Advice sought on reading Motorcycle Roadcraft
Discussion
Hello everyone,
Having done my advanced car, I was thinking of going for my advanced bike. Is it worth reading Motorcycle Roadcraft when I've already read (and re-read) Roadcraft? Does anybody know how much of Motorcycle Roadcraft is bike-specific?
Is there any value in reading How to Pass Your Advanced Motorcycle Test? (When preparing for my advanced car test, I found How to Pass Your Advanced Driving Test over simplified and insufficiently detailed compared to the wealth of expertise and help in Roadcraft.)
All advice would be gratefully received!
Having done my advanced car, I was thinking of going for my advanced bike. Is it worth reading Motorcycle Roadcraft when I've already read (and re-read) Roadcraft? Does anybody know how much of Motorcycle Roadcraft is bike-specific?
Is there any value in reading How to Pass Your Advanced Motorcycle Test? (When preparing for my advanced car test, I found How to Pass Your Advanced Driving Test over simplified and insufficiently detailed compared to the wealth of expertise and help in Roadcraft.)
All advice would be gratefully received!
While much of Motorcycle Roadcraft will be familiar to you (the System etc) there are a number of important aspects to motorcycle control that are new. Positioning for bends, braking control etc are fundamentally different from cars and form an important aspect to skilled biking. I would recommend M/C roadcraft over the IAM book How to Pass your Advanced M/C test. I am an IAM observer and prefer to use M/C Roadcraft, despite the overlords at IAM trying to push their book. The author of the IAM book, Rod Collins claims M/C Roadcraft is too complicated and needs "unpicking" before associates can get the hang of it but I beg to differ.
If you can understand the car version then why can't you do the same with the bike version?
I'd be interested to hear what other IAM members have to say on this.
If you can understand the car version then why can't you do the same with the bike version?
I'd be interested to hear what other IAM members have to say on this.
Went out with www.bikesafe.co.uk this weekend gone..
learnt the "system". some exellent riding was had, lots learnt, end even the 20 police bikers in the room agreed, that although we were learning from the roadcraft, it was a heavy book to read.
learnt the "system". some exellent riding was had, lots learnt, end even the 20 police bikers in the room agreed, that although we were learning from the roadcraft, it was a heavy book to read.
The current Roadcraft is certainly a lot easier to both read and digest than the old Blue Roadcraft ever was, and at the end of the day it is the bible by which all of us as either instructors or examiners use as the benchmark.
Motorcycle Roadcraft is specific to bikes although there is a slight overlap in some areas regarding differences between the car and the bike version, but if you have a good grounding in the car book, then you shouldn't find the bike version too difficult to get to grips with.
Motorcycle Roadcraft is specific to bikes although there is a slight overlap in some areas regarding differences between the car and the bike version, but if you have a good grounding in the car book, then you shouldn't find the bike version too difficult to get to grips with.
BliarOut said:
Bikesafe appear to be a bit lacking in coverage in Cambridgeshire.... Shame, haven't been assessed since I did an advanced riding course twenty years ago. Would be good to see if I have picked up any bad habits.
Any PH bikefancy upsetting me on an observed ride?
shame that. bombing around at 100+ with a police bike on your tail is great fun...
Many thanks for the advice everyone. It seems the consensus is that to read Motorcycle Roadcraft, but ignore PYAMT.
T-C: As it happens, I've got the old blue book, but it's not that old … I've also got a couple of original books by the Earl of Cottenham!
Bikerkeith: Yeah, I completely agree with you. PYADT was diluted to the point of being useless when I was preparing for my IAM test. Whereas Roadcraft helped improve my driving enormously. When I was a car Observer, my associates generally found Roadcraft substantially more helpful than PYADT. It's probably worth dropping an e-mail to Bryan Lunn at the IAM (Bryan.Lunn@iam.org.uk) with any suggestions, as I believe PYADT and PYAMT were about to be revamped.
Cheers
PS BlairOut: Why don't you do a half day with RideDrive? www.advanced-motorcycle-training.co.uk/
T-C: As it happens, I've got the old blue book, but it's not that old … I've also got a couple of original books by the Earl of Cottenham!
Bikerkeith: Yeah, I completely agree with you. PYADT was diluted to the point of being useless when I was preparing for my IAM test. Whereas Roadcraft helped improve my driving enormously. When I was a car Observer, my associates generally found Roadcraft substantially more helpful than PYADT. It's probably worth dropping an e-mail to Bryan Lunn at the IAM (Bryan.Lunn@iam.org.uk) with any suggestions, as I believe PYADT and PYAMT were about to be revamped.
Cheers
PS BlairOut: Why don't you do a half day with RideDrive? www.advanced-motorcycle-training.co.uk/
BliarOut said:
Bikesafe appear to be a bit lacking in coverage in Cambridgeshire.... Shame, haven't been assessed since I did an advanced riding course twenty years ago. Would be good to see if I have picked up any bad habits.
Any PH bike
Get yourself down to the Ace Cafe on the North Circ for the day.....i might even see you there.
(If you need any details then email me)
PYAMT is the IAM's "Roadcraft for Idiots". Cynics suggest it was used for the IAM's bank balance rather than any improvement. My suggestion ( ex-Trafpol & IAM Senior Observer) is stick to Roadcraft, use one chapter at a time i.e. go out for a week concentrating on Information, the next concentrating on Position etc.etc. then put the pieces of the jigsaw together
Tonyrec said:
Bikesafe appear to be a bit lacking in coverage in Cambridgeshire.... Shame, haven't been assessed since I did an advanced riding course twenty years ago. Would be good to see if I have picked up any bad habits.
Any PH bike
Get yourself down to the Ace Cafe on the North Circ for the day.....i might even see you there.
(If you need any details then email me)
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