Dan

Dan was in one of my first BRCs. He wanted to be reunited with his motorcycle, which was back in Central NY. It was the only wheels he had and he needed it to get to work.

I wracked my brain trying to think of all of my friends from home, college, and family members who lived in NY who might have been able to help him somehow. Didn't come up with much.

He was a nice guy in a tough spot. I really wanted to help. Even thought about riding it back for him the next time we went to NY for a visit.

Then I started thinking about what would happen if something went wrong. What if I crashed the bike on the way home? What if I got there and it had mechanical problems? Plus, should I get involved with a student? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea.

Sometimes the heart says yes but the mind says no.

Looks like you're on your own, Danny Boy.

Zap Law

So we got some weird lookin' vehicles out there, folks.


I'm curious about that recent memo from the Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Sure, by strict definition, in the state of Maine the Zap car and the Zap truck are motorcycles. But one has to wonder if ability to operate a two-wheeled motorcycle is going to be of great use to a "Zap-driver". "Zapper"? "Zappist"? "Zap-Jockey"? There it is: Zapjockey. Oh, wait a minute.......ZapGirl. With the right sunglasses, that could be something.


Anyway, it will be interesting to see if it changes. In the mean time, I wonder about the morale of people who want to drive a Zappy and have to take a BRC but who never wanted to ride a motorcycle in their lives. And how about those helmets while your Zappin'?!!


Weird looking aside, check out the features, prices, and longterm savings available on their website. There's a good slide show and audio-lecture about where things are heading for gas vehicles and for their company. By the way, "ZAP" is for Zero Air Pollution.

E-K-G or Thumb/Key/Valve?

Some RiderCoaches use the abbreviation "E-K-G" to refer to the shutdown procedure for the motorcycles. Engine cutoff - Key - Gas. In the student workbook for the Basic Rider Course, however, the same procedure is described as "Thumb/Key/Valve". I started thinking about this difference and which term might be more effective.



I liked E-K-G at first because it's a combination of letters that a lot of people know. So, it's memorable. "E" is also used previously in FINE -C to denote the engine cutoff switch. On the other hand, how many folks have good associations with an EKG? Hmm.



I have seen E-K-G taught to students through a number of BRCs now and I've noticed that even after numerous exercises some people are still slow at hitting the engine cutoff switch when they come in to staging. Why?



Then I realized the important strength of Thumb/Key/Valve. The first part of it is "Thumb". It reinforces where the switch is and makes an immediate connection in the mind with the first thing you do when you come in to staging. Simple......Thumb.



I'll betcha they knew this at MSF! It's right there in the workbook. That old experience thing kickin' in.



And so begins a new RiderCoach mantra: "Read the fine curriculum!"





Side note: The more I learn about and work with the BRC program, the more I realize how good it really is. After all, they're the experts. They know more about this stuff than I do. I think it's questionable to deviate from the curriculum for a number of reasons, including student response. What might they think about the program if you substitute what's in the book with your own thing? The last thing you need as a RiderCoach (or they need) is for student confidence in the program to begin to erode. RTFC/RTFC.

RiderCoach Prep - Getting the MOST Out of Training - Part Three

I'm lined up for Evaluation 3. I think I'm doing well so far. All I need is a good quick stop and corner and I'll have passed. A monkey off my back for the rest of training and one step closer to a successful finish.

We had been working hard for the last two days and riding a lot. I had a red Eliminator, a good, friendly bike.

Here goes; he's waving me on............ Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiirst.. seconnnnnnnnnd. YEEEOWWWWWW! What the... The roaring sound was tremendous...feeling things go sloppy for an instant made me let off the brakes...not even time to think. Then I felt upright and gradually but firmly reapplied the brakes. Good thing, too. I was in a front tire skid! I couldn't believe it.

By now my heart was pumping. Bob, over my left shoulder, slowly walked up to me, paused, and said, "So, how fast are we supposed to be going for the quick stop?" I thought..... "12 to 18 miles per hour." "Yep. How fast do you think you were going?" "Um, over 20?" "Oh yeah." Then he calmed me down a bit. "It's just a bit of nerves. What I want you to do is take a deep breath, turn here and get back in line. Then you're gonna do a nice quick stop and then you'll be all set." His being so calm about it really helped me out. I can do this. "Okay." So I cleared my head and refocused. Everything got quiet and I tuned in to what I was doing.

I was a bit conservative on the rerun just to be sure I didn't mess up again and be assessed the maximum. I purposely took it easy on the brakes. I figured I had room in my score thus far that I would be fine if I went over a few feet. Sure enough, I went over six feet but it was a respectable stop. Those were my only points on the riding eval.

PHEW!

Later I was reflecting on the skid. How could I do that? I had never skidded the front tire in 20 years of riding! Maybe it was that the bike was so light compared to what I had ridden in those twenty years. Then again, I had been riding that bike for two days.........NO EXCUSES. It was the nerves.

And you gotta deal with it.

