For those of us who are about to die.....

[Lumpy]

If you want to learn to ride safely and quickly on the road, I am not so sure that track days are the way forward. I am not saying you wont learn anything or don't do them. But you don't get too many lorries/buses/traffic lights/tractors and horse shit on the track lol.

Can I suggest you do at least a bike-safe course, and if you want followed with IAM's in tandem with your day to day riding and track days. The bike safe will make you quicker and safer. The IAMS will build on that less of the quicker and more safety. The track will make you quicker but there is not allot of road safety involved, simply because its not a road.


Have fun.

 

[Nick]

Cheers Lumpy, booked in on a bike safe course for August. IAM's I thought was dry dog food, but if it will improve my riding, I'll eat it.

 

[fatbob]

I think the bikesafe is a good idea too , i should really get off my arse and do that , its not even exppensive.
for me personally i learnt more about the bike on a circuit then i ever would on the road.
i didnt have tuition as such and fell off quite a few times before i started to learn about the mechanics of how a bike works , i suppose i was to impatient to sit in class rooms and all that , even though long term it will almost certainly give you what is a proven technique.
Having said all that if you watch simon crafar and keith codes dvd's you'll be confused as they are both very different techniques.

 

[Nick]

Yeah, I watched Keith's wrist twisting and managed nearly to get through it without self harming. I did some circuit based training at Mallory which was alright and I bought a DVD off amazon of an ex police rider talking through his ride for over an hour which was boring but really informative in terms of road position etc

 

[phil]

But if it's pissing it down, that might not be a bad thing.

Depends on how one rides, I tried rain mode once in the rain, never again.
The bike felt totally unresponsive.

 

[phil]

Cheers Lumpy, booked in on a bike safe course for August. IAM's I thought was dry dog food, but if it will improve my riding, I'll eat it.

Nick, may I suggest either Rospa bike course or try Rapid training (expensive but very good)! Please dont go down the IAM route.

Regards

Phil

ps if you were nearer I would help foc

 

[turtle]

ps if you were nearer I would help foc

mmmmmmmmm???????????

 

[Lumpy]

Please dont go down the IAM route.

? Why, most insurers will take a good slice off your Insurance,

The best advice anyone can give you is get on it and ride it - there's no substitute for practice. Less thinking and more riding dude.

 

[Godzilla]

? Why, most insurers will take a good slice off your Insurance,

Agree, whats wrong with the IAM?

The best advice anyone can give you is get on it and ride it - there's no substitute for practice. Less thinking and more riding dude.

Totally disagree, imho, if you are doing something wrong and don't realise it, just riding will not correct it. In fact as it gets more ingrained it will make it harder to correct when you do find out. Not just my belief, Kieth Code has the same opinion - and he knows a lot more than me.

 

[phil]

? Why, most insurers will take a good slice off your Insurance,

one would get the same discount for any advanced test pass. The Rospa route imo is far more flexible than the IAM one,also Rospa grade you test and there is re test to help keep standards up.

Above is only my opinion.

 

[Lumpy]

Totally disagree, imho, if you are doing something wrong and don't realise it, just riding will not correct it. In fact as it gets more ingrained it will make it harder to correct when you do find out. Not just my belief, Kieth Code has the same opinion - and he knows a lot more than me.

Agree to a point, but if you have taken a riding test and passed you should have the basic skills to go and ride and get some miles under your belt............ if someone cannot manage that i am not sure that someone should be on a bike!!.

Ok Phil yes that will work, I thought you meant don't do it full stop not do the ROSPA instead.

 

[phil]

Any extra training for a new (ish) rider will accelerate their learning, there is no substitute for miles but with the correct training it is amazing how a rider can be transformed in such a (relatively) short time.

Well Nick, what do you think?

 

[Lumpy]

I suppose I am a bit old skool Phil, I believe that riders that have just passed or have little exp. should not be on a powerful litre sports to start with, gain experience and move up, regardless of extra training or not. I have a question Nick - how many miles have you covered thus far?

If you feel you need further training then get it. Either way there is no substitute for experience, and you will only get that riding., whether it be under a training regime or not.

 

[Marcus81]

I've been riding seven years now, had the rr 2 years and a cbr600rr before that, the first few years were a baptism of fire hanging on the back of far more experienced people than me but that said was good fun and i never crashed on road but have a few times on track.

I done an introduction to iam at MK police station run by a class 1 riding instructor and have done a couple of observed rides since then for general feedback, IAM teach a system and you are supposed to work to that system, personally i have a way i like to ride the bike and i'm not ready to change that but it did teach valuable lessons on road position and increasing visibility around bends for maximum safety, i do try to stick to that part of what they teach.

I done a CSS day earlier this year, i learnt a coulple of very valuable points, one relating to throttle control on corner entry and the other relating to counter steering, this has made a massive impact on my riding and i now have a better under standing of why i had a couple of front end wash outs on track (not on the rr), everybody on the day was riding road bikes and there were people there with experience from 1 to 40 years on a bike and everybody took something away with them so it was well worth it.

Ultimately i'll take any training available to me, if i get something out of it then great if not then so be it but if you are doing something wrong you probably wont spot it until somebody else corrects you so you'll never know, 10 years experience is great but only if you're doing it right to start with.

 

[Nick]

Any extra training for a new (ish) rider will accelerate their learning, there is no substitute for miles but with the correct training it is amazing how a rider can be transformed in such a (relatively) short time.

Well Nick, what do you think?

Well, I'm booked on the 'Police 1 Day'er Bikesafe' in August - after that when pennies allow I'd like to do the Rospa route. Learning specifics about throttle control in corners sounds good - I'm beginning to improve on road positioning with defensible reasoning for it.

I suppose I am a bit old skool Phil, I believe that riders that have just passed or have little exp. should not be on a powerful litre sports to start with, gain experience and move up, regardless of extra training or not. I have a question Nick - how many miles have you covered thus far?

If you feel you need further training then get it. Either way there is no substitute for experience, and you will only get that riding., whether it be under a training regime or not.

Lumpy,

I crashed a few crossers as a kid, did my test 5 years ago then jumped on a the RR which I rode in rain then sport for the first 12 months - I've done around 2500 miles.

 

[phil]

Our local Rospa group charge £15 for the yearly membership, then just £10 for each observed ride.... :congratulatory:

 

[Nick]

That sounds good, I'll take a look locally and see what I can find. Cheers buddy.

 

[Nick]

Our local Rospa group charge £15 for the yearly membership, then just £10 for each observed ride.... :congratulatory:

Found a local group with decent ride destinations and £20 per year with £5 per observed ride. I'll take this up in a few weeks when my weekends are not full of commitments involving ale.

http://www.nvam.org.uk/

 

[Lumpy]

Lumpy,

I crashed a few crossers as a kid, did my test 5 years ago then jumped on a the RR which I rode in rain then sport for the first 12 months - I've done around 2500 miles.

Ok so you got a few miles under you belt, If you want to go quicker on the road (safer too) then the Rospa and IAM's bikesafe all good for you. However i still stand by my statement, the more you ride it the better it will feel and the better you will get. don't worry about the untapped power, just keep riding it.

If you want to put some mile's down, I will take you out on a run at your pace. I am free till the end of the month. So let me know.

I know a few chaps that have done Keith Code and various other training, but what Keith wont tell you is to watch out for the bitch doing her make up while changing lanes.

Cheers