I've been friends with Simon ( King Rat ) for about 20 years ? He'll might correct me here...and I've Kayaked, Fished and gone Shooting with him more times than I care to remember. I have NEVER seen him ride a motorcycle in all those years. So today was a 1st.
Thank you Schtum, Giles and Mickey for your kind words.
Simon has done some colossal mileage on bikes and he's still here so first point to make is he must be doing SOMETHING right.
A stressed mind isn't conducive to learning, so a leaf out of Lord Snooty's book and remove the pressure. We just go for a tour of the area he knows ( and I don't ). So I follow at a comfortable distance which turns out to be about 10 yards.
From the off he looks perfectly comfortable and relaxed. The ride is fluid, no jerkiness no rushed changes in direction or speed. Its country lanes, damp road surface, a bit of mud here and there and some dry strips where the car tyres have been.
First and really the only criticism I have is he is 10% too quick around the bends. They are 'closed' and I couldn't stop if there was something just beyond the limit of my vision. On the positive side Simon does not lack confidence on wet roads
What was impressive, and I don't use the term lightly was his positioning on twisty roads. Perfect. Exactly where he should be and the transition to line up for the next bend was seamless, smooth and began the moment the bend came into view.
I liked that he sacrificed the crown of the road for oncoming traffic where it was appropriate. No swooping at the kerb, just an early and subtle 12", and back to the crown just as sweetly. Just enough to let me know he knew what he was doing.
Following distances were spot on.
Positioning just about everywhere spot on. ( I mentioned the 'couple' of instances I would change in the 'debrief' ).
Observation - he didn't miss a thing that I didn't.
Smoothness - never once braked other than lightly, never once accelerated harshly.
Never once got his entry speed for a bend then had to re adjust with the brakes or gears ( as far as I saw ).
He showed restraint where it was appropriate and made progress everywhere else.
Stuck to speed limits nicely.
Smooth, Safe ( see below ), relaxed and mature with enough 'spark' to entertain without overstepping the boundary.
Other than too quick around bends initially until I mentioned it it was difficult to find a single fault.
I was limited to suggesting he could have a different approach to roundabouts, also to left turns and it would look slightly more 'professional' if his head moved about less when consulting his mirrors....
It was a rural route, country lanes and villages but I would be surprised to see the approach to different conditions being any different.
Happy to ride with you anytime.
and stop shooting MY squirrels !!