ROAD PRO RIDER NEWS
If this sounds like your offspring , or one belonging to someone you know , there are a few things you can do to help them along the path .
I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE ... Take them aside and gently suggest falling off a bicycle in the park ( or any softish landing surface ) and working out the basics of balance , leaning and where to look before heading to their BHST ( Basic Handling Skills Training ) that they have paid for . As a side note , there is certainly no guarantee that they will pass first time given a large chunk of the time they have booked can be consumed learning these fundamental steps . They will , once they see the friendly small capacity motorcycle , also notice that it is parked on asphalt , as in a hard and extremely unforgiving surface . It does nothing for their confidence to deal with the concept of this while taking those first tentative steps . From there , the instructors have a bag of helpful tips to guide them along the way . Much like any other relatively complex task , there is a plan that has been thought through , trialled and tested . It allows new riders to build confidence based on information and mitigates the risk as much as feasible . For some personality types , this makes so much more sense . There are some who , when they say ‘ What could possibly go wrong ?’ are actually looking at the risks . Then there are the others who use said quote merely to inform their peers that they are about to try something stupid before , without pause , discovering what could possibly go wrong – sound familiar ?
ONBOARD TECH Once past the fledgling phase , we get loads of riders who have no idea whether they have ABS , TC etc , let alone how it works , so are unsure and fundamentally unable to take such wizardry into account when riding . I have , seriously , lost count of the number of riders turning up that ‘ discover ’ they have ABS . Yep , that means they have no idea how to brake effectively . Never tried braking as hard as possible . What often happens when they first get that tingling feeling of ABS at work ? Well , a chunk of them freak out a bunch and simply let the brakes off . Not conducive to an effective emergency braking scenario but totally understandable if it took them by surprise . Walking them through such things has an unsurprising effect . Confidence . Not cockiness , as in bluster or a brave face hiding abject terror , but actual confidence . With many new riders buying used bikes , this is more prevalent than you ’ d ever imagine . This trend haunts motorcycling even as people use their Travel Ban funds to upgrade later on . The majority of riders with what I ’ ll refer to as ‘ cornering ABS ’ ( brands all have their own labels ) that I have come across have little idea of what it is , what it does and what to do when in an ‘ Oh crap ’ situation where it may well save your arse – if you don ’ t second-guess it and nullify the technology . Again , it is part of the recipe when riding many modern motorcycles , but only if you update the neck-top computer with the info . Add the info and it is amazing what it does to confidence when the clever clogs engineer steps in as you depart your section of the talent pool and an odds-on crash is averted . As I said , confidence is a recipe and the main ingredients are knowledge and deliberate practice . Cockiness tends to be that chemical reaction that includes pain and expense . FYI the training courses ( Ride Forever ) are available throughout NZ and are available in most parts year round , so if you want to get help with riding in the rain etc , seek out a winter one . Some areas are a tad too close to Antarctica and the icebergs in winter , so head to the ACC website and check what is available in your neck of the woods if you roll your Rs .
Kevin Kinghan Pro Rider www . prorider . co . nz NZTA CBTA Licence Assessor ACC Ride Forever Course Instructor
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