Q-Safe

Many people are aware of Q-Ride, and as a former instructor I can confirm that in comparision to the UK and South Australia it is a very good course - when properly presented.

There is another option still available in Queensland at less than a quarter of the cost of a typical Q-Ride course, and that is allowing for the hire of a learner legal (LAMS) motorcycle.

Firstly, those most agreeable chaps and chapetes at CMC will hire bikes to learners, so -

1.  Obtain your learners permit, answer correctly 5 of the stupidest questions ever is all that is required.

2.  Hire or borrow a LAMS bike.

3.  (Experiemnt with the controls) Find someone competent to teach you to ride, and have explained the basics of defensive riding, braking, U-turns and cornering.

4.  Apply at one of the Transport Cusotmer Service Centres that still offer Q-Safe assessments.

5.  Pay your fee, (approx $70.00) ride under supervision for 30-40 minutes, pass and get your licence.

NOTE of warning here, and please take the time to read this.

Whomever you choose to teach you to ride, unless they have previous experience, are going to teach you all their own bad habits, poor practices and pass on their own opinions, correct and accurate or otherwise, so please choose carefully, a family memeber is NOT a good choice.

You are learning to ride in a public place, so find somewhere quiet and isolated to start with, and build up your exposure to traffic gradually.

Anyone can go fast in a straight line, spend enough time practicing and developing braking and counter steering skills rather than seeing how far the throttle can be opened.

Remember the 5 S words.

SURFACE    SPACE    SURROUNDINGS    SIGHT    SPEED

Read the road surface, control your space, be aware and make allowances for  your surrounding, maintain a road position to maximise YOUR line of sight, SPEED, a direct result of paying attention to the previous four words.  Remember, riding at the speed limit in the wrong conditions can be too fast.

Good luck, if anyone wants to take their licence through Q-Safe, I am quite happy to answer any questions or give someone a check ride before they apply for their test, you can contact through this web site or through www.advancedroadcrafttechniques.com