A year after passing the basic course I decided to take the Basic Rider Course 2 as a refresher. It was tough. Things I thought I was doing pretty well looked bad on their course. I'm glad I took it. It really highlighted some weak spots. I didn't start riding bikes until last year so I'm definitely new and not a natural. The learning curve has been greater than I expected. For anyone a year or two out from the first course, I give it my recommendation. It was humbling though.

The instructors were great. The lead instructor said driving a car is an activity, riding a bike is a sport and like any athlete in a sport you have to continually train to sharpen your skills. I thought it was a good analogy.

Just my $0.02

 

Congrats on passing your BRC2!
I see you're a seasonal rider, being in New York.
While you may want to continue your skill development straight from the end of the last riding season, any rider that hasn't continually trained or ridden during the off season, will end up repeating some of what they did the previous season.

It sounds like you may have developed some "bad habits." It's good that you got instruction to help you with these. You will advance your skill set much quicker when you seek instruction.

With my students, I like to use the parallel of marksmanship. Motorcycling is a lot like shooting (or any other learned skill). With practice comes proficiency. Without practice is, well rough...(and a lot of repeated duplication.)

I've had riders that have ridden for 35 years in class. They had the same skill set as a rookie. I don't want to tell them, "You don't have 35 years experience. You have 1 year of experience, repeated 35 times." But, often, it's true.

What was your favorite part? Any particular exercise?

Here's my challenge to you~ 4 or 5 months from now, I would like you to take an ARC and report back your findings. Invite a riding buddy to take it with you.

Remember~ When it comes to motorcycling~ The more you know, the better it gets.

 

My favorite part? Hmmmm. Not the figure eight box (thought I had gotten pretty good at that). My favorite part of the course was probably the counter steering part. At that speed I do okay with that one. It's at higher speeds I need work.

Complete agreement on the continued education. If I can get something in again in late Summer to Fall I will jump on it. I plan on this course again next Spring. Again, I'm hitting this later in life. None of it is coming naturally so I'll grab any training I can find.

There were three military guys in the class who have to take it every three years to be able to drive on base. Those guys were pretty good.

 

I'd almost resent that but I'm sure as an Instructor you see (and view) riders differently then most of us,, Lord knows I know some "experienced" riders that do stupid stuff.

I've been riding 40yrs and I just took an Intermediate course this weekend as precursor to an ARC, and I'm glad I did,, I did learn a few things about myself and ways to improve.
Most of the actual courses where simple almost repetitive and a bit boring, I received kudos from the Instructor about my proficiency,,
Best lesson was turning my head to target my next move in the serpentines and U-turn box, that really makes for a smooth transition and maneuver.
Toughest was the quick stop out of a turn, getting the bike upright before braking,,, I get the operation, but just couldn't wrap my brain around the need for the lesson when your going off the target route.
My biggest bad habit is always laying/resting my fingers on the front brake.
I look forward to an ARC and will probably take it a few times in the next few years.

 

There's a BRC layout at the local dealer for their Rider's Edge program. I go up there regularly on all three bikes and run the course to stay frosty. I generally get a crowd when I'm on a big bike like an Ultra, the Big Beemer, or (now) the Roadie.

Practice is the key to keeping your skills sharp. Make it a point once a month to run the skills. Find yourself the Harris papers. Lots of good exercises in there. Read the Keith Code books. And don't get complacent.

 

After seeing this thread I just signed up for BRC 2. Good thing I saw this thread too, because the first available class is in August.

I've been riding since last August. I've ridden 6,500 miles since then, and pretty regularly through winter thanks to the mild weather. I definitely have more to learn and skills to improve.

Thanks for posting this!

 

I think you'll find it useful.

 

Just took it 2 weeks ago. Hardest part for me was remembering to downshift into 1st when doing a panic brake. And thats only when running in 2nd and at 20mph. Cant imagine hitting the brakes at 60 or so, trying to maintain control, and shifting down into 1st under extreme conditions

 

I found it hard to go into second gear at those low speeds, not so much the emergency stop but in the cornering exercises.

On one emergency stop I locked up the back brake and let off of it while in the skid. The instructor told me to stick with it in a rear brake skid and I get the theory behind that but honestly, in the heat of the moment I really couldn't tell if it was rear or front that was skidding (other than eventually the front would pull me over). I hear these guys talking about being one with their bikes. I'm not there yet but am hoping enough of these exercises and just some miles under my belt will get me there.

 

"My biggest bad habit is always laying/resting my fingers on the front brake."

I have to ask, why do you think that is a bad habit? Studies have shown that covering the front brake with even just a couple of fingers will improve your response time significantly. When I took the MSF BRC the instructor constantly stressed the importance of covering the front brakes.

Admittedly I do not cover "all" of the time but whenever the potential for a rude surprise is out in front, like intersections with folks (hopefully), waiting to turn I cover with at least 3 fingers. Since roughly 70% of your potential braking comes from the front brake the quicker you can apply it in an emergency the better your chances.