* * * * * * *

The rest of the prep went well. It was a lot of work and a lot of testing. I had a marginal sat on the final (the full class taught to actual students) on exercise 15 with Stan (he did a good job with the whole prep. A really smart guy who got even the details right. I was relieved when I got paired with him!) We got a little off our game when someone waiting in line revved it up to the redline and dropped the clutch. She crashed into the rider in front of her, who proceeded to also rev it up and drop the clutch, only she set the bike down on its side and did two and a half 360s before finally letting off the throttle. Pretty spectaular. Stan blew the whistle. A lot. After, John told us that wasn't the problem. He said, "She was just waiting in line when she did that. It wasn't your fault. That stuff happens sometimes." What was our fault was that we had mixed up one of the transitions, and our lack of experience and communication created a situation in which riders were going the wrong way and one of us was not ready to receive them. We handled it but it was far from perfect.

For graduation we were all invited to a reception in a conference room at the BMV. Congratulations, a dinner, and certificates. We also got to see some pictures Eric, the man in charge of driver and rider education for the state, had taken during the prep. It was nicely done.

All that time and effort had payed off. Now I was a RiderCoach.

Bikes and Beer

Today, by coincidence, I was reading an ad this morning about a tour of Austria and Germany by motorcycle, and then, this afternoon, watching a show about the history of brewing beer. Why is it that bikes and beer seem to go together?

I've heard it said that when "bikers" (meaning the gruff, hulking nogoodniks on two wheels....I think this stereotype goes back to "The Wild One" starring Marlon Brando) get together beer is inevitably chugged down in great quantities. Of course, we all know that drinking and riding has fatal consequences sooner or later.

But what about that expression, "Drinking and riding"? Or more commonly: "Drinking and Driving"? Why do people insist on bringing those two ideas together in a handy-dandy slogan?

I think this started being popular sometime around 1980, at least in my experience. I can't tell you how many times during high school in health class, at assemblies, in TV ads, I've heard those two ideas paired up: Drinking and Driving. Who thought this up? How about "Drinking OR Driving??? "OR" I said! Don't combine the two with "and"!!! Who's with me on this?

Who is willing to make up the bumper stickers? "Drink OR Drive" ? I'd even be willing to put, "Not both." in parentheses after.

I've read a number of articles in British motorcycle magazines where they talk about being on tour in Europe or elsewhere and they drink fine wine and beer at the end of a long day on the "tarmac". Superb. Enjoy your riding. Then enjoy a beer. Life is good. Just don't get mixed up!

The title of this should be "Bikes OR Beer"!!!

Excuses, Excuses.

Today the wife and kids were off to the Children's museum. I had to stay back and study for an upcoming education test. Finally I got overloaded and I was fading away, losing concentration. Needed a break. What I really wanted to do was go for a ride........but I was supposed to be studying. I guess I was tired of looking at the written page.

In fact, I've been reading a lot about motorcycling lately in magazines. One American, one British. Interesting stuff. They talk a lot about techniques, test rides and "the like." It really wets the appetite but with a lot of rain and some thunderstorms in the forecast these days, I haven't been out as much as I'd like. Time to stop reading about it and just RIDE no matter what the weather!

And then, it occured to me...recently we lost track of our 35 mm camera. The only place we hadn't looked was camp. We had gone there a week ago, and where else could it be, really? Problem was nobody was in the vicinity. It's about 30 miles or so away. I suddenly thought of going to take a look..........

I checked the radar quickly as there was rain in the area AGAIN, some of it pretty heavy. Looked okay for a while. Next thing I knew I was getting ready to ride.

I took to the highway and sped along trying to enjoy myself while at the same time diagnosing a problem I've been having with engine sputter at around 7100 RPM. The highway speed was perfect for this but I still wasn't sure whether it was electrical or fuel-related. Hmm. At least I was riding.

As I got closer to my destination, I looked skyward. Dark, rolling clouds loomed overhaed. Uh oh. And then, suddenly, I didn't care if it rained at all. I rounded a bend coming in to Hartland. The gentle curves and encroaching pines made me feel good. Maybe it wasn't an exotic locale on a BMW 1200 like in those magazines - it didn't matter. I realized how much fun I was having just riding. That feeling of balance, the wind...being on two wheels is o.k. by me.

It didn't matter that I never found the camera. It would turn up eventually.

Oh, to ride! Any excuse will do!

RiderCoach Prep - Getting the MOST Out of Training - Part Two

In fact, the RiderCoach Trainers were tremendous. Bob and John definitely had different styles to a point but as far as the training principles and content, they were on the same page. And they worked seamlessly together. Like one mind.

It's funny - you see someone do something so well sometimes that it looks easy. And then you try it.

So we started off with 13 candidates, ended with nine, a couple of them passing by the skin of their teeth.

The format was: study the RC Guide and know your stuff - that's the classroom content, all the details of the range exercises, how to deliver and teach in the classroom and run the exercises...........it was a lot! (Before the prep even started, we had completed a lengthy pre-course assignment to get the ball rolling.) We would divide the classroom up into sections, then perform it, using the other candidates as our students. For the range, we paired up as C1 and C2 and ran the exercises with the other candidates riding as students. Then we would get the damage report from Bob and John. In the middle of all this we would take a written test on BRC knowledge. There was also a riding evaluation we had to pass. It was the same one the students of the BRC would take but we were only allowed 10 points or less (students are allowed 20). The final evaluation for us would be to divide up the entire BRC, classroom and range, and take twelve real students through the whole course. Youch.

