Ladies On Two Wheels

So I've only been to MSF classes offered by a training oganization here that has their own range for practice. The range is smallish though, and while I don't anticipate taking another class for another year or so, I wonder if a different driving school/class might be better.

At the IMS they had some speakers from the Yamaha Champions School - their curriculum is spendy, but they have recently also launched one day and half day clinics that might be interesting. Of specific interest to me is their half day Street Riding course - which looks to be comparably priced as the Advanced Riding Technique class offered by the school/organization that i've taken BRC and BRC2 from.

Curious to hear other peoples experiences.

I took a Lee Parks class and loved it. The course was in a small area but focused on cornering so a large area wasn't needed. It was totally worth the money for a 1 day class. I hope to take another someday. I wish I had known you were at the show.

I've taken both Lee Parks' Total Control and the MSF's Sportbike Class (actually called the Advanced Riders' Course). Total Control does focus on cornering, but you only ride a 40 foot diameter circle, both directions. The course also includes a segment on setting up your suspension and preloading your brakes/throttle. Which to my mind are more track-oriented skills than street riding.

The ARC includes a lot of self-assessment in the classroom - how much of a risk taker are you, how skilled do you believe you are, etc, etc. - then on the range, there is a large assortment of both cornering, braking and general traffic-applicable techiniques: deep swerves, hard brakinb, decreasing radius cornering, and even merging/lane changes. Given the choice, it depends on what your goals are: To go fast on a track, or be safe on the street?

woodlandsprite wrote:At the IMS they had some speakers from the Yamaha Champions School - their curriculum is spendy, but they have recently also launched one day and half day clinics that might be interesting. Of specific interest to me is their half day Street Riding course - which looks to be comparably priced as the Advanced Riding Technique class offered by the school/organization that i've taken BRC and BRC2 from.s.

Check out our reviews on the Track Days forum. Several of us have done California Superbike School. I have not done Yamaha, but I do not view them as a first step into advanced riding. They really focus on trail braking, and that is really advanced. I feel like it would be overwhelming unless you were really ready for it.

I went to CA Superbike School as a street-only rider. I went to prepare for a bike tour through Europe. As you can probably tell from my "name"... it rocked my world and now I mostly only ride track. However, they have saved my life on the street and I have thanked them countless times in my helmet. They run their program all over the country. You can bring your own bike (no matter what type) or rent an S1000RR. I rented my first time out... first time on a sportbike ever. I bought one. I fell in love. I cannot say enough about their coaches, coaching, and the program. And, it is really tailored to accommodating first-time track riders, especially if you plan to translate to the street. I'll put up a full review tonight, if I haven't already. I need a slap on the wrist if I haven't! Just do it. If you want - feel free to PM me regarding locations and the camp vs. 2 single days [or reply here... it may benefit others]. I've done probably 25 days with them (not including their fleet break-in day, which was a blast) across the US and even in Australia.

Whew! I did post it: viewtopic.php?f=30&t=102

trackaddict wrote:Check out our reviews on the Track Days forum. Several of us have done California Superbike School. I have not done Yamaha, but I do not view them as a first step into advanced riding. They really focus on trail braking, and that is really advanced. I feel like it would be overwhelming unless you were really ready for it.

Thanks TrackAddict I think I have read your review, but if not, I'll go back and read again. I'm looking more as a street rider - I don't know that my aging body will tolerate a sportbike stance, I remember doing my BRC on a Honda CBR and I had strange aches and pains after, though that may have also been all that clutch work so its a good thing they allow people to bring their own bikes lol!

Sportbikes are a sport, without a doubt! I just started my P90x again to get back in sportbike shape. But, I can say that the BMW S1000RR they rent has clutchless up AND down shifting, and they are REALLY comfortable to ride. Plus, they are so smooth, most tracks you can just run in a single gear for most of it. It is nothing like the Japanese bikes, which feel exhausting and more aggressive with the stance. I took my GSX-R750 on the street ONCE, and was begging to pull over every 20 minutes. It was absolute torture! The BMW... I've ridden over 600 miles in one day through twisty mountains and didn't start feeling it in my backside until the 2-hour highway ride home.

But again, you can take your own bike. I've been on track with Harleys before. Once guy on a dual-sport BMW even left his luggage cases on!