Help me prevent bad habits?

[F5 Dave]

Forget about reading books, try using commonsense.

Common sense is of virtually no use when analising the movements & behaviours or other road users. Or your own if you are honest.

[nodrog:Me]

Common sense is of virtually no use when analising the movements & behaviours or other road users. Or your own if you are honest.

yes dear

________

[ellipsis]

...apt how a sidechair rider pops up when the word 'analising' appears...

[bluebird]

advice tip 1. don't ride with idiots who think they are doing the Isle of Man TT and will leave you behind so you end up taking risks to keep up, ride to your own pace.
2. carry a puncture repair kit if you leave town.
3. buy the BEST tyres you can and keep the correct pressures in them.
4. all cages are driven by the deaf dumb and blind
5. listen to your instincts.

[James Deuce]

4. all cages are driven by the deaf dumb and blind

No they're not
Some of the people I love most dearly, who stop and help at motorcycle accidents and resuscitate people I care about, are "cage" drivers.

Conversely, some of the most heinous, selfish fuckwittery is committed by people I should be able to trust, however they still insist on undertaking on corner entry, because I'm, "holding them up".

Not all people are shit.

Merry Christmas.

[HenryDorsetCase]

The Suzuki RE5 is the best bike ever made. If you have one, you'll never need another bike.

[Steven T]

Forget about reading books, try using commonsense.

commonsense dictates to break if you go into a corner too fast

books tell you not to

[Laava]

Don,t make the mistake of thinking you are good enough to move straight up to a gold power band. You must work your way up to this level gradually

[revhappy]

commonsense dictates to break if you go into a corner too fast

You probably will if there's a tree just after the apex.

[GrayWolf]

The UK Police bike training was out before any other MC training courses and everyone else seems to have copied it or at the least used it as a basis .

I did one of their courses way back in the 70's and it was great especially as the five of us were escorted by two cops, one leading and one checking up at the rear. Once they put their blue lights on to escort us through traffic. You had to be milimetre perfect on positioning, like the centerline of the tyre NOT crossing the edge of the white line and they utilised "making progress" which is keeping up a fast average. Certainly kept you on your toes.

This IS the truth, Like K'man or not, the Police Motorcycle Roadcraft book IS one of the most definitive training tomes available. Most training schools for road riding (not track) use this book as the basis for their courses... Most civilian courses do not utilise some aspects of Police riding methods (high speed pursuit). But Cheshirecat is absolutely correct, I also did my IAM, and an RAC/ACU course in the UK with a Police instructor and examiner in the early 80's. 'Making progress' is far safer than the balls out 'wannaberossibutimnot school of riding'. There are those (waits for Drew) who expound the virtues of track days. The Police train on Public roads not tracks. Reason? they are training under 'real world' conditions. You need BOTH the handling skills AND the skills to read the road and situations,, track days CANNOT under any circumstances teach you 'real world' Roadcraft.
We didnt get 'blue's and two's' through traffic, but the Tim (instructor) took great delight in using an air horn fitted to an ex Police BMW to make your arse jump...He was expert at getting into your 'blind spot'. Teaches you to not just rely on mirrors when turning, overtaking, manoeuvring. We became almost paranoid with 'rear observations'...

[Blackbird]

This IS the truth, Like K'man or not, the Police Motorcycle Roadcraft book IS one of the most definitive training tomes available. Most training schools for road riding (not track) use this book as the basis for their courses... Most civilian courses do not utilise some aspects of Police riding methods (high speed pursuit). But Cheshirecat is absolutely correct, I also did my IAM, and an RAC/ACU course in the UK with a Police instructor and examiner in the early 80's. 'Making progress' is far safer than the balls out 'wannaberossibutimnot school of riding'. There are those (waits for Drew) who expound the virtues of track days. The Police train on Public roads not tracks. Reason? they are training under 'real world' conditions. You need BOTH the handling skills AND the skills to read the road and situations,, track days CANNOT under any circumstances teach you 'real world' Roadcraft.
We didnt get 'blue's and two's' through traffic, but the Tim (instructor) took great delight in using an air horn fitted to an ex Police BMW to make your arse jump...He was expert at getting into your 'blind spot'. Teaches you to not just rely on mirrors when turning, overtaking, manoeuvring. We became almost paranoid with 'rear observations'...

Well said . I'd been riding for 40 years and thought I was ok until I joined IAM last year. Major ego damage initially, but the difference in my riding standard is immense. The Roadcraft book is excellent but the hands-on training which goes with it in unbelievably good. Delivered by the best of the best on an entirely voluntary basis because they're passionate about road safety. The on-going nature of it helps to prevent the inevitable slide in standards which you get from any one-off course too. It's a pretty demanding to pass but then again, that's what makes it so bloody worthwhile.