During training when we had question after question, Bob and John had a mantra: "What do the cards say?" Soon it sank in. The philosophy behind the process was that we needed to be responsible for our own learning. Just like the students would be.

Being an experienced High School teacher gave me a big head start on doing the classroom. Some folks stumbled, though, with the classroom instruction. Nervousness, not talking loudly enough or, especially, talking too much. A few candidates had experience teaching the MMSC course. While that prior knowledge could have served them well, it provided opportunities for them to veer off the BRC track. During the final evaluation, when we taught the actual class to students, one candidate was talking about crossing over obstacles. A student had asked why you do that. The candidate said that if you don't rise off the seat and use your legs as shock absorbers "you could compress your spine." Oh, dear. I had to look over at John and Bob to see their faces. And then I saw some of the students wincing. In my evaluation of his classroom I quoted that part and wrote, "You're scaring people." Others tried to add color with personal stories from their past. I could almost hear the instructors thinking, "Tick-tock...tick-tock......" At times it was not good.

It was challenging to try to figure out the range. The hardest thing for me was understanding transitions and RC movements during the range exercises. Maybe it's because I was a wrestler in school and never played organized basketball, football or other sports where you developed the ability to work in concert with others. It took a lot of figuring to see the whole picture and how it would all work. Having to sort it all out made us aware of the "whys" of each exercise. Some things just weren't explicit in the cards. In 10, I puzzled over how to split up riders at the two start points. It was also hard to picture the staging at the end of 3. One exercise says, "Encourage riders to weave on the perimeter." Encourage? It's not optional. Later I figured out that what was meant was remind. I guess I'm too literal. As for repeated splits, they were repeatedly causing a split right down the middle of my brain!

Of course, all of this seems painfully obvious once you've done it. In fact, knowing how to do it now makes me wonder how difficult it would be to watch someone else struggle with learning each step. It's testament to how patient and accommodating our instructors were.

John was part cheerleader, part in-your-face football coach, part tough dad, but supportive when needed. Bob's style was different. Calm, understanding, reassuring. And it worked. They were a great team because they recognized that everyone responds to different motivators. That's one of the skills in being a teacher. And they got the balance right. I think criticism is highly underrated. It has gotten a bad reputation in our squeamish, easily-offended society. People think it's mean. I hate it when I need valuable criticism and I get fluff. You also need some praise and encouragement for things done right. One way or another, they would get you back on track. With so much on the line, excellence was the goal, and rightly so.

I had a lot on the line, too. I was missing time from work, which was a sacrifice considering it was the period right before final exams. It also meant lost wages. I was sponsored by a BRC school who would repay my lost pay in exchange for me working for them for two seasons - but only if I passed and could do the work. The State was going to reimburse candidates for the course tuition - again, if we passed. There was also pride.

Unfortunately, some did not finish. Here's a summary:

#1 - This candidate was a truck driver, so she had been through trainings before. She said she was scatterbrained and had ADD. The next time she got confused on the range, she said it was old age (she was probably in her late forties, not old at all!). We called it Age-DD and she laughed. The next day she said it was all too much and packed it in.

#2 - This guy had come quite a distance to take the prep and was determined to complete it successfully. He was getting frustrated practicing for the riding evaluation. The first one was not successful. After a lot of work on his riding and on the prep, he took the second and final eval. When he sputtered on a Nighthawk on Evaluation 3 in the middle of the curve, he swore. He was at the breaking point as that would have ended his prep. With the mechanical problem fixed, he went through fine but his score overall was not a pass.

#3 - Did not pass the written test. Too bad, too. Knew the range inside and out.

#4 - Had one unsatisfactory score in the classroom. Just kept going off track and going on and on and on..........actually had to be cut off because he was killing the whole class on time. The second unsat was on the range. It was exercise 15. He blew the demo. Then, after some prodding, the C1 had a conference with him. He blew the demo a second time. They switched and the C1 rode it - again, it was done incorrectly. John signaled Bob to ride the demo, who was already putting his helmet on. By then, these two were on the run. Bad stress, confusion. The running of the exercise was not much better. John was practicing what he calls "Whistle Control." Second unsat. Six foot four, 280 lbs., in the men's room crying. It meant a lot to him but he was prone to nervousness and just couldn't pull it together at a critical time. He was not the only one to be reduced to tears during the prep.

It was tough. A lot to learn and not a lot of time to do it. It was one of the most intense, challenging, valuable things I've ever done. And I loved it. It's given me a lot of things to think about. More than just teaching the BRC. It has influenced how I relate to people, how I view learning, and how I teach. It has also allowed me to do something practical: to help folks gain the skills and knowledge they need to become safe, responsible riders and to enjoy something I, too enjoy and always have...........MOTORCYCLING!

Thanks Bob and John and thanks to Terry and Larry for believing in me and giving me a great opportunity!



See "Part Three (or How I Did My Only Front Tire Skid Ever During My RiderCoach Evaluation)" in a later posting.

Got ChiPs?

When I was a lad, I used to watch the adventures of the California Highway Patrol officers Frank Poncherello and Jon Baker on the TV show "CHiPs". They would catch the bad guys and come to the rescue of the meek on their Kawasaki police motorcycles. The theme song was great and their were plenty of stunts. I, of course, would imagine myself on the bikes zooming around with them.

