• Can't post after logging to the forum for the first time... Try Again - If you can't post in the forum, sign out of both the membership site and the forum and log in again. Make sure your COG membership is active and your browser allow cookies. If you still can't post, contact the COG IT guy at IT@Concours.org.
  • IF YOU GET 404 ERROR: This may be due to using a link in a post from prior to the web migration. Content was brought over from the old forum as is, but the links may be in error. If the link contains "cog-online.org" it is an old link and will not work.

Riding Schools

bearbait51

bearbait51

Mini Bike
Other than MSF, has anyone in the Northeast participated in a motorcycle safety course like Staying Safe?  I'm considering taking some sort of refresher course every year to keep my skills sharp.  I had absolutely no fears 40 years ago, but I admit I could use a tune up.  BB


 
I have no experience with those classes, but if you take one, hope you will post your experience here!
I haven't ridden (and hardly driven) in over 2 years due to an accident. If I can ride again (not lookin'
so good) I will really want to refresh my skills.....and have thought about different classes.
Pleas keep us posted!
 
Rick,
Look into Tony's track days for the NON-sportbike track days. Worth their weight in gold! two of them this year in the Northeast.
Matt
 
I took a ride safe course in Durham NC, a few years ago. Well worth the time, They (motorcycle police) have a lot of info and very constructive input as far as you riding style and pointers on what you might work on, I'm looking at doing again as a refresher.
  I very useful how they point out little things that we do that we take for granted, or our bad habits .









Well worth the time and it's for FREE.

Cheers
Ron
 
www.CLASSRides.com

for the adult rider, this is IMHO, hands down, the best school that i have ever been to.  it is run by Reg Pridemore, former AMA superbike champ from back in 1976-77.  he is now in his mid 70s, and is about as fast as anyone you can see on TV.  But he is also as approachable and nice a guy as there ever was.  His staff is made up of some of the nicest guys you will ever meet at the race track.  they preach the normal stuff, they emphasis that they are teaching street riding skills, and they are very thorough about EVERYONE coming away with 6-10 new things learned about their riding.  I have been to them 3 years, and every year i come away with something totally new that i handnt thought about before.  Now, i ride my track/racebike during the schools 2-day course, in the faster group, which is made up of more of the same.  but the 'street' group is anything from new guys on sportbikes, to dress harleys, and everything in between.  they police the sessions to make sure everyone is learning, and everyone is safe.  And i can tell you from personal experience, if you want to learn more advanced skills, even up to race pace, they will also give you some great one on one training as well.

now the negative (for some)...they arent in the NE...sorry to say.  when they come east, they hold their school at Virginia International Raceway in Danville Va.  that is about 5hours from washington DC.  But every year, there are men and women who come down, either trailoring or touring on the bikes that they will ride at the school.  I have seen guys come down on sport tour BMWs and C14s, remove their bags and luggage, deflate the tires for better traction, and then ride the two days to enjoy and learn what is being taught.  And yes, being at a racetrack can be a little intimidating, but it is NOT used in that manor.  it is simply there to have a continous stretch of pavement in order to perform and practice the skills being taught.

this year the school is scheduled to be at VIR in mid Oct...a change from the mid June dates they used to have...that heat was just too crazy year after year.  I plan on attending again, and i urge anyone in the east to try and do the same.  you will have a ton of fun and learn things about piloting a motorcycle that i bet you have never thought about before... :great:
 
Let me also add, i have been to californiasuperbikeschool.com

very good school, a little regimented, but it surely will teach you some great skills.


STARmotorcycleschool.com

alot of fun, but they only run in the western USA these days.


and like someone said earlier, many trackday orgs have dedicated school group sessions for people wanting to improve their skills as well...where they dont throw you out with the hordes of sportbikers, all trying to be the next Rossi - me included...
 
