Mcgyver74
Well-known member
So this past Saturday I took the Total Control Advanced Rider Clinic part 1 Took it in Frederick MD,
It was a full day, but I must say that it was well worth it. This is a VERY brief review (I'm glossing over a LOT of stuff since I'm still digesting it all
)
We arrived and started around 8am, the class was divided between classroom and range work,
The instructors made these promises to us,
1) By the end of the day we would notice significant improvement in our riding skills
2) We would be able to identify when things were wrong and make corrections
We started out with what makes up the forces of traction, covered rider attitude etc, then went out on the range, the first exorcise was throttle transition practice, being smooth not only when rolling ON the throttle but also when rolling OFF the throttle, just like in every rider course I've ever taken the instructors demonstrated the maneuver, however unlike most of the other courses, they demonstrated it twice, the first time showing the WRONG way to do it, then the right way, so we can see what the effects are of not doing it correctly.
After doing that the added in the twist of trail braking , line selection, corner entry, etc every thing was VERY well laid out and easy to understand but the actual exercises were pretty challenging (Which is intentional, since by making it hard in the range, it's easier on the street)
The classroom lectures were also pretty interesting, there were some mental exercises designed to show you how your brain will do more then you think it can which helps with cornering etc, also some exercises to show the effects of being nervous or tense when leaning the bike, at first I thought it was silly, but after each exercise I realized that it really helped.
After we had lunch, we got into the real meat of things, practicing our corner entries , etc, doing circles around cones etc, As we did more and more, I found that I was seeing what I was doing wrong AS I was doing it and was able to correct mid manuver,, many times after doing the manuver, I would stop to be coached and tell the instructor what I did wrong or have the instructor tell me that my first time around the circle I didn't turn head enough, or didn't position myself correcly, but on the 2nd time I was right on and had corrected on my own.
After that then we added in the effects of body position on cornering, which for me was HUGE, they took us through the 10 steps of proper cornering, including body position, in order to feel what to expect, we did an exercise where 4 people would hold the bike with the rider on it, then as we went through each step, the guys holding the bike would lean it so we can feel things (Hard to explain but helped a LOT)
The last exercise we did were figure 8's which put it all together, I found myself going around the circles at almost 30mph (I stared at 15) and wasn't even coming close to dragging pegs (the point of the technique they teach is to help unload the suspension so you maximize your traction reserve etc)
The last thing we did was a lecture on suspension and how it works and how to set it up correctly (Setting sag and damping etc)
Overall, I find that I am approaching corners much differently then I did before, it didn't really hit home until tonight when I was coming home, there is a 15mph left hand turn that makes a sharp 180 bend on one of the roads I have to take to get home, usually I take it at 20 - 25 mph and am dragging pegs as I go through, this time after I made the corner, I realized that I had taken it at almost 45mph and wasn't even close to dragging pegs...
Overall, I HIGHLY reccommend this course and am looking forward to taking level 2 course in Spring!
It was a full day, but I must say that it was well worth it. This is a VERY brief review (I'm glossing over a LOT of stuff since I'm still digesting it all
)We arrived and started around 8am, the class was divided between classroom and range work,
The instructors made these promises to us,
1) By the end of the day we would notice significant improvement in our riding skills
2) We would be able to identify when things were wrong and make corrections
We started out with what makes up the forces of traction, covered rider attitude etc, then went out on the range, the first exorcise was throttle transition practice, being smooth not only when rolling ON the throttle but also when rolling OFF the throttle, just like in every rider course I've ever taken the instructors demonstrated the maneuver, however unlike most of the other courses, they demonstrated it twice, the first time showing the WRONG way to do it, then the right way, so we can see what the effects are of not doing it correctly.
After doing that the added in the twist of trail braking , line selection, corner entry, etc every thing was VERY well laid out and easy to understand but the actual exercises were pretty challenging (Which is intentional, since by making it hard in the range, it's easier on the street)
The classroom lectures were also pretty interesting, there were some mental exercises designed to show you how your brain will do more then you think it can which helps with cornering etc, also some exercises to show the effects of being nervous or tense when leaning the bike, at first I thought it was silly, but after each exercise I realized that it really helped.
After we had lunch, we got into the real meat of things, practicing our corner entries , etc, doing circles around cones etc, As we did more and more, I found that I was seeing what I was doing wrong AS I was doing it and was able to correct mid manuver,, many times after doing the manuver, I would stop to be coached and tell the instructor what I did wrong or have the instructor tell me that my first time around the circle I didn't turn head enough, or didn't position myself correcly, but on the 2nd time I was right on and had corrected on my own.
After that then we added in the effects of body position on cornering, which for me was HUGE, they took us through the 10 steps of proper cornering, including body position, in order to feel what to expect, we did an exercise where 4 people would hold the bike with the rider on it, then as we went through each step, the guys holding the bike would lean it so we can feel things (Hard to explain but helped a LOT)
The last exercise we did were figure 8's which put it all together, I found myself going around the circles at almost 30mph (I stared at 15) and wasn't even coming close to dragging pegs (the point of the technique they teach is to help unload the suspension so you maximize your traction reserve etc)
The last thing we did was a lecture on suspension and how it works and how to set it up correctly (Setting sag and damping etc)
Overall, I find that I am approaching corners much differently then I did before, it didn't really hit home until tonight when I was coming home, there is a 15mph left hand turn that makes a sharp 180 bend on one of the roads I have to take to get home, usually I take it at 20 - 25 mph and am dragging pegs as I go through, this time after I made the corner, I realized that I had taken it at almost 45mph and wasn't even close to dragging pegs...
Overall, I HIGHLY reccommend this course and am looking forward to taking level 2 course in Spring!
