That's a pretty bullish statement. CBT isn't a test but it's easily possible to fail. I recently came into motorcycle ownership and having never ridden any form of motorised bike before found the CBT pretty daunting. You have about 2 hours of yard work, then 2 hours on the road, doing an assortment of driving, starting-stopping, u-turns and emergency stops. Cock these up or make a dangerous maneuver and you will be denied your certificate.
Once you get through the CBT it's just about confidence building on the road, gets a lot easier once you've done it a bit for yourself. Still building up experience but can't wait to start my direct access training.
This couldn't be more wrong. A lot of motorcycle accidents are the fault of the driver simply because as a motorcyclist you're harder to see. But equally, a lot of motorcycle accidents are caused by the motorcyclist using excessive speed, not making the correct observations, not maintaining a safe distance, filtering through traffic or simply losing control of the motorcycle and having an off.
If you weren't able to learn anything from your lessons which makes you a safer motorcyclist you must be gifted; Use of correct lifesavers, shoulder checks learning how accidents commonly take place and what to look out for should all make you a safer rider. The swerve test sees a high failure rate because a majority are not proficient at avoiding obstacles or confident enough with their bike to get through it.
Just as an FYI if you're still thinking about getting a bike. I was in the exact same situation, no experience of bikes before. Used to go-kart when I was a kid too actually. I've spent around £2k for the bike, all the equipment, CBT and insurance. I'm considering starting the DAS soon but not right away. Have my CBT and L-plates and loving it. Disappointed by the speed of the 125 though, so if you're old enough to drive 500cc I would recommend probably going straight for the full licence. At the same time riding a 125 allows you to gain experience so you don't kill yourself. Even with L-plates I've not had any bad experiences on the road, most road users are courteous, the occassional driver will get a little closer than I would like but it's probably a perception issue.
Overall, motorcycling would be more fun on a bigger bike out on the weekends and enjoying the speed element. As a commuter vehicle it's pretty pointless, it takes so long to get dressed into the kit and pack your work clothes separately then get changed once you're at work that it's pretty pointless. Plus locking the bike up if you go anywhere with it. But they're good fun.
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