Shiver750

I've held a driving licence for 39 years this year, and have never had any penalty points, or endorsements as it was in the old days. I do at least 25,000 miles a year, and my experience has been gained in the UK, but also from having lived/worked/driven in the USA for 3 years, and a short spell of living in France. Apart from a little mishap on some ice last winter, I have not had an accident in the past 30 years. Two years ago, I did something I never thought I'd do - took up motorcycling! Originally it was to beat high fuel prices and ease the mileage burden on my car. After getting the CBT in June 2008 I bought a Honda 125 scooter. I was anxious to know that I'd reached an approved standard and so took my test on it as soon as possible - passed first time in Sept. 2008. But I soon wanted more! A bigger, faster machine. But I had to take the (new) test on a 500cc bike with gears before I could upgrade. Passed in July 2009. I now have a 600cc Yamaha, whose acceleration is much faster than the vast majority of cars, ie 60mph in less than 5 secs. Being a relative newcomer to motorcycling, and in my mid 50s, I was anxious to further improve my standard, so paid out £130 to join one of the Sunday clubs with a view to doing the IAM test. But is it worth it? Forget cheaper insurance - it's not always offered, and even if I got a 10% discount, that would only be about £20. For such a small amount, it would take years to claw back my IAM test fee etc. Some of the training is good, but what purpose does the test serve? It only shows that you can ride/drive to a certain standard on that particular day. It does not mean you intend to continue riding/driving to that standard. That's why this country is carpeted with speed cameras, even though we've all had to pass a test during which we would have had to observe all speed limits. My Yamaha has only modest power compared to many of the machines I see on the streets. Some people turned up at last month's meet on bikes like the Yamaha FZ1 - 160mph, and 0-60 in 3 secs. Does anyone seriously believe that a rider buying a machine like this will ride at IAM test standard once having passed, and never exceed 70? Much of the "advanced" material I've read in the book is common sense stuff that comes with experience. I make small mistakes on my Yamaha maybe, but I don't ride deathwish style, and have never had any close shaves. One tip in the book explains how you can anticipate that the bus in front of you is going to stop - if a passenger inside the bus raises his hand, as this might be because he's rung the bell to request a stop. Oh puhleeeze! Are "advanced" motorists going to be looking at passengers' arms inside buses? Besides, the passenger might have decided to hold on to the overhead rail because the bus is going faster... I'll continue the training for now - have done two sessions, but if I don't pass the test I don't think I'll fret, and probably won't want to apply for a retest. My instructor would have considered me to have reached the required standard in order for him to have submitted me for test, and that's going to be good enough for me. Quite what impressing a "Class 1 police rider" on one particular day is designed to achieve is yet to be explained to me.