"Top Gun" course

[JDK1962]

Last year, I did the Advanced Rider Course through ABATE, and enjoyed it, so I thought I'd try another course. I just signed up for the July 9-10 "Civilian Top Gun."

http://abate.si2.com/ABATE/TRS.nsf/L...s-TGC?OpenForm

Have any CSCers taken this course? Hopefully, this isn't just for the Harley/full-dress cruiser crowd...otherwise, I'm gonna feel pretty silly on my 919. Still, skills is skills.

Still some slots left for July (as well as for September and October).

[Xtremjeepn]

I put 3 friend through it last year! Good class!

[CYCLE_MONKEY]

Geez, and here I was all eagerly thinking it was a class on how to be as cool as Tom Cruise.........

[Swift]

WHERE!!??


...Oh, damnit, I wanted to be Maverick...

[JDK1962]

Well, the slot just opened up...they told me I could take someone's place. I think the guy's name was "Goose"...

@Swift, course is at Red Rocks Community College in Lakewood (near Colorado Mills).

[Sean]

I'm sure it's a great course. If I had some extra cash, there are a few riding courses I would do. Have fun!

[norcolmille]

for my style, experience and mix of riding ....I would take a private lesson from Ricky Orlando or just do a track day....

my EVERYONE can use a pointer and I am sure it is a great class

[Ricky]

Wicky would probably respond to this thread, but he's too busy signing up for the class

[Xtremjeepn]

I would take a private lesson from Ricky Orlando or just do a track day....

This class will give you many more usable skills for day to day riding than any "track day" will.

Different focus.

Not saying track time does not have its value, it is just not as usefull everyday as people like to think it is.

[JDK1962]

Got through the class, enjoyed it a lot. Definitely some challenging bits to it.

Class ran from 8AM-2PM, on Saturday and Sunday, with an hour break for lunch. No classroom, 100% range work. Six people in class: three BMW dual sports, two full-dress Harley riders, and me (Honda 919).

The drills would not make much sense without either (a) a fair amount of text, (b) drawings, or (c) pictures, so I won't go into detail. But a few standouts:

-- Three posts, first with a short (empty) can on top. Come up to post, take can with left hand, do a 360 around first post, go to second post, put can on, do 360, take can off, go to third post, put can on, do a 360, take can off, go to second post, put can on, do 360, get can, put on first post, go to beginning. Interesting trying to keep the bike under smooth control while trying to "do" something with left hand.
-- A cone course with VERY tight turns. Secret here is is 100% setup. Never go through cone gate down the middle. Position of front wheel is next to a cone, in best position to set up next gate. In some cases, if you come out of gate on wrong cone, it is physically impossible to make the next gate. Don't go too slow, it makes it harder.
-- Hard braking: Long lead up, taking bike up to fifth gear, once you pass pair of tipped cones, clutch in, downshift to first, brake on, quick 90 degree, followed by another quick 90 degree back to your original direction of travel. Idea is to stop before a parked car or obstacle, go around and get clear.

Might be better off Googling "police top gun"...maybe they'd diagram some of the course layouts.

Some useful parking lot drills (no cones required):
-- Figure-8. Take a block of four spaces and use it as a box in which to do figure-8s. The target center of your figure-8 is the intersection of the four spaces.
-- In a long strip of spaces (in matrix world, two columns, n rows): cross a row from low to high; circle into next row down, starting low, crossing to high, repeat, moving through the rows.
-- Block of four spaces, origin in center, lines coming out of origin at compass directions. Head north on south arm. At origin, drive a circle around the "northern hemisphere", coming back to head south on southern arm.

My takeaways:

-- LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, NOT AT THE ROAD, NOT AT THE GROUND IN FRONT OF YOU. LOOK THROUGH THE TURN. LOOK TO NEXT OBSTACLE.
-- Right hand should not be covering the front brake, unless doing an exercise that requires it. This is a habit that I've been trying to break myself of (could have sworn that, in my original MSF course back in the early 1980s, I was told to cover the front brake).
-- Clutch has very small friction zone. Move within that zone, rather than pulling all the way in, or letting all the way out.
-- Trick in slow speed riding is throttle, clutch, and REAR brake. Use your upper body, pull handlebars back and forth (NOT leaning).
-- Rather than having to carry cones to practice in parking lots...take along a stack of tennis balls cut in half.

I was a bit bummed that I couldn't take my own bike through the course on the afternoon of the second day, but it was my own fault. Hadn't realized that the wear bars were showing on a spot on my rear tire (a Michelin Pilot Power with ~7400 miles), so I failed the safety inspection.

Challenging course, great instructor (Don Gunn). Definitely worth it.

[Xtremjeepn]

-- LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO,Challenging course, great instructor (Don Gunn). Definitely worth it.

Glad you enjoyed and got something from the course.

I made a minor, but critical edit to your comment above. (15 years of teaching performance driving).

You could be GOING down the hill toward the cliff, where you WANT to go is on the road to safety.

[JDK1962]

Glad you enjoyed and got something from the course.

I mad a minor, but critical edit to your comment above. (15 years of teaching performance driving).

You could be GOING down the hill toward the cliff, where you WANT to go is on the road to safety.

Touché. Thanks for the edit.

[Sean]

-- Right hand should not be covering the front brake, unless doing an exercise that requires it. This is a habit that I've been trying to break myself of (could have sworn that, in my original MSF course back in the early 1980s, I was told to cover the front brake).

That's interesting, I always cover the front brake. Did they elaborate on why it's bad/improper?

[JDK1962]

That's interesting, I always cover the front brake. Did they elaborate on why it's bad/improper?

Well, in the context of this class (slow speed riding), the purpose was to increase your ability to push/pull on the right handlebar. Plus, at lower speeds, rear brake is sufficient.

However, when I took the advanced rider course last year, they also told me to get out of the habit of routinely covering the front brake. Can't give you a definitive why...any MSF instructors want to chime in?