These days my motorcycle chips have to do with teaching the Motorcycle Safety Foundation's Basic Rider Course. I use the numbered poker chips to divide up the questions in the classroom workbook, an idea I learned in my training. (Thanks John! John the RiderCoach Trainer, not Jon 7-Mary-3 of the CHP.) It's fun and hands on and saves time - everyone knows what questions to do and when their turn is up.

Ahhh, growing up...

Check out the official chip case. MSF and Huggies teamed up on this one. It is waterproof, has an industrial strength hinge and custom fliptop guide. Sweet.

Like Family

John told us in training to treat students like you would want your own family to be treated. "How would you want someone to treat your mother or your brother if they took this course?" That really makes sense to me and has been a good guide for handling situations that come up during the BRC.

You may find yourself a little frustrated with the student who can't seem to focus during the demo and then consistently goes the wrong way during the exercise. Or get a bit fed up with the guy who keeps revving the throttle while he's waiting in line. You might wish that somebody would just quit and go home because they're just not up to it.

But how would you feel if your dad or your daughter called you up and said they didn't get a fair shot at the BRC they just paid $300 for? How would you feel if you were stressed out learning something beyond your comfort level, doing your best, only to be told (in words or indirectly through someone's attitude) you weren't wanted there.

That would stink, wouldn't it?

You've got to be compassionate. You've got to be patient. Even when you're tired. You've got to give them the benefit of the doubt. And be nice. Because we're the professionals. And they're paying for a service. And they're going to be riding motorcycles in traffic. Soon.

It's all about what they need.

Hell, I'm just going to treat everybody I meet how I want members of my own family treated! I mean, they're somebody's family, right? And the way I look at it, we're all in this together. On and off the road.

The Long and Winding Road

I've been longing for a long ride.

Time to air out, get away, clean out the mental junk drawer, do some long division in my head to figure out my gas mileage while I ride to nowhere in particular.

Take some lazy curves at 55.

Really doesn't have to be that long a ride. Hour and a half. A long break. Mosey back a different way. Smell the air. Feel the temperature changes at dusk. Warm on the hilltops where the sun is still hitting the road. Cool in the shadows in the low areas.

A little time to stop all the words. Worries.

Chill out. See a deer just standing there on the side of the road, looking at me.

And then to be glad to pull into the driveway.

Home sweet home.

The Journey Begins...

...with the smallest step.


A coworker needed a Range Aid to help set up exercises for his motorcycle school. Would I be interested?

I have been riding since I was a teenager. I love bikes and riding. "Sure."

Weeks went by. Our schedules didn't coincide for a while. Then, he came to me and said that what he really needed was another RiderCoach. He would pay the expenses if I would take the training. It would be during the summer vacation. Perfect. This had much more appeal. I would be teaching people to ride and making more money. Great! At the same time this would give me an opportunity to improve my skills (my biggest strategy - SKILL = SURVIVAL) and finally see what the "MSF" was all about.

I had heard of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation before. Once upon a time, I researched how one could improve riding skills and had discovered the MSF. I had wanted to take a class for a long time but did not know which one was right for me. The Basic Rider Course was apparently for beginners. I then found out that the Experienced Rider Course was not about advanced skills per se, but rather basic skills for people who needed a refresher. This was discouraging. I wanted to know about mastering braking techniques, expert cornering, road strategies, high speed swerving.........I wanted to be challenged and figure out ways to protect myself. I wanted the good stuff. (Little did I know at the time, I was lacking fundamentals that would prove to be very valuable and could have been learned or perfected simply by taking the Basic Rider Course.)


There were a lot of hoops to jump through in order to get ready. I was informed late in the game that the training course to become a RiderCoach would be held in June, not July as was previously thought. I was still working during June. This was going to be tricky. I had to apply for personal leave. I had to prepare for over a week of absence. Difficult to do if you do it right. Resonsibility. Would I even get the leave approved? The State had requirements. There were forms, papers, fees.......

Then I learned more about the program. It was rigorous. Not everybody made it through ( this seemed sensible to me but not exactly reassuring..... I had a lot riding on it because if I didn't pass, I would not get reimbursed by my sponsor or the State, I would have lost wages, I wouldn't be working as a RiderCoach making money...........etc.). There was pre-course work. There was homework. You had to pass a strict riding evaluation. Wow.

On the other hand, I thought, I wanted a challenge and one presented itself. I may have had a lot to lose but I also had a lot to gain. I also got lucky. The RiderCoach Prep would be held in Maine not far from me! "Okay," I thought. Let's do this!

Helmet Hell

So I was recently at a bike shop discussing motorcycle helmets with a store employee. She's quite knowledgeable about the products and does a lot of riding herself.

I was looking for a replacement face shield for my full face Bieffe. Nope, no gots. Apparently they don't make that model anymore. I resisted the temptation to say, "So what? You're telling me you don't stock some shields for it? It's not like this thing is old, you know!" Can you believe, she said that they don't continue models very long and then some parts are harder to get..........? It gets worse: She was also telling me about a workshop she went to that discussed, among other things, the fact that helmet effectiveness drops greatly after they age 5 years.

