The Stelvio and riding uphill hairpins

[Davey B]

Seen some of these Stelvio videos before. At best embarrassing, at worst shocking machine control skills.

Our ROSPA group (Derbyshire) hold regular machine control events aimed at err, machine control oddly enough I’ve only attended one such event but found it extremely good and informative and despite being a middle age bloke who has been riding since God was a lad and thinks he knows it all it was surprising what I didn’t know and what I actually learned!

Without joining an advanced group I wonder what similar courses are available for these oiks to attend??

They could simply google 'Motorcycle training', find opne local'ish, ring 'em up and 'admit' that they've not really done much car park work of late, and a brush up session may be beneficial. I suspect a big part of the problem is that many bikers in the UK have ridden for decades and 'know all there is to know'

 

[Lord Snooty]

They could simply google 'Motorcycle training', find opne local'ish, ring 'em up and 'admit' that they've not really done much car park work of late, and a brush up session may be beneficial. I suspect a big part of the problem is that many bikers in the UK have ridden for decades and 'know all there is to know'

Too true I'm afraid, it is the attitude that is the problem. I have encountered it many times when working on the West Mercia Police Safer Roads Partnership at the Bike4 Life event. Trying to encourage riders to consider a day's advanced training for just £60 (it is subsidised by the WMSRP) is sometimes like pulling teeth. I've lost count of the number of times I've been told "I've been riding for 20/30/40 years and I don't need any training". I've got the point where my sarcastic streak kicks in and I find myself unable to bite my tongue and come back with responses like "Wow, what a great rider you must be, you could be the next MOTOGP world champion because those guys feel the need to constantly train and practice!" My tolerance to suffering fools seems to have waned over the years.

 

[Pukmeister]

I did two days of “Slow Riding Module 1 and 2” with Solent IAM in the NATS car park years ago on alternate Sundays at Whiteley. It was a game changer and I would highly recommended it to anybody, although my old Hexhead clutch got a bit baked here and there on some of the stances.

EVERY rider that attended went away a much better rider afterwards.

 

[Barnoe]

Standing on the footpegs, on the road?

Why is it practised, for uphill hairpins?

Do you stand on the pegs on hairpins?

Not always no, but i might do.
By standing you can see over things for a better view.

I do stand on the pegs at random times, its a habit that carried over from my trials bike years.
I also stand up sometimes on long journeys when my arse starts to ache...... stops aching sit down again, saves stopping.

 

[Davey B]

I did two days of “Slow Riding Module 1 and 2” with Solent IAM in the NATS car park years ago on alternate Sundays at Whiteley. It was a game changer and I would highly recommended it to anybody, although my old Hexhead clutch got a bit baked here and there on some of the stances.

EVERY rider that attended went away a much better rider afterwards.

I did something similar maybe 10 years ago. A full day at Cadwell Park, half with Lincolnshire bike safe, half with Hopp Rider Training. It was a great days learning and doing stuff in a very safe environment that you'd struggle to do elsewhere.

Hopp Rider Training do 'sort of' track days that used to call "Better riding days"...knobheads were sent home...98% rode there, then rode home after the day. I did a fair few days with them, the most memorable being a very wet day. 2/3rd turned up for the morning start. Most dropped pout during the day so that y lunch there may have been about 30 out 100 left. The afternoon didn't need to be split into slow/medium/fast...it was open pit lane and we all agreed we'd learned loads about grip, handling, throttle control etc...simply because there never was a dry line, it was always wet..you always had to be smooth etc etc.

 

[EVskiy]

My former friend, with only one functioning arm (his left) rode his ‘left hand drive’ converted bike up the Stelvio and back down again, without mishap. The only concession he asked of me, was to take his granddaughter (his regular pillion at the time) up and back down again as a pillion on my 1600.

View attachment 439075

Him on the left, she talking to him.

His right arm from the shoulder down and his right hand are both ‘dead’ and do not work at all. The story as to how that happened and how he converted his bikes himself (tricky enough two handed, especially when you were naturally right handed) is another matter.

Have a look at this…

343.553 Aufrufe · 15.749 Reaktionen | Arms 1/2 Aura ♾️/10 | Javier Blanco

Arms 1/2 Aura ♾️/10.

www.facebook.com

 

[johnnyboy]

Practicing slow riding/maneuvering is something we don’t do enough of. I do it when I think I need to; although that’s never enough.....

 

[Khulu]

I don't like these "zero degree bend" pass routes although I have done loads of them in the past all successfully. Apart from requiring the obvious skills to ride them safely and correctly a lot of it is common sense as has been mentioned earlier. Look up and ahead to what is coming up, or down, be it a bend or a big f - off bus! If it's the latter stop on the straight and wait until it is past you.

 

[Arsey]

This guy appears to make a living filming biker-mates who can't manage uphill hairpins.

He offers good simple advice: look at where you want to go and give it some gas.

Oh good . A fifth thread on the same subject

 

[EVskiy]

Oh good . A fifth thread on the same subject

People want to fight and to be at a top of a leader board?
Let them , we can’t have it all to ourselves.

 

[johnnyboy]

People want to fight and to be at a top of a leader board?
Let them , we can’t have it all to ourselves.

Is it the Royal WE one is referring to?

 

[Steve398]

I did something similar maybe 10 years ago. A full day at Cadwell Park, half with Lincolnshire bike safe, half with Hopp Rider Training. It was a great days learning and doing stuff in a very safe environment that you'd struggle to do elsewhere.

Hopp Rider Training do 'sort of' track days that used to call "Better riding days"...knobheads were sent home...98% rode there, then rode home after the day. I did a fair few days with them, the most memorable being a very wet day. 2/3rd turned up for the morning start. Most dropped pout during the day so that y lunch there may have been about 30 out 100 left. The afternoon didn't need to be split into slow/medium/fast...it was open pit lane and we all agreed we'd learned loads about grip, handling, throttle control etc...simply because there never was a dry line, it was always wet..you always had to be smooth etc etc.

My ex did a couple of Hopp training days at Caldwell on her ‘blade, really enjoyed them. In fact she met her future husband there on his Ducati, which he sold when he discovered she was better than him!