How to ride a motorcycle in "police style" advanced mode 

I have been riding 2 decades from Trackdays/racing to Greenlaning and Enduro, having converted over to attempting to master this style of road riding a few summers back I can say it has increased my enjoyment and even fired my love for bikes back up again as I have something to work on every ride. From a few of the comments on here, it is fairly obvious that people have no fucking clue what they are doing and just as everyone thinks they are a good driver/rider the reality when it is put under a professional view is very different, hence the amount of cops commenting saying the guy is riding correctly. The idea of this type of riding is you can in theory go to any road and as long as you stick with fundamentals you can ride it safely and at a good pace, road positioning within a few inches is the goal to get it right, he is not "just riding down a road". For roads you already know you should not have the early turn in brake mid corner moments, just look at the copious videos on here of riders misjudging a turn and running wide, this style of advanced riding is to negate that happening.. Thanks RoadcraftNottingham for this vid, those of us that get it find it useful and hopefully others will see what you are trying to show.

I was impressed with the vid and comments. I am an ex rider training instructor in Tasmania, Australia with 48 years riding. A couple of techniques that we used and you could try out (unless of course you already use them?) are: At the approach to a "hazard" ie minor road on left with a vehicle waiting to turn. We use the "cover /setup" PLUS move to center of road (if safe). Cover is covering the front brake lever and foot brake when the hazard is seen. Setup is "I am not real happy about this vehicle, not sure what its going to do" you then take the slack out of the brakes. This takes about one to one and a half second off your braking time. Another thinggie we use is to do a quick head check prior to straight lining a series of bends that are open. Our rider training was based on the Hendon System adapted for Tasmanian roads. We managed to reduce the the number of single motorcycle accidents in Tasmania by 18% in the first year.. One thing I have learnt in all my years of riding that if you do not keep your head up and scanning, you are doomed! Regards Pat Willaims

Ignore all the negative comments and thumbs down. Just been on a safe rider course with the Police and this video is exactly correct. Thank you for uploading.

I transferred from my A2 to A a year ago here in France and these are exactly the techniques we were trained with whilst riding larger capacity bikes on the public roads. And I picked up a '98 Pan European a few weeks ago for a Winter ride! Brilliant bike.

I just cannot understand the negative comments on this vid.Weaving all over the road? What are you people on about.Not sure what the riding theory is in the "Good old" US of A But over here,UK, position is paramount.Getting the best view on a bend etc.182 dislikes ? Are you Motorcyclists ? If you are give my regards to St Peter,when you see him at the Pearly Gates!

This guy rides like me; calm, assertive, gentle when needed, aggressive when secure, predictability, safety above. Great video! Thx

I've got my CBT tomorrow so I'm watching a mess of Motorcycling Tips and Tricks videos. This is the best one so far. Thanks for your great video.

This is an excellent video tutorial. I'm a retired motorcycle cop and I would recommend this video to any rider, regardless of training and experience. It never hurts to continue your education or remind you of things you may have forgotten. Any video on U Tube has it share of trolls and smart ass know it alls, I'm sure you're aware of that. Often times the know it alls are the ones groaning in pain or dead on the pavement, by their own devices. So if they want to strengthen the gene pool by killing themselves, so be it. Thanks again and keep up the good work sir.

Great video. I'm amazed at how some people confuse real world 'roadcraft lines' with racing lines, and so hug the middle of the road on right-hand bends, and the gutter on left-handers. The goal is to keep the best view of the road ahead at all times, and you demonstrate that perfectly. I've been riding for over 30 years, but sadly most of that has been in and around the maelstrom of London!

Nice vid, correct positioning like this was drilled into me by my instructor when I took Mod 1 & 2 not so long ago but I can see how a reminder is useful especially for those who took their test when it was less thorough. This is pretty much how I ride now. Everyone has to decide what an acceptable risk is to them personally but I think putting a sport bike through its paces on a public road ceased to be worthwhile 20 years ago due to traffic levels. I ride a cruiser and sport tourer and I always set out with the intention of returning to my family in one piece, but that’s just me.

