Bikesafe freebies

[simonm]

Went to the Leicester Bikesafe course yesterday.  It was a great day apart from fcuking my bike up.


The police riders were great.  Helpful, understanding, sympathetic and fun.  A great laugh.  We had the obligatory video and the ride out.  The video was actually very good when combined with real life examples and commentary by the instructors.


The ride out was average, mainly due to the speed limits (drat them darned speed limits) and the density of traffic.


Apparently we even get a DVD with some of our riding posted out to us which will be pretty darned cool.


The packed lunch was awesome.  3 sarnies, crisps, chocolate, fruit and a drink.  Top notch nosh.


I have no idea how they can afford to do this for £45.


If you haven't been on one, go on one.  You won't regret it.

[pitternator]

glad you enjoyed it. Did they give you anything in particular to work on in your riding ?

[simonm]

The areas were:
-Moving off
-Stopping
-Observation
-Planning
-Machine control
-Acceleration
-Braking
-Gears
-Signals
-Positioning
-Cornering
-Overtake/Filter
-Attitude


I got a B on everything apart from Observation, Planning, Machine control and Braking in which I got C's.


My attitude and confidence and control is pretty good in my opinion but I have a massive lack of experience and a lack of confidence in the rubber (the width/tread of the tyres) and the road surface (oil, gravel, potholes, water, camber, diesel etc).


I'll get there eventually I hope.

[JoeRock]

Pretty good grades there really simon if you're new to riding - those particular sections are really the ones you'd expect to learn more in! Get the practice in and they'll all improve for sure.
Interesting that you kept to the speed limits though, when I did it in Leicester last Septemberish I had to stick to the 30s and 40s, motorways was cruising at 85, and the rest of the time they said I should just ride as I normally do - was one moment where I was blasting around the B road between molton mowbray and Market harborough, went around a corner at about 95 ish mph and the copper comes around the outside of me, gaily scraping the bike along the floor - was an excellent demonstration of how good their riding is!
With regards to your tyres, you'll find you get more confidence in them as time goes on (provided you've not got some crappy rubber on there). The majority of modern tyres these days are very, very good indeed, to the point where in all honesty most of them can cope with track days fine too (provided you're not on a 1000cc superbike and abusing the throttle a LOT).

With regards to the road surface - oil/diesel, if you can ride around it slowly then do so, otherwise keep the bike upright in a straight line, constant throttle. Do NOT brake on it for obvious reasons, and be very careful after you've been through it for a few miles until you know it's all worn off. Potholes obviously just ride around, water you can ride just as hard as you can in the dry (with the right rubber), it's just a matter of smoothness, and camber to be honest isn't one I actually think about too much in alll honesty, unless it's very extreme, at which point I just don't lean the bike over as much! (in the case of the camber going in the opposite direction of the corner).
It's coming up to the summer period for me now (I'm at uni in Leicester, at home in Kent at the moment, term starts beginning of May and I've got about 3 weeks of solid coursework/essays/dissertation/exams), but once that's out the way I'd be more than up for going out riding with you, any other other fellas around that fancy it if you want!

Oh, and what was it that happened to your bike whilst you were doing it?

[fireblake]

I second what Mr JoeRock says.
Get out there and ride your bike. As you get more experienced you'll start to push it a little harder, not necessarily faster but working your tyres harder by leaning further and learning how fantastic modern tyres are. Obviously its not the best time of year as all the salt builds up in the areas of the road we normally ride on so use your new observational skills to spot the debris building up, also if you ride in the country side look out where cars and trucks can clip a verge and kick debris a few feet from the verge, usually right where you ride on the near apex. I have a fast ride route home from work and i know every corner with small areas of grit and stones. When i'm driving my car or truck i'm always driving offline to try and dissipate the cack build up, i know i do because of the cloud of dust behind me.


Mickey

[simonm]

This is what happened 


http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,7127.0.html

[JoeRock]

This is what happened 


http://foc-u.co.uk/index.php/topic,7127.0.html

Ooh bugger, I'd missed that one! Glad you're ok, the bike certainly looks fixable so it's not the end of the world!
With regards to why it happened though - it sounds to me as though you basically went into the corner too fast! I would imagine having had the bikesafe course you have had the "vanishing point" explained to you? That really is the best way to go about estimating your corner speed! Another thing, whilst you're learning, it's probably not a good idea to try and brake during the corner. You can use a touch of rear brake (and I mean a very, very light touch) to steady yourself a bit when you're going around, but too much will as you found out, lead usually to a low side! Use what you learnt about reading the road from what you've learnt at the course, and that should hopefully stop it happening!

For what it's worth I had my first accident barely 6 weeks into my first bike, went around a corner, got a bit target fixated, didn't lea the bike enough and curved into the curve at about 50mph. Since riding, I know I can quite comfortably get around that same corner on the same initial position at about 90mph, it's just a matter of leaning the bike more!

In all honesty Simon I reckon you just need more practice, just take it slower around corners until you've really got the vanishing point nailed, and then you can use that to accurately gauge if you're overshooting the corner!

[Lawrence]

I got different freebies but I also got lunch at Frankie & Bennies
 
They do it for £45 because it's subsidised, I think £45 is a bargain.

[Pat]

I got different freebies but I also got lunch at Frankie & Bennies
 
They do it for £45 because it's subsidised, I think £45 is a bargain.

Maybe, but it's £45 cheaper than that if you live, work or study full time in Lambeth!   

[Lawrence]

I got mine free because I was a 'victim' of an accident after some dopey woman punted of off last year 

[fireblake]

I got mine free because I was a 'victim' of an accident after some dopey woman punted of off last year 

It's funny how you get the driving course for being the victim. I wonder if the car driver is going on a course?

[dolau]

Doing the short assessed ride again on the 20th- never hurts to get a refresher course with the Police and after the hour run with two of us I get 15 minutes on Castle Combe race track where I can make a fool of myself again like the last two years- £30- bargain
 
How is it that I can ride faster and more confidently on a two lane road than on an aircraft runway width race track?
 
last time I got lapped by everybody and the video I took of myslef I never wnet above 80?