Motorcycle Training

Today I was at a Motorcycle Training in a city nearby. It was another step that is required by law to keep your driving license.

I got there with mixed feelings as multiple co-workers told me it isn’t worth it. I must protest. I really enjoyed it and it was different from what I was expecting.

It started at half-past eight in the morning with a few rounds around the course to get used to the Motorcycle. Almost all brought their own, except me, I borrowed one from the place because I didn’t want to drive my motorcycle there. Also, I didn’t want to break anything on mine in case I would fall off (I didn’t).

Then we went on to some zig-zag course where I learned a new technique. “Pressing the bike.” Instead of leaning to a side to drive a curve, you press on one side of the handlebars to get only the motorcycle into a tilted position.

I knew about the technique before, but I didn’t know it was easy to use and is way faster if you need to avoid an obstacle.

After that, we drove circles (literary) to get the focus on the right viewing technique. The motorcycle always drives in the direction you’re looking at. If you’re looking at the grass beneath the street, you’re going to drive into it.

Then we did some brake testing with and without Anit-blocking-system. Which was another thing you normally don’t do.

The last thing we practised was the dodge-hook (sorry, I couldn’t find a better translation), where you press the bike really fast to avoid an obstacle. Another great technique that could save lives.

After the lunch break, there was a psychological group discussion, where they show you a bunch of statistics that should prevent you from driving anyway. That ended the day.

Even though it wasn’t cheap (270€), I see it as a good investment in safety for me. I think I will also attend a more advanced course sometime in summer. We’ll see.