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[JCZ]

Sorry JCZ, it wasn't my intention to make "Ride Like A Pro" less worth,
or that's just easy stuff to do. The video should just show, that you should use
your own bike. We are still on the learning curve (over here), never will reach the "pro".

BTW, I have a the Ride Like A Pro-DVD.

2/3 of the training is paid out of insurance_pot, to improve rider-skills.

You mean Mark should be paying us to improve our skills?   

bandit....I didn't feel or think that you were trying to make RLAP less worth......not at all.  Just saying there's a big difference between the two.  If you have one of the videos, you already know that.  

But, for the record, I'm far, far from being a pro.

[Jerry/MD]

The choice of your bike or one of my training bikes is up to the rider. Everyone one of us is different and has different ways of learning. As you can imagine I get ALL kinds of riders in the course. To some of the IronButt guys a parking lot drop is nothing. They have dumped their Aspencade GoldWings and Airhead Bimmers on dirt, gravel, grass, sand and to them another scrape, ding or gouge is like a badge of honor. Then I get the guys with 40K CVOs works of art, and to them a scrape is tantamount to a Joe Theismann compound fracture.

The thing I find is that if a rider is hesitant they will have difficulty commiting themselves to some of the exercise. Some of those exercises, like the full lock u-turn from a stop JC was talking about require a commited lean to the inside. I see it all the time, a rider starts a nice tight turn, and then suddenly uprights the bike and pulls out. They just don't want risk dropping their bike, and I don't blame them. But a motorcycle is a motorcycle is a motorcycle. All the mechanics and physics are the same. The seating position and controls may be ergonomically different, but the controls are located in the same area and operate the same way. The friction zone on a Ninja operates the same way as a friction zone on a Sportster. The rear brake on a Yamaha V-Star works the same way as the rear brake on a RT BMW. And a snapping chin on the shoulder head turn works is the same for all bikes. The benefit to a training bike is that it allows the rider to relax and NOT worry about their bike. This will let them focus and concentrate on learning the material. If they dump a KZ1000 police bike, they just pick it up, start it and continue on. Since the technique is exactly the same, they can go home and practice on their own bike and them return and repeat the course on their own bike. If a rider wants to use their own bike in class, no problem. But if they are going to spend the whole course worrying about NOT dropping it and damaging it they will probably not get as much out of the class as they could. Plus worrying is neither fun or enjoyable, and learning and practicing is always easier when you are having fun.

As for the clutches, one class is NOT going to destroy a clutch unless you are abusing it. In it's life time old '01 Ultra only saw two clutches and I rode that thing hard in class just about every weekend. Hydraulic or cable is no different to me. The Hydro may be easier and smoother but it all works the same.

I don't offer the motor officer prep course very often as I am VERY SELECTIVE about the attendees. I have to be confident that they have mastery of the basic RLAP techniques as the risk factor is greater. And that course requires the KZ1000 police bike because it will get dumped several times. And most of the exercises come right from the LAPD and are designed for that specific bike frame at a full lock with a hard lean. That fugitive "TrapperDog" took the course. He can tell you about it when he comes back from the road.

Ironhorse,
Thanks for your input. When I take this course I will use my own bike...protect it somewhat...and move on. Any confidence issues I will have to address.

Jerry

[CVOThunder]

I just wanna ride like this fellow. Will a 1 day class get me there? I'm sure it will! j/k

If I could ride 1/10th as good as this I'd be happy. Maybe next summer I should think about taking the class you've mentioned. Could be fun but yes I'll go with the rental.

[bigdave110]

WOW!!!
THAT IS BAD ASS.
Thats all I can say.
Dave

[RPR50]

Just took the Ride Like a Pro - Great Lakes course in Detroit, about 3 hours from home.  Took it on my bike with bags on and without rubber hose on the guards.  A couple of no shows due to rain meant there were only two of is in class. Great course. Slow handling, tight turns. Dropped it once; no harm no foul. Glad I took it on my own bike. Now I know what I can do.

[SBB]

Just took the Ride Like a Pro - Great Lakes course in Detroit, about 3 hours from home.  Took it on my bike with bags on and without rubber hose on the guards.  A couple of no shows due to rain meant there were only two of is in class. Great course. Slow handling, tight turns. Dropped it once; no harm no foul. Glad I took it on my own bike. Now I know what I can do.

Took it on my bike with bags on and without rubber hose on the guards.


                               

SBB

[SBB]

And congrats Bob on taking the course!

