#RidingSchool

Throwing the 390 Adventure into some dirt at the bottom of a hill wasn’t ideal, but as I was nearly at a complete stop, it wasn’t the dramatic dismount I had pictured when worrying about the training I was in the midst of. My friend Hailey was cruising down the trail after me and coasted to a stop as I hit the kill switch and turned to look at the bike, splayed across the silty clay colored dirt like a bright orange toy. Another rider stopped just ahead of us, throwing his kickstand down and yelling ‘I’ll get it” over the sound of other passing bikes. “Don’t help me!” I yelled back. This was the first time the bike had been on its side and I was eager to see how it felt to pick up 387 pounds of small adventure bike. Grasping the handlebar closest to the ground and the grab bar at the back of the seat, I was surprised when the bike lifted clear of the dirt on the first try, and with a pause and some extra effort, it was vertical again a few seconds later. Maybe she’s born with it... maybe it was the adrenaline. I didn’t get a chance to test the theory again during the full day ADV Class I was participating in, though if that was due to skill or caution, we’ll never know.

Whether you’re just getting interested in riding, a newly licensed rider, an experienced one, or even a racer, you can always improve – both in skills and safety. That the mission and role of the Yamaha Champions Riding School (YCRS), or ChampSchool for short. Led by racing and coaching veteran (and incredibly nice guy) Nick Ienatsch, the school literally has something for everyone, no matter your location or experience level.

Being the resident sportbike guy at MO didn’t just happen overnight. I’ve been fortunate enough to have some good mentors in my early days of riding that prevented me from riding myself straight off a cliff. Then, through the perks that come with a job like this, I’ve been extremely lucky to receive the coaching of some of the best riders – and teachers – this sport has to offer.

Here at MO, we think training is important to keep our skills sharp; and training in other disciplines is one tool in our arsenal. So it goes without saying we are fans of anything that makes said training more affordable and accessible. As you probably know from our recent stories on participating in yet another 24 hour mini bike race and our very own Trizzle’s recent test of the turn-key ready-to-race 2019 Husqvarna FS 450 supermoto, we MOrons are big fans of taking advantage of the tighter confines and lower speeds of karting circuits as a way of refining one’s everyday ride craft – as well as race craft. Karting circuits are generally closer to home and the price of admission is significantly cheaper than full-size racetracks. As a matter of fact, almost any excuse to rip around a kart track on a turn-key supermoto is a legitimate one in our eyes.

Photos by: Evans Brasfield Video by: Sean Matic and Nik Wogen

For many, the thought of going to school has never been very exciting – I know I spent a large chunk of my youth counting down the days until school was over. But really, the reason many of us couldn’t wait to get leave the classroom was because the subjects were pretty boring. While we were physically in the classroom, our minds kept wandering to the one thing we’d rather be doing – riding motorcycles!

Entering turn one, the new Dorsoduro 900’s wide handlebar would allow me to easily point the big supermoto toward the apex and then quickly afterward, get it pointed toward the next. Out of the corner of my eye I saw coach Can Akkaya wheelie-ing through the shortcut on the track to make his way in front of me. Can would tap the rear fender of his KTM 450 supermoto shod with race slicks, indicating I should follow his lines closely around the track. As we made our way around the tight little Stockton 99 Kart and Motorcycle track, coach Akkaya would point to each apex and then up to the outside of the track and then back to the next apex while, in between, motioning to keep my eyes up and moving from corner to corner.

Fastrack Riders is a popular track-riding organization that has expanded way beyond that of the typical group devoted to giving street riders the opportunity to ride their motorcycles at their limits in a proper closed-course environment. With the majority of its events being held at Fontana, California’s Auto Club Speedway, Fastrack is the venue’s official motorcycle partner. The 2.36-mile road course on the inside of the superspeedway features 21 turns and a section of banking that allows the current generation of sportbikes to really clear their throats. In addition to its exclusive relationship with Auto Club Speedway, Fastrack is sponsored by BMW and KTM.

So, Father’s Day is here, again, and when I complained to my wife about how I’d made a list of my ideas for motorcycle-related gifts only to discover that it almost exactly mimicked last year’s list, she said, “Remember, you’re providing a service. As a non-rider, I have no idea what to give you for Father’s Day.” My response to her was a simple, “You’re willing to spend more than $100 on me for Father’s Day!” Clearly, this buyer’s guide just became much more important.

Having grown up in a gearhead household, I was fortunate enough to be surrounded with bikes and cars from a very young age. My father split his weekends between teaching my brother how to ride enduro bikes and teaching me how to get faster in go-karts. The constant theme was one of being the best you can at operating your power toys, and surrounding yourself with people who can teach you how to get better, faster and safer along the way.

Riding a motorcycle is relatively easy. Riding a motorcycle well is a little harder. And riding one well enough to bring home a trophy or two is another level entirely. Fortunately for us mere mortals looking to cut down our lap times, there are several schools around the country offering top-shelf instruction to help you ride faster. As a convenient byproduct, learning the proper techniques for faster riding also makes one a safer rider, too. Because remember, to finish first you first must finish. As we said before, there are several track schools out there. These are just a few examples.

The past weeks on MO have seen three price ranges of gift ideas for Father’s Day.

Adventure bikes are one of the trendiest motorcycle segments today, but for every ADV review or unveiling we publish, it’s become de rigueur for commenters to ask “…but how often are people actually going to ride these off-road anyways?” It’s a fair question, as a lot of so-called adventure-tourers will rarely stray off the tarmac.

Spring is here. The sun is slowly warming the earth and the snow is melting fast. It’s time to get your ride out of storage, tuned up and on the road, and grab some refresher lessons. Great riders never stop learning. But maybe you don’t have your license yet, and you’re not sure if this is the year you take the plunge. Maybe you’re content to sit on the sidelines and watch your friends head out on their bikes for heaps of adventure and thrill seeking, always putting it off until next season because…what’s the point? You can’t get your license and go on the epic trips with them in one season anyway – or can you?