Slow speed riding was back at PECAM on Saturday 1st August – although one member of the team apparently decided that an hour was quite enough…
A fantastic 21 riders joined us for our regular Saturday morning Slow Speed Riding and Motorcycle Gymkhana session, with a great mixture of PECAM members, associates, visitors and some familiar faces from a recent Police BikeSafe event.
PECAM supports BikeSafe by providing the slow speed riding element following the classroom session, so it was particularly good to see riders we’d met there deciding to come back for more.
Either we made a good impression, or they really enjoyed riding around cones. We’ll take either.
Slow speed – serious skills, without taking ourselves too seriously
Slow speed riding might not have quite the glamour of sweeping bends and open roads, but it’s one of the most useful sets of skills a motorcyclist can develop.
U-turns, junctions, filtering, manoeuvring in car parks, negotiating tight spaces or simply bringing a heavily laden bike gracefully to a halt – preferably without the traditional last-second wobble – all rely on good machine control.
Our regular exercises allow riders to work on:
- Walking-pace control
- Clutch and throttle coordination
- Rear brake control
- Balance and steering
- Slaloms and tighter turns
- Circles and figure eights
- U-turns
- Observation and, importantly, keeping those eyes up
And once those start becoming comfortable, there’s always the PECAM Motorcycle Gymkhana course for anyone wanting a little more of a challenge.
It’s all carried out in a relaxed environment where riders can practice, experiment, get things wrong, try again and steadily improve.
Nobody is timing you. Nobody is judging you. And the cones are generally quite forgiving.
Enter the PECAM Bandit…
Of course, we also had the PECAM Suzuki 600 Bandit available for some fun and games.
The Bandit provides a great opportunity to practise slow speed skills without worrying quite so much about your own pride and joy.
For approximately an hour, it performed admirably.
Then it decided it had done enough.
Despite various attempts at encouragement, persuasion and the traditional group of motorcyclists standing around looking thoughtfully at a motorcycle, the Bandit remained resolute.
No more playing today.
We’re pleased to report that it is currently being serviced and prepared for its next important engagement – our PECAM Open Day on Saturday 5th September.
We have explained the importance of the occasion to it.
From BikeSafe to advanced riding
It was particularly encouraging to welcome riders we’d first met through BikeSafe.
BikeSafe introduces riders to some of the thinking and techniques behind better riding, while sessions like ours provide somewhere safe and supportive to keep developing those skills.
For some, that may eventually lead to the IAM RoadSmart Advanced Rider course. For others, it’s simply an opportunity to become more confident and capable on the motorcycle they already enjoy riding.
Either way, it’s all about the same thing:
Better skills. More confidence. Safer riding. And more enjoyment on the bike.
Thanks to everyone who came along, helped with the session, moved cones, offered advice, encouraged other riders – and participated in the unsuccessful negotiations with the Bandit.
We’ll be doing it all again soon.
And on 5th September, the Bandit has promised to behave.
We have witnesses.