Atlanta Motorcycle Schools—Stayin Safe Tour
Neo-Alpine Tour: Switzerland of Ohio—May 15-16, 2004
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Obviously, Ken and I are both big proponents of continuing
motorcycle education. This year, one of our elected training
activities was a Stayin'
Safe tour with the renown trainer “Mr. Safety”
Lawrence Grodsky. Larry has Neo-Alpine tours in six different
areas—including our own back yard—North Georgia.
We elected a different experience—riding the twists and
turns in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Our tour began
Saturday morning in Pittsburgh. The weather cooperated during
breakfast and our parking lot drills. However, as soon as
we were a couple of miles out of Pittsburgh, we all pulled
over to don our rain gear—which we kept on the rest of
the day…
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West Virginia./Switzerland of Ohio Tour
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Most of the group taking a break.
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The weather could not dampen our spirits nor the quality
of the tour. There were six students and two instructors—Larry
and Eric. We were divided into two groups; three students
per instructor. Ken and I were paired with John from Buffalo.
Bob (Philadelphia), Brain (Cincinnati), and Chuck (Cleveland)
made up the second group. Both groups alternated between instructors.
One way communication allows the students to be coached “real
time”. In addition to “coaching”, the instructors
shared their thought processes with you, allowing you to “see”
the terrain through their eyes. It is amazing the clues that
untrained eyes miss!
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The Stayin' Safe Mantra:
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360° awareness
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Put the motorcycle where they can’t touch you
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No surprises
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Focus is placed on reading the verge—natural and
man-made structures that often line the sides of the
road—to help predict the direction of the road
ahead.
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Chalk Talk—Reading the “Verge”
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Staying safe when riding is all about having a mental strategy
and constantly applying this strategy. Some use the Smith
System, some use SIPDE, some use SEE, etc… The Stayin'
Safe Mantra assures that you are continually evaluating
all conditions and consistently placing your motorcycle in
the path of least potential risk. Sometimes the greatest threat
to your safety is the approaching turn, sometimes it is the
blind hill/turn, sometimes it is the hidden—or not so
hidden— driveway. All strategies evolve around recognizing
and prioritizing hazards. Stayin' Safe goes a step
further by reading the verge. You really can begin to predict
the road ahead—making riding unfamiliar roads much safer!
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If you have an opportunity to participate in tours presented by
“Mr. Safety”, we definitely recommend it. The goal for
each ride should be: “Don’t hit anything and don’t
let anything hit you.” The more training that you receive,
the greater the chance you have in attaining this goal. The training
and experience of certified instructors can save countless hours
and agony of “trial and error” through personal experience!
Ride smart, ride safe!
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JoAnna, Larry, and Ken
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JoAnna and Larry
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Larry presenting Ken’s diploma.
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Click here
for more photos from the trip.
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