Course Fact Sheet - Back to Bikes / Refresher

Do you remember the Rubik's Cube, rock and roll, oily two strokes, the Yamaha RD 350, the CX500, BSA, Norton Commando and Triumph Bonneville?

Do you watch Superbikes on the TV and remember the good times you used to have riding motorbikes when you were younger?

You've read the glossy magazines and down the pub you talk with authority about 'Knee sliders' and 'Hero blobs'.

You have some spare cash and decide to relive those glorious days.

Stop!

Oh no, not another safety message from the spoilsports! No it's not. Motorcycling can be an enjoyable and exhilarating experience, as well as an economic form of transport, but let's have a look at reality. The bikes you used to ride were slow, didn't corner too well and quite often didn't want to stop either. Today's bikes are technological masterpieces. They're built using lighter materials, have very powerful engines, large radial tyres, powerful disc brakes and are often fitted with features such as traction control and anti-lock brakes. They're also much quieter. This, together with full-face helmets and ear defenders, takes away the sense of danger.

The statistics make grim reading!

Motorcyclists represent less than 1% of road traffic but suffer 18% of deaths and serious injuries. Motorcyclists are 45 times more likely to be killed on the road than car drivers - and these figures are rising. About 40% of motorcycle crashes are caused when a rider simply fails to get round a bend and runs out of road with nobody else involved.

The Superbike rider versus the road rider
Even the expert Superbike riders get it wrong and crash. The Superbike rider knows when he's riding on the edge and is prepared for the fall, slides down the road into the relative safety of a gravel trap, leaps back onto his machine and rides off into the distance. (On TV, they don't show the pain and agony the rider is undergoing the next day.)
The road rider is more likely to hit a kerb, wall, tree or lamppost, or even worse, hit another vehicle.

How do the best riders stay out of trouble?
The best riders use a higher level of concentration than the average rider and are continually scanning all around them for signs of possible dangers. They don't wait for something to develop. Each move they make is a planned event which means the rider is always riding at a safe speed with the bike in the right gear and in the safest position on the road.

You'll find most of these riders have taken development courses in defensive riding techniques and are constantly looking at ways of developing these skills.
It's a sad fact, but riders returning to biking after a long period of time without training are more vulnerable and are likely to be involved in an accident in their first two weeks of riding.

What can you do?
I know what you're thinking, training is boring. OK, then think of it as development. After all, if you were trying to improve your golf swing or your tennis game, you wouldn't think twice about taking lessons with a professional.

So why do you think relearning to ride a bike is any different?

Don't learn the hard way. The school of hard knocks can be a very painful way to learn and in some cases you don't graduate. If it's a long, long time since you rode a bike, consider taking a basic training course and ease yourself back into motorcycling. Talk to the professionals talk to PARAGON. We are all enthusiastic motorcyclists who take pride in our skills and are more than pleased to pass on our knowledge. Talk to us about our Refresher / Back2bike riding courses. These can be fun as well as informative.
Whatever stage you've reached as a rider, always aim for a higher standard.
It's in your interest to make your safety your responsibility.
 

Pricing

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Prices are subject to change and are correct as of 1st March 2006. E&OE