How becoming a police biker changed the way I ride

Traffic Constable Jamie Lord has been riding motorbikes since 2009. Here he reveals how becoming one of the most highly-trained bikers in North Yorkshire has transformed the way he rides.

He joined the Roads Policing team in 2016 and took his police motorcycle course in 2018.  He now has “the best job in the world” patrolling Ryedale and the moors and coast.  He rides a police BMW R1200RTP for work, a BMW F650GS for commuting and has his eye on a Suzuki GSX-R1000 for this summer.

Here's TC Lord's story...

I wish I’d read an article like this when I first started riding. It could have saved me a lot of trial and error.  But even if you’re an experienced rider with decades under your belt, it’s always possible to become more skilled – that’s the beauty of biking.

Training as a police biker was one of the steepest and best learning curves any rider can ask for.  I feel so privileged to have had that opportunity – very few bikers do. So I’ve decided to share with you the most important things it taught me…

Riding for a living (and the training that involves) made me realise good riders use their mind as much as their body.

Riding can be very physical, especially on all the twisty stuff North Yorkshire has to offer.

But your mind should never rest. Police advanced riding taught me awareness isn’t just about what’s in your mirrors or on the road ahead.

It’s about checking in with yourself: How does your bike feel? How’s it responding? Are road conditions changing? What are the risks right now?

What could be around the corner? Am I getting tired and how’s that affecting my riding?

Skilled riders are doing this constantly. They don’t break this focus, ever.  We use these skills during every high-speed pursuit so I can’t stress enough how important this is.  Everyone feels their mind drifting occasionally, especially on a longer ride.  But when you feel this happening, prompt yourself to run through these awareness checks.  Then do them again as soon as you feel your focus weakening. After a while it’ll become second nature.

It’s opened my eyes to how vulnerable bikers are

Yes biking is meant to be fun. And yes you’ve heard the stats before.  But bikers make up 1% of road users in North Yorkshire but 25% of fatalities.

Seven riders died on our roads in 2020, and 10 in 2019. These are heart-breaking figures for any fellow biker to hear.   Not one of those riders set out expecting to have a fatal collision, just like you don’t.

Me and my colleagues pick up body parts and knock on the bereaved families’ doors.  Before I became a roads policing officer, I had no idea how badly the human body can be injured by coming off a motorbike.  The only other place you see those sort of injuries is on a battlefield.  When I became a road death lead investigator I became more involved with the heartache which comes with each of these incidents.

Obviously there’s a direct correlation between speed at impact and the severity of injuries.  And obviously sometimes other motorists are to blame. We try to educate car drivers to be more aware and ‘Think Bike’.  But ultimately as bikers none of us can control how someone else drives.  A car driver will usually come off better than a biker – it’s just physics.

So ride your own ride and always expect the unexpected. It happens! Always think “what if…”.

I’ve been lucky enough with my job to receive some of the best two-wheeled training any rider could ask for.  I’m also lucky I get chance to use that training every day, whether it’s a blue light run or a routine patrol.  But I’m still learning. Every good rider is.  And understanding that nobody is beyond improvement doesn’t just make you a better biker, it could also keep you alive.

To help you on your journey, we run BikeSafe workshops, where you can bring your own bike to develop your own technique with top tips and an observed ride.  It’s a lot of fun and it will undoubtedly make you a more skilful rider. And who wouldn’t want that?!

You can read more about the work of the Roads Policing Team and on the North Yorkshire Police website.