Where do you get your skills from?

[tone]

Sorry guys but riding skills come from riding & nothing else, you may pick up tips from a book or an internet site but for an inexperianced rider to put these into practice is near to impossible imo !

The best way to gain these skills while riding is in the company of a qualified instructor (aim, ama, dsa or police advanced riders preferably) failing that a good rider who's been at it for years will be able to pass on the skills up to a point just by allowing you to follow him or her at a nice steady (slow) pace

The keys to a good rider are in no particular order .... observation, control & most of all practice practice practice, but dont try to run before you can walk ..... it hurts

cheers tone

[Flaggo60]

These are all great replies and I'm going to check out a couple of the books recommended. (I'm a great believer in the tuneup rider skills courses, but that said, I haven't taken one for years. Maybe I should again).

I will add one thing, and it would apply mainly to those of us blessed with a winter shutdown no-ride season. The most critical part of my riding season, and I have been riding for many seasons now, is taking the first few rides in the spring. You would be amazed at how stale your skills get after a few months of running nothing but a snowblower.

Everybody restores their skills in their own way, I guess. Me, I try to stay out of much traffic and on the two-lane back roads until all the smart riding thoughts come back. Because of the many miles on the road in the past years, it doesn't take too long to get back up to my riding comfort level again.

[tkent02]

These are all great replies and I'm going to check out a couple of the books recommended. (I'm a great believer in the tuneup rider skills courses, but that said, I haven't taken one for years. Maybe I should again).

I will add one thing, and it would apply mainly to those of us blessed with a winter shutdown no-ride season. The most critical part of my riding season, and I have been riding for many seasons now, is taking the first few rides in the spring. You would be amazed at how stale your skills get after a few months of running nothing but a snowblower.

Everybody restores their skills in their own way, I guess. Me, I try to stay out of much traffic and on the two-lane back roads until all the smart riding thoughts come back. Because of the many miles on the road in the past years, it doesn't take too long to get back up to my riding comfort level again.

Very true, if I go a week without riding my timing, steering, judging inertia and planning for changes in traction is off enough to notice. Make little boo boos and miscorrections for a few minutes. Even after just a couple days off I am noticeably not well calibrated to the motorcycle at first.

[bwringer]

If you have more than one bike, it's also a challenge to learn the trick of recalibrating yourself when you hop from one to the other.

For several years, my GS850 was my only bike, and I learned its limits and abilities extremely well. When I got my VX800, it was a little shocking to find that above 8/10ths, I wasn't absolutely, totally, instinctively sure how the bike would act.

It took a lot of riding time to get up to speed on the VX, and to this day, I'm still more comfortable riding the GS850 hard, even though the VX800 is lighter and the frame, tires, and suspension are much more capable.

The GS850 flexes and flaps when pushed hard, but I know deep in my guts exactly how it's going to flex and flap.

[heathen]

bringer i have the same problem with going from the gs to the gsxr. altough i find myself riding the gsxr like the gs it's much safer that way.

[Sandy]

I've read a few of the posts and everyone seems to pretty well on track with what to. A few tips I've used for people over the years is to always ride within your comfort zone and only push your boundaries when you feel comfortable about it. Key words here are "your", not someone elses. Always ride with a purpose whether it be at low speed or high speed. By that I mean make a point of always knowing where you want the motorcycle to go, why and put it there. Try different techniques on the same stretch of twisty road like riding at 75% but using a racing line, or to see how smooth you can ride try to see how fast you can go down that same road without using your brakes. Practice to see how weird the bike feels if you have to brake hard while leaned over hard - obviously you should approach this experiment a bit at a time. LOL. Try some brake races with your buddies. The throttle can get you into trouble and the brakes can get you out of trouble, better to know the latter before you need it. The main thing is to get lots of seat time in and have fun playing around a bit while you're at it. If you spend a little time practicing different things while out for a ride you'll be surprised how quickly your skill level will improve without having to scare yourself silly. Good luck, ride safe.

[spyug]

All good stuff. I'm big on all the books mentioned and read them through over the winter months.The David Hough's books can't be beat and I have the new series on order for my buddy's birthday coming up next month ( he of the Honda 250 scooter seducing me fame).

