Wow what a month! The weather was mostly kind and I managed to cram lots in, here's what I got up to in March.
Training
Due to other commitments, I only had a few training days in March and first up was Ian on his Kawasaki Z900. Ian is back to biking after a 24 year break....24 years! Great first session and second session in the diary. As Ian was on his Z900, it gave me the opportunity to use my S1000R.
Next up was Angela on her Versys 1000. Angela has been riding for a lot of years and decided it was time to see what all this advanced riding stuff was about. Second session pencilled in. As Angela was on her Versys, it made perfect sense to use 'mine'. Well, when I say 'mine', it actually belonged to 5-Ways in Hull, because I had it as a loan bike (see below). It was VERY orange!
Enhanced Rider Scheme
Pete came for his second session on his Yamaha 700 Tenere and after a cracking few hours together, he successfully completed the DVSA approved Enhanced Rider Scheme. Pete will be back again for the Rider Development Weekend in May.
BMF - Blue Riband Rider Award.
I conducted one BMF BRRA in March. Alex rode extremely well and achieved a Gold test pass. Alex will be joining Pete (and 4 others) for the Rider Development Weekend. A congratulatory hand shake and the handover of the all important badge!
Motorrad Tours
March saw me head off to Wales for the annual Motorrad Tours, Tour Leader training. This was conducted over 5 days and involved 'class room' work as well as 'on the road' scenarios. Obviously I can't discuss all the details of what the training involves as it's top secret! To see where you can take your next biking trip, check out; https://www.motorrad-tours.com/
But here's a few photos from the training.
FBOS - First Bike On Scene.
Part of the Tour Leader training included the all important FBOS requalification. This is a nationally accredited course offering essential lifesaving skills to motorcyclists. The course covers first aid, scene management, helmet removal, awareness of spinal injuries care etc and is a triennial requalification.
BikeSafe
On the 27th, I assisted the Humberside BikeSafe team to deliver their latest event.
There were 12 candidates in attendance and I was allocated Liam and Rich, two very similarly experienced riders but on two very different bikes! Liam was on his Yamaha cruiser and Rich on his Fireblade. Cracking few hours in glorious sunshine.
If you've never done a BikeSafe event, check out the website to see what's available near you. https://bikesafe.co.uk/humberside/
Versys update
My Versys had been suffering with a reoccurring issue involving the rear brake light/cruise control. It had been back to 5-Ways earlier in the month but the fault reoccurred again a few days later so it was taken back in and they loaned me a Versys 1000. The bike had some parts replaced and on my return from Wales I collected the bike. As I type this, there hasn't been any further issues....fingers crossed.
My loan bike - It's very orange!
Honda X-ADV
Ok, my name is Ian Speight and I like maxi scooters....there, I've said it, I've admitted my secret to the biking world!
Yes, it's true, over the last 4 or 5 years I've found myself increasing looking at and admiring scooters. I had a demo ride on an X-ADV when they first came out and loved it. I did about 40 miles that day and I was surprised by its speed and ride quality but also how EVERY other biker totally ignored my nods and waves! Literally not one other rider nodded back! Fortunately, 5 years on, scooters are much more 'accepted' by the biking community, although not by everyone and scooters are still no where near as popular as they are in mainland Europe.
I looked at a few different makes and models and narrowed it down to the BMW C400x or Honda 350 ADV. I'd had a demo on the C400x, and then popped along to Miles Kingsport Honda in Hull to see what they had in the showroom and to find out what my options were. In my defence, at that point I was genuinely only going to 'look'.....you can guess what's coming can't you! MD Andy discussed lots of options with me and then drew my attention to the Honda X-ADV. The rest as they say, is history! Although my bike is brand new, it is 'last years' model but that meant that Andy put together a great deal and I am happy with the purchase. I didn't get the bike until late in the month, so I've only ridden it once, but it was for 150 miles and I when I got off I didn't have any aches or pains but did have a massive grin on my face, and isn't that what biking is all about? The grin factor. Obviously the Honda has been bought first and foremost with training in mind, and I hope having it will attract scooter and DCT riders to take some post test training because despite the growing market for scooters, there doesn't appear to be anyone offering training that can be specific to scooter riders. So come on all you scooter riders, get some training booked! lol.
Here's a few photos from my first ride.
My bikes - Honda CX500 Turbo - 1982
Last month I told you about my first 'big bike', a Honda CB900. Well that bike was traded in for a Honda CX500 Turbo. The Honda CX500 Turbo was a one-year-only model released in 1982 and was replaced the following year by the 650 Turbo. Unfortunately, that bike only lasted for 2 years and Honda stopped production in 1985.
The 500 Turbo was only sold through Honda 5 star dealers and Blakeys Honda on Walton Street in Hull was such a dealer. I can remember seeing the Turbo in their window and immediately knowing I wanted it!! A deal was done, the CB900 was gone and the Turbo was mine. Despite only being a 500, it was just as quick as the CB900, and the fairing made it a nice place to be at any speed. The Turbo was quite expensive compared to the CB900s/GS1000s of the time, about £1000 more as I remember. Riding it was great fun and because it was a very limited edition bike, it drew a lot of attention where ever I went. Unfortunately, as with a lot of things, it didn't quite live up to the hype and after about 6 months I decided it wasn't for me and I traded it in for another CB900.....but more on that bike next month. Here's a few photos of me and my Turbo. Please excuse the quality of the images, they're 40 year old!
And that my friends rounds up March 2022. Thanks for reading and I'll be back next month. Ride safe.
Ian S
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