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Riding Career
Kevin has ridden and toured extensively in the UK, Europe and North America on a wide variety of machines and in all conditions, and has over 750,000 miles and 25 years professional riding experience in
London and the south east of England.
"I've been riding since I was eighteen. I passed the old "round-the-block" motorcycle test first time a year later whilst I was at university. I worked and lived as a courier in London and
the South East for many years, and set up a courier training scheme long before any of the other courier companies thought of it".
Basic Training History
Kevin has worked as a full time Department of Transport approved instructor since 1995.
"I did a bit of voluntary training whilst I was despatching and then decided to change direction and become an instructor full time. I had a little teaching experience after leaving university so it
seemed a good way to use those skills and stay around bikes. I trained with a major company and to be fair to them, their instructor training was excellent - I learnt more in six days than in six months
on a teacher training course. I just didn't get on with the system there and they hadn't really got the work - and no work, no income. I was lucky enough to find a job
with Cinque Ports Training Services in early 96, one of the oldest motorcycle training schools in the country who have been at the forefront of learner training for over fifteen years."
 In three successful years at Cinque Ports Kevin introduced over 300 students of all ages and abilities to the fun of motorcycling,
training to Compulsory Basic Training and DoT Riding test standard on machines from mopeds to 500cc Suzukis.
"We worked absolutely flat out through 96 as everyone tried to beat the new learner laws but the introduction of Direct Access in January 1997 was a bit of a nightmare. All instructors who
wished to instruct to that level had to attend and pass a Driving Standards Agency assessment course at Cardington in Bedfordshire.
The problem was that the DSA didn't provide a syllabus of what should be taught or how, just a badly typed two page list of exercises we might be
assessed on. Clearly we couldn't carry over all the training methods we'd been using for the 125's - we had to devise a new series of off- and on-road
training techniques to cope with the better acceleration and brakes, larger turning circle and the much greater weight of the Direct Access bikes.
Everybody but the smallest of riders can tame a 125 by strength alone, but that clearly was not going to be the case with a 400lb 500cc bike.
I went back to basics myself and tried out different ideas so that I would know what could and couldn't be done with the training bikes, and researched the
physics behind a moving motorcycle. I then had to work out ways to teach and explain to trainees what was going on without confusing them completely!
Let's face it, if there is a less intuitive vehicle to control than a motorcycle, I'd like to see it!" Together with feedback from the other instructors we came up
with a number of new or modified exercises that would allow trainees to practice their bike handling skills in safety off-road.
 "The next problem was that whole
new areas like high speed riding and overtaking technique had to be introduced. I'd already written a training manual for new instructors covering CBT, so over the winter of 1996 I sat down with
the Motorcycling Manual, the Highway Code and Motorcycle Roadcraft and put together a comprehensive training manual for myself and the school's other instructors. It was clearly worth
the effort because all our full-time instructors passed first time, mostly with excellent scores, in marked contrast to less well-prepared instructors sent by other training schools.
"In the event, we had great fun introducing Direct Access courses. It was soon clear that the training techniques I had put together worked! Not only was the
pass rate on our courses high, but many of our students received compliments from the examiner on their riding. For me personally, one of the
most gratifying things that was said was in a 'Thank You' card sent to the school in which the writer said "Kevin didn't teach me to pass the test, he taught me to ride".
Advanced Training History
Kevin had already put his extensive previous riding experience to good use, introducing structured Advanced Riding Courses for Cinque Ports students on
their own machines in 1996 to replace the previous ad hoc arrangements.
"Whilst most of the trainees admitted that they had learned a lot about road use skills in general it was obvious that we couldn't spend enough time to
really teach defensive riding techniques - most absolute beginners these days are car drivers and cocooned from the outside world.
I'd already introduced a proper advanced syllabus based on the police riders manual "Motorcycle Roadcraft" in 1996 - up to then the school had just taked
someone out and gived them a few tips - not very professional. Running advanced courses was clearly a good idea.
"However, writing and running these courses as well as teaching Direct Access confirmed my thinking that although you don't need to be a rocket scientist to
ride a bike well, few motorcyclists actually know what is happening beneath them as they ride. Apart from the full licence holders doing the advanced
courses, we got a lot of former 250 riders from the old L plate days coming back to take a test and you only had to ask how they turn a bike to discover
they hadn't a clue. Most muttered something about leaning into the corner, and one or two mentioned countersteering. If a single person in a group of
half a dozen could actually explain how countersteering worked it was surprise.
"Unfortunately, beyond some dubious advice about braking, nothing in any of the usual sources gives much help to anyone wanting to learn about the
physics of riding a bike as they all concentrate on defensive riding. I thought I might have to start writing this information from scratch but after looking
around I re-discovered Keith Code and "A Twist of the Wrist". I'd read his books some years earlier, and found them rather impenetrable. The guy
clearly knows what he is talking about, but writing in clear english isn't his strength. Anyway, I persevered and eventually managed to distill some
genuine gold nuggets from his ideas about machine control and worked them into my own advanced courses.
