Hi, guys as a return rider after many years away and with a new bike I was thinkin of doing one of the hart advanced rider training courses to give me a boost on skills and shit... any 1 been on one or have any thoughts on them? or yas reccon i should just man up and ride more?
http://hart.honda.com.au/VIC_Advanced_Courses
Went on one years ago in my younger days when i had a fireblade. It is the best thing you can do for learning the correct methods of riding ANY bike. Its also the most fun you can have on a bike.
Also, unless the insurance rules have changed, you are covered in case you come off because they are an accredited rider training program. Normal ride days are not covered.
If you go, say g'day to Wayne Clark for me.
As another rider who returned to motorcyclng after a large gap, I also thought it prudent to brush up my skills and did the one day HART Refresher course in Melbourne. It was funny - there were only three attendees, all men in their 40s who were keen riders many years back, now returning to motorcycling after 15-20 years, older and wiser(?haha) with no intention of recreating our crotch-rocket days. We all were very clear on the bikes we were going to buy - cruisers / tourers only (me a Fatty, one guy a BMW and the third a Triumph). We all picked the largest size training bike available - Hornet 650 (not as a dare, but as the closest we could get to the larger bikes we were going to buy). We all started off being quite wobbly & jerky, but it was exhilarating to see decades-old skills come back quickly and all of us getting really comfortable with bikes again. There was quite a bit of riding time and the exercises (cornering, braking etc) got more challenging as the day progressed. Emergency braking is one skill most people never practice - we got to try out emergency braking on the Hornets and then for comparison, on one of the latest Hondas that had ABS - the reduction in braking distance was an eye-opener. The last exercise of the day was counter-steering, yes, the 'steer right to turn left quicker' bit that sounds weird, but works well in practice: we had to flick the bikes at speed around obstacles (rubber cones, phew!). Well, in real life, unlike a sports bike, "flicking" a 320kg Fatboy is not something I am looking forward to, but it is good for one's confidence to have practiced it knowing that when some dickhead drives across you, you might juuust be able to avoid a head-on T-bone. In my opinion, any rider training course is worth the money as there are many things one forgets or bad habits one has, even if you are current rider. It is always good to brush up your skills. Personally, I found the Refresher course the best option for me at that point - the beginners courses would have been too boring while the advanced courses (meant for current riders) are held on a race track and would have been too much straight after several years' gap. But, I will be doing the advanced course in the future as even the track skills are transferrable to the road.
