TIME FOR TRAINING

In Members’ Enclosure with RC218 Rowena asked if rider training is relevant to RC people? Well, there’s food for thought! The capability and compatibility of classic bikes with modern traffic and road conditions is often commented on, but that of their riders is rarely mentioned. Perhaps it should be?

Rowena said it’s been 26 years since her last training session and maybe it could do with refreshing. Personally, I rode for over 40 years without any training whatsoever. When I did eventually succumb, it was something of a revelation. Not only did I learn a lot, but it also opened my eyes to how frighteningly complacent some in the classic bike fraternity are about their basic rider skills and safety.

Just because you may not ride a modern bike, nor ride very fast, you should not take it for granted that you are safe. SMIDSY, gravel, diesel spills and the whole plethora of other daily hazards assailing us know no prejudice. You are just as vulnerable on a classic as on any motorcycle, and luck in the past is no guarantee of luck in the future.

Obviously, rider training is not a cloak of invincibility, but it should tilt the odds a little in our favour. As older bones take longer to heal, so every little bit helps. Please don’t believe that guff about old dogs and new tricks. Learning has no age limit and can be fun as well as beneficial.

Will Morgan, member 047

Most training centres offer a refresher course aimed at people returning to riding after a time away, and there are plenty of advanced options which seem to start at around £35 an hour. I haven’t seen anyone specifically offering training sessions targeted at older riders with classic machines – any instructors out there who know better? Rowena