I wonder if our cops on Harleys can do this?

[ptfjjj]

That does look like a blast! Very nice! Thanks for posting.

 

[colorider]

Dahyuuum....... those have got to be the stickiest tires ever made! The guy is not even leaning off. AWESOME!

 

[MotorcopBBQ]

I have the best job in the world!

 

[Buckeye56]

In 2003 at STAR the Charleston PD put on a demonstration of riding skills by one of their MC officers on a police Harley. It was amazing what hat rider could do with that bike! I think I was most impressed with him starting off from a dead stop with the bike laid all the way over on the crash bars and the handle bars at full lock pointing in the same direction as the side of the bike that was on the ground. It was a drill they do in order to get out of being blocked in. He just rode it away. I cannot explain what a display of rider skill it was. But I sure gave me a lot more respect to motor officers.

 

[HoebSTer]

every once in awhile, i tried to do the complete stop and bars turned all the way in a parking lot with my ST1300. It was challenging. I even did part of a police figure 8 once. It is amazing how much importance is on the head turn while doing this.

 

[rem]

I had been riding for three years when I took a motorcycle course. It was well worth it. It's nice to have the skills to maneuver your bike around in tight places. I can make my bike go slower than most people can walk, for what that's worth. I still work on the turning. When I'm downtown, I pick a quiet parking lot and spend a few minutes practicing. I do this often. I recommend a course to anyone, regardless of how long you've been riding. I'm glad I did it. I'll never ride like those guys, but I feel pretty confident in a tight spot since the course. R

 

[ptfjjj]

I took the MSF advanced course a few years ago, and it does require slow speed maneuvering, like the figure 8 in a box, to pass the course. The instuctor rode a soft tail and was dragging his floor boards all day on his demos. One student was on a V-star, one on a Sportster, and I on my C10 concours. My bike was, by a large margin, the most maneuverable, and I'm confident that the S10 will even be more so. If it is as well balanced as it has been reported in many reviews and reports, most of you will be able to perform these maneuvers on your S10 with much less effort. The MSF advanced course is a real fun learning experience, so if you see one offered near you, take it for the fun of it, and you will likely learn something that may just save your bacon.

 

[Venture]

The MSF advanced course is a real fun learning experience, so if you see one offered near you, take it for the fun of it, and you will likely learn something that may just save your bacon.

I missed the first two that are offered near me, they fill up immediately since in PA they are free. Next time I'm going to be ready at the stroke of 8AM when the registration opens.

 

[rem]

Whoa, free is awesome. I paid enough for mine that would have purchased a substantial farkle. But then, I live in a place that is long, long ago and far, far away. That's a sweet deal. Be sure to take advantage of it.

 

[Venture]

Whoa, free is awesome. I paid enough for mine that would have purchased a substantial farkle. But then, I live in a place that is long, long ago and far, far away. That's a sweet deal. Be sure to take advantage of it.

The beginner rider course was free as well, it's how I got my license. It's odd though that they offer about 10x as many beginner classes as advanced classes, even though there appears to be substantial demand for the advanced class as well. I was able to get into the beginner class quite easily, my brother even got in a few days after I registered.

 

[rem]

Hopefully someone will look at the stats and shift the emphasis to where it belongs. We only have one up here every 3 to 5 years. And it's pricey. I'd jump on a free one like a chicken on a June bug. Do you have to be from PA to take advantage, or will they accept someone from another state/country ??? R

 

[colorider]

Hopefully someone will look at the stats and shift the emphasis to where it belongs. We only have one up here every 3 to 5 years. And it's pricey. I'd jump on a free one like a chicken on a June bug. Do you have to be from PA to take advantage, or will they accept someone from another state/country ??? R

Wow - surprised they only offer them that infrequently. Around here, there are a couple different options and you can usually pick what ever date you want for the beginner class (a little more difficult to get into the experienced class due to less classes).

At one time (not sure if it's still the case), Honda would reimburse you for the class if you purchased a new Honda motorcycle. Seems like all manufacturers would offer the same.

As for the PA offering - it's my guess that you would have to produce a PA drivers license to qualify.

 

[rem]

It's a very small population base to pull from. Whitehorse is maybe 30,000 souls on a crowded day. It's like a suburb of a medium sized city. And due to the sort of frontier mentality up here, a lot of the bikers just don't think they need a course. It's not cool or something. There were mostly women in the one I took last year. As far as I know, none of the manufacturers offer a course up here on a routine basis. I know Honda has put one on in the past. The one I took was a H-D course. It cost what I thought was a lot of money, but instructors and bikes had to be shipped up. All part of the way of life.

OK, I'm off to RIDE MY BIKE into town. heh heh barely freezing this morning. I think I'll start a new event. Instead of Iron Butt, I think I'll call it Frozen Butt. We'll see. Bye for now. R

 

[MotorcopBBQ]

Like any good story you have to start at the beginning. The first thing I learned at motorcycle officer training schools is these three words: Clutch, Brake, Throttle. By using all three you are able to be in the “Gray” threshold zone of the clutch, not engaged and its not disengaged. By using the throttle to get your RPM’s to about 1200 to 2000 give or take, and maintain that RPM level. Use the (Rear break) to control your speed.
If interested I would first try doing this in parking lot and just go in a straight line. You can creep the motorcycle forward and maintain balance if all three; C,B,T are in unison around 5mph to start and as your skill level increases 2mph.. The turning I would work on second. First try a slight lean. Like trying a 180 from the direction you came from and turning around. Before you know it your be turning 360 turns in no time.
Before I begin my patrol on my work Harley. I use a basketball court in a church parking (empty) lot near the police station. I work on us the center court circle, which is about 12ft for 360 turn and leaning drills. Both free throw circles I use as a figure 8 drills.
These skills take time to build upon. Don’t do something your not comfortable with and you feel it’s above your skill level.
Besides locking the handlebars to the frame you are also using your hips to lean into the turn.
Keep you eyes up on the horizon. Your peripheral vision will see the ground. “If you look down, you will go down.”
You have to crawl before your can run. Practice at your own risk.

 

[rem]

There is a great deal of satisfaction from being able to maneuver your bike in a tight place, while you watch your buddies "duck walk" the bike around to another direction. I quite enjoy being able to move my 700 pound bike around with relative ease. I wish I had started this stuff a long time ago. Never too late, I guess. I took my second ride of the season today, and it included a brief diversion into an empty parking lot to practice my tight turns. Most enjoyable. Try it ... you'll like it. R