visordown.com

LOL just pulling myself out mate.......give us a sec

Originally Posted by BluePete

Moses, get out from up your own bum!


Stop eating the red meat


Only kidding! Come up North Lozzo, some great peeps up here.

I lived in the frozen wastelands of the north for 2 1/2 years. Lovely people, great roads, picturesque views all around but it's cold, wet and there's little in the way of well paid work.

Originally Posted by vzzzbuxt

oh good godwhat have TWO done to the website/forums.... first it was filled with magazine only reading mong's and now they gone and messed with the site.


it worked- so leave it the feck alone!!!!

WHAT ARE YOU DOING USING ANOTHER FORUM?!?!



Na, i had a look there the other day; I didn't like it, infact, I don't like any forums but this one

Matt

Originally Posted by alpinestarhero

Na, i had a look there the other day; I didn't like it, infact, I don't like any forums but this one

Matt

same here, i used to be on a few, but i like the banter on this one, even though i dont really post much!

and on generalisations, dont do it, you will be wrong, there is always an exception that disproves the rule you thought exisited.


im sure there will be an exception to what ive just said as well!!

Originally Posted by 600+

I generalise because I've yet to meet an IAM type who wasn't completely up his own backside about how brilliant a rider he is.

Let me then be the first you meet that is an IAM member and I'm defo not someone saying that I'm a brilliant rider.....in fact nowhere near! So please stop generalising or maybe come up north to meet some not so uptight folks

Like I said, I've lived up north, I quite liked it.

Originally Posted by 600+

There's a bike kit shop just up the road from me, and a few of them come in when I'm working part-time there - it's a friendly shop with that club atmosphere that's missing in most bike shops nowadays. Some of the students buy kit and when they've passed they pop in and let us know. We always jokingly say amongst ourselves "he'll have binned it by the end of next week, who's taking bets?", and 9 times out of 10 we're right. Round here it's the IAM types who crash, which is one reason I won't do IAM training.

Fair enough You might though wish to check your previous argument where you are saying that IAM members are full of themselves.......you sound to me like you are a bit full of yourself as well.......you might not be but this is how your statement comes across

I'm far from up myself, I just have the benefit of 30 years riding experience behind me and I feel there are things in the IAM system that are a complete waste of time, and some I see as potentially dangerous. When I've spoken to IAM types about these things I get answers like "but the book says it must be done this way", it's like talking to someone who's recently discovered religion when they start quoting their deity of choice's own personal book of truths.

I'm not the best rider in the world - far from it in fact - I recognise there are things in my riding that could do with a lot of improvement, but I don't believe I would benefit one iota from learning a riding system, such as the IAM's. I feel it would take away or train out my ability to think on my feet and react to a situation in a manner that will help rather than hinder me.

Originally Posted by 600+

The other reason is, I believe riding a motorcycle to a system is not the right way to enjoy your hobby - motorcycle riding should be instinctive. If you can't ride instinctively and you need to follow a system, is motorcycling really the thing for you?

I find this argument completely unrealistic!! the way you drive or ride is according to a system. If what you are saying was right then unless you were a natural in something you shouldn't be doing it! That is a bit harsh you know! Motorcycling is not the same for everyone, some people like scraping their knees in high speeds (like I do) others like to ride to enjoy the air in their face and possibly a lot more that I cannot come up with.

So in general don't brush everyone the same as people are different......and something tells me you are not that young not to know this

I'm nearly 46 and had a full licence since 5 days after my 17th birthday in 1979, there's only been 2 days in the intervening 30 years when I haven't had a bike of my own at my disposal and I do about 22,000 road miles a year spread over 3 bikes at the moment. I passed my test under the old system when a man in a mac ran through alleyways and watched from a distance. Learning was done the hard way because a 17 yr old didn't really have access to advanced training back then. I fell off a lot of times and was in a coma for three weeks at one point, after a bit of a dispute involving a KE100 and a pub front door that was doing 50mph.

After my smash I started looking closely at the way I rode, and I developed by own style of riding that kept me upright and alive. Any fool can judge traffic distance/speed, road positioning is common sense, body positioning on the bike helps with safer cornering, all that is a part of my own personal system, but I do it without thinking. I don't ever do a left shoulder check when I move back to the left after overtaking a parked car, I see no point in it and all that does is take your eyes off what is happening in front. Most parked cars are in towns, which is where you need to be looking forward. I don't always leave a road junction so my wheels don't cross the white paint on the STOP or GIVE WAY markings, I will brake on the approach to a corner with my tyres going over the S on SLOW, because it's not always a good thing to only ride through the L bit...things like that. The system works for IAM types who want or need a system to ride to, but very few riders actually need it and I'm one of those who don't. What helped me greatly was reading 'Roadcraft' a few years ago and adapting some of my riding to suit.

I ride in a number of ways, depending on what bike I'm on. There's a big bike for long distance blasts, a naked SV for commuting and general enjoyment, a 250 single for local pottering and a trackbike for hooligan antics - I save the really fast, knee-down riding for the track. When I get on either bike my riding style changes to suit the time or purpose of the ride.

Most of what the IAM teach is stuff that should be instinctive, and because I don't want my head filled with "have to do this next, have to do that after" I won't do the training. Every rider is different, very road situation is different again, no two people can react the same way given a similar situation, they need to be able to think for themselves and deal with it accordingly. IAM training tells them to do it "this way and that way only". I'll rely on my own common sense, gut feeling and self preservation instinct to get me through - it's worked since 1982, which is when I came out of hospital. In my mind that's not being up myself, that's just knowing what works for me, and quite a few other riders I know with similar riding experience have mirrored my feelings.

This isn't meant as a pop at you personally, I can't judge you because I have never met you, but I really don't believe the IAM system works for the majority of riders. I think their training is way overhyped, and this view was recently endorsed when I got chatting to a bunch of local traffic cops I know quite well.

Agreed!! Totally!! IAM is a system that people adhere to or just choose what they like and use it or not.

Although I've been riding since I was 14 which gives me 12 years of riding I will not pretend to have anywhere near your 30 years experience. It is your view that the IAM system is not something for you but bare in mind that MOST of the riders out there are not naturals hence things like IAM (or other advanced training) can be beneficial.

All the best with your riding, don't take the **** of things like IAM as in my opinion they do benefit people even in the slightest. Your choice not to want to attend a course and to be honest with 30years experience I don't see much benefit to it for you.

On the other hand though most of the things you "discovered" by yourself are part of the IAM and you could choose to give something back to young riders from your 30 years experience by showing them your advanced way of riding.

I think we have derailed this thread enough from it's original point of VD not being of our liking, so lets get back to it and leave IAM alone.

blue pete - whats your take on riding/driving to a system? i thought you coppers drove to some secret system? especially your bike coppers?

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by 600+

All the best with your riding, don't take the **** of things like IAM

Thats an unreasonable thing to ask of people.

It's something I've considered, and I might do it at some point, I have no interest in getting a little green badge stuck anywhere but somebody else's opinion on my riding would teach me a lot.

Lozzo I know what you're saying about fixed systems, as I heard the debate a while ago about IAM advocating 4 fingers on the brakes, archaic and daft to listen to that, but IMO just getting another opinion about your riding is going to teach you something, no matter how experienced you are.

Originally Posted by yorkie_chris

Lozzo I know what you're saying about fixed systems, as I heard the debate a while ago about IAM advocating 4 fingers on the brakes, archaic and daft to listen to that, but IMO just getting another opinion about your riding is going to teach you something, no matter how experienced you are.

There is no such thing as 4 fingers on the brakes!! Probably an urban legend

[yorkie_chris]

I stand corrected, heard it on here though