, it would have given me a lot more confidence and it would have breezed through the test. Actually, unfortunately, overall, I think the whole training experience probably reduced my confidence on the bike, especially module one and module 2. That’s not to do with the bigger bike. I felt more comfortable on the bigger bike. Um, but this was because of like a constant like negative feedback. Um, this is partly unavoidable due to the one-way earpiece. But even when returning back to the training center um for like a coffee break, there was no kind of constructive feedback or being told like some tips and tricks on how to fix what I was doing wrong. Um I was just told what I was doing wrong. It was really hard to get some feedback out of my instructor. Kind of a bit of uh getting blood from a stone. There’s being a man of few words and then there’s also just not giving enough input. And I felt he was probably on the wrong side of that. Uh that’s not a personal thing. He was actually a really nice guy, but um but yeah, just in terms of his teaching style didn’t really get on with me personally. And that was probably my main disappointment was the lack of feedback and the lack of uh teaching of the fundamentals of actually riding a bike. The reason why I did my testing and training in the UK, even though it’s way more expensive than doing it abroad, is because I was expecting uh getting better quality training. I don’t think that was the case. Actually, the best quality training I’ve had on a motorbike was in Thailand. This guy had an amazing kind of uh setup. He must have done motorbike training or or stuff in the UK as uh as a examiner or something like this because he it was almost exactly what I did in my CBT but in way more depth. So, I’m going to actually link his business. It was in Shanghai and I had the best time ever. Um so, if you’re ever in Shanghai, check this guy out. It was absolutely fantastic. And finally, the test. This was way easier and way less strict and there were way less requirements than I ever thought there was going to be. Um, we went through everything that we done in training, but it was way easier than we’ done in training. Everything had more space and it was way more relaxed because you don’t have your examiner talking to you. Uh, they only tell you the directions which way to go and you don’t even need to go the right directions as long as you do things safe. Doesn’t matter which way you go. So, overall, don’t sweat the test. Uh, it was probably the easiest part of the whole thing. and now I’m certified to ride. So, I look forward to seeing you on my next motorbike adventure. Thank you for watching and I’ll see you in the next one. [Music]

39 Comments

  1. failed my first CBT for checking side roads to often or to long for on coming cars Plus there was one set of lights with a tight road round a corner, i stopped but crossed the solid white line by about a wheel size, everything else was fine

  2. Got my A2 in the next two weeks. My mod 1 on the 21st of July. And mod 2 a week or two after that. Start my first lesson this Thursday , in the bigger bikes. Ridden for two and a half years, is the Mod 1 as scary as it looks or am I overthinking

  3. The comment about the indicator made me feel much better, just did my cbt having never driven anything before and i kept forgetting to turn the indicator off i felt so silly so i love this

  4. I failed my cbt… twice* 🥲
    Passed my CBT last year but failed on the first and second day. Instructor was very elitist and kept nagging me. He made me super anxious and it shot my confidence massively and I remember just wanting to go home and give up. Didn't let me go out on the road because I wasn't in control of the bike. Any time I was stuck on a part like certain turns, he would just skip over me and just make me do the next part. I was never told how to do stuff initially even though it was my very first time on a motorbike of any kind.

    The 2nd time I came back in and they paired me with a full time instructor (turns out the instructor I was with originally just did it on his days off from his regular job) and it was completely different. I felt really supported and I could see I was actually making progress. I was still a bit slow so I had to come back one more time just to do the road test. After the third day I was all good.

    There are too many bad instructors out there for CBT, too many people who have been riding for years who don't understand teaching theory and think "well I find it easy so anyone can do it" Glad you had a good instructor!

  5. You're spot on about the CBT, there really isn't a lot of training or explanation given and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels like this as well as yourself. In the afternoon on the actual drive out after about 10 minutes I felt completely comfortable and quickly got the hang of it. I'm starting my DAS next week so this is really helpful to see, thanks dude.

  6. It must be in the instructor hand book, to be negative and overly critical. Mine was the same, to the point it was bloody soul destroying and I was a fairly good rider, but some of his criticisms were ridiculous. I felt sorry for the bloke I was learning with because he was always on his case.

  7. eyy well done mate , thanks for this Vid . good to be able to see the proccess for Mod 1 and 2 even if you werent allowed to film . thanks Sam

  8. Man, I’ve had my A1 license for 17 years, been riding a 125 everywhere in the UK, bought it March 2024 and managed to clock 11k miles until now 😅
    Still frightened about them 2 tests next week!

  9. As a 49 year old who has just booked his CBT with zero motorbike experience, I found your video and summary really informative and helpful to understand what to expect, thank you!

