I recently attended an on-road rider training course with Roadsafe Ltd. The training concentrated on some more advanced riding techniques and was invaluable. I have previously taken part in other courses by Roadsafe and this course has helped to take my riding skills and safety awareness to another level. I strongly believe every rider should attend rider training every few years, there are so many riders out on the road that have never had any practical instruction. A lot sit back and blame others for the accidents when a bit of training can make all the difference even if the other driver is at fault there are so many things a rider can do to stay upright. Too many things to explain here so get into one of the Roadsafe courses available and you will not only ride safer but it will lift your enjoyment when riding.

On Saturday the 6th of March a group of nine riders got together for the open-road component of Roadsafe's Rider Improvement course. The riders had various levels of experience and some had just recently acquired their large steeds. The destination was Takaka; the challenge was not to fall off on the Takaka hill. We departed from Richmond under the watchful eyes of Jen and Andrew. Two stops prior to the hill were used to up skill our open road riding techniques and cover the theory of cornering and hill riding. The hill came next and I was pleasantly surprised to find out for myself that Jen's tuition, put into practice, actually works! Shifting one's weight onto the footpegs; pushing a knee forward; keeping the eyes level; keep the revs up; use engine-braking and don't be afraid to lean the bike. Riding the Takaka hill became a very pleasant exercise! I would never have thought that it would be possible to ride over the Takaka hill on a 1200cc motorbike without ever touching my brake lever once!! After a healthy lunch in Takaka the exercise was repeated on the way back with good techniques reinforced. A tired, but very satisfied and up skilled group of riders dispersed from Richmond that afternoon. Jen has proved herself as a knowledgeable and competent instructor. Many thanks to the Roadsafe team for a great day of learning and confidence-building.

I was curious to see how m/c training could be run on public roads. The day was broken into four main sections. Between each was a briefing about the next section, and a review of what had been done on the previous section. The day worked better than I had expected. For me, the course was a refresher, reinforcing observation and riding techniques that I had been taught, read about, or tried before. There was emphasis on skills that produced more assertive, but better controlled, cornering. Roadsafe offer a technique, explain how and why it works, demonstrate, and give people a chance to try it out themselves. Overall, I thought it was a well-run course that gave people new techniques and confidence in managing their bikes. For some, it may lead to a general riding style that is both more assertive and more controlled. For others, who’s riding style is generally more relaxed, it should give more skills and confidence to minimise any surprises or frights on a ride.