IAM - Opinion from people who haven't done it

Done mine, I know, I know thread asked for reasons why you hadn't but these were mine before I did......... took ages to get round to due to sheer apathy.
Cost is minimal, tenner to your observer for fuel on each ride and my missus bought me the test/membership package for Christmas, I think about 100 quid.
I really don't get the 'I've been riding for years, consider myself a good rider, don't see why I should' comments. I, like many others on this site, have 'been riding for years' but never done any training apart from the odd track school session. I wanted to broaden my experience, try a different style and meet different type of rider.
Found it very, very good, learnt plenty of new things, met some nice people and found some new routes.
The group riding thing not really my cup of tea but I tag along for a one every now and then as like the variety.
Can't recommend highly enough, even got a shiny green badge!

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Originally Posted by AnfieldL4

Simple answer is......Why should I ?
30 years of riding and I am still alive!..I must be doing something right.
Why should I or anyone else put themselves under extra pressure of an advanced course?
I've passed the legal requirement of a bike test and that should be the start of enjoying the bike, not then worrying about advanced driving!....Freedom of choice.
:) :)

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Where do folks get the idea that doing the IAM or RoSPA advanced course is putting you under extra pressure.?
Like has been said by Ducatista .. no-one is forcing anybody to take the test once you've reached above test standard .... it's your choice ....you don't have to do the test, but that won't mean you haven't benefited from doing an advanced course.
Some comments make it sound like people feel they are expected to do an advanced course.... which couldn't be further from the truth.

All I can say is that after a 15 year gap and getting back on a bike in late 2009, doing a Bikesafe day and then IAM in 2010 was both fun and enhanced my enjoyment of riding a motorcycle. [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

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but with such a high cost there are cheaper ways of getting the pointers from qualified instructors

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High cost? really?
Where does this idea come from?

Rospa (North Wilts) charge £25 to join, but you get the Roadcraft book included for that, so you're really paying about £10 for the book and about £15 for the annual admin costs of running of the club which is runing on a non-profit making shoestring.

The observers charge £10. So if you were out for 4 hours that's £2.50 per hour. Not sure which qualified instructors do it for less than that but unless they are personal friend then no-one can do it at that rate without making a loss. Not necessarily for petrol but if you add in wear & tear on tyres/chains etc. then most tutors are paying to offer the service (which they don't mind because they are keeping up their own skills up to date).

Furthermore if there is genuine financial hardship many of us would waive the £10.

The vast majority of people taxing/insuring/MOTing and fueling a bike can afford these figures.
For exceptional cases WABAM do offer sponsorship and a couple of WBs have done it that way.

I am really not sure how you could get coaching any cheaper unless you have mates who are doing it as a personal favour at their own cost/time.
If you do then great but motorcycle instrutors have to make a living so on the whole they aren't going to give it away to everyone, otherwise they would have no livelihood.

I considered doing it a couple of years ago when I got my Buell, after a gap of 10 years from riding. I was going to join the Cheddar branch, where I was living at the time and got as far as contacting them for an application form but the cost was £140 to join plus the ride out costs, which I couldn't afford or justify at that time.

Since then I have ridden 25k miles on my bike, predominantly travelling to work, so when I ride for pleasure I want it to be just that, rather than having someone critique my riding, even though I would probably benefit from it.

I am also put off by having a test at the end of it and feel that, for something that has no statutory relevance, this is the wrong way to assess a rider's standard. Riding is a cumulative skill, so wouldn't a continuous assessment be more relevant? We all have off days, so assessing a rider over a number of observed rides would give a truer indication of their capability than a 45 minute test. On a ride out we ride for much longer periods than that, so how we ride after 2-3 hours in the saddle is more relevant than how we ride when still fresh!

