As a start, have a look at our books page, and treat yourself to 'Roadcraft', and possibly a couple more.

Bit expensive, isn't it?  I'm sure I could get training cheaper elsewhere.
Perhaps you could.  You could also find training groups which charge a lot more!  

We're a club, and the instructors give up their time.  They do, however, receive reasonable machine expenses and other costs while training.  The course fees also cover membership of the Driving Instructors' Association, through which we have third-party liability insurance,  instructor training, training materials and visual aids, bike-to-bike radios, a web site, advertising, printing, postage etc.

I've only just passed my test, how long should I wait before taking advanced training?*
Sooner the better, otherwise you might learn bad habits!

I'm not good enough to take an advanced course.  I'm not good enough to take an advanced course.*
That's the whole point!  Anyway, it'll give us plenty to talk about, won't it . . . 

What about speed limits?
They're there and we can't avoid or ignore them.

Unlike the emergency services, we have no exemption from any road traffic law.  We will allow some flexibility in national speed limit areas - but not much. The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) has suggested that Police should give an allowance of 10% +1 mph (and that's what the M25 variable speed limits are set to).  If you decide to exceed any limit it is your instructor's personal decision (and your instructor's licence at risk) as to whether they stay with you.  Remember that if an instructor can't see your riding then they can't help you to improve! 

If you are caught speeding, "I'm on an advanced training course." is likely to get a response of "Well, you ought to know better, then."

A final thought on the subject:  'Advanced' riding is often about self-discipline; the 'hooligan' within wants to go blatting off as fast as possible, while realism and self-preservation say that's not always a good idea.  By identifying speed limits you demonstrate observation skills, by keeping to them you demonstrate restraint.

What qualifications do your instructors have?
When choosing a training course it is important to separate riding and training qualifications. The instructors' riding qualifications are varied.  For example, you will often see 'Police class one' quoted; it's important to understand that this is a 'riding' qualification, not instructional.  Also, some Police forces do not conduct re-assessments of riding standards - assuming that the rider concerned is still in the Police - some 'trainers' have been away from the Police for many years.

Trainees taking 'Born Again' or 'Advanced Day' usually receive a post-course evaluation sheet to complete and return, which also helps to maintain our standards.

We have been involved in the development of a new range of Edexcel-BTEC instructor qualifications , and all of our active instructors either have the Award or are in the process of earning it.

The 'Born Again' course was developed by us - so we're the only ones really qualified to conduct it!  A fair part of the Born Again course content is based on MSF techniques, learned when we were able to take part in MSF courses via the USAF.

For full details of our instructors, see Instructor Profiles.

Ever trained anyone famous?
Yep - but we didn't know who she was until weeks later, so it doesn't seem fair to mention her name here!

How far do people travel for the Born Again course?
The furthest was probably Luxembourg . . . although he was over here for a break anyway!  Otherwise, Isle of Man, Liverpool, Medway, Bristol, and the South Coast are probably the longest distances.  The course is unique - so it's worth travelling to.

Ever trained anyone from other training groups?
Yes, quite a few!  Two professional instructors from the South of England (Oxon. & Hants.) have passed Blue Riband with us, as have various committee members, over the years, from a large local IAM group.  Many members of that club restarted their motorcycling careers with our 'Born Again' course, and they have printed articles written by us in their club magazine.  We have also run several Blue Riband instructor training sessions which have been attended by instructors from other BMF-RTS centres.  As part of the BTEC training courses we have assessed trainers from a number of other training organisations.

'Advanced riding'.  That means 'boring and on a BMW' doesn't it?
Nope. It's the same way of looking, thinking, and riding - whatever bike you ride. Whether that is 'boring' depends on your outlook, but someone (Garth Leonard, an MSF instructor) once described good riding as 'keeping somewhere between being scared or bored'.     Read what past trainees have to say

I've just passed my test / returned to motorcycling.  What bike should I buy?
Be very logical: research the variety available, decide which suit your needs, investigate true running costs, list it all out - even down to colour choices. Decide which is the most suitable for you.

Then buy the one you want.

If you don't do that, you won't be happy. If you find you've made a bad choice, then change bikes.
O.K., realism is midway between the two, but if you're riding because you want to, then enjoy it!

Should I ride with my headlight on?
Within the realms of common sense - i.e. other than when it's dark or foggy etc. - it's up to you.  There are benefits and drawbacks to headlamp use.  Daytime lights are intended to attract other drivers' attention in their peripheral vision, in other words when they're not looking at you.  Unfortunately, when they do look at you they may under-estimate your speed and overestimate your distance.

Although there have been a number of studies around the world, have none have proved any conclusive benefit from headlamp use.  Indeed, some of the claimed 'reductions' in crashes after the introduction of lights-on laws have actually been reductions in night-time crashes . . . 

As a final point:  if you know any police drivers, ambulance crews, or firefighters, ask how often they get drivers pulling out in front while they're on emergency calls.

Why don't you provide learner training?
We used to; when Cooper Bike Training started in 1991 we were the first CBT training centre in the Reading area. After a few years our DSA-approved supervising instructor decided to retire from training, but by that time there were several other organisations offering CBT in the area, so we decided to concentrate on 'Born Again' and Advanced courses.

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