I would add that the Experienced RiderCourse is pretty much a waste of a nice riding day, IMHO. ... Actually, even an experienced rider could learn a lot from re-taking the MSF basic course once in a while. Taking things back to zero and correcting your bad habits is a great idea. Much more useful than watching Harleys stall for six hours.
I agree that I did not really learn much in the ERC, certainly not as much as it did in the BRC.
And, ... I did my
first BRC along with my son, and that was after I had been riding for 25 years.
I guess we are privileged here. We have enough interested GoldWingers in our area of oHIo to monopolize a class. Really, there's nothing quite like seeing a dozen ... what did you call them? ... "pristine chromebarges" weaving through the cones. They will sit there and idle all day long, if necessary, while waiting for the instructors to start
their Harleys. Even though we don't really learn a whole lot in the class, it's a good refresher for those who have parked their bikes over the winter, but the best part is that the minimal cost of the class ($25 here) is FAR offset by the 10-20% discount in insurance rates if you have had a class in the last three years. (We try to do the class every other year.)
Interesting item from one class: Twelve GoldWing riders, two instructors. Both instructors look like your typical "biker", with the leather pants, leather vests, long, braided hair, tattoos, etc. They rode their Harleys to the class because they have to demonstrate all the exercises. They showed us their helmet and how they stowed it for the ride to class and the ride home. They explained that they only had the helmet because it was required for teaching the class. First thing they did when we went out to the course was to have everyone check the oil level in the bike, explaining that it increased safety to ensure that your engine would not run dry. Not sure if they were serious or doing it to rib a bunch of Wingers, but we all had the same reaction. WHY??? We are riding Hondas, not Harleys. We change the oil, snap the Tupperware back into place and ignore it until the next oil change. Many (most?) of us don't even check the dipstick between changes, because the oil stays in the engine.
They were not convinced. We all had to put the bikes on the centerstand, remove the right side engine cover and pull the dipstick to satisfy them. And, yeah, it's a dipstick, not a sight glass.
Back to the original question: "Where do you get your skills?"
Many skill have been acquired through experience, but an excellent resource is the
Ride Like a Pro series of videos by Jerry Palladino, a retired motor officer trainer from Florida. The techniques he teaches are more for slow-speed control and some emergency maneuvers than they are for high-speed racing. But, in the
real world, where many of us spend most of our time, we spend more time at slow speeds than we do clipping apexes and bevelling our footpegs.
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