Yesterday I was holding a Ride Like A Pro West Coast class. Nothing new in that, it’s a fun weekend gig. It also turned out to be LEO day. One rider was an LAPD officer looking to eventually go motors, one was a former sheriff who now is an attorney, one was a retired California Highway Patrol man and his buddy another retired officer. I also had a rider returning for my free training offer, and a gal he rides with. Finally there was a writer from RIDER magazine doing a magazine piece and video for their website.

Like most classes there were riders with varying abilities and experiences this one was no different. Everyone one did well, I just had to show them the areas they needed to work on and bring them along. Riders who are NOT used to slow riding in the friction zone sometimes have a bad habit of pulling in the clutch at the incorrect time. Others need to work on good head and eye placement, and others with maintaining enough speed to keep balance.

The retired CHP officer was REALLY hesitant. He dropped his bike once in the circle and maybe started having second thoughts about NOT using one of my training bikes. As a result he did everything painfully slow. This caused him to be unstable and made things difficult. So I kept telling him that he needed to ride faster. The gal on the RoadGlide had the same issue, but once she started going a bit faster she smoothed out. Same with the attorney. Once I showed them how speed made them smoother, and that bikes were more stable at speed they all got it. But not so quickly with the former CHP guy. He just putted along at idle wandering all over the exercises while I kept telling him to ride faster.

Then the irony dawned on me. Here I am TELLING the CHP to ride faster! That’s all these guys do, chase you down on the freeway for going too fast, and now I am telling the CHP to ride faster. For the longest time the CHP was the bane of my existence. I can’t tell you how many times the CHP pulled over on duty in my unmarked car for excessive speed.

Anyway, I found the whole thing ironically funny.

Mark

 

Thats funny.
If I didnt work so much Id be out there taking your class.

 

Kinda proves what Jerry keeps saying.... "these skill are PERSIHABLE" use 'em, or LOSE 'em"

I took the NC class with JD Redmon back in Oct... haven't played with the exceisizes for a while... laid out the cones during Christmas break at the local HS.... boy did I suck, for a while.... wouldn't have taken as long with a coach, I suppose.... just gotta remember to get out there and practice

 

Should have issued him a fake ticket as a joke.

 

Interesting, thanks for sharing with us... You can never learn too much. Thanks too for your teaching efforts. Those are skills that we could all use a brush up on for safer, and more precise riding.

 

I am going to have wife read this. She is a strong rider, but speed is also what she needs to work on. I see her move thru the cones, circles so much better than in the beginning, but I swear she struggles and it is her speed. Thanks.

 

So why would you need to drive at excessive speed in an unmarked car ?

 

Yeah, a ticket for going too slow.

 

just goes to show ya,,,, the one behind the "Badge" .. aint got a clue!!!

 

Love the DVD, fun to play in the parking lots. Great stuff, wish you had a class in the Pacific N.W.!