Where do you get your skills from?

[Mr. Brown]

I purchased David Hough's books based on a recommendation from someone on this site. I enjoy reading through them because he covers several situations that require skilled riding and how to deal with them. I don't want to be one of those motorcyclists who is only able to keep it inside of the lane (most of the time). I want to be a skilled rider who can handle whatever the road dishes out.

We talk a lot about maintaining the machines... where do your skills get honed? Of course, experience is the best teacher, but she doesn't provide detailed feedback.

Do you read books? Is there an excellent website dedicated to the art of riding? Do you value monthly magazine columns?

Thanks for your input!
-=T=-

[rapidray]

Start with an MSF course if you haven't yet. After that, the ADVANCED MSF course. After that, go to a road race track for a few track day practice sessions. Ray.

[Mr. Brown]

I did the MSF. In fact, you have to take a private MSF course in order to get your endorsement in Florida, thanks to a law change in June.

You have to have 6mos experience before you can apply for the Experienced course. I'm looking for other coaching resources.

[mriddle]

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough


Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track by Nick Ienatsch


Soft Science of Roadracing Motorcycles: The Technical Procedures and Workbook for Roadracing Motorcycles by Keith Code

Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques by Lee Parks

Twist of the Wrist: The Motorcycle Roadracers Handbook (Vol 1) by Keith Code

A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding by Keith Code

Ordered but not here yet ..

Ride Hard, Ride Smart: Ultimate Street Strategies for Advanced Motorcyclists by Patrick Hahn

[jwhelan65]

time in the saddle

There is no substitute for time behind the bars, for me I started out racing 80cc motocross as a kid and graduated to 125cc and then to 250cc. Dirt riding gave me all the mechanics, so when I made the conversion to the street it was much easier. I could not agree more with attending a few track sessions, this alone will hone your skills faster than any book or coarse. This will help you develop the right line and position which is so crucial to your compfort level. It improves your confidence at high speeds and makes you trust your machine and its capabilities. Do the track day...some what pricey but worth every penny. You will not regret it!

[rkubik]

Ride on dirt - even with your GS, but better with a dirt bike.

On dirt you develop an invaluable feel for traction and braking. And it's fun.

http://www.ratbike.org/docs/481.php

[bwringer]

Proficient Motorcycling: The Ultimate Guide to Riding Well by David L. Hough


Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track by Nick Ienatsch


Soft Science of Roadracing Motorcycles: The Technical Procedures and Workbook for Roadracing Motorcycles by Keith Code

Total Control: High Performance Street Riding Techniques by Lee Parks

Twist of the Wrist: The Motorcycle Roadracers Handbook (Vol 1) by Keith Code

A Twist of the Wrist 2: The Basics of High-Performance Motorcycle Riding by Keith Code

Ordered but not here yet ..

Ride Hard, Ride Smart: Ultimate Street Strategies for Advanced Motorcyclists by Patrick Hahn

All the above, assuming you have the ability to internalize and put into practice things you read.


Also, look into the Lee Parks Total Control Riding clinic and see if there's one anywhere near you. This is considered one of the absolute best.

http://www.totalcontroltraining.net/

And practice, practice, practice. Get out to the local twisties and think hard about what you're doing. In fact, one of the things I like to do sometimes is run through several miles of corners at about half speed, concentrating on absolute perfection in cornering technique.

And of course, on public roads, there's also something called roadcraft -- the art of staying alive out in the real world, quite separate from the pursuit of speed and technique.

And finally, I'd probably say that you should try and ride by yourself most of the time, at least until you've got a good handle on your comfort zone. When you ride with others, you tend to get dragged down to or up to the group's speed, so riding your own ride can be pretty difficult.

At the GS rallies, we handle things very differently than most group rides to make sure that no one gets pressured to ride above or below their skill level. Mainly, we force the herd to split up into small groups of two to five riders that choose their own routes and paces. A GS rally is a great place to see and learn from very skilled and safe riders of all different preferred paces. Being a skilled rider doesn't mean you're burning up the road all the time.

This is an excellent article on "Riding The Pace":

http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_9306_motorcycle_pacing/index.html

[bwringer]

I would add that the Experienced RiderCourse is pretty much a waste of a nice riding day, IMHO.

If you're one of those 1,000 mile a year guys with a pristine chromebarge, then yeah, it might be a little useful to get a very gentle review of the basics.

But if you ride a lot already, you'll get more out of riding 300-400 miles that day in the twisties and thinking carefully about your technique.

YMMV. Just my opinion. And maybe it's different now.


Actually, even an experienced rider could learn a lot from re-taking the MSF basic course once in a while. Taking things back to zero and correcting your bad habits is a great idea. Much more useful than watching Harleys stall for six hours.

I think I may still hold the land speed record for the MSF slalom test...

[duaneage]

30 years of bicycle riding and racing. you would be surprised how much it helps.

[Steve]

I would add that the Experienced RiderCourse is pretty much a waste of a nice riding day, IMHO. ... Actually, even an experienced rider could learn a lot from re-taking the MSF basic course once in a while. Taking things back to zero and correcting your bad habits is a great idea. Much more useful than watching Harleys stall for six hours.

