You've been riding for years, but how do you know what you don't know? Discover Mount Stupid, the Dunning-Kruger effect and why coaching can make experienced riders better.

Spend any time on social media and you'll see hundreds of fantastic photographs of motorcyclists enjoying some of Britain's best roads. They capture the excitement of motorcycling perfectly—the lean angle, the scenery and that wonderful feeling of flowing through a bend.

Recently I was looking through a series of superb photographs taken by the motorcycle photographer WeAreBikers on one of Wales' favourite biking roads, the A40 near Llandovery.

The photographs themselves are excellent. The clean green background, the sweeping curve of the road and the way each rider is captured mid-corner all combine to create striking images.

But as I looked through them, I found myself studying something else.

Not the motorcycles.

Not the lean angles.

The road positioning.

Do Mid-Sized Bikes Actually Make You a Better Rider Than Big CC Machines?

Let’s get this out of the way early: this isn’t a “small bikes good, big bikes bad” argument.

Because if you’ve ever ridden a properly set-up 1200cc adventure bike or a big-capacity road machine, you already know the truth—there’s nothing quite like that effortless surge of torque, the lazy overtakes, the ability to flatten distance with barely a thought.

Big bikes are brilliant. End of.

But here’s the uncomfortable question: do they sometimes make us a bit… lazy?

Walk onto any golf course and you'll see golfers taking lessons from the club professional.

Visit a ski resort and you'll find ski schools full of people who have been skiing for years.

Professional footballers, cyclists, tennis players and racing drivers all have coaches.

Even at work we're constantly encouraged to improve. We attend training courses, gain qualifications, learn new software, refresh our health and safety knowledge and develop new skills throughout our careers.

Nobody questions the value of continuing to learn.

So why is motorcycling different?

For many riders, the day they pass their motorcycle test is the last time anyone ever evaluates their riding.

Years—even decades—can pass without another experienced rider offering advice, identifying bad habits or suggesting ways to improve.

Why?

There's a moment on almost every ride when everything changes.

It's not the fast road that appears in every magazine. It isn't a famous mountain pass or a café packed with motorcycles. It's that moment when the traffic disappears, the hedgerows begin to close in, and the road starts to flow naturally through the Welsh countryside.

How do you know you're riding as well as you could be?

It's a question that makes some riders uncomfortable. Not because they don't think they're good riders, but because they have absolutely no way of knowing whether they're right.

Recently I spent almost five hours driving through Wales in a van to collect a motorcycle. It was one of those glorious summer days. Blue skies, warm tarmac and some of the finest riding roads the UK has to offer.

Safe overtaking is never rushed—it is planned, patient and fully committed only when every condition is right.

At SmoothRider, we teach riders that overtaking is not about taking gaps—it is about creating clarity. A safe overtake comes from early observation, correct road positioning, controlled approach speed and a clear escape plan. If any part of the situation is uncertain, the correct decision is to wait.

Confidence in overtaking does not come from bravery—it comes from preparation, patience and systematic thinking.

The rider behind you isn't your competitor. They're simply another road user. Ride the pace that's right for you, not the pace you think someone else expects. Because the safest rider isn't usually the fastest. It's the one who never lets ego take control of the handlebars.

Confidence doesn't come from knowing the road—it comes from knowing how to read it.

At SmoothRider, we believe every unfamiliar road can be ridden safely when you use a systematic approach. By observing early, planning ahead and adapting your speed to what you can see, uncertainty becomes manageable and confidence grows naturally. The aim is never to predict every hazard, but to give yourself the time and space to deal with whatever lies ahead.

The safest riders aren't those who know every road—they're the ones who can confidently read any road.

Filtering is a privilege, not a race. Safe progress depends on patience, observation and sound judgement.

At SmoothRider, we teach riders to treat every filtering opportunity as a fresh assessment, not an automatic manoeuvre. By maintaining an appropriate speed, reading the behaviour of other road users and always leaving yourself an escape route, filtering becomes a smooth, controlled part of your riding rather than a source of unnecessary risk.

The best filter isn't the quickest one—it's the one that leaves everyone safe, including you

When the grip is reduced, smoothness becomes your greatest skill.

Rain doesn't demand a different motorcycle. It demands a calmer rider. Relax your body, trust your observation and make every control input deliberate. Smooth riders don't fight the bike—they work with it.

The most valuable upgrade on any motorcycle is the rider.

Every accessory can improve a motorcycle, but no modification delivers greater safety, confidence or enjoyment than improving the rider's own skills. Technology changes, motorcycles come and go, but good observation, smooth control and sound judgement remain with you for every ride and every bike you'll ever own.

Instead of feeling as though you're constantly managing the motorcycle, you become part of it. The ride flows naturally, corners link together effortlessly and even busy roads become less demanding because you're working with the situation instead of reacting to it.

Grip is a safety margin, not a resource to be used up.

At SmoothRider, we teach riders to preserve grip through better observation, earlier planning and smooth control inputs. When you brake progressively, steer deliberately and accelerate gently, your motorcycle remains balanced and predictable. The goal isn't to discover the limits of grip—it's to ride so systematically that you rarely need to approach them.

t's worth asking an interesting question. If the highest standard of road rider training in the UK is delivered to police Class One riders on public roads rather than race circuits, why is that? The answer lies in the environment. Advanced road riding is about reading, anticipating and responding to constantly changing conditions—skills that can only be fully developed where those conditions exist.

Safe progress comes from smooth planning—not higher speed.

At SmoothRider, we teach riders to look further ahead, anticipate developing hazards and make deliberate, well-timed decisions. Smooth throttle control, progressive braking and effective observation keep the motorcycle settled, reduce rider workload and create valuable thinking time. The result isn't riding faster—it's riding safer, with greater confidence, control and enjoyment.

Confidence vs Competence

Confidence and competence are often spoken about as though they are the same thing.

They aren't.

Confidence is how capable you feel.

Competence is how capable you actually are.

You passed your motorcycle test—but are you riding with confidence? Discover how a Ride Assessment can help you become a smoother, safer and more confident rider.

The Chinese are knocking, should we let them into our garages?