  10. I failed my CBT just yesterday!
    I failed because I kept going in the wrong gear, trying to pull off in second from a full stop on the road. There was also bike stalling at junctions and general clutch control and slow speed manoeuvrers

  11. I was a good watch mate… I first rode a 50cc motorbike back in 1986… My Dad hated motorbikes, as he had seen a good friend almost die on one, so when I pushed to get a bike, he insisted that I went to a police exhibition which showed in gory detail, what could go wrong… We're talking skinned feet by not wearing proper boots, and one where someone on a 125 had been trying to get max speed down a hid meeting a flatbed trailer, parked in a layby, head on… The bike was embedded about half it's way through under the trailer… Needless to say, the poor guy didn't survive…

    Fast forward a few years, after I had found cars, the motorbike bug bit again, and I managed to get my full licence in 1996, just before the laws changed… so a 3 day intensive course, with a test at the end… There was a joke at the test centre, that one of the examiners drove a car, and I luckily got him 🙂 First traffic light, he got caught, so I was fairly free and easy for a lot of the ride… Passed, and got a ZZR600… Not a great first step perhaps, but motorbikes are only as dangerous as your right wrist… Got married, and so had to sell the bike, but after the divorce, got another cheap one… A Yamaha TDM850… riding it back scared the crap out of me, but over the weeks, got used to it… Then got a VFR800… Totally different bike…
    I then managed to crash my TDM850 fairly badly (open fracture of my arm, metal plates etc. So I joined an advanced motorbike club, once my nerves had settled… They used to offer rideouts with really good riders, that would ride with you as a group for a good 3 hours, only the cost of fuel for them… I then went on to volunteer for bloodbikes in my local area, never did the advanced bike test, but did the car one, and it does open your eyes!

    Got a Super Tenere 1200, and spent many happy accident free years riding that (in no small part to the training I had received) but that got stolen last year, so currently rock a R1200GS (still have the TDM (in bits), the VFR, and also a ZXR-900, which scares the pants off me, but such a lovely bike to look at 🙂

    As to what bike to get? I would recommend something around 600cc, as it gives you that ability to get out of trouble… I would avoid the really sporty ones, as they are uncomfortable, more likely to get stolen, and a pain in traffic… I would maybe suggest a Vstrom 600(650?) or one of the bm 700F ones, as they offer great torque, but in a manageable way, can still do good speeds, but are better in traffic…

    In no way a comprehensive guide, but just my opinion… 11 years without anything near an accident now 🙂

    I would suggest, even if you are in a hot country, wear some thin abrasion resistant gloves, as your hands will be the first point of contact often… Also not a fan of riding in shorts, though we've all done it..

  12. ..a big unregulated con run by shysters was my experience and at a loss cost wise of £1500 over all and that was without the I ❤ guy martin t-shirt!!! no wonder there's so many dickheads on the road

  13. I failed my CBT 10 years ago but it wasn't for any spectacular crash or falling into a coma or anything, I just didn't have a clue about anything on two wheels and had barely been on a push bike as a little kid.

    I wobbled through the cones and all the car park stages, and couldn't corner to the equivalent of staying in my lane if it t was a real road, had a hand on my shoulder and invited back the next week for no extra cost, just for more practice before hitting the roads.

    It sucked at the time but I was pretty grateful for it, they were incredibly thorough instructors and I went though my DAS with 1 lesson x 1 test for the 2 sections, and I'm still shiny side up 10 years later.

  14. I would insta-fail anyone who said they drive or drove a bike.
    😉👍

    They probably also think you steer a helicopter, fly a boat or pilot a horse. 😢

    You also indicated too early coming up to a T junction; you'd put your indicator on before the previous junction to your right. 25:10

  15. Strange watching this now when i watched it when i started my motorcycle journey, passed my CBT, theory and passed module 1, my module 2 is literally tomorrow (my birthday!) no pressure

  16. i notice you mention about the other person not being able to keep up with you. The biggest issue with motorcycle training is that your lesson is dictated by how shit the other person on the lesson is.

  17. Wasn't me but when I went for my last cbt last year the other guy who was doing his went full throttle into a wall and the other one failed as he could ride in a straight line he had to come back another day

  18. To me the hardest part was balancing, I haven't been on a pushbike for at least 20 years and didn't think anything of it, but it was seriously tough to go in a straight line at walking pace speed!

  19. I failed because the instructor ran out of time ! we started at 8 finished at 4 there were three of us on the course with two bikes between us, although I completed all the manoeuvres he said it was not possible to train CBT in one day and I had to go back for hourly lessons at £35 a time . I probably got and hour an half on the bike through the whole day as I had to keep swapping over for the other person to complete the manoeuvres

  20. I "failed" it twice. To paint the picture I never learned how to ride a push bike neither do I drive anything so I walked in knowing absolutely nothing and with a childhood dream of having a bike. I ma also pretty short so that didn't help the situation. The first time I wasn't in a good place and straight out of a breakup the night before, in the middle of January and put on a bike that was heavy enough I could barely straighten up, the nerves and everything got the best of me and I chose to just stop. The second time around I was with people that have already been riding and was sent home maybe halfway through the morning because I wasn't getting things fast enough, and I was struggling with keeping in a straight line. I am due to try again in about two weeks with a different instructor and company so hopefully this time it will be a pass. I do have to say I am insistent on learning with gears as the pan is to get a full license eventually. Although as a woman the few guys doing it at the same time as me were definitely "looking down" on me in a way and seemed annoyed I just needed a bit more instructions then they did

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