Developing "skillz"

Spent Sunday at a rider training class with Jeff Hawkinz (hence "Skillzdays"). I'm pretty sure it was the best $50 riding course you could take. It would have been a great bargain even if the class were full, but the other students flaked so it was just me and two other instructors. If you do a track day or riding school at a major track you can usually get a student instructor ratio of somewhere between 3-1 and 6-1, depending on where you go and how much you want to pay. Wherever you go it's going to be more than $50. My student/instructor ratio was 1/2, so the lead instructor watched me bumble in circles and the assistant took pictures if me trying not to bumble. Lots and lots of pictures.

We weren't on a track, but the nice thing about bikes is that you can build good skills and habits at low speeds and then implement them at any speeds. In other words, proper braking, throttle control and body position can be taught in a (large) parking lot. So that's fun.