Puget Sound Safety Instructor RJ Myrup leads counter-steering practice with students before a riding drill. The school offers an array of motorcycle skills courses. (Courtesy of Puget Sound safety)
A Puget Sound Safety instructor demonstrates the skills taught in the Total Control Training course. (Courtesy of Puget Sound safety)
When Andrew Putnam enrolled in a motorcycle-skills class with 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction, he thought it would be a fun way to push his Yamaha R6 to the limit.
What surprised him was that the techniques he learned might have helped save his life.
Only weeks after his daylong session at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Putnam was driving down Highway 99 when he encountered a blown-out tire in the middle of the road. In a split-second, he performed a high-speed swerve that kept him from running over the obstacle and crashing his bike.
The Seattle area's two motorcycle-performance schools offer classes to help experienced riders take their skills to the next level. The courses help improve body position, driving smoothness and balance. Classroom sessions help motorcyclists understand the mental aspects of riding.
Common mistakes
- Vision: According to Tkacs, most riders look only a few car lengths ahead of them. But at highway speeds, that's not enough distance to avoid obstacles. Motorcyclists should learn how to observe what's approaching on the horizon.
- Braking: Most riders don't realize that about 75 percent of a motorcycle's braking power comes from the front wheel, Tkacs says. As a result, they don't understand the techniques or body position needed to take advantage of the bike's ability to slow down quickly.
Putnam's class challenged him to ride on a closed track at speeds approaching 137 mph. Instructors showed him how to get out of his seat, shift his weight in curves and keep his bike upright.
"High speeds prepare you for bad conditions," says Putnam, who lives in Seattle. "When you push your bike hard, you know how it will react."
Not only did Putnam's cornering improve (his speed in one curve went from 68 to 90 mph by the end of the day), but he also gained the confidence to dodge rocks and standing water, and to navigate narrow mountain roads during adverse weather.
"The feeling of a bike at 100 mph is similar to wet conditions at 45 mph," he says.
While 2Fast courses focus on speed and racing, the area's other major school emphasizes safe techniques at modest speeds.
Bret Tkacs co-founded Puget Sound Safety in 1996 to help riders of all skill levels improve their core abilities. The school trains more than 8,000 motorcyclists each year in a wide range of classes, including basic rider training, dirt-bike courses and multiday adventure riding.
Area schools
- 2Fast Motorcycle Track Days & Instruction
Pacific Raceways, Kent
2-fast.org
Classes start at $269 - Puget Sound Safety
Courses in Tacoma, Olympia and Steilacoom
pugetsoundsafety.com
Classes $95-$395
"We learned that one of the highest statistics for accidents and fatalities were weekend riders and hobbyists," Tkacs says. "The problem that riders were having was in the corners."
That's why the school's 40 instructors focus much of their attention on handling techniques in curves, he says. The school also provides instruction on skills such as managing traction, swerving and stopping quickly.
Both schools give highly personalized feedback to help riders break bad habits. For example, before 2Fast riders hit the track, they spend time on a tilting stationary motorcycle so instructors can adjust their body position in curve simulations, says Putnam.
Students typically bring their own motorcycles, although bikes sometimes can be borrowed for select classes.
"There's something for everyone," Tkacs says. "Experienced riders with will often leave saying, 'How have I been riding 20 years without knowing this?' "
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