Until I actually looked ,since having internet, I always thought it was some anorak car club thing and that Rospa was somat to do with accident prevention as in 'get orf that ladder'

I do know what it is now but several reasons not to bother..
1/ cost for what purpose ?
2/ I don't want to be lectured by some 'know all' who probably doesn't ...nuff of them on these forums ::)...remember one 'I am' stopping a group to have a pee in hedge only where I knew accidents happen before a r/about so I went past and waited only for the knobend to actually come up to say what did I think I was doing as he was 'in charge'...****in office worker was very lucky not to be on his arse >:(
3/ I ain't got the time available for when they do meet to travel after work even if I wanted to.
4/ whoopee a test which means you'll be paying for ever more to renew your test :P

Anyway I'm sure they are all very nice people :)

I don’t wish to cause offence to the IAM volunteers who give up their valuable time, but I could not support an organisation which enjoys charitable status, yet appoints a multi-millionaire President who is a tax-exile. Just my personal view.

Besides, despite the fact that there is always room for improvement and I don’t claim to be the most competent motorcyclist on our roads, I don’t feel the need to take an advanced test. After 36 years of motorcycling, of which many were riding in all weathers (I was a ‘real biker’ once :P) I am quite happy. :)

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Originally Posted by Mikeellis1709

I considered doing it a couple of years ago when I got my Buell, after a gap of 10 years from riding. I was going to join the Cheddar branch, where I was living at the time and got as far as contacting them for an application form but the cost was £140 to join plus the ride out costs, which I couldn't afford or justify at that time.

Since then I have ridden 25k miles on my bike, predominantly travelling to work, so when I ride for pleasure I want it to be just that, rather than having someone critique my riding, even though I would probably benefit from it.

I am also put off by having a test at the end of it and feel that, for something that has no statutory relevance, this is the wrong way to assess a rider's standard. Riding is a cumulative skill, so wouldn't a continuous assessment be more relevant? We all have off days, so assessing a rider over a number of observed rides would give a truer indication of their capability than a 45 minute test. On a ride out we ride for much longer periods than that, so how we ride after 2-3 hours in the saddle is more relevant than how we ride when still fresh!

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With the greatest of respect .... don't you fully read previous posts ..... where has anyone said you have to take the test ?
So you did your DSA bike test and car test on a continuous assessment basis did you ???
The training gets you above test standard and so it becomes just a 45 minute bike ride.

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Originally Posted by Col

Until I actually looked ,since having internet, I always thought it was some anorak car club thing and that Rospa was somat to do with accident prevention as in 'get orf that ladder'

I do know what it is now but several reasons not to bother..
1/ cost for what purpose ?
2/ I don't want to be lectured by some 'know all' who probably doesn't ...nuff of them on these forums ::)...remember one 'I am' stopping a group to have a pee in hedge only where I knew accidents happen before a r/about so I went past and waited only for the knobend to actually come up to say what did I think I was doing as he was 'in charge'...****in office worker was very lucky not to be on his arse >:(
3/ I ain't got the time available for when they do meet to travel after work even if I wanted to.
4/ whoopee a test which means you'll be paying for ever more to renew your test :P

Anyway I'm sure they are all very nice people :)

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Oh dear. ::)
Won't bother commenting further on this thread :-? ;)

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Originally Posted by RobGoozee

reason for not doing it yet, at 37 after years of driving and riding for more miles than most instructors can count let alone cover, I hate the thought of being told I am either not worthy or not good enough, I fear any kind of failure with a passion and therefore would never pay to put myself through so much hurt, I can think of many more ways to spend cash and find self fulfilment.

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Plus me.

60,000 miles a year for most of the past 20 years in many countries and I don't hang about, my last off at over 2mph was in 1989. I've got to be doing something right.
It's rare for me to listen to radio or do other than concentrate solely on my riding when on the bike.

I would like to contribute some of my time to bloodbiking but the thought of being my positioning etc is all wrong puts me off lots.

So after reading thru all these post, the general feeling I get is...... Most of you that haven't taken it and been riding for years know better,and 90% of you are afraid of failing!

I'm glad I did it, solely that I'm much more aware now of the dangers, the stuff you don't usually think of, and if it gets me out of trouble just the once it was worth it.