Kiwibiker Mentors - Opinion

**jrandom** · 6th November 2008, 06:35

Originally Posted by sugilite

I was asked to be a mentor...

Good lord, an eminently sensible nomination for once! I hereby endorse that shit.

As I stated earlier, if we're going to insist on having an official mentor system, I'm all about having mentors who can actually ride bikes.

(Deano qualifies under this provision too, of course. And DMNTD, if he beats me at PMCC round 1 on the 30th. And The Stranger, although I'm going to have to be a cunt to him for at least a fortnight now to make up for admitting that. I have a sneaking suspicion that Katman can ride bikes, too.)

Anyway, go Sugi!

**MSTRS:Me** · 6th November 2008, 08:05

Originally Posted by sugilite

Should my mentorship be accepted, some of the things I'm wanting to share in no particular order are...
Smooth riding, gear changes, braking, cornering lines etc.
Creating time and space to react to unexpected hazards.
Smooth pillioning.
Lines (no centre line crossing on my mentoring sessions)
Reading road condition, factoring in a multitude of different parameters.
Very basic bike setup, as in correct positioning of hand and foot controls etc (getting your hand to that perfectly placed brake lever could be the difference in making it home rubber side down or not!)
A bit of basic bike maintenance, chain tension, lubing, tyre pressures and such.
Using the whole body in conjunction with throttle position to steer the bike effortlessly through corners.
In short, I take a fairly holistic approach in sharing the steps to attain that sublime zen state where rider and bike operate as one.

And that is what was envisioned when setting up the mentor system. It has nothing to do with being a hero or riding 'fast'.
Perhaps you've been riding 6 months, or 6 years, but ask yourself honestly..."Have I got these basic fine-tuning points down pat?". Many of us haven't. I've been riding on and off for 35 years, and it's only in the last year or so that I've really come to understand and use what Sugi said. And that was after I spent a little time with him on his 'private' road. In addition to listening to Yungatart telling of a mentor session with Jim2.
Putting together the info 'learned', and practising, made a huge difference to my riding. I am a much faster and safer rider than I was. Faster because I'm smoother, safer because of road positioning/lines. That is not to say I was an accident waiting to happen before though, just that I was able to lift my game without pushing harder. And it costs me less too - my brake pads and tyres last much longer than they did. And my pillions love me too!

Get the info from any source you can, as long as it's the right info. Chances are a good bet will be one of the KB mentors.

**chanceyy** · 6th November 2008, 09:33

Originally Posted by sugilite

There won't be a certificate provided at the end of a session for your wall, but you may just get a smile on your dial from effortlessly gliding through a series of corners....knowing YOU got them just right!

can relate to that statement ..which is why I love getting lessons from sugi .. I have actually slowed down to work on the smoothness & when it comes together yeah the smile/europhia factor is 10+

well posted comments Sugi .. thanks

**SixPackBack** · 8th November 2008, 07:22

Check out this thread . Yes that's right folk's the combative arse wipe who unnecessarily denigrates the thread in to a slanging match is in fact a mentor.

The protagonist exhibits excessively poor social skills and the inability to accurately convey message or emotion.

Inclusion of such individuals mark KB as a laughing stock.

*Head mentors*........clean your act up FFS

**cowboyz** · 8th November 2008, 08:27

Originally Posted by SixPackBack

Inclusion of such individuals mark KB as a laughing stock.

yep yep and yep.

But what made you think KB wasnt already a laughing stock?

**CookMySock** · 8th November 2008, 08:30

Originally Posted by cowboyz

yep yep and yep.

But what made you think KB wasnt already a laughing stock?

Yep. I've stopped telling people about KB.

Steve

**Katman** · 8th November 2008, 08:31

Originally Posted by SixPackBack

*Head mentors*........clean your act up FFS

I detect a sense of bitterness.

**Fatjim** · 8th November 2008, 08:38

Originally Posted by SixPackBack

Check out this thread . Yes that's right folk's the combative arse wipe who unnecessarily denigrates the thread in to a slanging match is in fact a mentor.

The protagonist exhibits excessively poor social skills and the inability to accurately convey message or emotion.

Inclusion of such individuals mark KB as a laughing stock.

*Head mentors*........clean your act up FFS

Whats wrong with Mstrss? and how dare you call him a "protagonist" and "arse wipe". Those terms are what his wife calls him and are special.

**Her_C4** · 8th November 2008, 08:39

Good god boys - back awaaaaay from the sandpit.

ROTFL

**Fatjim** · 8th November 2008, 08:40

Originally Posted by sugilite

Were there trees overhanging the road?

I just got onto KB for the 1st time in a while, I've been busy of late in the 3D world, go figure! Since I got mentioned a few times in this thread, I thought I'd share my thoughts on the subject as it pertains to me personally

I was asked to be a mentor and I had a good think about that. Once the system was explained to me, I felt ok with it. My perception of the mentor system is it is basically an opportunity to share experience with a fellow enthusiest on an informal basis. It is up to each individual if they want to incorporate any of that information into their own riding. Seems straight forward to me.

I won't be out to create sugi clones. yeah, sure I race/raced, but I certainly won't be 'teaching' people how to ride fast, or how to perform perceived shady passing maneuvers!

Should my mentorship be accepted, some of the things I'm wanting to share in no particular order are...
Smooth riding, gear changes, braking, cornering lines etc.
Creating time and space to react to unexpected hazards.
Smooth pillioning.
Lines (no centre line crossing on my mentoring sessions)
Reading road condition, factoring in a multitude of different parameters.
Very basic bike setup, as in correct positioning of hand and foot controls etc (getting your hand to that perfectly placed brake lever could be the difference in making it home rubber side down or not!)
A bit of basic bike maintenance, chain tension, lubing, tyre pressures and such.
Using the whole body in conjunction with throttle position to steer the bike effortlessly through corners.
In short, I take a fairly holistic approach in sharing the steps to attain that sublime zen state where rider and bike operate as one.

There won't be a certificate provided at the end of a session for your wall, but you may just get a smile on your dial from effortlessly gliding through a series of corners....knowing YOU got them just right!

\

I'm in, when can I come up?

**cowboyz** · 8th November 2008, 08:54

Originally Posted by Her_B4

Good god boys - back awaaaaay from the sandpit.

ROTFL

Yes yes. Of course. Stop being so childish. This is KB. If you dont pretend everything is peachy then you are acting like a 2 yr old. For gods sake dont raise any issues, it sparks the waaaambulance brigade. Just smile nicely and pretend all is good in the real world. This is, afterall, not a club - its just a internet site and has no bearing on the real world.

**James Deuce** · 8th November 2008, 08:59

Originally Posted by cowboyz

Yes yes. Of course. Stop being so childish. This is KB. If you dont pretend everything is peachy then you are acting like a 2 yr old. For gods sake dont raise any issues, it sparks the waaaambulance brigade. Just smile nicely and pretend all is good in the real world. This is, afterall, not a club - its just a internet site and has no bearing on the real world.

Geez, you could get a job with the Labour party with skills like that. Maybe even the Greens.