When someone starts working on the Piaggio account one of the first things they do is book in to undertake their CBT (compulsory basic training) to enable them to start riding a scooter (unless they are already a fully-fledged biker of course). Having just joined the team, it was my turn last week…
Although I was a little apprehensive beforehand, the guys at Metropolis were amazing and immediately put as all at our ease. We started the day pottering around a playground nearby, riding in between cones. It was amazing how quickly you get the hang of the bike and the throttle/break sequence isnât as complicated as I thought it would be! Once we were all declared âcompetentâ it was off to the classroom to go over the Highway Code and brush up on rusty and long-since forgotten driving theory. Some must have found the morning more tiring than others as one member of the group even nodded off during the lesson!
We were then paired off and it was finally time to hit the A roads. I was suddenly glad we had spent so long going over and over the brake sequence a few hours before as I certainly needed my wits about me to dodge the London rush hour traffic. Fortunately youâre linked up by radio with your instructor so I never felt safety was far behind me. After two more hours my scooter partner and I were feeling pretty confident we had aced the CBT and one wrong turn or two later we were back at the test centre and were then packed off proudly clutching our certificates â 125cc motorbike here I come!
