We answer the most common questions asked about CBT training below. If you have any more, please post them in the comments section at the bottom of the page:
What is a CBT?
What bike can I ride after doing my CBT?
What other requirement is there for a CBT?
Who conducts the CBT?
How long does a CBT take?
Is it a test?
What do I need to bring?
What clothing should I wear?
What to expect at your CBT?
What is a CBT, and where did it come from?
CBT stands for Compulsory Basic Training and was introduced by the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) in 1990 to improve rider safety and reduce the number of accidents involving motorcyclists. Prior to 1990 there was no statutory training required to ride a motorcycle as a learner, and accident statistics were unacceptably high. Since the introduction of CBT the number of accidents involving motorcyclists has been dramatically reduced by over 70%.
What bike can I ride after doing my CBT, and what are the rules?
At the age of 16, having completed the CBT, a rider is entitled to ride any machine up to 50cc. At the age of 17 or over this is increased to any machine up to 125cc.
The CBT certificate lasts for 2 years and can be renewed at 2 year intervals. Interestingly, if the candidate holds a full car licence on the day they completed the CBT the certificate entitles them to ride a 125cc machine for 2 years, and after this time if they wish they can then ride a 50cc for the life of their licence. This is often a good option for the commuting rider who wishes to undertake short journeys to work and back, for example.
Also, if the rider passed their car test on or before 1st February 2001 they can ride any machine up to 50cc without a CBT, they do not need to display L Plates and can carry a pillion passenger.
It is important to note that all other riders who have completed their CBT must display full size L plates on the front and rear of their machine, and they cannot carry a pillion passenger or ride on a motorway.
What other requirement is there for a CBT?
A CBT certificate is also required should you go on to take your full motorcycle test, and if you only hold an old style paper licence you must now also take your current UK Passport with you on the day of your full motorcycle test. If you do not hold a current UK Passport you can either obtain one, but if you do not plan to travel abroad it is actually much cheaper to simply apply for your first photo card licence.
Who conducts the CBT?
The CBT syllabus is a course which has been constructed by the DSA and is closely monitored by them. Only an ATB (Approved Training Body) can conduct CBT courses; this means the Instructor(s) at the ATB has passed the relevant exams with the DSA, and have been approved by them.
How long does a CBT take?
The course should follow a set pattern, and for the new rider is usually a full day’s course. Experienced riders (i.e. ridden off road a lot previously) and those who have completed CBT before can often complete the course in a shorter length of time.
Is the CBT a test?
The CBT is a training course, not a test, and the two main areas the instructor will be assessing are machine control and the candidate’s ability to read the road. Whilst it would be unreasonable to expect a new rider to become an expert in such a short course, they must be able to demonstrate they are competent and safe in these two key respects.
What do I need to bring with me on the day of my CBT?
On the day of your CBT you will be asked to bring your driving licence with you, and if this is a photo card licence you must bring both parts (card and paper counterpart). If you hold an old style paper licence then just this will suffice for the purposes of CBT.
What clothing do I need for a CBT?
The only legally required piece of safety equipment is a motorcycle helmet (and most training schools will lend you one for the duration of your CBT). The helmet must be securely and properly fastened. An unfastened helmet is as illegal as no helmet at all and, far worse than that, can come off your head in an accident or incident. There is one notable exception to this: if you wear a turban for religious reasons then you are exempt from having to wear a motorcycle helmet to ride a motorcycle in the UK.
Regarding what to wear on the rest of your body, there is no hard and fast rule and you don’t need to go mad buying clothing. However, at the very least, heavy denim jeans and substantial footwear (e.g. sturdy boots) are recommended for your bottom half. Warm clothing up top is sensible, and often the training school will have jackets and gloves for you to borrow.
On the point of what to wear in the longer term, the following info may be of interest. Leather is an excellent choice and in a slide will save your skin for 6 seconds – quite a long time! Cordura and other similar fabrics average around 4 seconds – not bad at all! Fashion Jeans – just 1 second (oh dear!). Also worth a mention is the fact that fabrics such as cordura tend to perform far better in the rain and are much easier to dry out after a monsoon. One night in your airing cupboard will find you are dry as a bone the next morning!
So what can I expect on the day of my CBT?
Your instructor should be knowledgeable, patient and approachable. The training school of your choice should provide you with a suitable machine and will often have safety equipment for you to borrow e.g. helmet, motorcycle gloves, motorcycle jacket etc (see our blog post on five things to look for in a motorcycle training school).
At the start of the CBT course you will be asked to read a number plate at the distance of 67 feet or 20.5 metres. If you need to wear glasses or contact lenses for this, then they must be worn for the entire course and thereafter when riding your machine.
The first part of the day is an informative chat about the wisdom of wearing the correct motorcycle clothing when riding your machine and the consequences of not doing so.
The next part of the day is a talk about the machine controls and how to use them. Questions and answers will often be used at this stage as the Instructor will be interested in what you already know especially if you have ridden before.
We now start to handle and ride the bikes in a safe environment, usually as enclosed yard, and the aim of this part of the day is to become familiar with our machines and start to gain good machine control prior to riding on the road.
Whilst on the training yard the pupil will firstly be asked to ride the machine slowly and undertake some set exercises. These will include ride forward and stop at a given point, figure of eight, U turn, emergency stop and general slow speed machine control. Also covered will be road position incorporating left and right turns.
The Instructor will also cover the importance of being aware of your blind spots. When wearing your helmet, especially a full face helmet, you will be unable to see what is down the side of you; it’s rather like riding up the road looking through a letter box (your mirrors tell you what is behind you but not what is alongside you). Your instructor should demonstrate where your blind spots are and how and when to check them. This will involve a slight turn or tilt of your head to the relevant side. This check to the side has many names including direct observation (a mirror check is an indirect observation), Life Saver Check or Suicide Check (i.e. deadly not to do it!).
Your Instructor should allow you time off the bike and maybe a comfort/food/drink break as you will probably have been concentrating very hard!
You will now be given a safety talk about many things which affect us whilst on the road. This will include the weather, other road users, identifying hazards early, the road surface (good and bad road conditions!), vulnerability etc.
Finally your Instructor will start to prepare you for your road ride, this is the final part of the CBT course. You will be in radio contact with your Instructor for the road ride and the radios they use will be one way i.e. you cannot talk back while on road! The road ride must be a minimum of 2 hours long; this is a strict legal requirement from the DSA. Whilst on road you will encounter a number of situations including junctions (one of which will be a stop junction), roundabouts, built up areas, the open road (including faster traffic situations), gradients and possibly one way streets, no entries etc.
You might find your Instructor is very informative during the first half of the road ride, but for the last part of the ride they should have stopped prompting you, and apart from directional instructions you should be able to ride safely and competently by yourself.
Provided you have accomplished the above to the required standard of safety then a CBT certificate will be issued and we can all go home for tea and medals!
A candidate who has not reached the required standard will be invited back on a separate day for further training. Remember this is a training course and not a pass/fail, otherwise it would be a test! Your instructor does not expect perfection and is aware you will make some mistakes. It is just a case of learning from any mistakes and making improvements.
Finally you are free to enjoy your motorcycling and the freedom of the open road!
Article kindly contributed by Judith Scott of Two Wheel Training Motorcycle Training School