Advanced training - Dave Corden perhaps

I have delurked, after a lengthy lesson in Gravity, to ask for
information. It has been suggested, after a bit of damage, that I go for
some advanced training to stop me dropping the bike every time I have to
brake hard. Lozzo is risking repetitive strain injury from rolling his
eyes, not to mention fitting the new indicators.

Dave Corden has been mentioned, so, who is he, what does he do, and how
much?

 

Haven't come across Dave before, but it looks like he's in Bristol. If
that's a bit far then also check out Rapid Training
(www.rapidtraining.co.uk). Similar sort of thing - Police Class I
Motorcycle Instructors etc etc, and they have instructors located in a
several places. I did a course with them a couple of years ago with an
instructor called John Taylor in Surrey. Learned a helluvalot - some of
which has already kept me out of trouble and saved me some painful moments.

They tend to run the courses in pairs (one-on-one gets intense. Trust me
on this). So if you intend booking a course around S
London/Surrey/Hampshire then it's worth seeing if our skills & bikes
more or less match since I could do with a refresher.

HTH

 

The IAM might also be of use to you <http://www.iam.org.uk/iamgroups/>

 

Several ukrmers have had training with Dave over the last few years -
often as a weekend thing with about 4 people in a group.

He's very good indeed. So laid back and relaxed you'd struggle to find a
pulse sometimes but an excellent rider and very fair in his assessments
and feedback. Enjoyable, worth the money and actually worth the ride out
to Bristol for the training as the roads he uses are excellent and a
refreshing change from "home" territory where familiarity makes your
riding and concentration sloppy.

 

Chris says

Thanks, I'll have a look.

I'm Norfick (sorry, I can't help it) but I don't mind travelling to find
somewhere good, rather than doing something mediocre and close.

 

BGN says

No.

 

Norfolk'n'good then?

That's OK, I understand. I lived in Suffick for 10+ years, Bor....

 

A couple of years back I went out with one of his associates based in
Cambridge. I don't know how Dave Corden teaces, but this was just the
two of us sometimes him leading, sometimes me. As the guy was an ex-
class-1 police rider it was probably a bit IAM-ish, but I leaned some
useful things.

There's also Hopp rider training who do on-road and sort of instructed
trackdays, though these are at Cadwell, which IMO is not the best
circuit for nervous novices. The on-road courses are based somewhere
in Norfolk and Essex.

I did one of their track instruction coursesand it wasn't bad, though
I personally didn't do too well, due to a variety of reasons. I've
never done any of their on-road courses, so can't comment on these.

 

What's wrong with them? I'm sure they can give helpful advice on how
to use your front brake.

Or perhaps you local (motorcycle) riding school would be able to
assist too?

 

Lozzo will have told her not to go the IAM.

 

BGN says

Associated with BMWs and old men to me, I'm afraid. I have heard nothing
good. If you would care to change this opinion for me, go ahead.

Front brake is fine. As is the back, it's both together without locking
up when I panic that's the problem.
Brakes are a little sharper than on the Bindit, you know... It stops
without the lever touching the bar.

 

I visited my local one and there were indeed old men around, but I
assume you're used to that. There were also a handful of BMW's to be
seen, but many other machines were around. There were also young
women there but I didn't talk to them.

The IAM manual "How to be an Advanced Motorcyclist" also admits that
they give off the image of old men with BMW's.

I'm no riding God so I'm not telling you what to do but the IAM are
cheaper than a riding school and as you already know how to use two
wheels the IAM may well help you brush up on your general riding
technique which means you might not have to use both brakes together
so hard as often.

That or you could just buy a bike with ABS, which is the expensive
option.

 

I don't mean this to sound patronising, but have you thought about just
riding in a way that doesn't cause you to panic?

One of the things Dave Corden teaches is accelerating only into what you
can see, and slowing down for sections you can't clearly see into. Grab
yourself a copy of the Police Roadcraft handbook, and read the section
on the vanishing point. It's essentially the same thing that Dave will
teach you, but without the commentary in your ear if you do something
stupid.

 

I have no opinion on them as I haven't been, but I wouldn't go or not go based
on the opinions of others, unless it was overwhelmingly one way. I can see
why some think they are crap, but I'm not good enough to decide without going
and seeing what it's all about. I don't have the natural talent to think that
they can't teach me anything.

Practice panicking! Or emergency stops at least. Somewhere safe, obviously.
Seems like a good way to get comfortable with safe braking limits. The actual
panicking emotion is probably less easy to practice.

 

JFGI: http://groups.google.com/group/uk.r...orcycles&q=dave+corden&qt_g=Search+this+group

I'm sure you'd do well on a DC weekend - although the resident DFV
isn't resident any more iirc.

 

How did motorcyclists survive before Dave was around?

 

I think appropriate use of brakes is covered in the CBT.

For some reason Tori is too good for the IAM and she's already decided
that only Corden can help, dismissing the opinion of anyone else that
doesn't suggest it.

Women, eh?

 

BGN says...

Tori's not 'too good' for the IAM, she's talked to a few people about
this, read threads on ukrm about the IAM and how they teach, and made
her own mind up from that. She doesn't want to learn a system and ride
like a gimmer, she just wants to learn how to use her bike safely and
instinctively.

--
Lozzo
Triumph Daytona 955i SE (Black with added black bits)
Suzuki SV650 K3
Suzuki GSX-R750L - For Sale £600
Yamaha SR250 SpazzTrakka
I ride way too fast to worry about cholestorol.

 

Heh. FWIW, I don't believe that Champ has any Corden experience, so
you're barking up the wrong tree there.

 

This just proved you missed the point completely. It's obvious the
problem is not about breaking.

I suspect Tori is riding more quickly than the IAM would approve of and
would probably just get the "that's too fast" response, which isn't
going to be of any help in tackling and controlling the panic that's
actually causing the problem.

But hey, if you know better, you're already half way to being an IAM
member.