My instructor used this style or line of riding when I was following him up to the test centre for my Mod 2 test, I tried to stay as close to it as I could and it felt good. I think I understand why the line is the way it is, to be seen from and to see the most you can on the road ahead at any point in time. Anticipation. Great stuff.

I learned a lot of safe riding techniques, as you demonstrated, from a video series on YT by a former MC Police instructor. His name escapes me, but he had valuables lessons, just like yours. Thanks.

Nice active riding. It's what riding is al about. Enjoying the bike, the road and the surroundings.

Only just found this video and although it's more than 10 years old the riding position and speed/gear is timeless. Great video backed up by the onscreen notes

Don't understand some negative comments on here... at the end of the day this guy is just trying to help and pass on some useful tips... I enjoyed it, and learned from it, thanks buddy :)

@learn2rideVIDEOS  I mentioned in my description I'm riding slowly because I have pupils following me, so that's who's behind me :-). If I "straight line" it's because I have made a conscious decision and have the view so I would be able to stop well within...blah blah etc etc. lol

Really glad i found your vids. Have been riding 18 months and started to feel like i knew it all - your vids have shown me i still have LOTS to learn (which im looking forward to doing) Great stuff. thanks!

I've been riding on and off for 20 years and I still find something useful, or a bad habit corrected, by watching these vids. Cheers Roadcraft Nottingham

I enjoyed the video and as your state above the objective of this video is to demonstrate to students following the importance of keeping it smooth. No mad braking into corners or massive speed changes. Good demonstration of well balanced riding.

I was on this road today. It was wet when I went on it though and I was on new tyres. I have to say this is one of the best roads I have ever ridden on. Absolutely fantastic!!

Very similar to how you learn to drive when you take your car advanced driving. The things I've learnt on my car advanced have definitely improved my riding on the bike!

Thanks a lot! I've watched a number of your videos tonight (from a snowy Canada), and enjoyed them all. Managed to get my bike out this last weekend, but had a few flurries to drive through. Looking forward to the warmer weather. Thanks again for the time and effort you took to post these.

It's always great to revisit your videos, especially now I'm venturing out again now lockdown measures are relaxed. Been riding +25 years and have ridden in the same style, firstly reading Roadcraft, watching Mike Waites' video and then your teaching videos. It's kept me safe in the UK and all over Europe. Also, I have you to thank for your BMW K1200s review. I'm on my second one now! Stay safe.

That road is very technical, you made it look easy and effortless, that takes great skill and experience. I always try to ride in a similar way, I'm lucky enough to live in Wiltshire, some great rides out here.

I was taught in 1960 by my Uncle Billy (English Motorcycle Cop) who had been trained at Hendon (?) before WW2, l still ride like this, although l do move my head more to improve peripheral vision - very satisfying, like dancing in the rhythm of the road

Good video on situational awareness and hill handling. These are the same skills I use with my heavy sport touring BMW on busy, curvy roads like Bear Tooth Hwy. You have to always be ready for what's just around the bend. It saves on hospital trips and repair bills big time.

Nice video, I learned this a few years ago, from a police instructor.. it saved me from scary moments in sharp turns a few times. Especially when a big vehicle was in the other lane.

That's a really good attitude and will keep you alive. Thanks and have fun learning.

I say take up the challenge and train for your advanced test, it will probably save your life. Iam member for 2 years, loving my riding even more now,still learning, masters next goal. keep up the great vids.

Thanks for taking the time to do this. A few tips me to keep in mind.

Thanks, middle England has some beautiful roads and countryside, worth a visit for sure.

Definitely a good riding style for staying safe while also enjoying the ride. Some people seem to confuse advanced riding and race riding, the latter doesn't belong on the roads. You have to assume when riding on the road that everyone else wants to kill you, this style will give you the best heads up on that prat coming round the bend ahead cutting the corner not giving a shit what's coming. You video also made me want to go for a ride over near Matlock Bath again, I grew up not far away and know the area well, the ride up to Ashover Rock is a nice one.