See you in Maggie Valley!

SBB

[CVOThunder]

Yes indeed, congrats on taking the course. I sure like the Ride Like a Pro video that Iron Horse sent out. Great info there.

[bandit]

Just took the Ride Like a Pro - Great Lakes course in Detroit, about 3 hours from home.  Took it on my bike with bags on and without rubber hose on the guards.  A couple of no shows due to rain meant there were only two of is in class. Great course. Slow handling, tight turns. Dropped it once; no harm no foul. Glad I took it on my own bike. Now I know what I can do.

  congrats 

[RPR50]

Hardest part is maintaining your concentration.  Course was 4 hours. You get tired, and my drop was on an exercise I'd done a couple of times.  Brain fart.

Just a start.  Unconscious competence only comes with practice.

Slow turns at the handlebar stops are a grin.

Bob

[Ironhorse]

Hardest part is maintaining your concentration.  Course was 4 hours. You get tired, and my drop was on an exercise I'd done a couple of times. Bob

It's a good thing you noticed you were fatigued, a lot of riders don't. At the start of every class I tell the riders that they are going to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally, and that leads to fatigue. I can keep an eye out for signs of fatigue, such as a rider dropping his head, shortend horizon (looking close instead of far), dropping their feet, or like you making mistakes they were not making a few moments ago. But the best gauge of fatigue is the rider. Fatigue leads to shortcuts and bad habits, and it does not do any good to practice bad habits.

In class yeserday I had a rider who had ALL the skills needed to do the exercises. All she lacked was confidence. She would be begin an exercise, and then something in her head would convince her she couldn't, and she would pull out. She only dropped the bike once and rode under control the whole day. So she began to cheat on the exercises and make wide approaches and exits. She knew what she was doing too. Another rider struggled ALL day. He said he had 30 years or riding experience, but it turned out to be 30 days of riding experience repeated for 30 years worth of weekends. I spent the WHOLE morning trying to break him of bad habits, like covering the front brake, dropping both feet, looking down and fighting the friction zone. He must have dropped that bike 10 times. Then there are riders like Joshua a rider who had taken the course many times. Everyone was amazed at his command and control, and were astonished to learn that he had been riding only 9 months. The difference is practice. Josh is a pilot and knows the value of regular practice, so he incorporates it into ALL aspects of his riding. Whenever he takes the bike out, he makes it a point to practice some technique. He has a hunger to learn and improve and I really appreciate that. He also knows when he is tired, and can recognize signs of fatigue.

[RedEagle]

There is no RLAP classes here in Colorado.
I do have the RLAP video 5
I am going to take ABATE's Civilian Top Gun class this October.  It looks similar to me. Does anyone have experience with ABATE?
It is a two day class, first day on their 250cc bikes next day your choice of their bike or your own.
I am doing this to know these skills on my bike!
What is the procedure to protect the crash bars?  What size hose?  Will tyewraps be good to hold it in place?
Are there any perks for compleating the course?  Some times Harley gives a gift certificate, or 1/2 price helmets at the Honda dealer.

[Ironhorse]

There is no RLAP classes here in Colorado.
I do have the RLAP video 5
I am going to take ABATE's Civilian Top Gun class this October.  It looks similar to me. Does anyone have experience with ABATE?
It is a two day class, first day on their 250cc bikes next day your choice of their bike or your own.
I am doing this to know these skills on my bike!
What is the procedure to protect the crash bars?  What size hose?  Will tyewraps be good to hold it in place?
Are there any perks for compleating the course?  Some times Harley gives a gift certificate, or 1/2 price helmets at the Honda dealer.

RedEagle,

A CVO fourm member from Colorado came out to LA a couple of months ago to take the course. He flew in, I picked him up at the airport, he took the course on one of my bikes, and I dropped him off at the airport to fly home. So that option is availble if it interests you.

As for perks, you need to ask the ABATE school. Some places (like mine for example) offer a free return course at no charge. Others may give you a certificate to present to your insurance company for a possible discount on your premeiums.

Protecting the bike is easy. Take old garden hose or heater hose, split it lengthwise and duct tape it onto the crash bars. Tie wraps are okay, but they may tend to shift under vibration or impact. Don't use foam pipe insultion as it just shreds off on impact. Remove your bags and empty the tourpack to make the bike lighter. You may also want to take off the mirrors as levers and mirrors are usually the first to break if the bike goes all the way over.  If you have highway pegs you may want to remove them.