Do the track days style training sessions do any training on how to ride slow?  From reading these boards (especially CDA), it seems like learning the correct way to ride in single digits would be much more valuable to most riders than learning to ride at triple digits.  Obviously, learning how to brake from speed, choose the best line, etc., are important and could save your life.  But I am continually dismayed by the amount of people on here who express anxiety over simply maneuvering their Connie around a parking lot.

I'm pretty sure that the riding skills that Bearbait would like to periodically refresh are more along the lines of bike control and safety than setting lap times.  That North Carolina police safety course sounds like just what the doctor ordered, but I'd be surprised if they offered something like it up here in PA.  If you do find anything Rick, let me know as well!    :great:
 
Solomookie said:
Do the track days style training sessions do any training on how to ride slow?  From reading these boards (especially CDA), it seems like learning the correct way to ride in single digits would be much more valuable to most riders than learning to ride at triple digits.  Obviously, learning how to brake from speed, choose the best line, etc., are important and could save your life.  But I am continually dismayed by the amount of people on here who express anxiety over simply maneuvering their Connie around a parking lot.

I'm pretty sure that the riding skills that Bearbait would like to periodically refresh are more along the lines of bike control and safety than setting lap times.  That North Carolina police safety course sounds like just what the doctor ordered, but I'd be surprised if they offered something like it up here in PA.  If you do find anything Rick, let me know as well!    :great:
Click to expand...

I THINK the only requirement to attend is a motorcycle license, I don't think it has to be NC.  If that the case, perhaps you could plan on a road trip. I think it about 350ish mile from York PA to Durham NC. Nice road trip.  :beerchug: :)

Cheers
Ron
 
Solomookie said:
I'm pretty sure that the riding skills that Bearbait would like to periodically refresh are more along the lines of bike control and safety than setting lap times.  That North Carolina police safety course sounds like just what the doctor ordered, but I'd be surprised if they offered something like it up here in PA.  If you do find anything Rick, let me know as well!    :great:
Click to expand...

I THINK that is what he is asking about too, by the course he mentioned. The skills taught on track days are great, but the Staying Safe course takes you out on the road with communicators (from what I have read) and you not only refresh your control skills, but also the dealing with hazards, traffic, bad roads...things we have plenty of in PA! If he does want a track day, Pocono Raceway offers them and would be close for him. I personally like the Staying Safe deal of going out on the roads..so like Bearbait, if anyone has info from taking a course like that, would love to hear your opinion.

 
Good ideas so far, and I agree with the comments by Solo and RD.  I wasn't really thinking in terms of the slow speed stuff, but it might not be a bad idea. (The class itself could be a CDA opportunity! :truce:) 

I was hoping for a situational awareness, position yourself properly in traffic, learn how to avoid obstacles, Braking, group riding techniques, etc kind of a course.  Hopefully we will get some more suggestions. 
 
Here is more info, it looks like you just need a motorcycle license.

http://www.bikesafenc.com/faq.lasso?-session=bikesafe:47558C0202bd019390qgDA37C95A.
I will say it is a ALL DAY EVENT !!! the first ride/coach was 45 min ride in Durham during the morning.  Coming back for some class room and then rode to lunch. 
  And the afternoon ride was at least 90 min through Durham and outskirts of the city. Well worth it, my class ended a 1700hrs
Cheers
Ron
 