So nice to see someone ride sensibly for a change! If only our young friends can understand, that riding this way gives you the greatest enjoyment on the road! This type of riding has a hypnotic effect on the body and soul...no drugs necessary! This reply is 9 years too late, but I'm sure you're still riding and enjoying the freedom of pure motorcycling:-) All the best and Merry Christmas for 2019. Regards from Mitch

Been out of biking for years but knew the road without reading your description first,great video as usual. Big fan of yours

I love your videos is very educational. In my country they teach the most very simple basics, no explanation on counter steer what so ever

Was taught this system 40yrs ago as a Police driver, not rider, but have used it since in both car and bike and touch wood my insurance and body parts are still intact! Thanks for the vid and for all those poo pooing it, try it!

As an instructor would say , you must never think that your training or learning is done. I watch and learn all the time and have to say that i am a bit critical of myself and remind myself to do better next time.

Beautiful countryside, what a relaxing video. I would be fun to visit someday and take a ride, thanks for the virtual ride anyway!

Currently training for my ROSPA test, this is my life at the moment! Lol!!! Thanks great video.

Great video,i use this here in New Zealand,the roads are good to ride on but there are some crazy drivers out there,the TL1000S loves the twisties.

Cheers for the vid', doing my IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists) course (didn't succeed on my test yesterday:( ) and I'm finding it invaluable. I ride a KTM 1290 SAS which has more than enough power for me and am finding advanced riding a real benefit to my safety and overall journey times. Riding's less stressful and I get to my destination quicker (believe it or not) as I'm riding progressively not aggressively (with the odd HOON thrown in :) Everything flows when done right and there's so much less 'speed up slow down' which adds up to continuous, unrelenting progress.

Hi Well you are never too old to pick up tips to improve your riding. I am 70 years young and still ride (current bike BMW F800 ST). Next trip planned/booked is Spain and Portugal for this October. I think your videos will help most ride more safely. Derek

I'm only just realizing that it's important to keep your head level. I had been leaning with the bike and when my head tilts in line with the bike I become uncomfortable after a mild lean angle. Watching your vids I see your head is almost perfectly level with the road, making it look like you're swinging the bike around underneath you. Tried it today. Bloody marvelous! :)

I'm a returning rider in California. After 40 years without a bike, I now have 60 days saddle time and a little over 2K miles on my Suzuki Boulevard. Have found most of the videos helpful and pretty straight forward, even with the slight variations in UK vs. US terms. This video is my basic ride anytime I leave my house! I'm 28 miles from the interstate and ride down Highway 74 (Ortega Highway in So. Calif. Look it up!). I agree that this ride does not seem to deserve the "advanced" label, but good to observe.

Nice to see the old black and white films again. They should be used as public information films on telly

Great informational clips I am enjoying all of them and am putting into practice what you are doing , has made my riding and awareness improve so much, thank you very much :-)

Thanks for taking the time to watch my uploads. I think there are that many now that people miss some of them. Thinking of doing a kind of "trailer" to show what else's available. Have fun, be safe :-)

Great tutorial video! Videos like this are so invaluable and should be made compulsory some way! Keep up the great work! Thanks for sharing.

Awesome strech of road. Great ride up to Buxton. What people don't realise from the video is that the road is a lot tighter than it looks and that a lot of people try to ride this road 4x faster than you see hear, thus the high death toll.

I love roads in the Peak District Park. They're all great there and the views are brilliant.

That's a very flattering thing to say, I'm pleased you enjoy them. Thank you. :-)

@TheMagicBunnyRabbit I would gladly discuss but don't understand the questions. Do you have a problem or alternative suggestion for these time codes? Cheers

Well done. Great video, and your Beemer sounds great

Thanks for all the great videos should be mandatory for all Riders to watch

I am proud of the fact that a motorcyclist, especially if he use the bike to work, chose an Italian bike like the Aprilia to have fun. My curiosity is to know what you are getting good on her, and instead what defects (I think that in all things there are), thanks and enjoy!

