Bama Rides

Archive for the ‘riding skills’ Category

Investigation into how and why a rear motorcycle tire slide can cause a crash, as without two spinning tires, you have less or no steering. Sounds like common sense, but it is a bit trickier than that. I had more fun making this video, despite the fact I was making fun of my injured brother, it was a hoot trying a new format. I hope you enjoy the video.

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Early morning ride across Deals Gap – The Dragon, May 31, 2019 before all the traffic descended upon this magnificent road. I would recommend anyone that rides a motorcycle make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once, just be prepared when you get there, it may be your last trip.

If you are a new or returning motorcycle rider and DON”T have some anxiety about crashing, something is wrong. After riding with my little brother (returning rider) this past weekend, my anxiety level was very high as I rode behind him on some tricky
river twisties and even had a few puckers when I knew some of the really tricky corners came up. He did very well despite my
concerns, and hopefully some of the coaching and training paid off long term. Anxiety is good, and can be overcome with practice, training and confidence gained from both.

First day of riding with my little brother turned into a half hour in a parking lot working on some skills to use and practice to increase agility on a motorcycle. It became apparent that this session needed to be shared with anyone that rides a motorcycle. The drill and skills practiced in this video are fundamental for gymkhana, and are also essential skills for low speed and high speed riding in any environment. Too bad I did not get much video of the ride after the training, as that was almost as cool.

Find out more about American Gymkhana
http://amgrass.com/
Join the discussion HERE:
http://amgrass.com/forum/

This video was shot in 2014 at a gymkhana event known as Top Gun, held at the Montevallo Safety Center.  The event was free, and meant to help riders improve their skills.  It was quickly apparent that a few riders did not need any improvement, so WHY were they there?  It was very obvious that these same riders had mastered the graceful movement of motorcycles around the course, weaving between the cones like dancers in a ballet.  All skill levels were present, from new riders, to confident and experienced, and finally the experts.  The question remains, why were the experts there?  The answer is simple – They are EXPERTS!  They did not become experts at birth, or at some random point like the flip of a digit on the odometer.  They become experts by practicing their skills.  The experts are separated from EVERYONE else by the possession of a few traits.  The primary trait should be the absence of the idea they were experts.  These people would call themselves “decent” riders, and they are confident in their skill level.  A second and very important trait is the knowledge they can always improve, and the more they practice, the more confidence they collect in return.  Third, these experts are willing to put the time and work in to improve their skill level, and spend time every year doing “silly circles in a parking lot”, or something similar.

Occasionally, they will knock over a cone.  Sometimes they may even drop their bike – especially if they are running a timed event, competing against other riders for the best time.  They are on display every time they go out to an event, so they are very vulnerable bone-headed moves, and embarrassment in front of hundreds of people.  Yet they still go.  They go because they know the value of an event like this, and the dramatic affect these drills can have on skills.  They know they may screw up, right next to everyone else, and they laugh it off with everyone else.

Everyone else laughs, EXCEPT the folks that need the most help.  You may see a few of the folks on the side, watching in disbelief.  These WallFlowers are quite aware that the turns are difficult for the un-practiced.  Most of them don’t even believe they can execute the turns.  Many even blame their machines for the impossibility of turning at a reasonable angle.  Not many people want to admit they cannot execute simple low-speed turns on the machines they should know how to ride.  It is a major problem in America, a lack of basic skills held by most riders.  These skill events are not designed to create experts.  They are designed to illuminate gaps in your skill, and offer a pathway to improvement.  American Gymkhana was designed as a free, fun, and easy path to quickly(1-2 hours) improving your skills.  The results are visible in the experts, the advanced riders, and event the beginners.