An Introduction

Winter in the Blue Grass Valley

The Rider’s Workshop is an on-road boutique Appalachian workshop for intermediate to advanced riders who want to develop more riding confidence and expert road riding skills. It is technical motorcycling shared with like-minded enthusiasts, in groups no larger than 5. There is great camaraderie.

Using two-way radios and roadside “chalk talk,” riding coach and Workshop founder, Jim Ford guides you. It’s never about riding fast.  Instead Jim slows you down and introduces – skill by skill – the Art of Riding Smooth. Becoming smooth means heightened awareness, and confidence. Being smooth means safety and fun at any speed.  Your ability to confidently handle your motorcycle with newfound skills and expertise will give you great enjoyment and satisfaction.

The “classroom” is miles of Appalachian Invisible Roads. Except for locals on tractors, in pickup trucks, or riding in Amish buggies, Invisible Roads are virtually unknown to outsiders yet offer engrossing riding conditions, great beauty, and wild, natural surprises! These rural roads run along tilled farmland, pastures, remote ridgelines, and stretch along shaded creeks of clear splashing water. And there is no traffic!

Finally, and most importantly, The Rider’s Workshop is dedicated to safe motorcycling. Like Zen, The Art of Riding Smooth is an enlightened state of mind.

Here’s what one rider recently wrote about his experience in the Workshop:

I’ve been a student of motorcycle riding for several years now. I’ve read a lot of books and taken numerous parking-lot-oriented classes, but I’ve never had any real road-based training. Jim’s classroom is a continuous series of open, twisty roads, and he does a great job of equipping your mental toolbox with everything it needs to safely and proficiently negotiate them.

On my return home, I made a point to take roads locally renowned for being twisty and ones I’ve never felt comfortable riding. These roads were now straightforward and fun – in the rain.

Jim took a passion of mine that I spend a lot of time doing, and he showed me how to do it really well. It would have taken years for me to arrive at this place on my own. This was truly a transformational experience for me. Michael Wadsworth, Palmyra NY