Sorry for the delay in getting you additional information. I will do my best to give you the Readers Digest version of the class.
First, regarding the discount, I think that is something Tracy Martin does for his specific students in Frederick, MD. It is my understanding that while each location follows the same curriculum each site is independently operated. My guess is that Tracy offered the discount because he owns an FJR and to generate interest in the area. I do know that the discount was between Tracy and me - the Community College that hosts the course was not involved.
About the class. The class was held from 8:00 to 5:00 on a Saturday. We arrived, signed the mandatory releases, adjusted tire pressure and got to work. Although it was only their second class at the site, all the logistics were very well organized and efficient. The students' experience ranged from 5 years to 25+ years.
The class itself is based on Lee Park's book "Total Control - High Performance Street Riding Techniques". Reviewing the book before the class was beneficial, I thought, but certainly not essential. Since the book is pretty comprehensive not everything could ever be covered in one day.
We began in the classroom with an overview of the days objectives. Classroom instruction covered dicsussion of traction, steering, suspension and setup, fear, concentration, attitude, vision, line selection and throttle control as they relate to maintaining control and cornering. The time spent inside was enough to cover what needed to be covered but not so much that it took away from time on the bikes - in my opinion.
The drills were conducted on a closed course ( ie. parking lot). The condition of the course was great. Good pavement and free of any debris - Tracy and his guys had swept the area before we arrived. This was good as it allowed us to focus on what we were dong rather than look for potential hazards.
The first drill we did was on throttle control. Basically it was practice rolling on and off the throttle very slowly in an effort to keep the suspension stable. After a while we went to throttle/brake transitions - Simultaneously rolling off the throttle while shlwly applying the brakes.
The next drills were conducted using a 40' circle marked with small cones with one larger cone in the middle. It was a progressive exercise which began by simply going around the circle in both directions and slowly adding the use of a turning point, focus on making a sharp turn and using the 10 steps of cornering (from the book) and adding additional speed. All the exercises led to the final drill which was a figure 8 anround two 40' circles in which we practiced transitioning from one turn to the next.
At the end of the formal instruction we were given the opportunity to practice more, work on slow speed turning or have our suspension measured ( we had already done three bikes earlier).
During the drills we were broked down into two groups. After each drill an instructor would offer advice or provide feedback and we would get back into line to go again. The waits were long enough for you to digest what the instructor said and think about what you needed to do, but not long enough to be frustrating at all.
I know this is long but I hope it answered some of your questions. If you have any further questions please feel free to send me a PM.
VStar, I didn't ignore your email. Instead I though that answering here may serve to answer your questions and potential questions of others.
Regards,
Dennis
I probably left things out.
