Carrying cut-up tennis ***** and a tape or rope tied off for measuring a course out...now that's what I'm talkin' about! It becomes a way of life, doesn't it, and it's interesting the way you start quietly noting in your head parking lots that look promising...like, oh yea, I need to practice on that lot, kind of thing. The thing is, you know by experience how every little practice session helps so then you just naturally get into the mode of wanting to pratice all the time, as well as to look for opportunities in every day riding to put the techniques to work. Being skillful and confident with your ride is what it's all about, and practicing the motor officer advanced course of Ride Like a Pro DVD will get you there.

Good riding ya'll,

axe11

 

I just finished reading this entire thread, and promptly ordered my dvd. I can't wait.

 

Just ordered my copy after reading this topic.

 

It's got some good information in it. I still can't get used to the idea of possibly laying the bike down while practicing very tight slow speed turns.

 

Just got mine. Cut my tennis ***** in half, but haven't been out to try it yet.


I'm with ya there.

 

I thought I was the only one who checks out good parking lots as I ride along. I'll say, hey hun, did you you see that parking lot? Yea, no oil or pot holes, lets try it out. It always draws a crowd too.

 

Hey Jerry,

Once you learn how ride these slow excercises? How much time a month do you think you need practice to maintain these techniques before you forget how to do them.

 

Glad to hear my dvd has helped and thats a great idea using the rope for measuring. If I may, I'd like to tell a little story about already knowing the look where you want to go/head and eyes technique ect.. When I took my first Motor Officer training class, one of the students was an M.S.F. E.R.C. instructor. Everyone in the class thought he would be the star of the class since we figured, he already knew the proper way to ride and had been teaching it for years. Well it turned out, he was dropping his bike and hitting cones just like the rest of us, so I asked him why he was having problems? I said, aren't these the same techniques you've learned and been teaching people for years? What he answered was more profound then he ever imagined, and led to my entire teaching concept. He stated, yes, the techniques are the same, but I never used them like this. AHAAA, I thought, thats it, thats the key to riding like a pro, thats what separates the professional from the amateur. In other words, what he meant was, he knew what the techniques were, but he had never used them to the extent needed to put the bike thru 18 ft turns. He used the techniques a little bit, and was a little bit better rider than average. Use the techniques to their FULLEST, TO THE EXTREME, ALL THE TIME, EVERY TIME YOU RIDE, and you will be a superior rider. Turn your head and eyes as far as possible, look ONLY where you want the bike to go, use that friction zone and rear brake at low speed and you will have amazing control of your bike and of course, practice every chance you get. From your post I can tell you are on your way to riding like a pro and one day, just like the girl on the yellow SC e glide in RLAP IV, you may come up to me at a bike meet and say, hey Motorman, I can ride just as good as you . Of course, unless your as pretty as she is, you probably won't wind up in one of my dvd's, but still...

 

My DVD showed up last week and I'm almost through it. GREAT information!!! I'm going to do the tennis ball thing as well and start practicing.
If I lay id down though - I'll be some pizzed.

Jerry - I you ever decide to run a course in Ontario Canada I'll be there

 

Lets say you put in the 4 hours of training I recommend in one day, and are able to complete all the exercises in the dvd 9 out of 10 times without error. That's about average. Then, you remember to use the techniques every time you ride, in other words, when you stop and are about to make a turn, you use head and eyes, the friction zone and the rear brake and dip the bike into a lean, you will only need to practice about a half hour or less, every couple of weeks. The more you use the techniques while riding, the less formal training you need. Keep in mind that the better you get at it, the more confidence you have and the more you won't be able to pass up that newly paved parking lot without doing a few S-turns thru the lines. It becomes addicting, and fun to show off your skills in front of all your friends. And I guarantee if you whip a board scraping u-turn while on a ride with a few friends who have to duck walk their bike around the same turn, they will ask you how you did it. You will then be able to help them become better riders and maybe save their lives and believe me, thats a wonderfull feeling.