Pass the Bike Test (and be a great rider too!): Your real-world survival guide to a great first year in biking

About Rupert PaulSean Hayes

Sean Hayes learned to ride in 1991 - only to learn that a fellow student lost a leg in a dreadful on-road training accident. When Sean asked his instructor how this could happen the reply was: 'Well she obviously couldn't ride could she?'. Flabbergasted Sean began talking to new riders to find out how training could be improved. The conclusions were obvious: treat customers with respect and offer a syllabus which produced a safe properly-skilled rider. He launched Circuit Based Training at Donington Park in 1997 with the idea of letting people learn in a safe environment before venturing onto public roads. The school has now taught thousands of new and established riders. In 2001 CBT moved to Mallory Park in Leicestershire where it continues to attract clients from all over the UK and abroad. Rupert Paul started riding in 1978 and immediately developed an unhealthy addiction to unreliable Italian motorcycles. He qualified as a mechanic in 1983 and joined Performance Bikes as a road tester/dogsbody in 1985. In the intervening years he has edited Performance Bikes Bike What Bike? and the award-winning MCN Sport and ridden everything from 1920s flat-tankers to MotoGP bikes. Rupert has long been fascinated by the art of riding a bike well. In 1988 he organised the first public track day and in the early 1990s grew the concept to a three-day course for 100 PB readers at the fearsome Nürburgring circuit in Germany. He has written many articles on motorcycle control rider psychology and riding technique. He regularly writes for MCN Bike PB and Classic Bike.