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One-on-one motorcycle training killed off?

jake Dolan racer and learner rider at AMA training

New motorcycle training laws in Queensland enforcing minimum hours could mean the end of one-on-one training, longer queues for courses and higher costs.

Grant Jordan of Biker Basics Rider Training says that under the new QRide guidelines, one-on-one training may cease to exist because it will become too expensive to provide. 

He says he agrees with the new curriculum which seems to follow the NSW and Victorian systems.

However, he says Main Roads has told him they may enforce tuition for learners in two lots of six hours, three lots of four hours, or six two-hour sessions.

“There has been no formal mention of reducing the course timelines to suit one-on-one education, even though the UNSW report into the changes and its findings appear to have been made using a 1 to 5/6 student ratio,” he says.

“There’s no recognition of prior learning that we do with young riders at the moment. 

“It’s not an option which is a shame because there are lot of dirt bike riders and returned riders that have a skill set that shouldn’t be ignored.

QRide instructor Grant Jordan
QRide instructor Grant Jordan

“With them it’s more a case of fine tuning their skills than starting them from scratch. For some riders it’s only a matter of adding an extra few hours rather than an extra two days teaching them to suck eggs.”

The extra time would either mean instructors would have to increase their course costs or reduce their hourly rate.

Grant, aged 33, became a registered QRide and NSW instructor in 2015 after riding since the age of four, completing several advanced training courses and even doing some amateur racing which included winning the 2014 Australian FX250 production series.

QRide instructor Grant Jordan
Grant on track

Grant also believes this increased demand for training ground and class room time will also add major costs to his small business.

“The only way to continue will be to run larger classes with more students to spread the costs, undoing my original goals of providing cost-effective personalised training to my local area,” he says.

He says the system would favour the bigger providers and rob riders of individual and personalised tuition.

“I provide tailored, one-on-one tuition, but I can’t talk to them for 12 hours unless they are having trouble and by then I’m more likely to be pushing them toward riding a push bike, anyway” Grant says. 

QRide instructor Grant Jordan
Grant on track

“I’ve actually done that to some customers aged 55-plus. They are often the ones that take a long time to teach the basics, not like your average 19-year-old kid.”

Grant also fears that with limited suitable training grounds available, the minimum course times could lead to increased waiting times for a course.

Grant delivers Q-Ride for Ian Watson’s Driver Training and assists in delivering advanced rider training with MotoDNA.

  1. I was on a poker run a couple of weeks ago [I will not mention the state] and there were no less than 5 ‘incidents’ – a number I find unbelievable – on what was a social outing.
    The stupidity and lack of skill of some riders is simply astounding.
    Personally I do not give a stuff if they want to kill themselves, but they are going to make life very hard for the rest of us.

    1. You’ll probably find that the clowns you’re talking about only ride on on weekends when it’s sunny and are crap cage drivers the rest of the time.
      The one thing that is really stupid about these new rules is the car license requirement. So nanny who only drives probably came up with that one, possibly thinking that once they get a car license they’ll give up on a bike. Being generous one might say it’s to give them experience on the road in the safety of a cage but really it will just teach them bad habits that will get them killed on a bike!

      1. you could well be right ,I dont know the full details on
        all of the ‘incidents’ but the 3 i saw all involved hd’s
        2 dropped on corners and one overtaking over an
        unbroken line on a blind corner .a head on with a
        vehicle coming the other way. This was far from the majority
        many going along and even taking their kids for what
        was supposed to be a social charity ride.
        Totally disgusting behavior .
        When your favourite road becomes wall to wall
        highway patrol and speed cameras these clowns
        will be over their mid life crisis and back on the golf course
        crapping on about how dangerous motorcycles are

  2. The problem we have in any motoring experience in Australia but especially motorcycling is that every politician and bureaucrat thinks he/she has the solution when they are the problem. I agree that some training is necessary for new riders but most of the new measures seem to be aimed at discouraging riding at all. What the solution is I don’t know but I will say I am pleased that I got my NSW motorcycle licence (L’s) at age 16 (and before I got a car licence) and never really left riding as I would find it irritating to go through some of these programs now that I am 60.
    Do I need to do some rider training? Probably, as we can always improve our skills but as I ride several times a week and I live in a country area, I am not going to at the moment.

  3. I believe the motorbike licence standard should remain the same.However an advanced riding course should be undertaken and passed prior to obtaining a large capacity motorbike.The truth is however that idiots spoil the freedom we enjoy and tar all motorcycle owners as fuckheads.The answer to the above problem is a simple one MORE POLICE policing the roads

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