This year we are offering you the chance to join us on our first European Tour, as we head to the Wallonia region of Belgium!

This little-known gem of an area comprises some of the best riding roads in Europe, and that’s not just our opinion, but the opinion of Bike Magazine, whose routes we have based this 9-day tour on!

Running from Friday 11th to Saturday 19th of July, this promises to be an epic mini-adventure!

Full details are here.

What is the IAM Masters?

It is a relatively new “course” offered by IAM Roadsmart for riders who have already passed their IAM advanced riding course and are paid-up members of IAM Roadsmart. I have been a member for over 25 years, first passing my advanced riding test in 1996. IAM Masters is billed offering experienced advanced riders the chance to “attain the highest standard of civilian driving or riding ability in the country”, a challenge I was keen to put himself to!

Now call me a cynic, but RoSPA always claimed a Gold standard on their advanced riding test was the “highest standard of civilian riding”, and I’ve held one of those for over 10 years. But I am aware, as I have to be retested by RoSPA every 3 years, that the standard of examiner can vary and so therefore the Gold standard can vary too. So I was also very interested to see what was different about the IAM Masters test.

In reality, there’s not a lot. The standard is still based on application of the “System of Motorcycle Control” as per Roadcraft, and it is still expected to be consistently applied throughout the test, with the bike always being in the “best position, travelling at the most appropriate speed and with the correct gear engaged”. The main differences are that the test twice as long as a standard advanced riding test – over 90 minutes of continuous riding – and is conducted in an area the rider is unfamiliar with – i.e. outside their local area. There are also only 8 IAM Masters Examiners in the country and they are all area managers for IAM Roadsmart – so consistency in result can be expected, and the high standard maintained.

To prepare, I went out with a couple of “IAM Masters Mentors” – people who had already passed the IAM Masters with Distinction and were qualified National Observers with the IAM. As always when riding, there was something to learn, and I picked up a couple of things that would make my riding even smoother.

Then, on 6th June 2021, came the test, conducted on roads I’d not ridden before despite starting from Lymm Services on the M6, which is where we start our Welsh Training Tour!

After well over an hour and a half we were back in the car park and my examiner asked me how I thought it had gone. I replied that what I thought wasn’t important, I’d just ridden as I normally do and wanted his view! He said he was glad I’d replied that I’d ridden as I normally do as it had been a good ride – his report which you can read here includes “Paul produced a performance of outstanding quality, that was without fault, and worthy of the Master’s pass at Distinction level.”

So, how does it compare to my RoSPA Gold? Well, the first RoSPA test I took in 2009 was strict and I only got a Silver, only achieving Gold when I did the Diploma in 2012. Since then, I fear the standard of test has dropped, so the IAM Masters is tougher – but what is being looked for remains the same.

 

Friday August 14th 2020

Today is not only National Blood Bikes Awareness Day but it’s also our Chief Instructor, Paul’s birthday!

So,  to celebrate, we’re announcing 2 special offers to help our favourite charity, Blood Bikes Manchester:

1. Any rider wanting to volunteer to be a Blood Bike Rider for BBM has to hold an advanced riding qualification, which can be achieved by completing the Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS) with us here at Inner Circle Training. The cost of this assessment is £60, and for the next 5 riders taking this option, we are going to pass the fee directly to Blood Bikes Manchester! This means we will raise £300 for BBM from the next 5 volunteers! So if you want to join this amazing charity, there’s never been a better chance!
2. All current serving BBM volunteer riders can have a FREE Enhanced Rider Scheme Assessment to ensure their riding is still at the high standard required. Any training to address any areas identified as below standard will also be provided FREE!

Notes:

• If you would like to volunteer for BBM, please see their website at https://bbmcr.org/join-us/
• Any further training required following an ERS Assessment is charged for at the rate of £30/hr with a minimum session length of 2 hours. If you require significant training, we will provide a discount to reduce the overall cost.
• The Enhanced Rider Scheme is regulated by the DVSA and only DVSA-approved, qualified, professional instructors can offer assessments or training.

