Expert Rider Skills Discussed
Becoming an Expert Motorcyclist
The Rider’s Workshop is dedicated to coaching groups of no larger than 5 riders expert riding skills over 500 miles of Invisible Roads.
Below is an overview of the essential skills Jim will discuss in each workshop.
A detailed syllabus is issued to each participant in The Rider’s Workshop, expanding on these skills and very useful for future reference.
It’s a Great Ride!
- A Maximum Tour Group of 5 Riders Consists of 500 Miles of Technical Roads Specifically Stitched Together to Showcase the Best Scenery in the North/Central Appalachians.
- People have Commented that Rider’s Workshop Tours are as Good as Any East Coast motorcycling plus there’s No Traffic!
- The Rider’s Workshop is an Expert Study of Curves called The Art of Riding Smooth
THINK SAFETY
- Understand Situational Awareness on the Street and Around Curves
- Position Your Motorcycle to be Seen by Traffic
- Have Traffic Want to Respect You on Your Motorcycle
- Ring of Security
- Ride Offensively Defensive
LEARN TO RELAX
- Develop Riding Posture for Comfort, Control, and Endurance
- Discipline to Stay Relaxed (even when you naturally wouldn’t be!)
LEARN TO READ A ROAD
- Understand the Ground Underneath You at Speed for Continuous Traction in Wet Weather
- Understand Your Peripheral Vision
- Learn to Scan Well. Fixate on Nothing to See Everything – This is Huge!
- Understand the Vanishing Point and The View
- Trust Intuition
BECOMING PRECISE
Precision Precedes Smoothness
- Learn Precise Lane Positioning for Confidence and Safety – This is Huge!
- Learn Precise Engine Management for Power Control – This is Huge!
- Understand and Use Your Power Band
UNDERSTANDING CURVES
It’s All About Curves
- Precise on the Approach – Most Important Phase of the Curve
- Precise Entry – Being On the Throttle, Counter Steering, Body English, Turning Your Head Simultaneously
- Precision In the Curve – Throttle Control
- Precision Exiting the Curve – Setting Up for the Next Curve
BECOMING SMOOTH
The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts
- Braking Smoothness
- Throttle Smoothness
- Shifting Smoothness
- Control Smoothness
- Being Smooth
“Master rider and teacher Jim Ford receives the highest ranking for the two day Rider’s Workshop that I had the privilege to participate in recently. Any biker with a commitment to ride more skillfully and safely will benefit greatly from Jim Ford’s instruction. The professor of Zen gave a group of four of us the best two days of riding and instruction I have ever experienced.”
Sam Kalush, M.D. Knoxville, TN
