Post by Dennis D on Jun 17, 2007 21:56:18 GMT -5
Yesterday afternoon I took the ERC course offered by Abate in NE Indiana. There were 12 in the course. There were Big V-Twin cruisers and dressers, one single sylinder 500cc bike and me, on my 150cc Strada. There were two instructors, a gal in her early forties(that came out when they were talking about "over forty" riders), and a guy who was close to the same age.
One of the first things we did, was to run over 2 x 4s. I'm not sure I did that the way they wanted me to, but neither one of the instructors said anything. I know I was a little going faster than almost anyone else there, but that's the way I prefer to hit small obstacles. There were many of their verbal instructions, that I didn't quite understand, because they didn't say to look, brake or slow down, and then act on the hazard in front of you. Instead they used some apparently proprietary MSF language which I'd never heard before, that I took to mean the same thing. That's something I'd already figured out from looking at the MSF site, that catch phrases and acronyms are something the MSF literature seems really big on. One example; T-Clocs, saw it on the MSF site where it wasn't explained, and there were references to it on the cards in the ERC class, but no one explained it... It was just mentioned as a way of remembering what to to check for during a pre-ride insptection, nobody or anything in the books they let us use, said what the letters stood for stood for. I suppose they might teach that in the BRC... since there's a lot more classroom instruction there. Acronyms have never done it for me anyway.
Then there was some braking practice, during which I realized(about the same time it was pointed out to me), that sometimes I was actually rolling some throttle back on as I was pulling the brake lever back. That's the one thing I brought home from that class that I will pay attention to , until I'm sure I no longer have the tendency to do that. After I knew I was doing that I figured out how to stop doing it, but it's still something I'll have to watch for.
There's one other thing I learned from the class.... I will never again try to do tight U-turns when some idiot is standing inside the box I'm doing them in, shouting directions at me(as though I don't know what to do), telling me I should make tighter turns than everyone else(something I was doing anyway). There were two long boxes laid out where we did tight U-turns, with a couple sets of lines on one side of the box... one which made the box wider, and one narrower. You went into the box and at the far end, made a U-turn, went back to the other end made another U-turn in the opposite direction, and then rode back through the box and out... almost a figure eight. One instructor was "near" each box.
The female instructor stood several feet outside the box and shouted encouragement at people as they successfully made their U-Turns. I had no problems whatsoever with either left or right U-Turns on her side of the course. On the other side of the course, this little "Banty Rooster" acting guy, the other instructor, when it was my turn to do the U-turn, stepped into the box, pointing to the narrower line, and yelling at me that I should be making tighter U-Turns than anyone else, since my scooter was so much smaller than the other bikes there. As a matter of fact, on the other side of the course where the lady instructor was, I always chose the narrower box, and then only used up the full width of that (narrower)box one time out of eight total U-turns I made over there.
On the side where the guy stepped into the box yelling instructions at me, every single time I tried to negotiate that (left hand) turn, I got flustered, tried to make the turn way too tight, and ended up putting a foot down.... except for once when I determined that I wasn't going to put a foot down, but still got distracted and flustered by the guy in the box yelling at me, tried to take it too tight again, went too slow, and fell over. I had no problems at all with the U-turn at the other end of the same box.... where I didn't have this guy in my face messing with me. No harm done, except to my dignity, but I decided that if I ever take a course like that again, and some yahoo stands right in the box and yells instructions at me while I'm trying to do something that takes that much concentration, I'll stop, tell him to give me my space, and stay quiet till I'm done. Then if they have something to tell me, that's the time to do it.
I had practiced U-turns and figure eights in the couple of days leading up to taking the ERC, and of all the things we did, I knew that was the one that would take the most concentration of all. His take on it was that I must have hit my front brake???!! That just showed his estimation of what a dumbass scooterist would do. But what happened was, I let him get to me, and every time I was at that end of the box I tried to take the U-turn way tighter than what was possible(at least for me), and the time I went down, it was because I let the revs drop to the point where the CVT was no longer pulling.
