Survival Skills Newsletter
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 – yes, it’s autumn and the week ahead holds mixed weather. It’s worth checking out the WET WEATHER GUARANTEE that avoids having courses disrupted by poor weather. September and October can be some of the best riding of the year so it’s still a great time to book an on-road course from my Ride4Fun and Ride2Work range, and until late September the evenings are long enough to take a RIDING ASSESSMENT. I am currently taking bookings to the end of 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 ‘Tough & Technical’ post about the ride up and over the Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales, taking in the Devils Staircase. It’s a cracking bit of road… and challenging! Don’t attempt it in poor weather!
NEXT LIVE PRESENTATIONS – book up for the next – it’s the SCIENCE OF BEING SEEN (SOBS) again! Tickets cost £5. 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. Here’s the booking link:
WEDNESDAY, 6 OCTOBER 2021 AT 20:00
I’ll be running SOBS every two months so don’t panic if you can’t make it. And on Wednesday 3 November, there will be another talk – I’ll be talking about the technique of braking in corners.
CLUB & GROUP TALKS – I’ve just booked up my latest rider group talk and have a couple more in the diary for coming months. 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 – MONDAY 13 SEPTEMBER exclusive to my supporters on Ko-Fi, look out for a FREE and EXCLUSIVE 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!
THIS WEEK ON FACEBOOK
*** TRAINING *** Last Minute Availability 11 – 18 September
Trying to keep up with the weather at the moment is defeating even the Met Office’s supercomputers – this time last week, the mini-heatwave was going to be a cool mix of rain and sun. And next week seems just as unpredictable. So I’ll just remind you of the unique Survival Skills WET WEATHER GUARANTEE – more about that below. I also have AM & PM SESSIONS AVAILABLE IN OXFORD ON SATURDAY 17 SEPTEMBER.
Right now, the f… See more
*** ELEVENSES *** Elevenses 170 Wed 8 Sep
In today’s webcast… air ambulance called to crash on air ambulance charity ride… wrong way scooter rider injures man and child in Bradford… Bristol e-scooter trial replaces more walks than car journeys… BMW challenge legislators to sort out electric bike categorisation… ‘longest bike’ record attempt… tales from Wales – essential touring kit
Make a brew, grab a biscuit and pull up a chair ready to tune in to the ‘ELEVENSE… See more
*** TIPS ON TUESDAY *** The stats tell the story
Where do we crash? Well, every rider and his dog has had a SMIDSY crash… or has had a very near miss… or knows someone who had his bike “written off by a blind driver”. So it’s not surprising that many riders believe that the junction collision is the “biggest threat to bikers” – there were a bunch of comments to that effect on a post a few days back.
But statistics tell a rather different story. The biggest killers are N… See more
*** SURVIVAL SKILLS TT *** The Devils Staircase
…where TT stands for tough and technical. Welcome to a new occasional series offering some alternatives to the usual biking routes. If you’re flat out into fast sweepers but get twitchy on tight bends then these probably aren’t the roads for you. But if you like a bit of a challenge, don’t mind the odd stretch of lower limit when combined with some beautiful scenery, then why not try the routes out, then tell me what you thoug… See more
*** ELEVENSES *** Elevenses 169 Sun 5 Sep
In today’s webcast… is intelligent speed adaptation coming to motorcycles… Apple Airtag tracks down stolen bike… drink caffeine drink then sleep – dubious RoSPA advice… win an Oni demon tatto’d Indian… M&P selling classic Japanese bikes – at a price… today’s better biking advice – riding hairpins
Make a brew, grab a biscuit and pull up a chair ready to tune in to the ‘ELEVENSES’ LIVE webcast. Join me, Kevin Williams, twi… See more
*** SKILLS ON SATURDAY *** Principles first THEN systems!
Just the other day a comment came up after my ‘Elevenses’ webcast to the effect that we need to learn principles first, then learn to apply them systematically, and that learning ‘The System’ without understand the key principles first is pointless.
And that reminded me of a section I wrote in my book ‘MIND over MOTORCYCLE’ where I said:… See more
*** SOBS *** More feedback from couriers past and present
As you probably know, the Science Of Being Seen (#SOBS) project got a great write-up on the Devitt Insurance website a couple of weeks ago. I posted the link on a number of Facebook rider groups and whilst it got zero feedback on several, it clearly struck a big nerve with despatch riders on a courier-only group I am a member of.
There were some excellent questions, and some insightful comments on the article too. … See more
*** 60 SECOND SAFETY *** 49 – Multiple Hazards Part 1
(reposted after a glitch deleted the original)
There are very few stretches of road where there’s nothing much happening. And here the threats come thick and fast.
Ahead, the sign warns of a turning on the left in 100 yards. The fact we’re told how far away it is, plus SLOW is painted on the road, all suggests that it’s difficult to see. … 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’.
See you next week
Kevin Williams
Survival Skills Rider Training
