Welcome to the latest edition of the Survival Skills Rider Training newsletter, which goes out on Thursdays and covers my Facebook posts up to Wednesday. Survival Skills is all about helping you improve your knowledge, your skills, and your understanding of ‘better biking’ and I won’t take up half your day with random ads or product placement! All you get are links to my ‘better biking’ posts of Facebook.
TRAINING – we’re back to a conventional British summer and here in the south of England it’s a mix of sunny days with some pretty wet ones too. So just as well I offer a WET WEATHER GUARANTEE to avoid having training disrupted. So rain or not, it’s still a great time to book an on-road course from my Ride4Fun and Ride2Work range, and the long days mean we can train or take a RIDING ASSESSMENT in the evenings too. I am taking bookings into early September. Visit www.survivalskills.co.uk for more info on training courses. You can also download the latest information PDF here. Or drop me a line at info@survivalskills.co.uk.
And of course, I’m also available for ONLINE COACHING sessions immediately.
READ ONE THING – if you’re pushed for time, have a look at the ‘Newbie Blunder’s post from Monday. It does us good to remember some of the daft things we did when we were new to biking!
NEXT LIVE PRESENTATIONS – I’ve now scheduled the next two live talks. On Wednesday 1 September, we’ll look at CORNERING WITH CONFIDENCE – a 45 minute talk about how to incorporate the Survival Skills ‘reference points’ into your own cornering technique and get a reliable road map for bends! Tickets cost £5. Here’s the booking link:
WEDNESDAY, 1 SEPTEMBER 2021 AT 20:00
And on Wednesday 6 October, I’ll be running the SCIENCE OF BEING SEEN again. The presentation has just been featured on the Devitt motorcycle features pages:
www.devittinsurance.com/guides/motorcycle-features/the-science-of-being-seen/
So here’s your chance to catch the presentation previously used as the third module at most Biker Down courses – BUT IN FULL and UPDATED. Tickets cost £5. Here’s the booking link:
WEDNESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2021 AT 20:00
CLUB & GROUP TALKS – I’ve just delivered my latest rider group talk and have several for later in the diary. If you’d like me to arrange something for your own group or club, get in touch. As well as the ‘Science Of Being Seen’ and ‘Crash Course (as in “how not to…”) presentations, I have a selection of others on various riding issues. Drop me a line to sort something out.
NEXT FREE Ko-Fi WEBINAR – exclusive to my supporters on Ko-Fi, look out for a FREE and EXCLUSIVE 60 minute live ‘better biking’ webinar but with the usual Survival Skills twist! WANT TO WATCH? Just sign up as a SUPPORTER from as little as £3 and find it in the supporter area!
MONDAY 6 SEPTEMBER – details coming soon!
THIS WEEK ON FACEBOOK
*** 60 Second Safety *** Slowing for bends
The great thing about the UK’s roads is that they are full of corners.
We usually need to change speed but most bends can be dealt with simply by closing, then opening the throttle. … See more
*** FOCUS ON FRIDAY *** Tick box riding assessments
I was going through some old notes and came across some old notes and a copy of an article in a bike magazine which was all about a new kind of riding assessment.
The article started with an assumption that advanced training discovers ‘what’s wrong’ then ‘fixes it’. … See more
*** SKILLS ON SATURDAY *** ‘Looked, saw but misjudged…
So there we were, two-up on the bike, on the way back from Broadstairs to London yesterday after a few days away in the sun, when I approached a junction on the nearside. It’s a 60 mph stretch of road, pretty good views in both directions. There was an oncoming vehicle waiting to turn right and one waiting to emerge. Ahead of me was another car, then after a pretty decent gap, my bike.
As the car ahead passed the junc… See more
*** ELEVENSES ***
In today’s webcast… French bikers can legally filter again in 21 departments… France announces date for roadworthiness tests for bikes… but Macron cancels it the next day… DfT announces winners of ‘design competition’ for electric charging points… Maltese rider injured by newly installed drain cover… rights to Excelsior-Henderson name bought by Bajaj… flying motorcycle can be ‘ridden’ without a pilot’s licence… Maverick Vinales withdrawn from MotoGP event aft…
*** COMMENT *** Newbie blunders
I found this on another FB page – I have copied the photo because I can’t share the content from there so apologies to the original owner – but after having a good chuckle myself, it got me thinking about some of the mistakes I – or my buddies – made as a new rider myself.
My best was probably tucking the legs of my waterproof suit INSIDE my riding boots. … See more
*** TIPS ON TUESDAY *** Beware of aftermarket goodies
Years ago, I cafe-racered my Honda 250. Laugh if you like but it seemed like a good idea at the time. I fitted bars that clipped to the tops of the forks, the obligatory noisy exhausts (I think my dislike of loud ‘silencers’ started at that very moment), a swoopy tank and seat unit (all the rage at the time), and…
…a full endurance racing style full fairing!… See more
*** ELEVENSES *** Elevenses 164 Wed 18 Aug
In today’s webcast… Rider in Dehli killed by ‘Chinese manjha’ kite string… Tesla Autopilot implicated in collisions with emergency services vehicles… fancy a job as a motorcycle examiner – DVSA is recruiting… Moto Victory’s pretty Venom 400… Dunlop use racing to promote road tyres… Maverick Vinales confirms move to Aprilia after Yamaha suspension… today’s better biking discussion – should riders be ‘paranoid’…
Make … See more
*** TRAINING *** Last Minute Availability 22 – 29 Aug
After several weeks of mixed bag weather, it’s likely the South East is going to get some nice weather next week with some warm and sunny days followed by pleasant evenings. So the unique Survival Skills WET WEATHER GUARANTEE shouldn’t be needed. Right now, the following dates are available FOR ON-ROAD TRAINING or ASSESSMENTS at short notice:
SAT – AM PM EVE
SUN – … See more
THAT’S IT FOR THIS WEEK – so finally SHARE THE NEWS!
Please Please PLEASE pass on the newsletter to biking family and friends. Let’s get everyone we know ‘better biking’.
