Hi all :)

Kaye asked me to write a quick report on the advanced rider training course.  Before I do so it may help if I inform you of my ( perceived ) skills as a rider as this has a bearing on my experiences during the course.  For a while now, I have considered myself a competent and generally safe rider.  As Kaye has noticed, I do enjoy speed but only where there is minimal risk to myself or other people. In other words, although I may open the bike up out in the country I never do so with suburbia.  I considered that I do reasonably well cornering and manoeuvring, both low and high speed but always thought my cornering in particular could improve, hence the course :) Also, whenever I am in traffic, I ride as if every other road user ( in tin cans anyway ) was trying to kill me. I am pleased to say that riding as such, anticipating the worst from people has enabled me to avoid some nasty situations. I have not, as yet, had to perform emergency braking within the city/suburbs. As you will see, this is a good thing...... but also, not so good.  I am one of the people who has returned to riding after a lengthy break and my riding style remained the same as way back then. The course very quickly highlighted the problems with the riding style I was taught when I first started to ride.

Okay, to the course.

First. The course is fantastic, the instructors great, open and willing to talk and offer very helpful advice/recommendations pertaining to your skill level and anything pertaining to riding.

Second. The course is not about improving track or speed skills. It is about handing your bike on Australian public roads and improving your skills with the aim to help you survive on them, preferably without injury.

The instructors started off with a lecture covering some basic stuff much like the Rider Safe course did, nothing really new there except that they went quite into depth on the various positions of a bike within a lane, left, middle and right side and the pros and cons of each position in relation to traffic in both directions.

After the lecture, its out onto the track, in two groups of four riders (the one on one in these sessions is fantastic, with 8 riders and 3 to 4 instructors, not much gets past them)

One group practices emergency slow manoeuvring ( by slow I mean 40-60Kph ) riding into a set-up of witch hats which simulate a lane and a car in that lane. You have to swing the bike quickly through a small gap to get around the car then, just as quickly get back into the lane. This has to be done using both left and right breaks.  The purpose of the exercise is to make the transitions quickly and smoothly maintaining absolute control of the bike. We quickly learnt that anyone can 'jerk' the bike away from the car and back into the lane but doing it smoothly through a small gap, literally swivelling on your hips is not so easy.  After each run through, Kym spoke to each of us in turn explaining what we were doing wrong, and, just as importantly, right.  We practised this having several runs through until Kym was satisfied with our handling of the bike.

To avoid repeating myself through this report, whenever we performed an exercise, regardless of what it was, the instructor would speak to each of us in turn, going through our performance and advising what we needed to do to improve. When we did get it right, it was always a huge grin, a big thumbs up and a "well done" - getting that "well done", thumb up and grin, was a buzz every time :)

Now we move on to the emergency breaking session and hooooooo boy, is this one an eye opener.

To start with there are two cones depicting a lane and this is the point, at 60Kph that you start to brake. I entered the first run, quietly confident...... Locked the rear wheel, released and re-applied, no problems, brought the bike to a halt..... sweet..... Kym walks up and went over my performance, the locked wheel, the use of my front break and, then, he said "look back" My eyes must have literally popped.... my braking distance ( remember, this is emergency  braking... stop or die stuff ) was absolutely woeful.  So, away we go again and again... and again until Kym is satisfied that we are at least beginning to have an idea on how to make an emergency stop and remain in control of the bike. By the end of this portion of the training I had at least halved my braking distance.... better but, as I was yet to learn, still not good enough.

So, the two witch hats now become 4, forming a box. We have to approach at speed, pick our point to apply emergency brakes and we must stop just before or, preferably, inside the box. Hah. Let me tell you folks, this is hard! ( well, at least for most of us it seemed. ) - you can not ease up on the brakes once you are committed, the instructors watch the bike for the slightest lift of the front forks.

