Still Riding Strong at 75: A Hampshire BikeSafe Boost of Confidence

Dear Neil, Andy, Josh and Paul

Firstly – a huge “thanks” from me for my fifth BikeSafe experience. As ever it was all hugely enjoyable (save viewing some of the gruesome accident videos – but they made important points forcefully and unforgettably). 

I found the online pre course work – new to me – to be a good way to start thinking properly about the subject. And the session – led by Andy at Winchester – was both thought provoking and fun. 

I had the good fortune to have Neil conduct my observed ride on a 1:1 basis yesterday . I explained at the outset that I hadn’t really ridden since last year – and I was conscious that I needed an objective assessment as to whether I was safe to continue to ride. My observed ride highlighted several “areas for improvement” and I will work on these over the summer. Neil also suggested that I might want to consider a slightly lighter/smaller bike than my current BMW RS 1250 (low mileage SE if anyone wants to make an offer!). So thank you Neil for your patience (and not bawling me out over poor mirror observation missing your guidance on more than one occasion).

I was quite prepared to be told that I should give up motorcycling (I’ve been a biker – with a big gap of about 30 years (due to children) – since I was 16; I’m 75 this month and I accept that cannot continue for too much longer. So it was considerable relief to receive Neil’s verdict.

As an added bonus the rain stayed away. 

Once again – many thanks again. I’ll complete the survey form shortly. Meanwhile I’m telling my biker mates about the course.

Best wishes 

Richard