I had some training last summer from a guy at church who teaches the class at a local college. I bought plastic tubing, split it and put it on my crash bars. Never needed it though. First time I saw him demostrate a manuver I thought no way but if you listen to what you are being taught it is easy. Couldn't believe some of the turns I was able to make. Gave me a lot more confidence riding the bike slow and making turns. You can cut tennis ***** in half to make your own cones. There were 9 of us that night and no one dropped their bike.

 

The reason I mentioned becoming proficient witht he friction zone, throttle, and rear brake coordination first is that I took the RLAP class in NC last summer and saw 6 students struggle all day long with the various exercises because they hadn't practiced these techniques before the class.

Carl

 

Bought the disks for my wife, but being a supportive spouse I watched them with her. Was suprised at how well they were organized. Lotsa good tips. I found some small cones at Wally World, and we use a defunct car dealers parking to practice. She has gotten better with remarkable rapidity. Highly recommended.

 

Got my video in the mail last week. I had used the friction zone before but practicing it for a couple of hours I was amazed at how quickly you improve. I can turn circles in 18 feet already with confidence. I think you will like the tapes.

 

..to protect the crash bars, go to Home Depot and get some of those 4' lengths of foam water pipe insulation..they come already slit up the side..just tape 'em at a couple of different places to hold 'em on..

 

This is the key point: Keeping your head up and turning your entire head to look in the direction you want the bike to go. Your hands will automatically follow your line of sight. It works like magic. The friction zone and rear brake are the fine points but the head up and turn to look in the direction you want to turn will be a epiphany to a lot of folks.

 

I would suggest taking the MSF experienced rider course first. If you are doing the ride like a pro videos, you will more than likely be by yourself, so you will lack the feedback a group of peers can provide. The can watch you and see what you are doing both right and wrong. As you master there experienced skills, I would then try the ride like a pro maneuvers. Why risk damage to your bike and possible injury to yourself just tp prove a point. I have the video series as well, and I understand that riding like a pro will take many months if not years to master. Remember that the officers on the video ride / rode motorcycles for a living, so they got much more time in the saddle than the average rider.
Take your time and be safe.
Dwayne

 

After watching the video a few times and practicing the "friction zone" technique for a while, I took the "Ride Like A Pro" course yesterday in Pensacola. Best $150 I ever spent. 35 year rider here - all FLH's. Took the class on my Ultra Classic. At the start, couldn't successfully navigate 12 foot cones. 4 hours later, 24 foot circles and figure eights, u turns in 24 feet, etc.. Cones? Didn't even think about it, just ran em. What a difference. Need to practice to stay proficient? Yes. It's a lot different hitting a cone than a curb, but overall, excellent experience.

In my opinion, the video isn't enough. What works is the critique by the instructors - yelling at you to "LOOK OVER HERE!" until you get the concept down, and following these instructors around the course also is a key to mastering these techniques.

Oh, and by the way, after 3 or 4 maneuvers max, a couple of cooling laps and lots of "let the bike rest" time. After 4 hours of the course, rode her 170 miles home. Not one issue with the clutch. I believe the strict cooling off periods helped. Great course.

Guys will spend 2k on chrome and not invest $150 on their skills. Doesn't make any sense to me.

 

Buy cheap tennis ***** and cut them in half for pilons.

 

Two tips not mentioned: not only look where you want to go but be looking out at the horizon not down. Its real important to not use your front brake. Let out the clutch to "speed" out of tip over.