Your instructor will take you as a passenger (pillion) down to our off-road training area where he will run through the controls of the geared motorcycle and their correct usage (comparing them to the controls of your moped or scooter).
Once you are happy with the controls, your instructor will discuss the B(rakes), O(il), L(ights), T(yres) and S(teering) checks as they pertain to the geared motorcycle.
You will then sit on the motorbike and shown the safety position, the safety checks we perform before starting the motorcycle (FIGS), and how to correctly switch the engine off.
Once this has been completed, your instructor will explain how we place the motorcycle into gear using the Hendon shuffle, and how we safely find the biting point (the place where the clutch starts slipping). You will be asked to perform this exercise several times.
Your instructor will also explain the correct procedure for slowing the motorcycle down to a stop and what you need to do should it all go wrong.
You will then attempt to move the motorcycle forward and bring it to a stop several times, before being asked to ride around the circuit. Your instructor will then explain how we can use clutch slipping, throttle and rear brake to ride the motorcycle very slowly and smoothly.
All of this will have been performed in first gear!
Finally, your instructor will explain to you how to perform gear changing smoothly before you attempt to do it yourself.
