My Experience with Get On

As you all have probably guessed by now, motorcycles are kind of my thing. Sometimes I do wish that instead of learning to drive, I’d learned to ride instead. However, practicality (the fact that from September to June I am up and down the motorway with a weekends worth of clothes a lot) tells me that I made the right decision in learning to drive. My little Ford KA named Jorge is my baby and I do not regret learning to drive one bit.

But today, I did get that long awaited go on a motorcycle. Thanks to the wonderful Get On team, I got a free hours tuition at the Wolverhampton Driving Test Centre – oh the memories that came flooding back when I pulled up on the car park! I wanted to share my experience as a complete novice to motorcycle riding, because it was something that I believe everyone should try at least once.

“Get On is the motorcycle industry campaign aimed at providing you with everything you need to know about getting your license to ride the motorcycle or scooter of your dreams. Whether it’s to save money on your daily commute or to hit the trails and discover parts of the world only open to bikers it all starts here. You’ll find helpful guides to the licence you will need to ride and advice on what to look for when choosing your new motorcycle. In fact everything you need is here in one place.”

After I had gotten over the initial ‘oh my god I’m going to fall off and humiliate myself’ stage, I couldn’t wait to get started. The only thing you need to take with you is your driving license (if you have one!) All the safety equipment is provided for you and of course, so is the bike. The instructors take you through everything you need to know before you begin and are more than happy to take questions as you go along. As the rain started pouring harder and harder, I was introduced to Neil who turned out to be one of ___the most patient ___people I have ever met in my life.

The sessions run in groups of four, but there was one no show in my group so one of us had to choose who would be ballsy enough to go straight to the geared bike – that was not me. I opted for the ‘twist and go’ Honda scooter as I have only ever been the pillion rider, never the actual rider.

It was really difficult to get the hang of at first, I was pretty nervous about getting my feet off the ground and putting them on the platform of the scooter but I got there eventually! I spent a lot of time riding with my legs up in the air because I didn’t want to keep them on the ground and wear the tread off my Doc Martens, but I also didn’t feel comfortable putting them on the platform. Neil was ridiculously patient with me and if it were the other way round, I would’ve definitely given up on me. He was also incredibly encouraging and really boosted my confidence when I didn’t think I was doing well. The lady who had also opted for the scooter was a much quicker learner than me and advanced to the geared Suzuki Van Van, something which I didn’t have time to try out.

I think the main thing I struggled with was speed. I was told to keep a steady and low amount of revs to keep the bike moving slowly, but with just enough speed to keep it upright but I wanted nothing more than to twist the throttle as much as I could and go – of course I didn’t do this! Speed is something I struggle with whilst driving too, but that is another story for another time. But after numerous shouts of “ease off a bit!” I finally grasped the concept of going slow. Unfortunately, because I am such a slow learner, I didn’t even get time to work on some steering – yes I am that slow at learning!

Overall, my experience with Get On was fantastic! They were a lovely bunch of people and it’s a great way to have a go at riding and finding out if it really is for you before committing to paying £100+ to take your CBT. After today, the CBT is something I am definitely going to be looking into when I have a bit more money!

You can find out more about the initiative, find out where they’re heading next and book a free test ride on their website: www.geton.co.uk

Taken from my personal blog, originally posted on August 20th 2016.

I still don't ride!