Recent Training Experience to Share

[NumbHands]

A couple of Saturdays ago, I took some police academy motorcycle training offered to civilians in Northern California (Bay Area)

 

http://www.alamedacountysheriff.org/rtc/classes/evoc/1day_adv_civ_motor/class.htm

 

This was great instruction. I was humbled by the experience but only reinforced my motivation to seek out motorman-type training.

 

I submit LEOs on bikes have more exposure to risk and hazards - they do it all day - , and they wear little if any protective gear. I am guessing they make up a significant percentage of the motorcycle miles driven. And they ride big motorcycles like us. Yet you don't often read about them dying from accidents. If you do, it seems to be from being run over while on the side of the freeway. So, I figure the training is making the difference and I owe it to my family to check this out.

 

Raleigh Peterson, a retired motor cop and long time trainer, runs the course. He offers Basic, Intermediate,and Advanced levels. I signed up for the Advanced thinking I had successfully mastered the experienced rider course at MSF but that was way over my ability at this point. It didn't really matter as there were only 3 of us and two (including me) were not Advanced by his standards, so he was able to spend lots of personal time with each of us at our own level. Instructor/student ratio is limited to 1:6. Master the Advanced course and you are ready to compete in a bike rodeo.

What level is appropriate for the potential student is a little bit of a challenge. As I stated, I have taken the experienced rider course @ MSF which was not nearly as challenging as the stuff we were doing at the academy. My guess is that MSF course fits his basic course. Please, no newbies.

The course included a little classroom and a lot of in-the-saddle work. The class goes on rain or shine so bring your gear. Price for the instruction compares to others - MSF and Ride Like a Pro - but the motorcycle rental is only $50. Old Kawasaki 1000cc police bikes that looked like crap but ran perfectly. Nice and big just like our RT machines, but with Harley-type foot controls and posture, plus the usual crash bars. You could drop them (I did, er, more than once) without killing your legs.

The training ground is large and varied, not just your flat empty parking lot. There are paved roads of varying widths and slope to practice your left and right, uphill and downhill u-turns. There is even a steep dirt trail for training how to ride a cruiser when you don't have tarmac! (Yes, motor officers need to know how to do that.) That was not part of my experience as it was raining and probably too slick for traction. I had enough on my plate as it was. The course uses full size traffic cones which can be intimidating in a tight maze but more realistic than split tennis balls. Potential collision obstacles in the real world, like bumpers and fenders, are not two inches off the ground.

 

Raleigh states that to fully train an officer, assuming he doesn't wash out (they do) takes about 30 consecutive days for the muscles to memorize the responses. Therefore, to master these skills requires practice as discussed in this thread:

When executing a tight radius slow speed turn...

 

It reminds me of flight training. You have to practice to "get" it, and you have to practice it to stay proficient, especially the emergency stuff.

 

I highly recommend this training opportunity and plan to do it again. I find it hard to believe it is not booked solid. Lack of publicity I suspect. Perhaps this post will help. I think it is a bargain.I made a couple of mistakes, like riding 600 miles from San Diego to Dublin, CA the day before and not just via the freeway. I was really more fatigued from this than I thought I would be. My hands were plenty tired the day after from all the friction-zone work and my self-imposed "grip of fear". That made the ride home on Sunday painful. Next time I will take the cage and allow a day of R&R on both sides.

 

This is the only police skill-set training I know of.

 

Michael

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[upflying]

I went through a one day advanced motor officer course there two weeks ago. Once every three months or so, the area motors get together for a training day to keep our skills sharp. This was my first visit at this facility because my basic motor training was at CHP in 1989. I still managed to get through the tight cone patterns without dropping my Harlem Davis. Mastery of the clutch/throttle gray area and well as correct head and eye placement is essential. At the end of the day, we had a timed competition course through the various patterns. I managed a 1:54, not too far back from the top time of 1:47. Remember, smooth is fast.

[Rotor]

If you look, there are several of these schools around the country. I and another motor cop friend looked into organizing a civilian based training class. We spent several years on and off working on it; but, when it came down to brass-tacks there simply did not appear to be a market that would sustain it. A lot of people talk; few of them commit.

 

Most don’t want to risk dropping their personal bike. For us, the purchase of school bikes for students to ride put the plan a little out of reach.

 

[waylap]

THIS ONE is incredible if you ever get the chance to attend. Two weeks of pain and pleasure!

 

[NumbHands]

The rental rate is certainly an attractive feature of the Alameda County offering. No one else I have run across comes close.

 

Bob - you're good! I would consider that an excellent time. Do you do rodeo? While I was there, one of the civilians was organizing a civilian rodeo for the Bay Area w/ the Alameda County trainers as judges.

 

Michael

[upflying]

The rental rate is certainly an attractive feature of the Alameda County offering. No one else I have run across comes close.

 

Bob - you're good! I would consider that an excellent time. Do you do rodeo? While I was there, one of the civilians was organizing a civilian rodeo for the Bay Area w/ the Alameda County trainers as judges.

 

Michael

 

Not sure what you mean by rodeo but doing low speed cone patterns is a necessary training evil for motors. I would not want to do patterns for pleasure since it's too much like work... and easy to get hurt. Most agencies would frown on the use of their motorcycle for off-duty activities.

I should mention that I was a competitor in the 1991 Pacific Grove Police Motorcycle Competition. Here's what it looked like in 2005.

[John, Northeast Florida]

To many this training/achievement is the Holy Grail of riding. But then again, while I'm very far from achieving the slow-riding techniques and my response smacks of the Fox and the Sour Grapes/Aesop's Fable, there are in many people's minds that there are in fact as important, if not more important, aspects of safe riding than the elusive 16 foot U-turn scraping pegs and/or or some of the more complicated cone/weaves.

 

The initial argument (threadstarter) IMO discounts the fact that motormen have lots and lots of experience as they ride a lot more. Tho' that in itself raises more questions than answers in that one my contend that the longer you are on a bike the greater your odds of a mishap/which BTW I don't believe.

 

Perhaps the bottom line is any form of training and discipline contributes to enjoyment and increases skills necessary for safe riding. And yeah, I practice slow-speed techniques but not to any great extent as it's an elusive skill that indeed needs practice. But, IMO there are other skills much more important...self-discipline is one I need lots of work. And let's consider how many of us want to take the necessary risks associated with dropping a 20,000 bike to develop the muscle memory that may be required to develop those skills?

[upflying]

It is my understanding that the low-speed, basic motor officer cone pattern training is a method for weeding out those motor officer recruits that have the skills from those who do not. Back in the day, CHP instructors proudly boasted they have a 40% washout rate. Sure enough 10 of us started and 6 graduated two weeks later. You are given three or four attempts to cleanly negotiate a pattern. If not, you are sent back to drive a Crown Vic. While there is a lot more to enforcement riding than low speed patterns, the skills to keep you safe begin with the basics of hand/eye/clutch/throttle coordination. This can only be assessed during minimum speed, full lock, full lean maneuvers.

 

[Francois_Dumas]

While there is a lot more to enforcement riding than low speed patterns, the skills to keep you safe begin with the basics of hand/eye/clutch/throttle coordination. This can only be assessed during minimum speed, full lock, full lean maneuvers.

 

It is just the beginning. In many countries you can't even continue to the next phase of learning to ride without properly mastering those basic skills, let alone get a license !

[MAT2CHI]

I attended a two day Shane Watts Dirt Wise school last Memorial Weekend. It was a dirt bike class but it really drove home how important proper body positioning is. Shane Watts (Watsey) was absolutely awesome to watch when he showed us what he wanted us to do. No wonder he was the World Enduro Champion.