After each run through, Kym talked to us, showing us what we needed to do to get better....  and better.... it was galling and, quite sobering after a run for Kym to walk up and say "you are dead, or maimed... you really need to do............." I am pleased to say that by the end of the session, my rear wheel locks were reduced and I was getting my front end to "chatter" on braking... not locking mind you, but the front end braking at maximum. ( although my last run through, I didn't look ahead but at Kym and locked my front end for a second.... looking at Kym, my bike drifted left..... but, I stopped, not very gracefully, before the box and still just inside the lane, although poor Kym was running up thinking I was going to drop the bike which thankfully didn't happen. ) Kym came up, patting his heart ( as I said, my stop was not very graceful ) gave me a big grin and said " well done, you're alive" - man, that felt sweet.

At that point, due to the heat, the exercise was over and we rode in to the shade of the carport to cool off and drink, drink, drink. Which reminds me. All day, Steve came around to the groups in his car with cold drinks. We broke off from the exercise of the time to get our helmets off and top up with fluids. I must say that their concern for our well-being and safety was top notch. By the afternoon, I would not be surprised if the temperature out on the track was in the high 40's - yet no-one, not even the guys in full leathers ended up with heat

stroke or over fatigued. Well done Road Skills.

Time for another session in the air-conditioned ( phew ) room. This time Steve covered in depth the various ways to enter into a corner and the best way to enter in order to maximise our chances of avoiding nasty  situations, again, highlighting the pros and cons of each method of entry and exit.  Also covered was braking distances and a few other items.  Back out to the track, each instructor taking for riders. On each corner, S bend etc are cones indicating  how we are to enter and exit the corner. We were learning how to come into a corner late and wide to  maximise our chances of avoiding problems.  First, a couple of laps around the track, instructor leading us through showing us how its done, then, in turn, one of us takes lead with the instructor behind. After we have all gone through once, which means we have lapped the track four times, watching, learning, applying, we stop and Kym speaks to each of us highlighting and good and bad points.  This is where I learnt that my riding style was wrong wrong wrong. Not that Kym put me down in any way, or embarrassed me in front of the other guys ( this never occurred no matter how poorly we may have performed an exercise )

When I first started riding ( back in the 70's ) I was taught by a well meaning bloke who taught me that my torso must remain as upright as possible. So, whenever I went into a corner, I would bend my torso at the hips away from the turn. Bad as this sounds, I could corner quite well, at least well enough to keep up with most people through corners on our runs.  To be frank though, on some of those corners I was at my limit and I couldn't figure out why and, after all these years, no one picked up on it until the course.

As Kym put it, I appeared to be way too stiff, thrusting the bike down into the corner basically using strength.  Because of my style, fighting the bike and the bike fighting me.  At this point it was lunch break so I had the chance to sit down by myself  and try to figure out what the hell I was doing wrong. You see, even though I was pegging out in some of the corners and, Kym explaining to me what I was doing wrong, it just didn't click....... I had no problems with my style, I was comfortable, relaxed and, so I though, the master of my bike.  So, lunch over, chat with Steve and then Kym about style.... method... understanding what they are saying  but unable to picture how to do it.... back out on the track to continue the exercises and my turn again to lead............. no problems..... I can do this....... that sooooooooooooo did not happen... I was concentrating too much on style.... my bike all over the track... pegging out in the corners..... entering too hot... or too slow ... too wide.... too tight..... I was just waiting for the sirens to sound and the men in white coats to come and remove the uncontrolled maniac from the track lol... I was so embarrassed. .... ok, that run finished and here comes Kym to analyse my riding ( hmm... let me see..... you're a menace!!! ... QUIT!!! )  Nope.... quietly, without sarcasm or it seemed judgement, Kym talked to me..... You remember where I said a bit up above about being the master of my bike? Hah!  So, Kym's talking to me, not telling me, talking to me, one rider to another and he put it so simply that it finally started to sink in..... his words may not have been elegant, but they were the right words for me at that point in time.... "....... you have to relax... be floppy on the bike" floppy???? "..... go with the bike, ride with the bike, lean with the bike" ..... key word... with ".... you are fighting the bike and it is fighting you..... all the time....." No wonder I am so damn tired at the end of a Sunday run...... "...... lead the bike into the corner... let it do the work...... be floppy on it" floppy???there's that word again.....

