I find your vedios excellent. This one is very accurate. This is the road conditions i deal with every day. Your advice is spot on. Slow manoeuvres are essential. You have no choice, if you want to remain upright. 100%
I have been riding for over 40 years, still can't give up on sports bikes, but I do agree strongly with the slow speed control being a foundational skill. I regularly go and practice in a quiet carpark. Especially in the spring or when I am on an unfamilliar bike. It's a skill that embues confidence which is important at all speeds.
it's surprising and refreshing to hear that people have commented that they still practice the basics in car parks even with so many years experience such as yourself, one would have thought that it all becomes ingrained & second nature over time, but sounds like something to consider when i get my new bike in a months time. GL
Sat here quietly chuckling to myself as the roads got progressively worse 😅 Always good to go for a ride with you ...albeit , tonight from the comfort of my sofa. Added advantage I didn't get my bike dirty 😊 I am glad I am not alone....I also ride on single track rural roads ...sometimes laughing & reprimanding myself Damp muddy conditions keep us on our toes. Rear movement less concerning than front letting go for sure 😅 It is ironic that local authorities responsible for the lack of cleaning & maintenance of many are also stakeholders in road safety partnerships....which ask us to ride safely 🤔 I appreciate you putting yourself through this in the interests of others😉 Thanks 👍 🏍
Another great video. Love bimbling around the single tracks around West Kingsdown, slow speed control is essential on the hills with their blind corners and poor road conditions. It’s disappointing how quickly the locals drive the blind corners however, given how narrow the roads are and the number of horse riders that use these roads between byways.
Being somewhat empatterned with instructor riding and not enough leisure riding etc, I do find your content invaluable in keeping in tune with the methodology, dealing with the very many situations you cover. Much appreciated! 👌🏻
Thank you Pete, I found that constantly doing cbts and das somewhat flattened my own riding skills so had to get out a bit and refresh. Glad the vids are helpful, all the best
A great video and very informative I've certainly taken on board some good points you made. Have you done a video riding on motorways I would be interested in your advice and vast experience if you have. Thanks for these lessons.
As a biker and guitar player, l find it very important to polish my guitar licks, meaning, to practice my scales. It refreshes my muscle memory and improves my tone and play. Watching videos on road craft has the same but far more serious effect , it can save lives. Motorcyclists at all levels need to polish up or warm on road safety or road craft. It's a sad day if we ever become All knowing. I'll never forget the Great Ronnie O'sullivan after winning the Masters snooker final again saying ' I'm only scratching the surface " Excellent videos, thank you.
Nice, good advice. Only comment, is courtesy. I Always wave or acknowledge when someone waits. One driver who kept flying past you on the narrow section, wouldn’t be popular where I’m from. West of Scotland. I like the green line in the middle . Every now and then I like to take my bike to a parking lot and bugger about at slow speed. particularly if I haven’t been out for a while. Hit the brakes hard a few times. I’ve dropped the GS in a Parking lot. Not on the street yet. It’ll figure 8 inside 4 spaces. Or U turn inside 2. Comes in handy now and again. If I have to brake hard and deck round a pothole it’s easier if I practiced in a parking lot.
Finally seems a break in the weather this weekend, no salt and warmer conditions here in north wales. Video has been a good refresher and to keep a few things in the forefront after the recent storms with trees and branches down especially in these isolated spots. Been a few months since i have been on the bike but always find it a useful time to go through your training vids just to keep it fresh in my mind, so when im back on the bike im more mentally aware and ready after the long layoff, cheers for another great vid, ride safe all
In Somerset many of the single lane roads have a mound of mud in the middle of the road, sometimes as much as 100-150mm thick. Treacherous for motorcycles in bad weather
Great stuff, recognise some of those roads. Great advice, learn to do the slow riding, it is such a useful skill. As I have aged I prefer smaller lighter bikes for the back lane exploring, looking forward to some warmer dryer days ahead. Thanks for sharing you expertise.
