A critique of a trainer

[dangermouse_1974]

Well, I'm new to the KB forums and riding on NZ roads after just coming here from Australia.

Needless to say, I found the roads here VERY different from what I'm used to back home in Qld. Blind corners, crests, tightening corners, widening corners, tractors, sheep and the list goes on. After being used to riding on the more forgiving, open roads of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland I found the roads here a little intimidating and figured it wouldn't be a half bad idea to actually get some proper training on the do's/don't's and the things to watch out for on the road. My riding experience consists of over 15 years motocross and only 3 years of road so there is no doubt I can still learn a lot.

So I trawled the forums and found a post from Tricia from the Roadcraft School of Motorcycling. I called her up and organised for a lesson on the weekend on the finer points of taking corners (figured it was as good a place to start as any as I am perfectly happy in a straight line ).

So, I turned up at our arranged meeting place on Saturday and, after checking my bike and licence, off we went on a short ride to assess my skills around town. To cut a long story short, the first hour and a half of the two hour lesson was spent assessing my current skill level and correcting the one problem I seemed to have...tearing up to intersections, throwing the anchors on and then looking to see what was going on. Tricia passed on the knowledge that slowly cruising up to the intersection is a much better idea as a) you get to analyse the situation before you even get there and b) you are more relaxed and better prepared to face any eventuality that may be waiting for you...something which I plainly wasn't doing even though I thought I was! The last half hour of the session was spent going through cornering theory in preparation for the next session.

So, in the end, I didn't get to do my cornering but I'm far happier for it. Picking up skills from the ground up is by far the best way to do it and Tricia made sure that the basics were covered and fully understood before even making a mention of anything else. Yes, I knew a lot of what was being said but it didn't make any difference...hearing the WHY as well as the how just made certain things seem much clearer and, more importantly, more relevant to the issues we are faced with on the road every day. It was comforting to know that this trainer wasn't interested in taking the money, telling you what you want to hear for 2 hours then sending you on your merry way. Each step was explained and investigated before moving on to anything else and, even after a short tutorial, I feel much more relaxed heading into intersections now by just allowing myself more time to analyse the situation.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I'd just like to point out to fellow readers that, no matter what your current skill level is (or what you think it is), there is always room for improvement. Spending a few dollars on a couple of sessions may seem expensive at the time but, compared to the cost of bike fenders and medical bills (if you're lucky), it really is nothing. I learned more in that 2 hour session than I have in the last 3 years of on-road riding. Yes, some of us think we know how to continually assess our situation (we just look right?) or know how to judge the entry / exit speed of a corner but do we really know or are we flying by the seat of our pants in the hope that we've got it right? Prior to the session, I thought a vanishing point was simply something the arty types used to draw 3D scenes but bugger me if there isn't a definition for it for riders too. I now understand how to judge my speed in relation to the relative movement of the vanishing point...how many others can honestly say they know that also?

Anyway, enough of me. I'll finalise my post by just saying that there are no doubt many bandit trainers out there who are just out to make a buck but Tricia isn't one of them. I'd be happy to recommend her to anyone who is willing to take the plunge and better their motorcycle skills. Her details are:

Tricia O'Connor
Roadcraft School of Motorcycling
(021) 2693246

And think about it..what have you got to lose? A few dollars and a few hours of spare time could be the difference between dodging that ass who crosses the centerline on a blind corner and not. You decide. I know I have.

And for those who think this is a shameless plug...you're right. But if you find a decent trainer then I'll bloody well tell people. It took me a while to actually pick out someone as, not knowing many people here, I was stuck for references and it was kind of a lucky dip. Hopefully, this post will help out others in the same situation

[Tricia1000]

gee thanks Mark. I am all embarrassed now. I thoroughly enjoyed the lesson, and you were a pleasure to teach. I look forward to seeing you again, next week..
Tricia

Well, I'm new to the KB forums and riding on NZ roads after just coming here from Australia.

Needless to say, I found the roads here VERY different from what I'm used to back home in Qld. Blind corners, crests, tightening corners, widening corners, tractors, sheep and the list goes on. After being used to riding on the more forgiving, open roads of the Sunshine Coast Hinterland I found the roads here a little intimidating and figured it wouldn't be a half bad idea to actually get some proper training on the do's/don't's and the things to watch out for on the road. My riding experience consists of over 15 years motocross and only 3 years of road so there is no doubt I can still learn a lot.

So I trawled the forums and found a post from Tricia from the Roadcraft School of Motorcycling. I called her up and organised for a lesson on the weekend on the finer points of taking corners (figured it was as good a place to start as any as I am perfectly happy in a straight line ).

So, I turned up at our arranged meeting place on Saturday and, after checking my bike and licence, off we went on a short ride to assess my skills around town. To cut a long story short, the first hour and a half of the two hour lesson was spent assessing my current skill level and correcting the one problem I seemed to have...tearing up to intersections, throwing the anchors on and then looking to see what was going on. Tricia passed on the knowledge that slowly cruising up to the intersection is a much better idea as a) you get to analyse the situation before you even get there and b) you are more relaxed and better prepared to face any eventuality that may be waiting for you...something which I plainly wasn't doing even though I thought I was! The last half hour of the session was spent going through cornering theory in preparation for the next session.

So, in the end, I didn't get to do my cornering but I'm far happier for it. Picking up skills from the ground up is by far the best way to do it and Tricia made sure that the basics were covered and fully understood before even making a mention of anything else. Yes, I knew a lot of what was being said but it didn't make any difference...hearing the WHY as well as the how just made certain things seem much clearer and, more importantly, more relevant to the issues we are faced with on the road every day. It was comforting to know that this trainer wasn't interested in taking the money, telling you what you want to hear for 2 hours then sending you on your merry way. Each step was explained and investigated before moving on to anything else and, even after a short tutorial, I feel much more relaxed heading into intersections now by just allowing myself more time to analyse the situation.

Anyway, the point of all of this is that I'd just like to point out to fellow readers that, no matter what your current skill level is (or what you think it is), there is always room for improvement. Spending a few dollars on a couple of sessions may seem expensive at the time but, compared to the cost of bike fenders and medical bills (if you're lucky), it really is nothing. I learned more in that 2 hour session than I have in the last 3 years of on-road riding. Yes, some of us think we know how to continually assess our situation (we just look right?) or know how to judge the entry / exit speed of a corner but do we really know or are we flying by the seat of our pants in the hope that we've got it right? Prior to the session, I thought a vanishing point was simply something the arty types used to draw 3D scenes but bugger me if there isn't a definition for it for riders too. I now understand how to judge my speed in relation to the relative movement of the vanishing point...how many others can honestly say they know that also?

Anyway, enough of me. I'll finalise my post by just saying that there are no doubt many bandit trainers out there who are just out to make a buck but Tricia isn't one of them. I'd be happy to recommend her to anyone who is willing to take the plunge and better their motorcycle skills. Her details are:

Tricia O'Connor
Roadcraft School of Motorcycling
(021) 2693246

And think about it..what have you got to lose? A few dollars and a few hours of spare time could be the difference between dodging that ass who crosses the centerline on a blind corner and not. You decide. I know I have.

And for those who think this is a shameless plug...you're right. But if you find a decent trainer then I'll bloody well tell people. It took me a while to actually pick out someone as, not knowing many people here, I was stuck for references and it was kind of a lucky dip. Hopefully, this post will help out others in the same situation

[Nasty]

Always good to have feedback about those who service the sector we are part of ... well done for acknowledging you needed upskilling and finding someone who you could trust to help you.