Vroooooom! What a blast! I just took the intro rider course this weekend and am very excited to head to the DMV to get the 'M' put on my license!
Ok, so it started out with classroom time. This was extremely valuable and the instructor, Dave, was fantastic! He was helpful and really moved through the material in a way that was clear and concise. HIs delivery is excellent!
The other two days are all about the riding. Some of the exercises are pure fun and it's hard to wipe off the grin. Other exercises were harder and definitely challenging but we were there to improve and show proficiency so I thought the course certainly did that. What a blast!
The instructors were great about consistenly giving feedback during the exercises. As someone who had never been on a motorcycle before, I thought they were very patient and made the learning process a fun experience. They did a good job at keeping my confidence level up throughout the 2 days as we continued through new challenges.
A few words about the staff: Dave was fantastic! I had the most interaction with him and I thought his teaching style was fantastic! He did a great job at giving constructive feedback and balancing that with encouragement when he noticed 'good riding'. I hate to play favorites but he was mine.
I could hear Brian on the other range during the exercises and I LOVED how encouraging he was. He also briefed us on most of the exercises and his style is terrific. I know I would have been very happy if I were in his classroom as well.
James - he was the guy who did most of the demonstrations for us and he was a blast to watch. I found my jaw open more than a few times after he completed some of the demos. He set some great examples without being too much of a show off. :-)
Erik - I would say he was the 'toughest' of the group. He was firm with his feedback but it was effective because I found myself hearing his words in my head and not wanting to make the same mistakes again. I really wanted to avoid him saying 'what was that??'. ;-)
I can't wait to get out on the open road now and continue to practice and use all of the skills and techniques we learned. Thank you, RideSmart for the foundation you provided and an amazing adventure! I'm off now to venture into my new world as a motorcycle rider!