It’s never too old to learn to ride a bike, as Linda Pilbeam has aptly demonstrated. The 71-year-old grandmother recently passed her motorcycle test, proving there’s no barrier to riding a full-sized motorbike.
Linda’s from a real family of riders. Her husband has been a biker for over 40 years, and her children and their partners ride too, but it took Linda until her 71st birthday before finally taking the plunge.
The decision came when her daughter passed her bike test. Mum, having said she would do the same, hooked up with Mark Jaffe from Phoenix Motorcycle Training by chance at a bike meet and set about her own two-wheeled journey thanks to a tailormade training programme.
Mark supported Linda, who had concerns regarding her ability to manage the weight of the bikes – and possibly injuring herself if something went wrong – and provided a confidence building 11-month training programme designed especially for the septuagenarian rookie and utilising a modified Kawasaki Z650. The bike was lowered to help make low speed handling easier, which boosted Linda’s confidence, while other modifications included crash protection equipment, the usual kind of changes made to training school bikes in order to minimise damage from low speed drops.
Linda took her training at Phoenix’s school at Foots Cray, in southeast London. Starting off with a “Getting on a Bigger Bike” session, which is aimed at giving CBT holders a taste of riding bikes over 125cc, she underwent a series of short weekly lessons to build up her confidence and stamina, as much as her skills. Having passed, Linda’s bought a Z650 of her own and is planning take on longer rides and bigger adventures in the new year.
“The Phoenix instructors were absolutely wonderful,” says Linda. “They really went out of their way to tailor the training for me so I could progress at my own pace. They kept giving advice and encouragement through it all – I really can’t thank them enough.”
And proving the Pilbeams really are a family of bikers, Linda’s granddaughter Maize is also starting out on the journey to get a motorcycle licence.
A proud Mark Jaffe from Phoenix Motorcycle Training urged anyone thinking they’re too old to learn to ride to think again. He added: “Linda’s story is living proof that it’s never too late to start riding and that, with the right support, anyone can do it – and love every minute of it.”
