Advanced motorcycle skills taught by Motor Officers
Riding a motorcycle is a perishable skill. If you don't continue to practice avoidance skills and proper riding technique you will slowly lose the ability to perform them when the time demands it.
As a Rider Coach for the Motorcycle Safety Foundation, I have the luxury of keeping basic riding fundamentals and street strategies at the forefront of my thoughts. It is safe to say that every time I throw a leg over a motorcycle some of the techniques and strategies that I teach on a regular basis is in my conscious thoughts. I never get on a motorcycle and just ride without being aware of my surroundings and proper technique to control the motorcycle.
But if I were to stop growing my skills at the levels taught in a 2 day Basic Motorcycle Safety class I would never grow as a rider. So I seek out any reading materials, books, videos or websites that I think will help me be a better rider. While attending a Police Motorcycle Rodeo I noticed a tent set up and registration for a class in the DFW area called Pro Rider, they also have classes at select locations across the country.
Pro Rider in Dallas, TX is taught by David Wright who is a Motor Officer in the DFW area. The class is an 8-hour Advanced Riding course that teaches some of the basic techniques that motor officers learn in the 2-week motor officer training academy. The course is taught on your own motorcycle and consists of three different classes; Advanced Riders Course, Precision and Control Course, and the Defensive Riding Course.
Video Review (watch till the end to see me ride through some exercises)
The Precision and Control Course (4 hours) teaches some of the techniques that motor officers use to control the motorcycle in tight and confined settings. You will practice skills like, u-turns in a tight parking lot or maneuvering the motorcycle among slow moving traffic. The techniques learned in this class and more are what is demonstrated in some of the Police Motorcycle Rodeo videos I have posted online. Some of the exercises practiced in this course include Double 360, Iron Cross, Offset Weave and Slow Cones.
The Defensive Riding Course (4 Hours) is also taught on your own motorcycle and it teaches you some advanced avoidance techniques and road strategies to help you survive among the traffic. Some of the exercises practiced in this course include: Straight line braking, breaking in a curve, rear-end crash avoidance, 30 MPH weave and swerving.
The Advanced Course (8 hours) is simply a combination of the two previously mentioned courses. At the end of this course, you will have the skills to more effectively handle your motorcycle at slow speeds and some strategies to help you avoid conflict on the road.
I really enjoyed the Advanced Course that I took at Pro Rider Dallas. By the end of the course, I had much better control moving my Honda Valkyrie through the Double 360 and the Iron Cross exercises. But, as stated earlier motorcycle riding is a perishable skill so I know I will need to continue practicing the techniques I learned in order to get better at it.
If you have been looking for an Advanced Rider Course that will help you grow your riding skills I can highly recommend Pro Rider Dallas taught by officer David Wright.