Thanks very much for the vid. I've just got back from an 80mile ride in mainly lanes, first ride out for ages so really enjoyed it, but i do take a lot of care especially due to the many types of debris making for slippy surfaces, although often feel like i'm being too slow and over cautious, instead of maybe trusting the tyres to do their job a bit more, but find i'm naturally doing a lot of what you describe here anyway, so this vid gives me a little confidence that i'm on the right track, and as far as the steep gradients and hairy bits go, i'll definately work on slipping the clutch more. GL
A good video with sound advice based on years of experience. Very interesting point regarding slowing down earlier to take into account the fact that you'll also be relying on an oncoming vehicle seeing you, reacting and braking. Keep up the good work!
last may while touring scotland i saw my first ever red squirrel in the wild crossing the road early one morning. it bolted when it saw me of course so i couldnt get a picture :)
I always curious on how motogp riders would navigate street/ rural riding. They probably have the cornering ability on par with the police if not more advanced. But then the police are used to unpredictability so they wud be faster.
Thank you. I am from The Netherlands and our country lanes are easier than the UK ones, we do not have the high hedges and walls. Like you I ride all year, except for snow and ice. I'm an average rider at best yet I can do smooth and do not mind rain either. Most of my rides are on the back lanes, including my commute. However I stopped doing this when they are wet. And you mentioned the reason: your bike gets soooo dirty! I bought my RT with the idea that I could live with it becoming very dirty and leave my more sporty bikes in the shed. After a few times spending over half a day getting the RT in showroom condition, I gave in - I use the motorway when it is wet, makes a lot of difference and the RT is quite happy on the motorway.
That was a great vid, it reminds us how being calm and mindful riding makes us safer. However, I have a request, I know you’ve done them before but will please do an 2024 “new season” vid to remind us all NOT to get over excited in Spring…
you would think in this day and age in a developed country, single track roads with two way traffic wouldn’t exists. They should be one way and 20mph, or ideally where possible upgraded to proper two lanes. Country roads statistically are the most dangerous, despite the focus always being on motorways.
Road riders: "look at how bad those roads are! Thanks for the tips" Green laners: "thats just road riding!" Interesting to think how each motorcyclists experience and general road use varies so much. I commute on ten miles of backroads theough welsh hills every day, some of your back roads are bloomin luxury compared to here, were the local councils are millions of pounds under funded on road maintenance.
Hello. Do you know when & or why Channel Rider shut? I did my cbt with them, and they were great. I wanted to talk to one of the team their but it seems i can't as they shut down... Many thanks, i really enjoy your videos.
Hi thanks for your comments, much appreciated. Glad you enjoy the videos. I can’t recall exactly why or when Channel closed, a few years back. I believe one of their instructors went to Dexterity in Ashford. They might be able to help you further. I do a work for Invicta near Whitstable if they can’t help, you are welcome to give us a call. All the best
Thank you for your comment. I’m afraid you can’t do an A2 test on a 125, the bike must be at least 245cc with power between 20-35kW and a power to weight ratio up to 0.2 kW/kg. All the best
I respect your beliefs and training as I had it once. However, there is far more to motorcycling than your opinions. I am 65 and laugh my head off at the types bikes u ride and the bibs u wear. I just cant watch. Slipping the clutch honestly
@volt8684 great comment. Makes me laugh when people say they respect you then go on to disrespect them😂. Laughing because of the bike someone rides and the clothes they wear, seriously, you’re 65 and doing what we did at 12😂. You can’t watch, well you obviously did or you wouldn’t be posting your bad manners here. Slipping your keyboard, honestly
Possibly a controversial / debatable point of view but if you meet oncoming traffic on a single track road you are by definition (single track) going to have to share the road space - there is nowhere to "escape to" - so why not use the full width of the road on right hand bends to get a better view and give both parties more time to see each other and stop in half the distance they see to be clear...?