Essential skills...

[magicmonkey]

Just a thought; back brakes, I've barely touched them since I finished the BHS and maybe a tiny bit when stuck in traffic, should I be using them more? At the moment I tend to not use them as the front works fine and I worry about sliding the arse end out if I get too used to using them and give them a tap in a corner...

[MSTRS:Me]

Front brakes give you some 75-80% of a bike's stopping power, dependant on other factors, so it is normal to use it more/mostly. But the rear is very useful too.
There is a theory that if you use the rear and hold before applying the front (talking a second at most) that it 'sits' the back down then the front doesn't dive as much. Not sure about this. You could try it yourself.

[ZK-Awesome]

Use the rear brake more than the front brake when in slow-speed situations such as carparks.

[boman]

Well, so far I've worked on emergency braking, countersteering and swerving, they all need a lot of practice of course but the very basics of those elements are second nature now. So the big question for me at the moment is, what next?

I'll be riding a lot and practicing the skills I've already got but it feels like it's time to add something more to the mix as well, I just have no idea what! any of you charming folks got any suggestions?

What If?

You know, what if that car pulls out of the side road without looking. What if there is gravel around the corner. What if the unexpected happens.

Somone else said situational awareness. IMHO it is one of the best things you can learn on 2 wheels. 4 wheels too.

[kewwig]

There's been a lot of good replies. Something newer riders and drivers don't do adequately is to look far enough ahead. It's something worth consciously practising: look as far as you can down the road and say to yourself what you see and what the implications are. That's a skill that helps you look through the corners instead of at the tree/fence/gravel on the outer apex of the turn, and it helps you be situationally aware of the idiot in the cage not looking at the intersection ahead. Looking ahead gives you more reaction time.