Are you kidding me!!?? Five years and out? I mean, I know it's my head and all, but jimminy......I broke off the moss to get a real nice helmet and..........now what? Some jackass with a microscope is worried about the space age foam breaking down?!! Wasn't the space age foam what made it cost so much in the first place? Or are you just trying to sell me a new helmet? You're killing me.

I'm in Helmet Hell!

More research needed.

I should have asked her if a twenty year old snowmobile helmet bought for $5 at a garage sale was a bad idea....

*** Exercise 1 ***

For some reason (it certainly wasn't from training because they didn't show us this way..... I just forgot how they did it), I always thought that you had to have students point out all the controls before they mounted the bike, then get on and point them out all over again and operate them.

It's the part that says, "Walk around motorcycle identifying controls." I remember having them point out everything. I would read the entire list right from handlebars to ignition switch. Then they would get on and do it all over again!

Now I realize that that instruction is for them to do on their own. It's a discovery process for them. You don't need to hold their hands right then (DON'T CREATE A DEPENDENT LEARNER!). The RC then has them "Identify and manipulate the following.........." So why would you have them do it before they mount, too? It's just a waste of time.

Hello, McFly?!! RTFC!!!

My other thought on 1 is that we should make it light and fun. Sure, they've got to learn this stuff, but I think it can become a bore if the RC delivers it too dry. For me, it helps to remember that for beginners who are on a bike for the first time, it's a real thrill. As for experienced riders, the RC doesn't have to apologize for boring them as long as it's fun. Also, I've found that most of them go for the key and neutral instead of doing THUMB-KEY-VALVE when they shut down. Learning a new way that makes good sense might make them realize that the curriculum has something to offer everyone on every exercise, even if it's something as simple as using the front brake when you mount/dismount. That might open them up a bit to get all they can out of the BRC.

Burning Daylight

One day in training (and I've heard him say it during a BRC as well) John said, "Let's go! We're burnin' daylight!"

One of my favorites, too. John Wayne said it in the movie "The Cowboys". Something I say myself. Brings a smile and is a good, no nonsense way to remember that you have to manage your time.

And not just on the range!

RiderCoach Theme Songs

You gotta have fun out there.

My first BRCs had me focused on mechanics and required so much attention to running the exercises that I wasn't exactly relaxed. After doing more classes and building my confidence it became more fun.

Training was intense and serious. I was under pressure to perform and do well. And one thing that makes me feel foolish is to be goofing around or appear to be cavalier and then SCREW UP! It's like people are looking at you thinking, "Good job, Funny Man!" It just makes it worse!

But sometimes, John would sing, "I'm so excited!......And I just can't hide it!" It was like a theme song. Kept him going and added some levity.

I found myself relaxing more as time went on. "Home...home on the range!" in my best cowboy baritone. Then came Aerosmiths "Back in the Saddle Again." And I did some harmony vocals on "I'm So Excited" too.

You gotta have fun out there!

April, 2011 (first class of the season).........

Donnie innovated "Turn Your Head", an interpretation of Quiet Riot's "Bang Your Head." Oh, yes.......we went there. It was exercise 13. Two highly trained, grown men with twelve people's safety in their hands singing classic 80's metal. Righteous.

Like I said, you gotta make it fun!

*** On the Road Again ***

Recently I was riding on a rural highway. It was sunny out and a great day for a cruise.

I noticed a single headlight in my rear view mirror gradually getting closer. It looked like a Harley and he had a passenger.

A couple of miles down the road I saw that he was right behind me and still closing. I was wondering if he was actually going to try to share the lane with me or even pass on the right.

What's with this guy? Is he mistaking me for someone he usually rides with?

I have to say that I'm not a fan of riding two abreast. There isn't enough room and you can't change your position in the lane - something you need to do a lot around here with the condition of the roads and all the curves. I guess it would be cool to do it in the sense that it might feel more like you were riding together. Maybe that's why people do it. And if you don't have your helmet on, I guess you could even carry on a conversation. But not me. It just doesn't feel safe. And I always wear my helmet.

When I do ride with other folks, we don't talk. We ride. We talk when we stop. I suppose if I had one of those intercom systems...

Anyway, back to the road - At this point he's really crowding me. He's in my blind spot on the left and slowly creeping up even more. So I speed up just a tad and position myself to the right. I was considering making a right and letting him go by but that option wasn't available at the moment. Then opportunity - there was a break in oncoming traffic on a long straightaway. He was in the left part of the lane still and again closing in. I eased off the throttle a bit and let him slowly pass.

Just as we were exactly two abreast the guy smiles and nods as if to say, "Yeah, man. We're ridin' together!" As they went by the passenger was smiling and waving as if we were old friends.

What the?

Now don't get me wrong. I don't mean to be a spoil sport, and I feel the camaraderie among bikers, but I don't know this guy from Adam. And that's not how I ride. Crazy.

We're all aware of being careful around cars and trucks but sometimes (even though it seems like they should know better) I guess you have to watch out for other motorcyclists, too!

*** Rear View ***

My first bike was a 1975 Honda CB 750. I saw it for sale on the side of the road. It was metallic red with black on the sides of the tank and a white pinstripe. I had always wanted to have a motorcycle. I had to have it.

