Last weekend, for Valentines Day, I took the BRC2 - I figured it would be good to get some training on my own motorcycle - and based on my experience level, it seemed like the BRC2 was recommended. I was the only woman out of 6 riders (usually they have 12 students, but I guess this was one of the few classes that was undersold). 1 other person had a similar style bike (dual sport), the rest had cruisers and there was a range in experience.
Getting to the BRC involved an early morning pre-sunrise ride out on the freeway - I switched out my visor, made sure to bundle up warmly (temps in the low 50s I think when I left) and off I went. The ride out was nice and uneventful, with light traffic. Freeway riding when the traffic is light is okay, though I definitely need to decide if I want a slightly larger windscreen - the plus would be possibly less buffeting of my helmet, the negative would be the possibility of even lower top speed. Top Speed on my bike would have me nervous on the freeway with more traffic I think, mostly because the bike doesn't have passing power - and the drivers out here can be rather aggressive.
The class itself was a half day only - entirely on the range. In many cases it was a rehash of exercises done during BRC but on your own motorcycle. When I took the BRC, I had never driven my own motorcycle - so I was constantly stalling the bike, and I dropped it during the u-turn exercise. While I still stalled the bike a couple times, I was a LOT smoother on all of the exercises vs when I was first learning. My Left U-turn is a lot better than my right U-turn - probably because I practice the Left u-turn every time I head out. I still have a lot of practice needed on quick stops - I have a bad habit of stomping on the rear break and locking up the rear tire
I was getting better at it, but definitely not getting a consistent result.Overall, I think the class was good - it was nice to revisit some of the exercises, see how far I had progressed and get a refresher on some of the exercises. I think I need to pick up a packet of saltines so I can "mark" a parking lot and if I squash them, then no big deal
The day was quite warm, so I was shedding layers as i went - only myself and the other DS rider wore full gear. By the time it was time to head home, I added a pair of sleeves that I wet down (highs in the mid to high 80s!) under my jacket, swapped out my visor and got underway. The ride home was also via freeway, slightly heavier traffic, but not too bad.
Overall quite a good day except it seems I was percolating a cold the entire time and it finally caught up to me valentines evening!!
