Motorcycle Training
 

Looking for advice and truth!

I recently bought a new street glide, I can ride it around no problem but at slow speeds my turns suck and I'm worried about dropping it and screwing up the chrome. Yeah I don't want my stuff scuffed or damaged the stuff is expensive. So with that being said!

Has anyone near the Houston / Dallas area found any training in slow speed skills where they have bikes to rent. I was at a Harley dealer Saturday and today and in speaking with many owners of Harleys found none to have really good skills at slow speeds. I stood and watched as rider after rider pulled in and struggled when the bike slowed down and they attempted to turn. I have been watching videos on youtube of motorcycle police and approached one in Houston to speak with he and his partner. They seem to ride totally different and seem to have all kinds of control and thats what I'm looking for. The officer told me they receive lots of training and I asked if they drop their bikes and he said they drop them a lot training and that the training is not offered to the public. First the police department must pay to repair their bikes cause he made it sound like it was no big deal dropping and damaging the chrome and stuff. He also said most so called advanced training offered to non-police is watered down so very few riders reach that level of skill in slow speeds. Of course he said just practice!! YEAH YEAH

So the big question is! Does anyone know where I can get that kind of training somewhere and rent their bikes!!! I am willing to travel!!

Thanks

p.s. Im new to heavy touring bikes not street bikes!

Buy a cheap metric bike and beat it up in an empty parking lot. Its hard to learn to ride if you are afraid of scratching your bike. Learning to push your limits (in a controlled environment like an empty school parking lot on sunday maybe) on a bike you don't care about will teach you more and teach you faster than riding scared ever will. If you can find a class with input from a good instructor you'll be even better off but again do it on a bike you aren't afraid to scratch. You can find small a lightweight cruiser for less the what its going to cost you to repair a new harley that's been laid down.
just my $.02

The same principles applies no matter what the size of motorcycle.

If you have taken an MSF course slow speed riding requires you shift your weight in the opposite direction of where you are going. If you turn right, you shift your body to the left as your make the right turn with your head up looking at the direction of where you are going. Im sure some HD dealerships have rider training course you can take. But in terms of advance riding you should be able to find some.

Also practice practice practice. Find a parking lot and start riding. You will drop the bike one way or the other.

Good luck

You might check out Jerry Palladinos schools...they put severel classes in many areas.....Look for Ride like a Pro.......then lots of practice

Not that Im scared of damaging bike, just don't want to if I can keep from it.
I wanna learn on what I am riding, a used street glide might be an option, but another bike payment?? OUCH!!!

Plus I can ride lighter bikes, the heavy touring bikes are a different animal.

Thanks for the input!!

I think we all suck at low speed. I practice every time I am in a parking lot. I have gotten better but still tap my foot way to often. I find it helps to think about the maneuver as you approach then do it.
Practice is the key

Look into the ride like a pro. Then there are a few other classes that are offered in different areas of the country. I know theres quite a few Texas guys that perform contests, just not sure where in Texas

The mistake some riders make when doing slow speed, tight turns is they look at what they don't want to hit. In order to build your instinct to look where you want the bike to go you have to practice, practice, practice. Point your chin in the direction where you want to go. The bike will just go there. But it's hard to not look at the potential oncoming traffic...or the people standing on the curb at the HD Dealer.

I do a practice thing on my way home every day in my neighborhood. There is a windy road coming into my neighborhood that has a lot of man hole covers. I tend to hit them when not thinking about it. But when I do think about it I look directly at the space between the potholes and man holes where I want the bike to go.

The above advice is good. Get a smaller older junker bike and go to an empty parking lot and practice practice practice. If you have an RC Willey in your area, they are closed on Sundays and have a huge parking lot. That's where I went to practice slow speed maneuvers. Your cop friend is not entirely correct. The training they receive is almost the same as any other training offered. But they do A LOT of it! It's the same skill...just a lot more of it than anyone else. I have two very good friends who are motorcycle cops for the sheriffs department.

Pennsylvania has free motorcycle training. Not sure if it’s every where.

One tip that helps a ton. Drag the rear brake on slow turns. Night and day better!

No we don't all suck at slow speed. Maybe start with the simple basics. tajar if your tapping your foot down you may also be looking down. Its hard to go against your instincts but that's EXACTLY what you need to do if you want to ride well. More importantly if you want to ride comfortably without fear and without really thinking about what you need to do. Since you learned to walk your hand eye coordination has been honed to perfection. "Look where you want to go" is more than a saying. So is "look down go down". Once you learn to look where you want to go, look to the exit of a turn when you are turning, look for a way around an obstacle rather than look at the obstacle. Once you learn to trust your hand eye coordination you will find that your body knows exactly what to do to make that happen.