Somehow I scraped the cash together. He wanted $700 for it, but I confidently returned with $600 cash and a good bit of determination. When I got there, he offered to give me a test ride. I was disappointed when I realized that he meant that I would ride on the back, but considering I was sixteen and didn't know how to ride yet, that was probably a good thing. Boy, could she go!

After some dickering and me waving the wad of cash around, he agreed to take the $600 for it. We filled out some paperwork. My big plan for getting the bike home was...Well, I didn't have a plan. I just knew I had to get it home. So I'd ride it.

Picture a total beginner on a big bike (including side boxes, backrest and a full fairing) in some stranger's driveway, repeatedly stalling as he tries to pull out.

"Umm...you ever rode before?"

"Not that much."

"Okay."

He brought me across the street to a sandy lot and showed me the art of clutch and throttle coordination. I knew the principle because my dad had long since taught me how to drive a stick. Problem was, things are a bit different on a bike.

Five minutes later, I set off down the back roads at dusk (actually that was the only thing I had planned - to try to sneak home under the early darkness). I rationalized to myself that it was just a few miles. I could do it. I just had to avoid John Q. Law as I didn't even have a permit and there were no plates on the back.

Clutch in, shift up to second....then third......then fourth.

It was getting cooler and I could feel the crisp air as I rode into each low area between hills. The headlight cast a yellow oval on the dark asphalt ahead. I didn't go fast. This was no time for a mishap. My time would come. I just enjoyed the ride. And what a ride! This was nothing like driving a car. I could hear the drone of the powerful engine clearly and I felt the leaning of the machine in the curves, that balancing act. It was better than I had imagined.

I must be a quick learner or just plain lucky, because I arrived home safe and sound with my bike. MY BIKE! What a rush! As I got to the house I shut off the engine, coasted along the driveway, and parked it out back. I'm home. I did it!

There was only one more hurdle to get over: avoiding detection by the old gunfighter - my dad. If he knew that I had ridden that bike home...let's just say that I wouldn't have been physically able to ride for a while. That is, if I still had a bike to ride after that. The TV must have been on because he never came out of the house.

I can't say it felt good to deceive my father. He has always prized integrity above all things and he has never been unfair with me. But the feelings of getting that machine home - of excitement, of ownership - they overshadowed the twinges of guilt.

I wanted to celebrate when I went in the house but knew that I couldn't. Somehow I had to stifle an ear to ear grin instead. It didn't matter, though. I had my bike! I would share everything with my family and friends when the time was right - or when I couldn't contain myself any longer.

That night, I lied in bed dreaming of exploring side roads, taking long rides, the thunder of four cylinders roaring beneath me... a feeling of freedom came over me that I hadn't anticipated.

And I read my owner's manual from cover to cover. Twice.



Footnote: I'm not really proud of the way I began to ride motorcycles. Years of experience, trial and error, reading, and near misses have taught me well, and I improve my technique and practice every year. I could have, however, learned all that and then some in a two day BRC and been safer all these years. Just one more reason I am an advocate for training!

The Year Round Motorcyclist

I recently read an article about some guy commuting to work in Boston on a motorcycle in winter. The accompanying picture showed him on a city street covered in snow and ice while he death-gripped the handlebars.

It made me think of that yearly rally in Germany where they set out for the mountains in the dead of winter.

I thought, "What if I tried to ride every day for one whole year?" Just to do it, you know?

I was thinking an adventure tourer, a heated suit, spiked tires like the ice racers use. Hmmm...

Then I realized that I pick up the kids after work every day. Somehow, I don't think they'd like it.

Maybe when they're older and I'm hitting my midlife crisis...and the life insurance is paid up.

Gearing Up

For 20 years I've been riding with regular boots or over-the-ankle hiking shoes, jeans, a black leather Hein Gericke motorcycle jacket, Darth Vader gauntlet gloves and rain suits from hell (the kind workmen use - kinda bulky).

During the RiderCoach Prep I was feeling self-conscious about not looking the part of a serious, experienced motorcyclist, much less professional riding instructor.

This year I decided to change all that. I wanted to get good, purpose-built motorcycle gear to protect myself and to be ready for a variety of weather and riding conditions. After all, a comfortable motorcyclist is an alert motorcyclist. It was time to get better prepared for the road.

I also wanted to get gear that was more visible. My stuff was all dark colored (see earlier entry called "High Visibility").

I got a waterproof textile touring jacket made by Joe Rocket. I also bought the Ballistic 5.0 pants that zip into all their jackets. Both units are armored and padded in all the right places and are designed for the riding position.

On a smaller scale, new gloves were in order. The Darth Vader gloves have always made my hands sweat in summer and they were hard to get off. The insulated linings didn't come out for easy drying, either. I settled on Icon Tarmac v 2.0 gloves. They're breathable, have armor for the knuckles, and snugly conform to the rider's hands in the riding position. The goatskin palms and fingers give excellent feel and grip.

For the piece de resistance I broke off the moss for a really good pair of motorcycle boots. Finally, after all this time! Once I got past the ankle problem (the left heel cup was rubbing on the underside of my ankle bone making them impossible to wear for more than a minute) I was very pleased. I went to a shoemaker who figured out a simple solution: raise up the feet a quarter of an inch with an insert. The boots are called The Solution Waterproof Boot by TourMaster. Definitely good value for the money.

