Advanced riding coaching

[Mark_h]

A few of you have shown an interest in some advanced training. I'm not going to bang on about it but after I got my first big bike I joined TVAM (one of the local IAM groups) and learned loads. Got safer and smoother which in turn made me lots faster.

Details from TVAM can be found here www.tvam.org
WVAM are based in Ruipley and offer a very similkar service. www.wvam.org.uk

There is also ROSPA which is the same sort of thing but a slightly different test.

You will find people are put off by the stories of fat beardy blokes on pans forcing you to ride everywhere at 30mph and removing all fun from the riding experience. This is a view expressed by those that have never tried it or have been very unlucky with their experience. There are about 1000 members in TVAM so there will obviously be the odd irritating duffer amongst them but just talk to someone else instead.

Just turn up at St.Crispins school at 09:00 on the third Sunday of the month with a full tank of fuel and an open mind. Chances are there will be about 300 other bikes there of pretty much every sort you can imagine.

If you like the free taster it's about £120 to sign up for the full deal where you get allocated an observer who will coach you through to your IAM test. This includes TVAM membership, IAM associate membership and your first test fee. The actual coaching is free although it's good practice to keep your allocated observer topped up with coffee and bacon butties. For the really young ones out there I think there's still a discount for under 25s and you get a free year RAC membership at the moment. Once you've passed your test chances are you'll get cheaper insurance as well as using less fuel, chains, tyres etc while getting places sooner!.

General flow is:-

Turn up on 3rd Sunday.
Have free assessment ride
After ride and feedback decide if you want to join or not. If you do then ....
Be allocated to an Observer (coach like me) who will stay with you until you pass (unless you don't get on then swap to another Observer there are hundreds of us).
You and your observer go out when ever it's convenient for you both.
Every 3rd Sunday you go back to St.Crispins to go out with a different observer, eat bacon butties and drool over all the bikes.

If you can't make a 3rd Sunday then goto the website, click on "join us" and someone will be in touch to assess and allocate you but you'll miss out on the free cup of tea and being gob smacked by the number of bikes you can get in a school.

I'm sure someone will be along shortly to rubbish the whole idea but I just refer you back to the "open mind" bit at the start of this post!

Feel free to get in touch via a PM if you don't want the shame of appearing interested in the open forum. If there is any interest I'll be going along for the June 17th meet so could accompany people in and possibly arrange a bit of a ride-out on the way home.

[Fallout]

Just chiming in with some interest. I don't consider my riding style bad, so I don't think I'm in need of urgent help, but I also know there are things I could improve. I think I'll be up for this in the near future mate. In the meantime, I'd happily take up your offer of you riding behind me on the next jaunt and seeing what you can spot. Kills two birds with one stone too, as you can get yourself on the rear facing camera at last and then admire yourself later on the internet.

Would my style of riding be acceptable for an observed ride?

[Mark_h]

Originally Posted by Thunderace

Would my style of riding be acceptable for an observed ride?

If you upped the pace a bit you'd get away with it.

Originally Posted by Mark_h

If you upped the pace a bit you'd get away with it.

Cheeky!

[Tomor]

I decided to do this (with TVAM) shortly after my test. Probably would have been a better idea to get a few more miles in before I joined but I decided I may as well learn good techniques before I got into bad habits.
When I went for my first 'St Crispins Sunday' I met Mark (and found out he is on here) who took me on my observed ride, and he gave me two techniques that have transformed my riding immensely. The rides are very relaxed and they don't pressure you if you do something stupid they will tell you and it is up to you whether you take it on board or not.

I would highly recommend at least going for an observed ride, even if you don't join you may gain some skills that will help.

This is just my opinion but I feel it is very worthwhile thing to do.

Tom

Good idea Mark. I must confess I usually veer away from formality and instruction, just because that seems to be my nature, but I know this will be a worthwhile exercise.

I had one advanced riding tuition/ session out of a scheme run from Woking Yamaha when I got back on a bike in 2011. I think it set me up well for last year and this, certainly showed me a good few things I'd either forgotten or never knew. Come September/ October when the trackdays will be coming less frequent I think I'll take you up on your suggestion.

Nice one.

[dirtydog]

I had been riding for about 10 years before I joined the IAM after getting grief from kitkat on here about my rather aggressive and ragged riding "style". She pretty much put down the challenge that I couldn't pass the IAM test. After about 6/8 observed rides I put in for my test and passed it.
It was a good experience and I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone. I wouldn't say it made me any quicker but it certainly made me a lot safer.

Not all IAM people have beards and ride BMWs

[Mark_h]

OK folks, for those interested, now's the time to act!

Sunday 17th June is the next TVAM meet. Turn up for a free observed ride and if you like it just pay your money and join up. If you don't like it then just have the free observed ride, cup of tea (also free) and bacon butty (not free) and chalk it up to experience. Details are on the first post of this thread.

It's a friendly club with about 1000 members and not all beardy pan/GS-riders. If you do make your own way there then don't be put off by the half-dozen bikes in the front playground, go round the back. Should be 2-300 bikes there. If it's raining there will be 2-300 wet bikes there instead!

Park-up then head to the left hand side of the main hall and look for the folks in the red t-shirts. Mention my name and number (Mark Harrington 2277) so they can track how you found out about the club.

You will need to be at St.Crispins school for 09:00ish with a full tank of fuel and an open mind. Done and dusted by about 13:00. If enough of us turn up and it's not chucking it down I could be persuaded to lead a mini-run back to the homelands for you to try out any newly acquired skills and techniques.

A few of the team meet up outside the Indian restaurant in Hartley Whitney (Between the two mini roundabouts on the A30) Meet 08:30 for a 08:45 ish departure.

For those I've not met I'm on a silver naked SV1000 with a red tank-bag, will probably have black/silver leathers on and will be found talking bull$hit somewhere while eating a bacon butty.

For newbies and recent returners, you'll not be pushed into doing anything you don't want to do and it may help iron out any bad habits that you have got into before they become too ingrained.

Thunderace, if you do turn up I'll let them know to take it easy for you

Let me know if you are thinking of coming so I can look out for you.

Cheers,
Mark

[Fallout]

No chance I could make it mate, but not forgotten nor discounted the idea. You'll probably see me powersliding into the carpark at a future meet.