When Yamaha introduced the new 3-wheeled Niken, like many riders I was perplexed. What the Hell were they thinking?

Taking a very good bike as the base – the Tracer 900 – they grafted on a complex front suspension system and two front wheels. Yes, they turned a bike into 3/4 of a car. Why and what would it be like to ride?

I’ve read all the road test reports, produced by professional motorcycle testers, all of whom raved about the front-end but were equally confused about what the Niken was trying to be. When Yamaha launched the GT version, with a  larger screen and panniers to turn the Niken into a tourer, the penny dropped. Here was a revolutionary new type of touring motorcycle, one that had oodles of front-end grip.

But what’s it like to ride?

I’ve been hankering after a test-ride ever since the launch and today I finally got chance to try one myself, at the Robinsons of Rochdale Open Day. Robinsons was our nominated dealership when were were running the learner training school in Stockport and are a great bunch of guys, so when I turned up they dragged the Niken out from the showroom (no easy task as it’s rather wide at the front and you can’t see where the front wheels are when pushing it!) and made it ready for me to ride.

First impressions are:

• It’s a big bike. I’m used to riding a BMW R1250GS which isn’t exactly small, but the Niken, from the handlebars forwards, is HUGE. In reality it’s no wider than my GS, but the massive expanse of bike is forward of the handlebars, which increase the impression of size.
• From the front it looks, unsurprisingly, very different. But not necessarily in a bad way. It’s not bad looking.
• From the saddle, ignoring the HUGE width of the front of the bike, the controls and dash are all typically Yamaha.

When you start riding, the Niken feels very heavy around the centre of its steering, as though it’s made of lead. But this weight doesn’t translate into heavy steering – which is odd at first – the bike steers just like a normal bike. But with a more reassuring, planted, feel to the front end. As a result of the heavy feeling to the bike when travelling straight, I expected it to be heavy when turning, but it wasn’t. The steering is exactly the same as it is on any other modern bike, a slight push of the ‘bars, or even a shift of hips, has it dropping into the turn. It’s at this point the front end plays its Ace card, providing the sensation of it being pulled into the road surface, the weight that was evident before becoming a feeling of solidity and a reassurance that it simply will not lose grip. It’s very impressive.

The feeling from the front end is such that it encourages the rider to push that little bit harder into the turns, and each increase in speed and turning is rewarded with even more feel. Each bend becomes a test of nerve – “How much can this take?” The answer is “more than I’m prepared to risk it!”

Around slow, tight turns the front end provides such a strong feeling that the bike won’t lose grip or fall over, that even a novice rider would have no difficulty negotiating them. On my test-ride there’s a tight, 160-degree, uphill, off camber left-turn; I expected the Niken to be a challenge due to its size, but in fact I could have easily turned it much tighter.

Very, very, impressive.

The rest of the bike it the same as the Tracer 900 – a willing engine, great gearbox with quickshifter on up-change (not down), good ergonomics, effective screen, etc. The extra weight dulls the acceleration a little, but not enough to prevent it from being fun. A very competent and fun bike. 

Conclusion?

The Niken is a very impressive machine. It rides very much like a normal bike, but with a feeling of solidity and front-end grip that far exceeds a normal bike.

It’s a great tourer and is ideal for riders lacking in confidence.

If the front-end could be locked in position when stationary (as it can on the Peugeot MP3 3-wheeled scooter) then it would be perfect for riders with disabilities.

I won’t be changing from my GS anytime soon, as whilst it’s an interesting bike, it doesn’t really suit my type of riding, and I’m concerned about the long-term reliability of such a complex front-end.

That said, go try one. You will be pleasantly surprised, and it may impress you enough to buy one!

Tuesday 28th August 2018 was a very emotional day for Tracy and me, as we delivered our last learner training session before closing the school for CBT & DAS courses.

