When I was in high school, I was obsessed with practicing my tennis game. Though a professional tennis career never materialized, the act of practicing drilled into me the knowledge that to get better, you must PRACTICE. This past Sunday morning, at sunrise, in an empty local high school parking lot, I spent about an hour practicing slow speed maneuverers with my Moto Morini motorcycle. If you an unfamiliar with slow speed maneuvers, it is basically riding your motorcycle in 1st gear, which is less than 10mph, and going through various obstacles to build skills like turning, swerving, emergency braking, and ultimately understanding how to control my motorcycle. It amazes me how well this practice of slow speed maneuverers translates to the open roads. In essence, this training allows your mind and body to react to emergency situations, so you don’t panic, and NOT DO ANYTHING about the object threating your life while riding your motorcycle. Fear and panic are natural. But don’t let that stop you from giving yourself a chance to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
Maneuvering a 500-pound machine through mini obstacles I designed with small, lightweight, bright orange cones, while riding at speeds less than 10mph, takes skill, concertation, stamina, and sometimes dropping your bike happens. I have learned that dropping my motorcycle at slow speeds, in a vacant local high school parking lot is MUCH better and safer, than on the busy public roads. These mini obstacles, that I learned from my Basic Rider Course at Trident Technical College this past summer, builds confidence that gives you an inner strength and belief, to control your motorcycle in all types of environments like riding through the chaos of rush hour traffic, while navigating the local roads and crazy intersections that account for so many motorcycle fatalities.
Over the last two months I have diligently practiced slow speed maneuvers each week. I make it a priority to take the time to practice. Similar to the time when I played tennis as a high schooler, I would put the work in and my tennis game improved. Honestly, this training will save your life as a motorcyclist. You must understand that it is all about the details while practicing the art of motorcycling. I highly recommend practicing slow speed maneuvers. YouTube and other sources of motorcycle training are available for you to study as I am doing. Take advance of this info and build up a great skillset that will save your life.
Rolf