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rastuscat
4th September 2011, 16:51
Yesterday there was a training morning at Ruapuna with some of ChurChurs professional instructors, and some very experienced racers.

About 50 or so riders paid $65 (I think) for the experience of the instructors, and all seemed to have a good morning of it. No negative comments arose, or at least, none that I heard of.

I had one of the motorcycle Popos out there on the track on his Popo-mobeel, and I was in the pits just engaging with as many as I could. It was a great to chat about bike-specific stuff, law, safety, gear, bikes, all that malarky.

We have quite a cool training group down here. We're looking at doing more stuff, I'll post it for anyones interest.

Gremlin
4th September 2011, 17:17
Do the bike cops in NZ receive extra training in bike skills like other countries in the world? Who does it, is it available to the public etc?

rastuscat
4th September 2011, 17:48
Do the bike cops in NZ receive extra training in bike skills like other countries in the world? Who does it, is it available to the public etc?

Yes.

It's delivered by a very highly skilled trainer Popo at the Popo college. I don't think he has an "I" endorsement, so I don't think he can deliver to outsiders, but I may be wrong on that. I'll check for ya.

You have to be pretty competent before you even get selected for a course. Then you do a 2 week qualifying course. Each year you have to be recertified, and that ain't easy. It's a 2 or 3 day assessment of "rodeo" skills and road riding.

We have to do something like those Police motorcycle rodeos you see on You Tube. To be honest, we do the very basic version, but its damn challenging. Once you master it, you take it for granted, then get to stand back at smile when others try and struggle.

Just FYI.

Gremlin
4th September 2011, 18:02
mmm, lucky buggers. Well, in the sense that it's all paid for and you get to do it. I'm sure they don't think themselves lucky while trying to do it.

KoroJ has been doing a little of it in Wellington for Ulysses, but I figure the better you know and can handle your bike, the better for you.

I'll have to play a little myself, but setting up all the cone stuff just seems too hard, not to mention trying to find the space.