It was made all the more special because the candidate for that day – taking his category A2 module 2 motorcycle test – was Konnor, Tracy’s 19-year old son!

Konnor had never ridden a bike before taking his CBT with us a couple of months before, then taking to the roads on a Yamaha YBR125, riding to and from his job at Flip-Out in Manchester. Having never had a car driving lesson, he was typical of many new riders we’ve had the pleasure of training over the past 4 and a half years. We didn’t do anything special for him, just put him through our standard 3.5 day DAS course, which he shared with Becca, instructor Anne’s daughter. She passed her module-1 and module-2 tests first time, but due to test availability we weren’t able to get Konnor a mod-2 test on the same day. Like Becca, he passed his module-1 test first time with a clean sheet (no faults). But the module-2 test is different, it involves negotiating the roads and dealing with other traffic, not simply riding round some cones in a car park. On the day of his test, as always, Paul took him for a warm-up ride prior to the test itself, offering further guidance on planning ahead and being pro-active, not re-active. It worked, because Konnor not only passed first time, but also with a clean sheet!

So we closed the chapter of our lives where we’ve worked hard to help people get their full bike licences, and concluded with 230 people passing their tests thanks to Inner Circle Training. Many of those had turned up to say farewell at our “Retirement Bike Night” the week before.

 

Now that Inner Circle Training is no longer delivering CBT & DAS courses, what ARE we doing?

Well, firstly the most important thing is we are continuing to offer advanced rider training and the DVSA’s Enhanced Rider Scheme (ERS). We are continuing to offer ERS assessments for riders looking to volunteer for Blood Bikes Manchester.

Anne has now obtained her RoSPA Diploma in Advanced Riding Instruction and passed the DVSA’s motorcycle instructor’s theory test (twice as many questions and a higher pass rate than the standard motorcycle theory test). She will soon join Paul in becoming a DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme Trainer.

Which means that between the 2 of us we will be able to offer all our advanced training courses, including our Training Tours.

In the meantime, Paul is jetting off to the US to ride a 4,000 mile trip from Florida to Nova Scotia in Canada. On his return, Tracy will be joining her family for a holiday to Orlando. Then next year, Paul will be guiding a Gloebusters trip from London to Tokyo, before Tracy joins him for some more travelling!

Paul and Tracy are retiring!

A few months ago we announced that Inner Circle Training was expanding, opening up a new training centre in Wigan. Well, as the saying goes, “The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry”!

Our decision to open the Wigan location was taken way back in November last year when the opportunity was first put to us by our friends at MotoGB. It seemed like a great idea – the location is ideal for a motorcycle school and they were keen to have an MCIAC-accredited school on site. However, for one reason and another there have been numerous delays in getting the site ready and we’ve pushed back our launch, originally planned for 1^st April, several times.

Whilst all this was going on, Tracy and I have been taking a long, hard look at what we want to do in the future as we are not getting any younger! A key consideration was the need to renew the lease on our existing Stockport premises early in 2019. Then I was offered the opportunity to guide a motorcycle trip from London to Tokyo via China and Tibet from April to August next year, and that set us thinking about how we can go travelling together once again.

So we have decided that it’s time to call time on running Inner Circle Training in its current guise and take a well-earned break.

We are currently working on the closedown plan for the business, and we will stop delivering CBT and DAS courses at the end of August this year, although we will continue to deliver post-test training including the DVSA Enhanced Rider Scheme.

Since we opened in May 2014, we have helped well over 200 riders get their full licence and well over 500 get their CBTs. We have had nothing but positive feedback via the MCIAC customer surveys and currently have 60 5* reviews on Facebook. We have built a fantastic team, who can all be rightly proud of what we have achieved in such a short space of time, but we feel the time is right for us to draw this chapter of our lives to a close and move on to pastures new.

We are planning a very special “Retirement Bike Night” on Monday 20^th August, so please put the date in your diary now and we look forward to seeing as many of you there as possible.

Ride safe,
Paul