Most of the rest of it was doing weaves and curves, both "sweeping curves"(not really, but they called them that), and esses. It wasn't what I would have expected in an experienced rider course, because either the curves had no outside boundaries; most of the wide "sweepers" you could go as wide as you wished; or else the gates and painted lines(lane markings) for the curves were around half or less of the width of a normal marked lane on the road. In both of those two sets of parameters, we were supposed to be simulating choosing a line on a road, but neither scenario was close to the size of marked lanes on a road.
In what they called the "sweepers", at the ends of the marked course, when I tried to negotiate them within the confines of what would be a normal traffic lane, they told me I should go wider and use up more parking lot(since they had no outside parameters marked for those). They said it was easier to go way wide... Ah, the freedom of turns where you never run out of road to make your turn on!! Don't we all wish it were so in real life!
For the tighter turns, marked esses, and combination turns, the markings varied from less than half the width of a normal lane, to a bit over half the width of a normal lane. Within those painted or marked lines, you had the "freedom to choose" your line. So either there were no practical limits to the line one could choose, or so much of a limit that there was almost no choosing your line. The markings consisted of faded paint lines of one or another color, also marked here and there with small orange and yellow-green cones to show where "gates" or the insides of curves were.
The cones were little cones that would have been 5" high, with about 4" square bases, except they had almost all of them they used for the ERC cut off at about 2-2 1/2' high, so the side boards and stuff hanging off the dressers wouldn't knock em over. On whatever course was set up, you'd go through a gate, or a curve, then look for several more cones a ways away(usually anywhere from 20 to 40 feet away, sometimes a little farther). Groupings of cones generally ranged from 2 to 4 cones designating a small area of the course where direction changes were to be made(which might be before, during, or after the next small cluster of cones). The yellow-green ones were particularly hard to spot, unless they were positioned straight ahead from the last gate.
I went home with all kinds of hurt in both legs, because I ended up riding every exercise with my knees pulled together, in a very cramped riding position where all I could do was lean my upper body to shift my weight. My knees aren't good enough anymore, and I'm a bit too heavy, to put my feet back where the passenger would put normally their feet and lift myself off the seat some to shift my weight back and forth like I would if I had foot pegs, so I usually ride with my feet on the diagonal part of the floor leading up to the leg shield, and shift both knees back and forth from side to side, corresponding to whatever side I lean my body. Well I gave that up pretty quickly, because the lady instructor kept yelling at me to pull my knees in.... and actually yelled at me a couple of times that I needed to pull my knees in and grip the tank for better control!!?? She'd holler my name as she said it... and she knew I was on a scooter.... Duh!!!
I could have stopped and argued that and several points with them, but after a recent bad experience of another scooterist in an Abate of Indiana course, that one a BRC course in NW Indiana, I went in to see what the attitude was toward scooterists, and what understanding there was of the differences between scooters and larger wheeled motorcycles with gears and clutch. I wasn't there to try to edu-ma-cate them on the differences. What I found was that there is practically no comprehension of how comparitively unstable scooters are because of the smaller wheels, zero comprehension of how scooters require some modifications to riding style, as compared to motorcycles, and that a low regard shown toward smaller motorcycles in general was shown by the instructors. Something was said by one of the instructors in the first class session to the effect that once people learned on whatever they were comfortable with as a starter bike, they should then see how big of a bike they could comfortably handle, as though anything less than a really big dresser, cruiser, or 1000cc sport bikes were merely beginner bikes not worthy of a real motorcyclist.
The classroom stuff was pretty basic, but good for as far as it went, considering the time limitations. As mentioned earlier, on the course, I was made aware of the fact that I was actually twisting the trottle back on some during sudden hard front braking, which in turn was making me lock up the back wheel to stop... partly because I wasn't releasing the grip enough with the "web" of my thumb, and partly because I wasn't lifting the "heel" of my hand enough to keep from hitting the throttle rocker installed on the end of my left grip. That alone could save my bacon some time. and I'll make sure to pay attention that I'm not doing that anymore.
Also, on the positive side, I have to say that the instructors did cover the fact that the MSF "rules" aren't all hard and fast. They did mention that you can, and sometimes may need to use judicious braking while in corners, and that although always "covering the brake" while riding can be a problem, it may be a good and necessary thing to do in high danger areas.
