MCN’s Skills Course, in association with Rapid Training

[g00ner]

Two years ago, after a while off the bike following an accident, I spent a day training with Giles, formerly of this parish and one of the Rapid Training instructors. It was without doubt one of the best days I have ever spent on a bike.

I was out with Giles and others last week for dinner. In between wincing (he was nicely bruised up after an off road off) he said he’d had to undergo a complete mindset change between road and track riding. While he was smooth and rev, down a gear, rev, down a gear lining up a corner he was being passed by other riders taking yet another gear before burying their front tyre into the asphalt for the bend. He said it was fun but so so different and a whole new skill set. Good to see the old boy

 

[casbar]

Interesting, thank you. Who was your trainer? How do they communicate during the ride? I'm hearing impaired so struggle with speakers in helmets. I keep looking at their website as I have only heard good things about them.

I started at level 2, because if you are IAM or RoSPA you don't need to do level 1. Level 2 in May, I was lucky and there were two coaches and only me. The coaches were doing a peer review. I had Giles and a chap called Alan. Excellent.

Level 3 in June, just Alan and myself, again excellent, best coaching I have ever had.

Both times, Alan provided a unit with an ear piece to communicate. I was able to connect his unit to the speakers in my helmet, I am not that great with ear pieces that go over the ear.

 

[Morety]

I think you're missing the point. When it comes to positioning on the approach to, and riding through a bend, you're positing for safety, stability and view through the corner. You should always be looking to give-up your position for safety. Always. So you wouldn't be riding a line through this "decapitation zone" that you're talking about IF you couldn't see that there was no oncoming traffic, or certainly any oncoming traffic that would put you in a dangerous position.

A classic mistake that a lot of riders who have either done advanced training or are trying to ride the System make is on bends that they slavishly follow the theoretical/optimum line through the bend, often and seemingly without regard for on-coming traffic. The amount of times I see bikes either on, or close to the centre line going through a left-hand bend whilst there are HGV's oncoming is a lot. You often see bikes doing this, passing oncoming HGV's on the apex of the bend, close enough to the oncoming/passing vehicle that they could touch them.

I can see what you're getting at Steve but it isn't what advanced courses teach you to do. It may be what some pick up as a habit, but advanced riding teaches you not only to use limit points to extend your view but to give deference to any oncoming traffic, or the potential (especially on right handers) for oncoming traffic to be off line. This means that early apexing of right handers can put a rider into a potentially hazardous position should something be coming the other way. Where left handers are concerned, using the limit point also affects speed of entry as well as position for best vision ahead, so approaches to blind left handers ought really to alert riders that if they cannot see around the bend, then the prudent line isn't one which places them where oncoming traffic may cut the corner and position 2 is more sensible than position 3 in such cases. I had this discussion recently whilst observing a ride where the rider placed himself in position 3 for a tight left hander only to have to undertake a last minute swerve to avoid the car which clipped the white line coming towards him. As the rider had no clear view and could see from the hedge line in advance that the road tightened up precluding any view around it, the prudent approach which could have prevented him riding into danger was to slow his approach and take position 2. There's no set rule which generalises in advanced riding where the position ought to be except to balance best view with putting safety first at all times.

 

[casbar]

I started at level 2, because if you are IAM or RoSPA you don't need to do level 1. Level 2 in May, I was lucky and there were two coaches and only me. The coaches were doing a peer review. I had Giles and a chap called Alan. Excellent.

Level 3 in June, just Alan and myself, again excellent, best coaching I have ever had.

Both times, Alan provided a unit with an ear piece to communicate. I was able to connect his unit to the speakers in my helmet, I am not that great with ear pieces that go over the ear.

Level 3 Rapid finished a couple of weeks ago. Thoroughly enjoyed the training. Got a badge and certificate now

 

[steve hughes]

Just been watching this Giles video on corner speeds , specifically on exiting corners rather than carrying speed through the corner.

I notice he’s swapped his R1 for a Hornet 1000. I wonder how many miles per litre of oil he is getting