I don't think you need a lesson with Dean Ellison to learn how to ride safely on the road. Bike capability, sure, but when you apply road conditions it's not the same thing. I read somewhere that around half of motorcycle accidents are at junctions. Track riding doesn't really help with this. Reactions possibly, but you need a good amount of track time to develop this.
well i got a lot out of it. i will continue to do road stuff to help me become a better rider on road. i will do track stuff to help me become the track god i dream of becoming. there is of course a 'system' and in my case it was IPSGA which will be familiar to many here. i didnt agree with all of it esp the bit about defaulting into the 'lurker' (position 1) on the road but all else seemed very pragmatic if your objective is to make safe progress on the road in all conditions i was told off for being in position 2 and whilst i could justify it, it wasnt being met with much sympathy the bikesafe syllabus is changing however as some dont believe junctions should form part of it - no idea why give thats where so much bad stuff happens
Track vs. Road totally different. For a start everyone is going in the same direction on a track, there's no pedestrians about to walk out from behind a parked car, no manhole covers to deal with, no one going to pull out on me, and unlikely to be any fluids on the surface and plenty of visibility with run off. I've been trackdaying for 21 years, raced for 3 done several CSS levels and I'm much faster/confident on a track because I don't have to consider the above, plus I've got to learn 10-12 corners usually, too many what if's on the road for me to put myself at risk. Would I learn much from a bikesafe course, I really don't know I've been road riding since 1998, but I've been punted off and ended up with 2 broken legs, 3 collapsed vertebrae and a written off bike because someone wasn't looking. There's always something to learn however small IMO, even if it's just a refresher to jog your memory, for £60 and potentially keeping you alive it's a no brainer.
I’ve seen loads of guys who have been riding for years yet still seem to be on the left for left hand bends….and centre of the road on rights.
Humour me, a serious question. How have you arrived at the impression someone delivering advanced rider coaching will tell you that ? Andy
Having done 3 advanced bike courses with the police as well as the normal IAM etc, as well as trackdays, you can’t compare. Track is about pushing limits within a controlled environment and understanding how the bike works/moves under stress - hard braking and accelerating mainly. Then you fine tune it to go faster, whilst understanding the feedback you’re receiving through your hands and feet to make adjustments. Riding on the road is about safety, positioning and lowering the probability of having a collision, not speed. An advanced bike course on the road, if it teaches you one simple trick or new thought process, it has achieved its objective. Skill fade is something people forget happens to us all.
And with more anticipation and skill comes more safe speed. There’s a reason why some cop on an overweight tourer can keep up with some crotch-rocket hero when in pursuit
Why did you dip the first two courses QUOTE="Jewell, post: 1869804, member: 44962"]Having done 3 advanced bike courses with the police as well as the normal IAM etc, as well as trackdays, you can’t compare. Track is about pushing limits within a controlled environment and understanding how the bike works/moves under stress - hard braking and accelerating mainly. Then you fine tune it to go faster, whilst understanding the feedback you’re receiving through your hands and feet to make adjustments. Riding on the road is about safety, positioning and lowering the probability of having a collision, not speed. An advanced bike course on the road, if it teaches you one simple trick or new thought process, it has achieved its objective. Skill fade is something people forget happens to us all.[/QUOTE]
From my own experience they like a good road block further up the road 6 Jam Sandwiches all across the road, thought I’d better stop and see what the problem was.
Riding a marked police motorbike and an unmarked Police motorbike, one for Traffic and the latter for Surveillance have completely different objectives, hence the different courses.
Think my old force, sorry service only had one. Traffic guys only have to do a standard course for bikes. Don’t know if they even have to be advanced for cars nowadays or just standard.