The classroom part of the course, I would give much higher marks to than the actual exercises, considering it was a class for experienced riders. But I personally consider reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, and practicing the things he recommends is, for the most part, far more valuable than the ERC as taught by Abate here in Indiana. I would like to find out how much uniformity there is to the way the class and the exercises are taught around the country. Does the way this class was conducted sound normal, or is this an aberration from the norm?
One of the first things we did, was to run over 2 x 4s. I'm not sure I did that the way they wanted me to, but neither one of the instructors said anything. I know I was a little going faster than almost anyone else there, but that's the way I prefer to hit small obstacles. There were many of their verbal instructions, that I didn't quite understand, because they didn't say to look, brake or slow down, and then act on the hazard in front of you. Instead they used some apparently proprietary MSF language which I'd never heard before, that I took to mean the same thing. That's something I'd already figured out from looking at the MSF site, that catch phrases and acronyms are something the MSF literature seems really big on. One example; T-Clocs, saw it on the MSF site where it wasn't explained, and there were references to it on the cards in the ERC class, but no one explained it... It was just mentioned as a way of remembering what to to check for during a pre-ride insptection, nobody or anything in the books they let us use, said what the letters stood for stood for. I suppose they might teach that in the BRC... since there's a lot more classroom instruction there. Acronyms have never done it for me anyway.
Then there was some braking practice, during which I realized(about the same time it was pointed out to me), that sometimes I was actually rolling some throttle back on as I was pulling the brake lever back. That's the one thing I brought home from that class that I will pay attention to , until I'm sure I no longer have the tendency to do that. After I knew I was doing that I figured out how to stop doing it, but it's still something I'll have to watch for.
There's one other thing I learned from the class.... I will never again try to do tight U-turns when some idiot is standing inside the box I'm doing them in, shouting directions at me(as though I don't know what to do), telling me I should make tighter turns than everyone else(something I was doing anyway). There were two long boxes laid out where we did tight U-turns, with a couple sets of lines on one side of the box... one which made the box wider, and one narrower. You went into the box and at the far end, made a U-turn, went back to the other end made another U-turn in the opposite direction, and then rode back through the box and out... almost a figure eight. One instructor was "near" each box.
The female instructor stood several feet outside the box and shouted encouragement at people as they successfully made their U-Turns. I had no problems whatsoever with either left or right U-Turns on her side of the course. On the other side of the course, this little "Banty Rooster" acting guy, the other instructor, when it was my turn to do the U-turn, stepped into the box, pointing to the narrower line, and yelling at me that I should be making tighter U-Turns than anyone else, since my scooter was so much smaller than the other bikes there. As a matter of fact, on the other side of the course where the lady instructor was, I always chose the narrower box, and then only used up the full width of that (narrower)box one time out of eight total U-turns I made over there.
On the side where the guy stepped into the box yelling instructions at me, every single time I tried to negotiate that (left hand) turn, I got flustered, tried to make the turn way too tight, and ended up putting a foot down.... except for once when I determined that I wasn't going to put a foot down, but still got distracted and flustered by the guy in the box yelling at me, tried to take it too tight again, went too slow, and fell over. I had no problems at all with the U-turn at the other end of the same box.... where I didn't have this guy in my face messing with me. No harm done, except to my dignity, but I decided that if I ever take a course like that again, and some yahoo stands right in the box and yells instructions at me while I'm trying to do something that takes that much concentration, I'll stop, tell him to give me my space, and stay quiet till I'm done. Then if they have something to tell me, that's the time to do it.
I had practiced U-turns and figure eights in the couple of days leading up to taking the ERC, and of all the things we did, I knew that was the one that would take the most concentration of all. His take on it was that I must have hit my front brake???!! That just showed his estimation of what a dumbass scooterist would do. But what happened was, I let him get to me, and every time I was at that end of the box I tried to take the U-turn way tighter than what was possible(at least for me), and the time I went down, it was because I let the revs drop to the point where the CVT was no longer pulling.
Most of the rest of it was doing weaves and curves, both "sweeping curves"(not really, but they called them that), and esses. It wasn't what I would have expected in an experienced rider course, because either the curves had no outside boundaries; most of the wide "sweepers" you could go as wide as you wished; or else the gates and painted lines(lane markings) for the curves were around half or less of the width of a normal marked lane on the road. In both of those two sets of parameters, we were supposed to be simulating choosing a line on a road, but neither scenario was close to the size of marked lanes on a road.
