KD school

Knee down school.

Ok, I had a bit of an epiphany on the crapper earlier ...

I have been thinking of a possible business venture and thought, why don't I start up a kneedown school?

We have all heard of the wheelie school and it has been a bit of a hit!

So the same idea, but with KD ?

I'd start people off on a midi-moto with outriggers on so you can't fall off. Then graduate up to a fullsize bike with outriggers. These outriggers will be adjustable so you can increase the amount of lean before they would touch down.

The idea being that people will lean the bike until they are running on the outriggers, then the rest of the KD would be done by moving off the bike appropriate amount without the fear of the bike sliding away/falling over ...

At first I'd have just 2 bikes (the midi and full bike) classes could be 3 people. Actually using the person riding as a briefing point for the two that are at that point watching.

I'd offer an inclusive video (DVD) of them before KD and after. I'd also use this footage during training so people can see and analyse for themselves where they are going wrong!

So .. and I am being serous now.

Who would pay to go to KD school and how much would you be prepared to pay for say a 2hr course, the first part being a theory and static positioning class. Then we would get out on the bikes.

So far as I can see no one is offering this service at the moment (there is a KD school website, but it has no contacts or anything, so I think that has fallen by).

[Balky001]

Your right - there is already a knee down school going, I know its been in a few mags over the last couple of years. The junior journo didn't get his knee down (I think 3 went) but enjoyed the day. I think MSN may have covered it also. They didn't use outriggers, just repetition and body posture. It looked a bit rubbish to me.

I prefer your idea. Not that I'll be booking as I don't believe in knee-downs, it looks very dangerous

Originally Posted by Balky001

Your right - there is already a knee down school going, I know its been in a few mags over the last couple of years. The junior journo didn't get his knee down (I think 3 went) but enjoyed the day. I think MSN may have covered it also. They didn't use outriggers, just repetition and body posture. It looked a bit rubbish to me.

I prefer your idea. Not that I'll be booking as I don't believe in knee-downs, it looks very dangerous

If that is the case I can see why they fail to get a high percentage of their clients KD!! How ill thought out!!

You need to take the 'fear' element out so the punter can concentrate on body positioning (in motion) rather than if they are going to fall off. The outriggers should provide this mental aid.

When the punter is growing in confidence and got their kneedown with outrigger touching the floor as initially intended, then you raise the outrigger a bit until they have the outrigger there as a backup, but it is not actually helping them KD at all At that point it'll all be second nature and easily repeatable ... (the first 'touch down' of the puck is the hardest )

It is then up to them to go out and practice (on their own bike), but I will not endorse that they do else I'll get myself into all sorts of legal trouble!!

[Shellywoozle]

Hey that wud help me, not just for knee downs but my FEAR factor in general !!!! Wheyy bring it on

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

Knee down school.

that's what roundabouts are for isn't it?

Originally Posted by Shellywoozle

Hey that wud help me, not just for knee downs but my FEAR factor in general !!!! Wheyy bring it on

Indeed, will give people confidence in leaning the bike full stop.

One thing I could do in the run-up/classroom phase, is actually put the outriggers up quite a bit (highest setting) and prove to the punters the bike can be lent much further than you need to get your KD and also that it is further over than where they will have the outriggers set.

you have also given me a further idea ... I could run a separate class which is a cornering confidence class ... the punters can then use the outrigger bikes to increase confidence. Better still I might be able to manufacture some generic outriggers that can bolt onto any bike, so they could practice with their own bike (round my course, not on the road obviously).

Hummm ... wanna start up business together!?!?

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

that's what roundabouts are for isn't it?

You can also practice wheeling without going to school, but as the wheelie school has proven - that is not to say there is not a market for people who want to be taught in a 'official' and synthetic (wheelie/kneedown training/safety bars) environment!!

[the_lone_wolf]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

You can also practice wheeling without going to school

ah yes, the raison d'etre for car-parks and industrial estate roads


but seriously, if people want to find the limits of their own bike in a safe environment, having outriggers on their own machine would be the best way to do it, to market it as a kneedown school might be limiting the appeal somewhat, but a large blacktop area where i can attack imaginary corners (or cones) without the fear of messing up the bike if i drop it would be an awesome idea

my two biggest concerns would be:

space - you'll need a fair bit of room to get people doing kneedowns at 50mph, you might be able to do it at a track, but that'd be prohibitively costly for a small group and there's not much space to bail out, outriggers or not a trip to the gravel trap will ruin your day, and if you're doing it on a track, why not just do a trackday instead and get an instructor to help you? (serious question btw, i genuinely don't know if you can do that sort of thing)

liability insurance - of course there has to be existing policies that cover things like the wheelie school, but i'd imagine they're not cheap.


good luck

[Balky001]

Originally Posted by Blue_SV650S

I could run a separate class which is a cornering confidence class ...

You could call is Portsmouth Superbike School

Originally Posted by the_lone_wolf

...


good luck

I was thinking abandoned airfields and places like that.

And you don't need to be doing 50 to get your KD ... I'd teach people to do it at about 20mph!!

Originally Posted by Balky001

You could call is Portsmouth Superbike School

I don't want my business to be associated with Portsmouth thank you very much!!