Steve,  and others,

I think many people are really missing the point when they think of a track day as lap times. Tony's track days in particular the NON sport bike days are way far away from that. Yes, you can go fast. No you don't HAVE TOO! What I think you are missing the point on is this:
Any time you spend on a track is going to be different than the street in a couple of EXTREMELY significant ways and these differences is where you can drastically improve your riding skills AT ANY SPEED. 
ALL of the hazards of a norma highway/interstate/local roads are not in evidence on the track. So what you say?  Well, once you no longer have to use a large part of your concentration on not getting killed by some texting cager/forest rat/sanded corner/etc. etc. etc, you can now focus on controlling the bike to a much better degree than EVER before.  This was one of the most important things in improving my skill set on a bike. Focus is critical to staying alive on the street, no argument there, without those hazards on the track, now you can start to see where your riding is not as smooth as it could be because you have freed up some of your brainpower to improve your abilities. I know I am not explaining this as well as I could but I am having a rough time right now as my girlfriends dad passed suddenly yesterday. Hard to think straight.
Anyway, here is the point. Being able to practice your skills without fear of outside forces killing you (other than the loose nut behind the bars anyway), is a HUGE benefit to ANYONE that rides regardless of style/speed/bike brand/HP or anything else.  Don't blindly write off a track day simply because it is not parking lot speeds.
I KNOW that my track day has saved my life on more than one occasion since I did it. I have a level of confidence in myself, my riding abilities and also in my equipment, (bike/tires/gear) that i simply did not/could not have had beforehand. Knowing what my bike was ACTUALLY capable and being confident enough to make it perform at that level allowed me to make emergency maneuvers that prior to that I would have been UNABLE to make due to inexperience/fear/whatever. I WOULD HAVE DIED!  I have come around corners to find trees in the road, (on the dragons' tail), to finding a car on the wrong side of the road. In every instance I was able to avoid a wreck. This is solely attributable to skills building on a track with Tonys' crew.
Please don't sell yourself short by writing off a track day. It will likely almost certainly save your life at some point.
Matt
 
mattchewn makes my point as well.

yes, a school like CLASS is run at a racetrack.  but its not a race oriented school at all.  if you want triple digit riding, you can find it there in the fast group.  but the 'street' or B group is run at everything from boulevard speeds (20-40) up to highway speeds (55-85).  They intentionally keep your speeds to more normal levels, because they ARE trying to teach people who want to commute safer, to enjoy a country ride safer, and they truely use the racetrack as the practice environment.  I understand why some have their lessons out on the street, to recreate street riding.  What a school like CLASS is doing is using the repeatable loop of a racetrack to show you how to do things in the right way, break some of our bad habits, and give a car free, dog/deer free, police free, gravel-sand-oil free environment where you can learn something in the classroom, then go right out and work on that thing in a controlled environment.

Think of it like a baseball or basketball team.  you dont practice things in the game...you do it on an empty field/court, you repeat it until you have it right, until you understand why it is this way, then you take it to the real world performance.

i can tell you from experience, once you have done it in that type of environment, AND added to your own comfort level...taking it back to the street makes everything slow waaaaay down...to the point of you being able to anticipate a lot more than you did before you took a class like this.

BUT...i do understand the want to take a slow-speed type class too.  being prepared for parking lot idiots and pitfalls is just as important.

Either way, its great to hear people wanting to educate themselves about their riding.

Nick Ienach once said on an instructional video i have, "a person cant get on a pair of skis at a resort without having to take a beginner skiing course...but they can go in and purchase a motorcycle and ride right out the door, thinking that their bravado will show them the correct way to ride..." and i add parenthetically, ride right up until they fall down shortly there after.
 
Solomookie said:
Do the track days style training sessions do any training on how to ride slow?  From reading these boards (especially CDA), it seems like learning the correct way to ride in single digits would be much more valuable to most riders than learning to ride at triple digits.  Obviously, learning how to brake from speed, choose the best line, etc., are important and could save your life.  But I am continually dismayed by the amount of people on here who express anxiety over simply maneuvering their Connie around a parking lot.

I'm pretty sure that the riding skills that Bearbait would like to periodically refresh are more along the lines of bike control and safety than setting lap times.  That North Carolina police safety course sounds like just what the doctor ordered, but I'd be surprised if they offered something like it up here in PA.  If you do find anything Rick, let me know as well!    :great:
Click to expand...