In what they called the "sweepers", at the ends of the marked course, when I tried to negotiate them within the confines of what would be a normal traffic lane, they told me I should go wider and use up more parking lot(since they had no outside parameters marked for those). They said it was easier to go way wide... Ah, the freedom of turns where you never run out of road to make your turn on!! Don't we all wish it were so in real life!
For the tighter turns, marked esses, and combination turns, the markings varied from less than half the width of a normal lane, to a bit over half the width of a normal lane. Within those painted or marked lines, you had the "freedom to choose" your line. So either there were no practical limits to the line one could choose, or so much of a limit that there was almost no choosing your line. The markings consisted of faded paint lines of one or another color, also marked here and there with small orange and yellow-green cones to show where "gates" or the insides of curves were.
The cones were little cones that would have been 5" high, with about 4" square bases, except they had almost all of them they used for the ERC cut off at about 2-2 1/2' high, so the side boards and stuff hanging off the dressers wouldn't knock em over. On whatever course was set up, you'd go through a gate, or a curve, then look for several more cones a ways away(usually anywhere from 20 to 40 feet away, sometimes a little farther). Groupings of cones generally ranged from 2 to 4 cones designating a small area of the course where direction changes were to be made(which might be before, during, or after the next small cluster of cones). The yellow-green ones were particularly hard to spot, unless they were positioned straight ahead from the last gate.
I went home with all kinds of hurt in both legs, because I ended up riding every exercise with my knees pulled together, in a very cramped riding position where all I could do was lean my upper body to shift my weight. My knees aren't good enough anymore, and I'm a bit too heavy, to put my feet back where the passenger would put normally their feet and lift myself off the seat some to shift my weight back and forth like I would if I had foot pegs, so I usually ride with my feet on the diagonal part of the floor leading up to the leg shield, and shift both knees back and forth from side to side, corresponding to whatever side I lean my body. Well I gave that up pretty quickly, because the lady instructor kept yelling at me to pull my knees in.... and actually yelled at me a couple of times that I needed to pull my knees in and grip the tank for better control!!?? She'd holler my name as she said it... and she knew I was on a scooter.... Duh!!!
I could have stopped and argued that and several points with them, but after a recent bad experience of another scooterist in an Abate of Indiana course, that one a BRC course in NW Indiana, I went in to see what the attitude was toward scooterists, and what understanding there was of the differences between scooters and larger wheeled motorcycles with gears and clutch. I wasn't there to try to edu-ma-cate them on the differences. What I found was that there is practically no comprehension of how comparitively unstable scooters are because of the smaller wheels, zero comprehension of how scooters require some modifications to riding style, as compared to motorcycles, and that a low regard shown toward smaller motorcycles in general was shown by the instructors. Something was said by one of the instructors in the first class session to the effect that once people learned on whatever they were comfortable with as a starter bike, they should then see how big of a bike they could comfortably handle, as though anything less than a really big dresser, cruiser, or 1000cc sport bikes were merely beginner bikes not worthy of a real motorcyclist.
The classroom stuff was pretty basic, but good for as far as it went, considering the time limitations. As mentioned earlier, on the course, I was made aware of the fact that I was actually twisting the trottle back on some during sudden hard front braking, which in turn was making me lock up the back wheel to stop... partly because I wasn't releasing the grip enough with the "web" of my thumb, and partly because I wasn't lifting the "heel" of my hand enough to keep from hitting the throttle rocker installed on the end of my left grip. That alone could save my bacon some time. and I'll make sure to pay attention that I'm not doing that anymore.
Also, on the positive side, I have to say that the instructors did cover the fact that the MSF "rules" aren't all hard and fast. They did mention that you can, and sometimes may need to use judicious braking while in corners, and that although always "covering the brake" while riding can be a problem, it may be a good and necessary thing to do in high danger areas.
The classroom part of the course, I would give much higher marks to than the actual exercises, considering it was a class for experienced riders. But I personally consider reading Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough, and practicing the things he recommends is, for the most part, far more valuable than the ERC as taught by Abate here in Indiana. I would like to find out how much uniformity there is to the way the class and the exercises are taught around the country. Does the way this class was conducted sound normal, or is this an aberration from the norm?
