Advanced bike training is a bit like getting a bit more exercise, or cutting down on the booze. Alan Dowds reminds us we all know we should be doing it – but we keep putting it off.
Now, though, Honda is making it a no-brainer to get some extra road riding skills under your belt. Whilst the big H ended its work with the Ron Haslam race school a while back, it has been working on something else for the past couple of years. And here it is – a partnership with the Rapid Training firm, which will see a UK-wide official Honda training scheme. Anyone who buys a new Honda over 125cc will get a free £250 voucher, that covers a bespoke Honda training course. And Honda owners will be able to access the training at a reduced cost through their local dealer.
It’s a one-day gig, at more than 20 locations across the country, with two participants per instructor. The training is based on the road, with an approach that’s tuned to the riders and their skill set – meaning that you get tuition that’s appropriate to your skill levels. Rapid and Honda understand that there’s a wide range of skills, and the scheme is aimed at experienced hands as well as newer riders.
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Back to school…
I went along to the launch event for Honda’s new training programme, based at Blyton Park near Doncaster. It’s a small track, built on an old airfield, but is big enough to have some fun, with an interesting mix of corners and short straights. I’m on a brand new Fireblade, which may not seem like the ideal tool, but is actually spot-on: I have a proper ball all day with the screaming power, low-down grunt and laser-sharp chassis.
The point of the Honda Rapid Training scheme isn’t to make you faster on track though. It’s aimed at improving safety and making you a better rider all round, with a focus on the good stuff like vision, machine control and reading the road ahead.
I’ve done a few training courses in my time, and there’s always been something of interest on them. This time, the thing that I liked most was a simple enough exercise: do laps of the track using just two gears and trying not to use the brakes. It’s the antithesis of a normal track session, of course, but it forces you to slow down, which gives you more time to think, and be as accurate as possible with your positioning on track. Just a few laps of that exercise was really challenging and fun: and when I went out for the final session, I really felt the benefit.
The instructors (mostly ex-police with a few ex-racers too) were great, and we had a short session on road too, looking at vanishing points and watching for hazards, while making decent progress. There’s no doubt about it: spending a bit of time with an expert looking at your riding can’t be a bad thing, and if you’re getting it for free with your new Honda purchase, then even better…
Whetted your appetite?
If you’re interested in this kind of training, loads more info can be found at your local Honda dealer, or at www.rapidtraining.co.uk.