Check out. ridelikeapropa.com.  I found some classes are held in Hershey, Pa. I'm considering taking one of these to improve slow handling skills. Also, if time and money work I may take a Stating Safe 2 day tour. BB
 
mattchewn, sorry for your GF's and your loss.

mnofpeace, I agree that both types of classes are good, and which one you take depends on what you feel you want to either learn or brush up on. I raced a lot
in my younger years, and it's great being on a track. But if I want to learn how to recognize and avoid road hazards, then the staying safe course (I think) would be a
better fit. All the things that make a track day fun and let you focus on just your technical skills also make the riding unreal in the real world IF learning to deal with
those things are what you are working on. Admittedly, if you can spot a problem on the road, and have no clue how to brake properly, that's not much help either! The track days
have helped me adjust since when I raced (and started road riding) bikes were very different, and the style of riding used was different. Refreshing the technical skills on the track
is great for that, as I can focus just on the new bike and new limits.
In a perfect world....both types of classes would be the way to go.  Either one will be a benefit over no classes at all.

Thanks for the link bearbait.  :great:
 
This is a very informative thread.  Like many things, it comes down to perception.  The parking lot courses make you perceive that it's about learning how to use your blinkers, turn off the bike in an emergency, and ride around cones.  The race track perception is that you learn how to ride your bike at the fastest possible rate while learning how to brake, corner, accelerate and pick a line.  As mentioned, in a perfect world it may be a blend between those two extremes.  The difference between the two may not even be extreme.   

The riders that have taken the courses and have done the track days are no doubt are thinking we are missing out, and I'm sure we are! You just don't know what you don't know. Still learning, and will work with BB to figure out where to go with this. 
 
4bikes and I are registered for the Southeastern Ohio, Staying Safe riding class.  It is held on May 14 & 15, starting in Bridgeville, Pa. and ending in Caldwell, Ohio.  I think there are still a couple spots open.  BB
 
Here is a link that explains what we will be doing and learning.  I'm also looking forward to riding two solid days on new roads in Western PA and Ohio.

http://www.stayinsafe.com/faq-2/

I might be guilty of this one.....“I thought I had more than 20 years of riding experience. What I learned is that I had about a year of experience repeated 20 times.”  :-[

 
I've always wanted to try a staying safe course it's probably the most "real world" approach to training.  I took a California Superbike course and got some insights though too.  Can't wait for the details. :great:
 
I'll tell you all about it Terry.  :motonoises: The Spring Fling in Williamsport is the following weekend. 3 slots are still open.
 
mnofpeace said:
www.CLASSRides.com
Click to expand...

I'm planning on doing CLASS at VIR with a buddy who has done it three times now, and says it's the best rider training he's ever done. October will be much nicer than June/July in previous years. The heat deterred me from doing it then since you have to wear a full suit etc...
 
Great thread, I took a stayin safe 2 day in ct a few years back. It was a great learning experience as well as a great riding experience. Tony's track day ( non sport bike) was also awesome. Stayin safe for road safety skills, and Tony's for learning to master riding skills. A slow constant work in progress. Keep learning.
Richard
 
I'm planning on doing CLASS at VIR with a buddy who has done it three times now, and says it's the best rider training he's ever done. October will be much nicer than June/July in previous years. The heat deterred me from doing it then since you have to wear a full suit etc...
[/quote]

Ill see you there sir...i just dropped my deposit yesterday, Gigi sent me an email saying she received it...so im stoked.
Ive been 3 or 4 times over the past 6 years...not only is it tremendously informative, its alot of fun too.  I wont be on my C14 however, as i ride an SV650 trackbike for trackdays.

And you would be right, those dates when we were there in July were brutal.  Temps in the pits reached upwards of 118 degrees some years.  We even had a person or two passing out while out there.  Thankfully, with the full use of VIRs classrooms, a very well air conditioned space was always available to us during the two days.  And plenty of water, gaterade, fruit, ect. were also there to help keep people hydrated.  But i look forward to some nice 70-80 degree days for this upcoming session.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top