I eventually got an excellent rain suit from FirstGear. Waterproof jacket and pants or not, I knew there would be times when I wanted to wear the leather Hein Gericke jacket and would need to stow a compact rain suit in the tank bag. Plus, it would be good to have it for doing the range portion of the BRC in the rain.

It really is great to have top notch riding gear. I feel better prepared and more in the groove when I ride. Distractions from wind, rain, and bugs are all gone. And looking good doesn't hurt either!

Gear up!

ATGATT stands for All The Gear All The Time

BRCs

The first BRCs I have done have been on a modified range. After all the work I had done to become competent on the full sized range during training, I was disappointed to have to transition to the different format.

Later, I embraced the challenge. I reasoned that continuing my learning would keep me sharp. Also, comparing the modified range exercises to the full sized range exercises would allow me to extract the most important aspects of the hands on development in the course. In other words, what is the focus of each exercise? What is critical? If a part of a full range exercise and time management were altered, what would be different on the modified range and why?

Teaching those first classes was a real educational experience! I saw a few crashes, noticed that I was able to stay calm and assess the situation, then react in a controlled way to reassure students and keep the intensity low. I learned how to deal with the unexpected and how to handle students doing unscripted things (and us when we made a mistake or two. A bit nerve wracking, especially the first few, but as I did more and more courses, I felt myself worrying less about transitions and executing the exercises correctly and having my mind free to dedicate my attention to better coaching, less coaching, and the student experience. And that's what it's all about.........not me, but THEM and WHAT THEY NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL.

The challenges are many for a new RC, but the rewards are more. It's been a good season.

Best Practice

On the MSF's website I've discovered a great feature called "Best Practices". It's full of great ideas on things you can do to enhance the classroom experience and to aid riders' development on the range.

Assuming that these techniques have been approved by MSF (after all, they are published on the official website) I have used a couple and they really worked well.

I look forward to using the site's resources further to help students of the BRC and to deepen my own understanding and technique.

Rider Education in the UK

They do things differently over there. It seems there are a number of tiers of the motorcycle license. As you graduate to the next level you can move up from scooter to small bike to bigger displacement machines. It looks very well organized (organised) and thorough. I think this is a great system because with a general motorcycle license in the U.S. you can ride anything you want. I'm not saying I want that system here. I value the freedom of the individual to make choices. We all know, however, that some folks get in over their heads by moving up too soon.

I've seen a number of websites devoted to rider education. They have safety gear on and expert instructors to guide the students. I keep seeing "BMW Riding School." I don't know if they are the only ones who do the testing or if they are just one of the prominent groups who do it.

In the British bike magazine Motorcycle Sport and Leisure, an excellent publication, I saw a DVD advertised on motorcycle safety. It was called "Better Biking" and is put out by the DSA (Driving Standards Association) which apparently governs the benchmarks for licensing, etc. I promptly ordered it, curious to find out what their perspectives on riding were like.

The DVD is awesome! It starts out with advice on picking a suitable machine for your purposes and getting fitted with good gear (what they call "kit."

Then comes my favorite part - riding instruction. They show you a student rider followed by an instructor who is evaluating. A voiceover tells you good and bad points of the student's riding technique and positioning. After, the ride is analyzed bit by bit, with freeze-framing to hone in on key errors. Lastly, an expert rider demonstrates the ideal techniques and positioning for the same terrain and traffic situations.

Naturally, specifics with regard to lane changes and cornering are a bit different because they don't ride on the right side of the road. The principles are the same, though, with one exception: The technique of "filtering." Apparently, in the U.K. it is permissible to ride between lanes of cars on the highway. Yowza. I'm going to give that a big no, thanks.


Very educational and a lot of fun!

Cheers.

Motorcycle Mags

I've been doing a lot of reading lately in a number of motorcycle magazines, mainly Rider and an awesome British publication I just discovered called Motorcycle Sport and Leisure (MSL).
It's really interesting to compare views from each side of the Pond and to read about two different test rides on the same machine.


The things I find most useful and entertaining in order of preference:

1. Articles on safety. Good advice and thinking points abound. Each article has a specific focus.

2. Touring accounts. It's fun to travel vicariously and some tours have made my to-do list.

3. Perspectives. Keeping up with developments in the motorcycling community.

4. Tech Q & A. Help with mechanical problems.

5. Product reviews. I like knowing what's out there and what other riders think of new products.

6. Retrospectives. Fresh looks at older bikes.

7. Test rides. New innovations help me realize what limitations my bikes have. The prices help me appreciate having bikes that are paid for! Oh yeah, and I can test ride great machines vicariously!


Happy reading!

High Visibility

In the BRC we talk about safety gear. It can be used to accomplish two important things: firstly, to protect your head and body from damage in the event of a crash; secondly, to make you more visible.

Being seen is critical. It can make the difference between someone saying, "Oh, look at that flashy gear!" or, "I didn't even see him!" (after they've run into or over you).

As I taught my first few BRCs, I started to question the fact that my helmet was black (black is an extremely popular color for motorcycle gear and accessories, perhaps because of some "cool" type association with black leather). I had also just purchased a black and dark gray touring jacket. My longtime riding jacket before that was a leather Hein Gericke (a great, purpose-built motorcycle jacket but also black).

