A few years ago, I spent two days Honda MAC training with an ex Police Class One motorcyclist. I learned more in these two days than I would have done in a lifetime of being left to my own devices. What a guy! Not only did he make teaching - and by inference my ability to absorb, remember, and execute - easy, but his machine control was incredible. I was riding my light, nimble, responsive, Hornet 600, and he was riding the lumbering great standard MAC issue Pan, complete with drum kit on the back. At times he was in front and conditions allowed, he was making monster progress, on twisty roads, with not a single brake light or risky manoeuvre. All totally effortless, planned, and actually balletic in execution.
The highlight for me though was towards the end of my course, after several hundred miles ridden one-to-one with the instructor; leaving a roundabout on to a sweeping A-road, a Transit van was about fifty metres in front, with a Corsa about 100 metres beyond that. Perfect visiblity, no junctions, no pedestrians, and no other traffic. I overtook the Transit, being careful barely to reach sixty in the process, and then pulled back in. A split second later, matey on the Pan is alongside, looking at me, and over the radio intercom I hear "Are we a MOTORCYLCIST? GET ON WITH IT!"
I duly oblidged, punched past the Corsa, and then spent the next ten minutes on perfectly maintained black top, carving bend, after bend, after bend. Thank heavens I'd dispatched the Corsa. The Pan was always in my mirrors - matey seemingly just out for a stroll! - but with knowledge that positioning and decision making was under scrutiny for comment later, the intense feeling of two day's total concentration coming together was absolutely magic.
Pulling in for a cuppa later on, the actual comment was "That was more like it, wasn't it?". This from a guy who six months previously would have been able to nick me!
Thanks, Peter, and thanks Honda UK for such a splendid opportunity.
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When I lived in Hong Kong, I took a similar course with the HK Police (who were then of course trained by the Brits). Despite having ridden for many years prior, I realised I simply had no idea of what was safely possible on a motorcycle until I rode with those guys.
If you ride and get the chance to work with the cops, take it!
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www.bikesafe.co.uk/
Different areas do different things. Round here you get a free observed run for about an hour. Some places it can be a two day course. ISTR many are subsidised by scamera takings so you can get some of your cash back ;)
Martin
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Did my RAC ACU training with a chief instructor who was a police motorcyclist (showing my age) Excellent course. Having that much riding/driving experience distilled and presented was exceptional: Like having an advanced motorist's course at 17! I still use the skills that he taught, even on 4 wheels. His maxim? Drive as though ther's a brick wall round every corner. No-one does, of course, but it's worth remembering for the day when you do find an immovable object that you weren't expecting...
Tim{P}
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I completed a three week riding course with Derbyshire Ambulance Service in 1998 (with Police accredited trainers), prior to doing a year on the Paramedic bike where I work.
I was already reasonably competent as my friend who I regularly ride with is Police driver class 1 and rider trained, and had passed on a lot of advice to me, but nevertheless I still learnt quite a lot, such as if you are following a lorry/artic on twisting roads, to drop right back and move from side to side to get best vision and then possibly by looking up the left side of said vehicle execute an overtake which for 60% of the time would have been impossible to do safely due to lack of forward vision by being tucked right up behind said lorry .
The other thing that was instilled into me was, thou shall not overtake anything if you are approaching a junction unless you are going to be well clear of the car you are passing well before the junction, or if you cannot ?see? all of the junction to check for traffic emerging, and this includes farm entrances on country roads and if the vehicle is a tractor/agricultural vehicle, this includes field entrances. Many a time since, I have been passed mainly by other bikers at junctions where although it is probably 95% safe I just could not do it, just in case.
Finally, apart from learning about all road markings and signs which it seems a significant percentage of drivers on the roads don?t appear to have very much understanding of, it was reinforced to me that when filtering traffic, beware the crossing pedestrian and even more so, beware the car that is tired of queuing and executes a ?u? turn without indicating and due to the fact that they are not expecting traffic coming up the offside don?t look in their mirrors before doing so. Therefore, apart from good observation for signs of turning, ride at a speed at which you could stop.