The Aprilia has been an excellent bike, the only problems were the fuel mapping and the hot starting problem, both have been sorted out and haven't bothered me since. I recently had this bike up for sale but have decided to keep it. :-)

I want my Pan back. Good riding. After a 5 year break, it's staring to come back to me!

Thanks for this - it's good to see this demonstrated. Another top vid.

this is a smart format to learn things

i ride my motorbike on the via gellia 3 times a week to get from cromford to buxton. you ride it alot smoother than me. im always in the accelerator and then hard on the brakes. good riding

Nice video, It's good to see riders using all of the road. I totaly agree with you with rgards to "straight lining" the road. Unless it is wet where the white lines can be slippy, it allows you to focus futher ahead and think about where your bike is going to be as oppose to where it is.

These are great clips .. What size bike are you riding ?? How heavey is your bike?? I am riding a Roadstar 1700 on these kind of roads and am going through tires at 4000 miles .. I dont think the 720 pound bike likes the twisties ... All the best , Guy

I think it's exactly what you said, it doesn't look dangerous so we get complacent and go faster but some bends are deceptively tight. . I had a fast ride here with a friend (Ken in the Triumph review) a few years ago here and we both nearly came unstuck on a right hander, thought I was coming off and Ken admitted later he also messed up on the same bend.

Even after 30 years on a bike, it's nice to be reminded of how to be a better rider. Maybe even moreso.

Great video, enjoyed a lot, hugs from Brazil

Nice video, and ride. I agree with you on "straight-lining" :-)

Well done Russ. We are trained from the same book as the Brit cops. Simply put this style of riding will see you right. ie: not turning in until you see the way is clear; anticipating hazards in advance; being able to stop in length of lane visible (laned road) and if no lanes, then in half the length of road visible as it is, in NZ.

Thought the road looked familiar (didnt read description)....I live in Matlock Bath. And ive been down this road on a mountain bike...scary stuff with all the quarry trucks driving around

Like your smooth riding style... I know that road O so well.. and its so easy to get yourself in to a heap of trouble if your over exuberant .. im up that way next weekend going to watch your vid a few more times and try your lines on my gsxr 750 cheers and be safe mate

I must admit it turns my stomach seeing mis-information being given out on RU-vid. The worst being "you can lean a bike as much in the wet as you can in the dry" Worries me to think someone will believe that and try it. Thanks for watching.

thanks for the reply ... I'm glad you solved those problems that I think are too small, I am struggling with the problem instead of the neutral indicator light that does not exist on my Hornet, and even I miss the reserve warning light! Two essential things that from few years now exist on all bikes, fortunately :-) I think the choice of keeping it is right, it will retain its value, or to use it or to sell it, have fun!

A brilliant instructive lesson

The view dow the side road wasn't too restricted. I decided that position to allow for possible oncoming vehicles over the brow I'd not yet seen at 2:23 but your position would be a viable alternative for sure. Thanks for your input.

Really smooth riding, nice.

This is for a bit further into the future but thanks for the compliment. All the best with your CBT.

Hi there and thanks for the video. I do try to ride like this but sometimes feel a bit frightened getting too close to the curb in case some gravel or dirt from grassy banks makes me slip. Also on left handers I sometimes wander a bit too far into the middle of the road. Is this due to too much speed into the bend? Thanks again for all the videos!

Nice video. I'm looking to better my riding technique and your videos have always helped me. Went up here last week on the way to the cat and fiddle.Thought I took the bends ok really so maybe I'm not as bad at cornering as I thought :) Might bump into you some time living in notts myself.I often go to Matlock and sometimes to MFN. I'd like to think I'd introduce myself but I might be a bit embarrassed saying "hi I'm gripper" :) Still not sure why I chose that name.Grange hill finished about 20 years ago lol

great video , its all about position ,im only learning and this is what I want to achieve , thank you .