So here I was telling people to be visible and I was riding around in black, dark gray, and... more black. Hmmm.

I decided to do something about it.

Soon after, I found myself in a cycle dealership scoping out good deals on a brighter jacket. I found a big off-season sale and went for it. I also got a steal on a brightly colored matching helmet (Snell approved, no less. I later realized why it was on sale: It's noisy! I'm working on that).

The photos below approximate daytime appearance (no flash, just ambient light) and nighttime appearance when headlights are on you (flash used). They show how my dark gear compares to my new, bright gear.



Old helmet - day




New helmet - day




Old helmet - night
Since I started "Project Vis' " I have added some retro-reflective strips on this helmet to increase visibility. These orange strips are leftover from registration stickers that I trimmed because they are a bit too big to fit on the license plates

Even so, the new helmet still wins out...





New helmet - night




Old jacket - day



New jacket - day
It's so different!



Old jacket - night
The large retro-reflective trim helps




New jacket - night




Rain gear can be used anytime, but will definitely be worn when it's raining and visibility is low. For some reason (public preference, I guess) a lot of rain gear is also made in black. In fact, at the store I went to, the only colors on the rack were black and black with dark green. I decided to order the yellow jacket.


Day



Night


I like the features of the gray and black touring jacket. It's to late to return it but I've got a solution. I'm going to incorporate additional retro reflective material and safety lime-yellow or orange material into the shell. I've seen some silver or gray with lime-yellow jackets and even all lime-yellow jackets in the shops, in catalogs, and on the road and they look pretty cool.

And you can see them from a mile away!

Continuing Education - Read the FINE CARDS!

The fine cards are so dense! There is so much information in them that I find myself referring back to them again and again. I guess it's like any other reference. You cannot possibly get it all at once. Furthermore, things come up that you can't anticipate. So, what to do? Read the FINE CARDS!


And I also frequent the pages of the RiderCoach Guide. There are a lot of clues in there about the intent of the exercises and how they shpuld be run. There's a lot in this curriculum. I can't imagine not studying, reviewing, and self-evaluating often!

RiderCoach Prep - Getting the MOST out of Training - Part One

I knew from the beginning of my training.......or, actually, before ( I got a long pre-course assignment with my introductory package; Terry, my coworker and sponsor, had also told me about his prep) that this was going to be quite demanding. We had to learn a lot to be able to teach novice riders the two day course designed by the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Five hours of classroom, ten hours of on-the-bike exercises on the range. I was, well...concerned. It was going to be a big commitment of resources. An hour and a half round trip. My wife and two little ones at home...lots to do! Was I going to do well? What defects do I have in my riding? Who were these guys?

The first day set the tone: serious but good natured; challenging but fun. The two trainers didn't waste any time getting us on the range. Paperwork, introductions, then, "Okay. Grab your gear and meet us outside. Let's get these bikes out of the container." Before we knew it we were puzzling over exercise diagrams and running around with hands full of little rubber cones. Two teams. Who can set up their half of the course correctly first? Look at the cards. Figure it out. Hustle! Ugh! Lost the first one! So many markings on the pavement. Which ones fit each exercise? I got in gear and my team got it done after that - every time.

The message was clear: This was a thinking, doing sort of thing. You had to be sharp and get up to speed or fall behind. No one was going to lay it all out for you. Having to take on the responsibility for our own learning drew us all in and made us realize that we had to be focused, involved. And these guys weren't going to miss a thing. It was obvious that they could glance at the range and just see the whole picture. It was either right or wrong. I think they enjoyed watching us scramble around, too! (I'm thinking they were getting a read on how we were going to perform during the course at the same time. Who would lead? Who would coast? Who was a quick study? Etc...)

Later I would wonder at how patient they were with us. It must have been torturous watching us fumble around with things that were so well established for them. Part of teaching, but still.... more credit to them.

After the ice was broken and we had taken a glimpse of what the range exercises would be like, it was time to get down to brass tacks. The Basic Rider Course...what was it all about? After all, this was really about the students we would teach after the training.

I'll confess that for most of the training I was so wrapped up with my own learning and performance that I lost sight of that for a while. It was fairly late in the game that I focused on the perspective of the nervous, first time rider behind the handlebars. That's when things started clicking about what the whole thing was going to look like. It wasn't just about cones, lines, and signals!

Let's ride. They put us through a condensed version of the entire BRC. It was fast paced and dense. In so doing, they hit upon all the essential aspects of RiderCoaching. They modeled range instruction techniques and classroom best practices. Reflecting on those early experiences later proved to be an immense source of information and was the best guidance for later development. How did we do this exercise before? How did we divide up the questions in the classroom? In short, they showed us how to do it well.

I felt in good hands. Bob and John were obviously incredibly experienced riders and coaches. Their expertise was evident. And to watch them ride the demos was, well...awesome. Like robots...not really robots...it was too fluid to say that. More like....automatic. It's the mastery thing...when someone makes a skill look effortless, perfect. I had to smile.

I felt like I was definitely in the right place. Concerns and guilt about missing work seemed to vanish. I was doing something useful, important, challenging. This was going to be good.