Life on the open road

SICK of sitting in traffic jams or forking out a fortune to drive to work? Switching from four wheels to two could be the answer. Reporter Karen Doherty ditched her car for two wheels.

MY only experience on a motorbike was as a 17-year-old passenger. It was terrifying.

But 20 years later I was raring to give it a go as long as I was in the driving seat — and the smile on my face at the end of an hour-long taster session said it all. I was hooked.

In that short time I managed to take my first tentative spin on two wheels and was soon dreaming of the open road or serenely passing frustrated drivers stuck in rush-hour queues.

Get On is a campaign to get the nation biking, from two-wheel virgins to former bikers who want to get back on the saddle.

Funded by a levy on motorbikes and scooters sold by participating manufacturers and dealers, it offers over-16s a free, off-road session.

Royton-based Oldham Motorcycle School (OMS) is among the training centres taking part and owner Graham Partington put me through my paces with fellow instructor Mike Grela.

Given the choice of two bikes — fully automatic or clutch and gears — I decided to go full throttle and opt for the latter, a gleaming Suzuki GN125.

As Graham explained: “We try to persuade people to do as much as they can within the time they have got and their own abilities.

“It is a bit like dipping your toe in the water. They might then get the bug and go off and do their compulsory basic training.

“We have had a lot of success. A lot of smiling people have left us because they never thought they would do do well on a bike.”

As instructors go, it would be hard to find a more patient, encouraging, reassuring and enthusiastic pair.

Mike pointed out: “People have one bad experience and do not return to biking. Hopefully they relax after a while when they realise we are not nasty!”

My confidence soon grew as as I learned how to start and move — admittedly slowly — during my Sunday afternoon session in a Chadderton school playground.

I was chuffed at how much I accomplished. Graham said: “The majority of people who do the Get On course with us have never ridden before. They have surprised themselves with their latent ability.”

Get On promotes the practical benefits of riding and the Research for the Motorcycle Industry Association shows that bikers can slash the amount of time spent commuting in rush hour traffic.

A quarter of riders also said that they commute on two wheels because it is cheaper.

“It is a way of getting out on the road without spending a fortune. Insurance is cheaper and the running costs and maintenance are far less than a car,” explained Graham.

“Then there is the green message. The emissions are far less than you have with four wheels and they cause less congestion.

“It’s the freedom, plus you have got the camaraderie. You have always got an instant friendship with other bikers no matter who they are, whether they are a company director or sweeping up in McDonald’s.

“I started riding when I was 17 and I only reluctantly passed my car test when I had to.

“My wife was expecting her second child and I was going to drive her to hospital which I couldn’t do on a a motorbike.

“I prefer to travel by motorbike. I used to work for a company in Manchester and had to go to all parts of the North of England.

“I was the only person who asked for a company motorbike.

“I was always the first at meetings because I avoided the congestion.”

Anyone who completes Get On can then do their compulsory basic training, introduced by the Government to cut the number of learner causalities.

It allows learners to ride a motorcycle or moped (* see note below) without L plates.

Graham added: “Motorbikes get a bad press but since the CBT had been introduced motorcycling is safer than it has ever been. If you train people better they will be safer riders.

“We train a lot of 16-year-old lads whose parents want them to become a little bit more independent for college or work. The oldest was a guy in his 80s. He got sick of waiting for buses so he thought he would get a small commuter bike to visit his friend!”

For more information about Get On and all aspects of motorcycling visit www.geton.co.uk. Oldham Motorcycle School is on 0161 665 1820.

*Full car licences issued before February, 2001, automatically give you a full moped licence, though training is recommended. If you passed your car test after this date you automatically have provisional moped entitlement but have to take a CBT.


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