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Touring in the Italian Alps with members of the GO Ride forum on CompuServe May 97
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"During the winter of 1996, I completely rewrote and updated the advanced courses to include the Code material as well as defensive riding techniques
from "Roadcraft", and called them "Survival Skills". In the summer of 1998, I left Cinque Ports to concentrate on the advanced courses.
"The feedback I have received from students has been excellent. I have trained all levels from riders who have only just passed the test and very
nervous about their shiny new bike to very confident and experienced big bike owners.
"The interesting thing is that as the advanced courses have got better known, I've had an increasing number of requests for basic training. Having worked
for a couple of other schools in the area in the last couple of years and been thoroughly dissatified both with the standards of training, machinery and
general commitment to the trainees, with a colleague we've launched a new Approved Training School in Maidstone. B3 Motorcycle Training has been operating for four years now and has been very successful.
"I'm thus able to work at all levels of instructing. I think it invaluable to do this - I learn a lot from dealing with the problems presented by the many and
varied students you get through a basic training school, and I enjoy the challenge too. Aside from the fact that I work full time and not just odd
weekends in training, I think that instructors who restrict themselves to only taking advanced courses miss out on a valuable learning experience for themselves.
Recreation
"What do I do when I'm not running Survival Skills courses? Ride bikes of course! I work part time as a CBT and Direct Access instructor. Most of my
spare time is spent touring abroad or talking bikes. Back in 1995, I had a CompuServe CD to hand, popped it in the drive and thirty minutes later I was
wired to the WWW and CompuServe and found a motorcycle forum. I found the bunch very friendly and approachable, and an absolute mine of
information. It took a little while to get over the US bias, but as more Brits and Europeans joined the place developed an amazing international flavour.
In a short space of time I felt like a member of the community, and am still there four years later. Though some faces have come and gone, there is a
core of regulars, many of whom I have met either in the UK or on my travels abroad. Best of all, the place is a fantastic knowledge base. There are a
number of US instructors whom I regularly correspond with - we regularly pool our knowledge and discuss training techniques."
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Kevin has been a regular
contributor to the CompuServe "GO Ride" forum for the last 5 years. Taking a break from training, Kevin regularly leads groups of riders from the forum on tours both
in the UK and in Europe.
Leading a ride
in Normandy, May 1999
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"From the CompuServe connection came a series of group rides. The first I attended was in 1996 in the UK and I went to another in Italy the following
year. More because no one else wanted to do it than any other reason, I ended up planning some of the rides and leading them out on a couple of days
. From that group came an invite to borrow a bike and ride from Las Vegas to Colorado in July '97. Vegas in 40C heat is not the best time to be on a bike
but riding through the desert was an unbelievable experience, and the grandeur of the Rockies has to be seen. A trip to the States for the US rally in
California was a highlight of '98! At least in May, Death Valley was a very pleasant mid-20's! In 1999 the major event took place in September in France
. On most days I led out a group on some spectacular runs through the Alps and on one truly memorable day up and over Mount Ventoux!
"I also organise group rides in the UK, including a visit to the Garden of England motorcycle show and a camping weekend in Wales.
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Group Riding in the French Alps,
September 98.
The 1998 CompuServe Euro-Ride
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"Other interests? For several years I was a member of SERV, a group who deliver blood to hospitals around Kent and East Sussex in emergencies.
"For the last few years I've been a member of MAGSport. I watch a lot of racing, endurance racing in particular. I've been to Spa and the Bol d'Or
numerous times since the late '70s and also Le Mans on a few occasions. I love the atmosphere at the Bol, but the track at Spa is my favourite - truly
awesome. I also visit the World Superbike rounds in the UK when I have time and try to make as many club meetings as possible. I love watching racing in
Belgium - Chimay and Oostende are just mad places to hold a race meeting. St Wendell in Germany is almost as bonkers - they close off the bypass round the town!
"I always fancied doing some endurance racing, but a couple of seasons in Moped Mayhem (a best of 4th place for Team Fiendish) convinced me I wasn't
competitive enough, and it hurt too much when I crashed! So now I restrict myself to watching from the sidelines and the occasional fun ride in a kart.
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Easter '99
Riding in the Harz Mountains
with Ute Killer and Martin Hildebrandt. That's me in the middle!
Picture by Birte Schneider
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These sort of things always end up with a list of "favourite" or "most embarrassing" items, so I suppose I'd better include mine... I hope I haven't
insulted anyone's pride and joy too much and that you enjoyed the read!
Kevin
Bikes
"Over the years I've owned well over a dozen machines including several Honda CB400Fs and CB250RS's - great little bikes - and the obligatory
despatch CX500! Recent bikes include a GPz500 and a Honda Dominator. At the moment I ride a Honda Hornet 600, a Suzuki GSXR750WN and a Suzuki
GS500. My Yamaha FZ750 Genesis is awaiting another rebuilt - the gearbox was fixed recently, but now the crankshaft is making bad noises. I finally gave
away a 400F that was awaiting restoration in the garage as I was never going to get round to fixing it.
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