Ok, chat over, away we go again, I'm at the rear, I will be able to watch the instructor and the other riders for 3 laps..... sweet... my turn..... first corner..... Oh shite... pegged out.... trying too hard........ next corner coming up... speed.. 100Kph... too fast dimwit..... "floppy" "with"  "lead the bike" "ride with" "floppy" there's that word again.... almost on the corner..... sill too fast..... Oh come on you bloody dork... don't you get it.... RELAX, GO WITH THE BIKE, DROP THOSE SHOULDERS..... FLOPPY ... into the corner, leaning over the tank.... nose pointed where I want to go, shoulder into the turn... ...... still too fast!!!!! ....... Oh my...... where did the corner go???? 2nd corner, speed 100Kph... tight S bend.... down to 80.... relaxed.... looking... shoulder in... rolling on the throttle, leaning left... leaning right, through the S bend, exit speed 110Kph..... Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeees!!!!! - Man, this is wild, the bike and I weren't even trying. and I didn't peg out for the rest of the day even though I was cornering at higher speeds.

So, back to the pits, drink break and cool down, then out again, this time in turns, two riders to an instructor, one rider leads for a lap then swaps with 2nd rider, instructor analyses and talks to us after each lap.... getting the hang of entering late and wide into a corner, maximising our chances when things go bad.... sweet.

Ok, now we reach the end of the exercises and we are given free time on the track to do with as we please.  After 15 minutes we are flagged in by Steve to come in and cool off, drink and then go again.. I am using this time too deliberately approach the corner waaaaaay too hot, using my front brake hard to slow me down quickly enough to enter the corner at a good speed. Damn good practice for emergency braking, looking through the corner, leading the bike in and rolling on the throttle, taking the bike flat out into the straights, hard slow down for the next corner.... enter some corners hot.. see how the bike... no.. how we go.... sweet.. no pegs touch the track once.... good practice.... good fun :)

I learnt a great deal this day... not just about emergency braking and riding style, there were lots of little things I picked up and, I have no doubt things I have picked up without even realising it.

This is a course I heartily recommend to everyone. I am going to practice my new skills and then I am going to do the course again to see how I go the second time around. See how much I have improved.

I got back into riding because my son, Daniel started to ride and, once I test rode his bike that was it :) Unfortunately, I showed Daniel my style of riding so he is going to have to unlearn it... damn...

Saturday spent going over my bike, checking the brake pads ( I was very rough on them ) and installing a new chain and sprockets { not because of the course :)) } Daniel comes down to visit and we decide to take a run to Victor once the sun is down. I go over what I have learnt with him and away we go. Trip out... according to Daniel my whole posture has changed on the bike and he just can't keep up with me through the corners... no, I wasn't speeding :) - he tries to apply what I told him through a corner but it doesn't work.... on to Victor using the old style of riding..... On the way back he relaxes.... follows my lead and boom! through the roundabout so sweet and easily its not even there, through the corners back to Adelaide with no effort at all ( remember, we're being good boys and keeping close to the speed limits, mainly because there was a lot of traffic on the Vic road ) At the end of the run, Daniel is hyped, he isn't fighting the bike anymore and believe me, it is really sweet when you work with the machine.

A couple of things before I finish this lengthy e-mail ( sorry bout that )

Questions were asked at the sessions regarding moving your butt off to the side during cornering, like the racers do.  Basically the response from the professionals was "If you are or have to move your butt off too the side on the public roads, you really need to re-asses your riding style"

When did you last practice stop or die emergency braking? A while? If it has been a while I would strongly suggest you find somewhere quiet and safe and practice it and do so on a regular basis. You may be fine or, like me, you may be disturbed to discover you are not stopping quickly enough. This is a skill that can not be allowed to lapse ( as I allowed it to ) it can literally save your life.

Stay upright people :)

M