It certainly taught me to be much safer whilst still being quick. I hope the above doesn?t sound pompous, but they were the three main things that I learnt without going on and on, and maybe they have ?saved? my life. Who knows?
Reggie
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Excellent. I was also taught to always "have a way out", and to "own my lane" so that nobody could muscle in. Also the value of the high power to weight ratio and manoeuvrability of a bike to accelerate out of potentially hazardous situations. I do this every day on the lunatic expressways where we live.
I often think it's because cagers don't understand how a motorcycle operates that they get all juiced up and confuse a rider exploiting his riding opportunities with what they perceive to be risky behaviour. Not that the latter isn't indulged in by some idiots of course, but then there are just as many idiots if not more on 4 or more wheels out there.
On occasions I have also ridden with the Presidential Security Guard. They have their own social club. They've taught me a few wrinkles as well, pretty cool riders on their big Kawas. I asked why they always ride without helmets when escorting the President. It's because a helmet would interfere with their line of sight if they had to use their weapons for any reason. Now you know.
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Yup, "Owning the lane", both whilst in motion and when at a junction (to stop others squeezing you out) was also one of the first things I was taught.
Your second paragraph rings very true, G, and only yesterday I had a cager giving me the Victory Salute and full beam when I smoothly overtook two cars whilst he came the other way. One of those perfect manoeuvres where timing and momentum blend seamlessly. Both cars, doing about fifty, were overtaken, and I was back on my own side of the road, whilst he was still far enough away to land a jumbo jet. Observe, plan, zap. Job done. THEN is when the lights etc came on! Mind you, he had two gremlins (not strapped) on the back seat probably giving him gip.
A few miles further on, filtering in otherwise stationary traffic, a middle aged guy clearly moved out to block me with a strategically placed traffic island. A few seconds patience later, without quite coming to a halt (The Hornet riding position is great for feet up / low speed), I was smoothly past. Along side his open window, my cheery "Nice day to be out, isn't it?" was met with something about travelling away to multiply. ;-)
At journey's end, I stopped at my local garage to top up with fuel ready for the next ride, and was struck by all the miserable people either plainly having to do something they didn't want to, or again, with arguing kids.
Made me smile.
Want a life?
Get a bike!
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"If you have to ask you wouldn't understand", as the hackneyed t-shirt saying goes.
But back to topic (and I promise to shut up after this) I do believe one should regularly renew one's riding skills, and few resources are better placed to provide that than law enforcement agencies. If no formal courses are locally available, it is worth befriending a police rider and offering him (may be even her) some part time tuition opportunity.
Growlette is coming along nicely as a good little rider and having learned the safety basics and covered a good few miles with us guys, we think it's time she started to push the envelope a bit, so I'm sorting out something for her with the local gendarmerie. They are tickled to bits to have a lady rider in their midst! I shall be riding along as well to remind me of the bad habits I've developed.
SjB's description of dealing with cager harrassment made me laugh. We get rather a lot of that here from motorists who perhaps lack something in the dingly-dangly department and feel somehow a motorcyclist represents a challenge to their feeble masculinity.
This is bad and I know we shouldn't do it but we do.
Take two Harleys on unsilenced pipes. Shift up to 5th. In unison each rides up alongside the offending cage, accelerating very hard. At the exact moment of passing the driver's window in formation both of us blip the throttle and shift down to 3rd with the accompanying exhaust crackle on the over-run. The noise is well, noisy. Cager wakes from somnolent drifting from lane to lane while we are mere blips in the distance. On a clear night I can even get a 10" sheet of blue flame from my Harley exhaust if I get the sequence right.......
My police pal Captain Alivarez chuckles in to his beer and says don't let one of my men catch you....
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