Beautiful riding, excellent stretch of road :)

WOW,thanks for the 'advanced' training

Very useful tips, thanks :) It's so great to ride smoothly, that I unfortunately forgot sometimes that i'm driving through local roads and there can be dog/tractor/old lady hiding after next corner :/

Ooooo Matlock is only up the road! I've got to go there some day!

It's nice find videos of great riding and and technique instead of crap from self professed experts who, within seconds of watching their videos, make basic mistakes in shifting lane position and common sense. I love the constant midrange tach position. Love that V4! Well done.

Love your videos. I've been riding about 45 days and I learn a lot watching your videos. Thank you for posting. Could you tell me what straight lining is?

Hi great videos thanks for sharing. Just one question, I was surprised you said 50/50 on the breaks in the wet. I would usually use the front break more in the wet (obviously should change this). But what about in the dry still 50/50?

If you practice this technique so you are doing it on all the curves one thing I found that helps me to make it a permanent habit is to let the vision of the upcoming curve trigger the thought to move towards the outside of the curve. That allows me to instill it into my "gray matter" making it automatic -- soon you will be doing it without thinking about it. . Accelerating out of the apex tightens you up in the curve and is always a good technique to use -- I see this rider does that. I think he is very skilled really -- curve carving seems very smooth and controlled (should never be jerky). . In USA (where we ride on the right) stay away from the center-line on left curves when there is opposing traffic (or possible opposing traffic around blind curves). Automobiles have a tendency to cross the center-line coming in the opposite direction as they are pulled towards it by centrifugal forces. In fact, the larger and more massive (heavier) the vehicle and the faster it is going the more it is pulled over the center-line. . The other thing that can make left curves more dangerous is if you discover you have made and error in taking the curve too fast and try to compensate by increasing your lean angle. This can actually put your head in a direct trajectory of the headlight of an oncoming car/truck that may be straddling the center-line (thus creating some sphincter puckering). How often does this occur? VERY! Pull off on such a curve and what the cars/trucks/buses for a while and see how far they come over the center-line and it may surprise you. . On left blind curves I like to slow and hug the inside -- staying as far away from the center-line as possible.

You're right, the first couple of times I rode it (admittedly quicker than that) I had moments! Let me know how you went on, and be careful now the surface isn't as good as it used to be.

There's quite a choice for 4k. The FJR1300 I tested was nice and the Triumph Tiget 1050 is nice too. Best test ride as many as you can, see how you feel.

good work... fantastic video... nice ride!

This is how I want to ride! So smooth it blows me away. When I ride I'm on edge to give 100% to ensure I make the corner and I although I don't grip the bars hard, I realize I'm pushing fwd against the tank with weight on the bars and awkward with the throttle. As a tall rider I'm getting higher bars and will try to sit back and relax to improve.

thanks for your tips

Love the road so fun on a sunny day but do watch out i live on the other end of this road and there are alot of bends that start off steady yet turn sharp further into them Have fun though

Great information, hope you make many more videos like this 👍👍👍

That's the way I've learned to position myself and the bike, I also straight line when the conditions are right. I'll use all the road when safe and get my moneys worth out of my road tax :) Good Stuff!

You should do a video of riding under bridges; the trolls may warm to you then ;) Great vids by the way and vital for the beginning of my midlife motorcycle odyssey.

I too fail to understand the negative views on this video. Positioning, as displayed, ensures maximum vision of the road ahead, paramount for safe riding. 👍

That's a really nice thing to say, I'm flattered! Thank you. I wouldn't mind doing something like that actually. I agree with the FJR1300/Pan 1100 thing. If only i could find a brand new ST1100 in a crate! :-D

One of my favourite local roads!

awesome vlog !!

Found your videos really helpfull, thanks.