I agree that I did not really learn much in the ERC, certainly not as much as it did in the BRC.
And, ... I did my first BRC along with my son, and that was after I had been riding for 25 years.

I guess we are privileged here. We have enough interested GoldWingers in our area of oHIo to monopolize a class. Really, there's nothing quite like seeing a dozen ... what did you call them? ... "pristine chromebarges" weaving through the cones. They will sit there and idle all day long, if necessary, while waiting for the instructors to start their Harleys. Even though we don't really learn a whole lot in the class, it's a good refresher for those who have parked their bikes over the winter, but the best part is that the minimal cost of the class ($25 here) is FAR offset by the 10-20% discount in insurance rates if you have had a class in the last three years. (We try to do the class every other year.)

Interesting item from one class: Twelve GoldWing riders, two instructors. Both instructors look like your typical "biker", with the leather pants, leather vests, long, braided hair, tattoos, etc. They rode their Harleys to the class because they have to demonstrate all the exercises. They showed us their helmet and how they stowed it for the ride to class and the ride home. They explained that they only had the helmet because it was required for teaching the class. First thing they did when we went out to the course was to have everyone check the oil level in the bike, explaining that it increased safety to ensure that your engine would not run dry. Not sure if they were serious or doing it to rib a bunch of Wingers, but we all had the same reaction. WHY??? We are riding Hondas, not Harleys. We change the oil, snap the Tupperware back into place and ignore it until the next oil change. Many (most?) of us don't even check the dipstick between changes, because the oil stays in the engine. They were not convinced. We all had to put the bikes on the centerstand, remove the right side engine cover and pull the dipstick to satisfy them. And, yeah, it's a dipstick, not a sight glass.

Back to the original question: "Where do you get your skills?"
Many skill have been acquired through experience, but an excellent resource is the Ride Like a Pro series of videos by Jerry Palladino, a retired motor officer trainer from Florida. The techniques he teaches are more for slow-speed control and some emergency maneuvers than they are for high-speed racing. But, in the real world, where many of us spend most of our time, we spend more time at slow speeds than we do clipping apexes and bevelling our footpegs.

.

[doctorgonzo]

On the oil anecdote...

The joke back in the day was that Harley's came with a chrome plated drip pan to put under the bike at night.

[bwringer]

One addition... last time I was in North Carolina at the GS rally last June, there were several nasty wrecks on and near the Dragon caused by separate instances of pure asshat behavior. The LEOs were covering 129 like a chrome-plated fart -- something like 10 THPs were assigned to lurk in unexpected places and glare at motorcycles. The mood was tense...

So I resolved that I would absolutely rail the Dragon, but only use the right half of my lane the whole way through. And, I would stay within 5mph of the 30mph speed limit. Just putt along on the more open bits.

It was an absolute hoot. On most of those corners, especially with a line restricted to the right half of the lane, 20mph has you slammed over and nearly dragging parts. It was educational and a lot of fun to be heeled over at a monster lean angle and giggling at the robot-faced cop watching.

[Dave_17954]

I been riding since 1976 and not so much as a scratch on me or my bikes. I had a gravel quarry nearby and learned to ride on stone and dirt long before i hit the highways. it gives you a great feel for your bike. every spring i go out to the big parking lot where theres no one around and i practice doing figure 8's ( both directions) and doing stops and starts staying on the painted lines just to shake off the winter rust. I'd guess my #1 rule for riding is always assume the other person can never see you and ride accordingly and of course maintaining your bike 100% and learn to do it yourself...and always expect the unexpected like the bumblebee in your shirt going down the highway .

[Mr. Brown]

All the above, assuming you have the ability to internalize and put into practice things you read.


Also, look into the Lee Parks Total Control Riding clinic and see if there's one anywhere near you. This is considered one of the absolute best.

http://www.totalcontroltraining.net/

And practice, practice, practice. Get out to the local twisties and think hard about what you're doing. In fact, one of the things I like to do sometimes is run through several miles of corners at about half speed, concentrating on absolute perfection in cornering technique.

And of course, on public roads, there's also something called roadcraft -- the art of staying alive out in the real world, quite separate from the pursuit of speed and technique.

Thanks, everyone, for your input. I'm a Manufacturer's Rep. and I spend much of my time with my nose buried in catalogs and website comparing specs and applications. I like to feel like I've "studied." I'm sure there's nothing better for developing your abilities than time on the road, I'm just looking for things to get into when I'm stuck in a hotel room dreaming of riding.

When I do ride, I'm by myself. There's no one pushing me to ride above my skill, but also no one to learn from. Where I live, you have to scour a map to find twisties. My biggest challenge is riding in traffic. There's no hiding from it, and it demands that you stay aware of everything.

I'll check out the vids and books that everyone recommended. If you think of any more, please pass them on.

BTW... this site finally loaded after 4 days of being down. I was so bored I overhauled the brakes on my wife's Explorer. Glad to be back...

[highmileage]

I second the person who said that it comes with riding experience.

I though I knew all about riding as a seventeen year old kid who'd been riding almost daily for a year.

Then I took a job as motorcycle messenger in downtown Washington, D.C....