[jasonu]

Any experienced riders who would like to help a new comer? I learned to ride off road, but from your experience and hindsight are there any tips or habits I should be aware of before I commit stuff to memory? Things like checking over the shoulder is one I have been taught, so I am now consciously making an effort to do it, to commit it to memory. Also I have been reading Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist 2 and am trying to make things like accelerating through corners a habit.

Anyone got any tips etc. they wish they had been told when learning?

Buy a gun and learn how to use it. (and watch out for Chingy drivers, dangerous cunts they are).

[rastuscat]

Learn to post shit about how crashes are always someone else's fault.

Welcome to KB.

[BoristheBiter]

This IS the truth, Like K'man or not, the Police Motorcycle Roadcraft book IS one of the most definitive training tomes available. Most training schools for road riding (not track) use this book as the basis for their courses... Most civilian courses do not utilise some aspects of Police riding methods (high speed pursuit). But Cheshirecat is absolutely correct, I also did my IAM, and an RAC/ACU course in the UK with a Police instructor and examiner in the early 80's. 'Making progress' is far safer than the balls out 'wannaberossibutimnot school of riding'. There are those (waits for Drew) who expound the virtues of track days. The Police train on Public roads not tracks. Reason? they are training under 'real world' conditions. You need BOTH the handling skills AND the skills to read the road and situations,, track days CANNOT under any circumstances teach you 'real world' Roadcraft.
We didnt get 'blue's and two's' through traffic, but the Tim (instructor) took great delight in using an air horn fitted to an ex Police BMW to make your arse jump...He was expert at getting into your 'blind spot'. Teaches you to not just rely on mirrors when turning, overtaking, manoeuvring. We became almost paranoid with 'rear observations'...

So I guess you have never done a CSS day as if you had you would know it is not a track day.
Yes it is on a track as it is far safer than on the road.
Does it teach you all about riding? no. does any? no. does it teach you how do do it properly? yes. in a safe environment? yes
Yes you do learn about turn it points, apexing corners and looking through a corner but i'm pretty sure you need to do that on the road.

Like you said the book is ONE training tool not the only one but then "hater's are gonna hate" when it comes to CSS

And as for your ill informed knowledge, and i use the term lightly, in CSS you only get to ride around in one gear and not to use any brakes on the first session, two gears on the second, and so on and the last session is when you can go faster and use your brakes.

So whom would take this IAM course? is it for nooBS or experienced riders as the thought of learning some new skills in traffic and some knob getting in my blind spot with the sole purpose of trying to get you to jump while you are maneuvering sounds a bit of a dumb thing to do. That's just asking for a crash.
And in the golden wisdom that is jrandom if you need someone to teach you about blind spots they shouldn't be riding.

And the seventy's was forty years ago grandad.

[James Deuce]

So I guess you have never done a CSS day as if you had you would know it is not a track day.
Yes it is on a track as it is far safer than on the road.
Does it teach you all about riding? no. does any? no. does it teach you how do do it properly? yes. in a safe environment? yes
Yes you do learn about turn it points, apexing corners and looking through a corner but i'm pretty sure you need to do that on the road.

Like you said the book is ONE training tool not the only one but then "hater's are gonna hate" when it comes to CSS

And as for your ill informed knowledge, and i use the term lightly, in CSS you only get to ride around in one gear and not to use any brakes on the first session, two gears on the second, and so on and the last session is when you can go faster and use your brakes.

So whom would take this IAM course? is it for nooBS or experienced riders as the thought of learning some new skills in traffic and some knob getting in my blind spot with the sole purpose of trying to get you to jump while you are maneuvering sounds a bit of a dumb thing to do. That's just asking for a crash.
And in the golden wisdom that is jrandom if you need someone to teach you about blind spots they shouldn't be riding.

And the seventy's was forty years ago grandad.

I'll take IAM over the metaphysical track-focused nonsense that is CSS any day thanks. Well actually I'd love to do both, repeatedly, but I reckon this thread is for ad hominem attacks and deriding everybody else's preferred advanced training schemes. So there sonny.

There are plenty of dickheads riding and driving every day who would look at you as if you were the micro-cephalic moron (ad hominem attack alert!) you so clearly are if you mentioned "blind spot" in the context of driving or riding. After paying for my own driving lessons @ age 16 I got a cuff around the ear for suggesting to my Dad that he might want to think about turning his head to check "blind spots". I got told, "That's what bloody mirrors are for, you idiot".