MotoMark1

[Sonor]

Yesterday I took the MotorMark1.com, precision maneuvering class. It is an all day class from 8:45 to after 5:00 p with 80 percent on your bike. The instructor said in the beginning, give the class 100% but do not push beyond 80% of your abilities. At the end of the day I heard one student say to another, “this day was work, I’m not sure it was fun.” So if you are serious about riding, take this advanced class. If you just want to ride in a herd from donut shop to donut shop and talk about bikes don’t read on.

The day starts with an intro and explanation of the day ahead. Then there is about forty minutes of class. During this time the instructor, Mark Brown, formally of the N.C. State Police motor division, talks about statistics and riding techniques. As we have learned, 38 percent of all bike fatalities are due to rider error. Out of these, most are either related to poor breaking or cornering technique with the third highest being alcohol related. So if you drink, do not drive your bike.

Now you hit the course. The first of the drills is ten cones in a line, 14 ft. apart. The object is NO BREAKING, all clutch and throttle swerving. There are many little hints imparted about clutch use and where your head and eyes should be but I will leave those hints to you taking the class. You run this course approximately four times with the rest of the class and go back into the class room. You have been video taped and now you watch for your mistakes. With all types of bikes (sport through cruiser) you learn about your mistakes and others. Back to course.

Now there is a new addition to the course, a exaggerated swerve. At first this was a nightmare for me and I have been riding for years. The reason – you fall out of good technique and your body locks in on bad technique. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO UNLEARN BAD HABITS. Again, after you do the straight line swerving, you go into the exaggerated swerving and after four times, back into the class room to watch your mistakes. Three things I learned about me: in tight swerving, I did not keep my head and line of vision high enough, I did not power through the corners (remember no breaking), and since they were tight swerves I needed to counter balance the bike. Once I got them together, I was good. Back to the course.

A third scenario was added, the figure eight. Two tight circles with an equally tight exit point were added to the previous course. Now you go through the straight line cone weave, the exaggerated cone swerving, and two 360 circles with the second one reverse of the first. I have to say, the figure eight KICKED MY BUTT. It wasn’t because of the bike, but my reluctance to trust the right hand corner like I did in the left hand corner. Something about hanging one cheek off the high side and then quickly switching to the other side which is now the high side that really was embarrassing. Again, back into the class room and watch the videos.

Further additions to the track as the day went on were the Iron Cross, at speed stopping, at speed stop and go, at speed slow down and accident avoidance. All-in-all, there is nothing like this course. I was exhausted at the day’s end but I have learned so much about me, the bike, riding the bike, and pushing my abilities the price for this course is nothing: especially if just one of these techniques prevents an accident.

Two points of note: I did not drop my bike while others did, one repeatedly. Everyone supported each other and the instructors were first rate.

[Firefight911]

Good synopsis and analysis of the course and the need for rider skill!

 

Braking skills are important but I like how the course focused a lot on not using brakes as many times braking needs to be secondary to maneuvering and throttle.

 

One addition which I am sure the course imparted, any course is going to give you skills which are not mastered in a class setting. It takes repeated, consistent practice on a continual basis to become ingrained and second nature. Only then do you have the skill to draw upon should the need arise.

 

We all can learn from this and need to be honest with ourselves, lose our pride, and go find a parking lot somewhere and go practice. A LOT!

[Sonor]

No joke!!! They said, "everything you learn here is a perishable skill - practice them."

 

Just sad how much I had let slide over the past couple of years.

[BerndM]

I tried to go to MotorMark1.com but there is no such website.

Finally found it under

 

http://www.motomark1.com/

 

great info

Thanks

[Michaelr11]

A typo by the original poster, as you found. It's moto not motor...

 

 

[NCStephen]

Z-man,

Good account of the day. I think it was one well spent!

NCS

[Sonor]

Thanks Stephen - it was a good day.

 

Sorry about the typo in the body of the text but the title had it correct. www.motomark1.com