1st Class Rider Training prides itself on the quality of our Direct Access Instructors, (read the testimonial page to see the result).
But what should you look for when choosing an Instructor for your Direct Access Training. If possible come along and meet us in advance of booking your course. You can get a fair impression over the phone but we would welcome anyone thinking of booking a course to come and meet us to discuss your training needs and options face to face.
In order to become a Direct Access Instructor you must first complete the 2 day Cardington Assessment for CBT Instruction. This assessment is carried out over 2 consecutive days at the DSA (Driving Standards Agency) assessment centre at Cardington in Bedford.
Once the CBT assessment has been successfully completed you may then undergo the further half day Direct Access Assessment.
This is where a great emphasis is placed on the step up from a 125 (CBT Bike) to the ‘Big Bike’.
You will be given a series of three instructional ‘on road’ exercises but first you will be given an exercise teaching the stooge ‘student’ the controls of his chosen bike and the differences in the response of the throttle and the effectiveness of the brakes, when compared to the 125s. You will be assessed not only on your instructional skills but also the control of the training situations and in particular the control over the student at higher speeds on National Speed Limit roads and country lanes.
The Direct Access Scheme stipulates a minimum power out put for the bike needed for training but does not stipulate any upper limits. This effectively means that you can train on any size bike over and above the minimum power required. But realistically training schools generally make use of 500 and 600cc bikes. But if you want to take your test on your new Hyabusa, or your Harley Davidson Fat Boy- you can! But it is probably better to let us choose your training bike!
At 1st Class Rider Training we believe that if the CBT is carried out thoroughly and effectively then it makes the step up to the Big Bike training so much easier, and at 1st Clas Rider Training we carry out our own in house assessments and development of our Direct Access Instructors, over and above that required by the DSA.
So for your Direct Access Course if you choose 1st Class Rider Training you are getting a 1st Class Instructor.