As friend Tone says, however, there is no substitute for seat time. You can "know" what to do in a situation from your book learning but you have to train your muscle memory to react on instinct. No time to think when things go "pear shaped" as our Limey buddies say. Ride, practice, ride, practice, ride and ride some more.

I haven't tried it yet myself but would like to this year. Track time.
Some pro training and then perhaps some track days. Lots of guys on my local forum swear by it for a great tuneup for skills.

A lot of the guys have mentioned a history in bicycle riding and if its good enough for the Motogp guys to keep in shape then it should work for us too. As a recent diagnosed Type 2 Diabetic patient, I need more exercise and I think I'll be getting the mountain bike down from its ceiling hook this year.

In addition to the reading and riding, I think it is important to be in good shape so exercise is important. Hard to ride right if everything is kinked up.

Good post guys and gals.

Cheers,
Spyug

[bwringer]

In addition to the reading and riding, I think it is important to be in good shape so exercise is important. Hard to ride right if everything is kinked up.

Good post guys and gals.

Cheers,
Spyug

Good thought -- the better your body works, the better you ride.

On a semi-related note, ear plugs made an enormous difference in increasing my level of concentration and reducing fatigue over a long day.

Plus, as a side benefit, I'll still be able to hear when I get older.

Anything that allows you to be less distracted, more comfortable, and more alert will make you a better rider, whether that's tweaking your gear, your bike, or yourself.

[kerrfunk]

this thread = required reading

[MelodicMetalGod]

Just to clarify, reading is GREAT! Lot's can be learned IN CONCEPT from books, but to APPLY those concepts it is absolutely necessary to practice them on "the range" (a safe, empty lot) and/or the street. Ideally, this is how to take the book education and make it a part of your skill set:

1) Read the book - in total or just the bits your working on
2) Pick ONE thing at a time to practice. More than one and it's easy to lose focus.
3) Re-read the book material on the ONE thing you will now practice.
4) If at all possible, find a "spotter/coach" that can observe your practice.
5) Practice the technique. In most cases, 10-30 minutes is plenty of time for new techniques for most folks for the initial session. During this time, if you have a coach/spotter, they s/b doing just that. Since they can see things about your own riding that you cannot the feedback from them will help you learn the technique better and MUCH more quickly.
6) Take a break. Review. Repeat as needed, same day or another day. Just be sure to stop when you're tired, unfocused or frustrated. Just like all riding, you'll do your best when you're in top mental and physical shape.

Have fun!

[Russ' GS1000E]

Were did I get my skills?

30 years of road riding - Sport, commute, tour, cruise
- City, desert straight, mountain twist
> 130K miles of Aprilia, Suzuki, Victory, H*nda, Ducati, HD

5 years of dirt bike Trail Riding - CR250
15 Years of SCCA Auto Racing - Spec Racer Ford
6 Years of Auto-X - mostly RX7

Plenty of Magazine reading - even a few Brit Rags

[Clone]

I got my skills from ragdolling down the street and vowing never to do it again.

Oh, yeah and lots of riding with practice of panic stops and cornering and paying attention to everything around me and watching everybody like they were out to kill me and wearing all my gear (so I don't fear roadrash anymore only getting run over by a semi) and listening to what more experienced riders tell me and always pushing the envelope and always feeling the envelope starting to burst so pulling back a bit and yada yada

That about covers it

[jwhelan65]

just ride

Gear up, saddle up and ride...there is no substitute!

[KGB]

I learned alot riding in the dirt when I was young,alot younger.
We made our own mini bike frames in shop,1970-1971.
I had a 1970 Honda 350SL, good bike for a dual sport.

No MSF classes, we learned by trial and error.
I'm a MSF coach now,my 15/th year.

Reading,riding,formal classes and experience.
There's no one single thing,it's "D" all of the above.

And some GREAT info here

http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum/showthread.php?t=80583

This is a safety thread Jethro started awhile back and has been saved

Keep asking,many of us can learn some thing new daily.

[tkent02]

I'm a MSF coach now,my 15/th year.

How does one go about becoming a MSF coach?