I was in Borders yesterday lookin' for the book "Sport Riding Techniques" and while browsin' the transportation section lookin' for it I came across a book called "Smooth Riding The Pridmore Way: Advanced Motorcycling Skills Through Confidence and Control" by Reg Pridmore. For those who don't know, he's AMA's Jason Pridmore's Father and an accomplished and successful racer himself. He's also the master instructor of the "CLASS" riding school. I thumbed through it and read the back cover to see what it was all about and it sounded like he had some interesting techniques so I bought the book.
I read most of it last night and was quite impressed with his techniques and his ability to put things into words that a sport ridin' rookie such as myself could understand it perfectly. The thing I really love about this book is that he doesn't preach and push FAST above all, he preaches and pushes smoothness, safety, and most of all, CONTROL. Throughout the book he talks about keepin' you alive to enjoy motorcycling, not just how to get through a section of road the fastest way possible. His contention is that you have to learn to do it smoothly and with control before you can truly learn to do it fast. Exactly the message I needed to hear. He also offers a LOT of advice for street riding based on his 50+ years of "been there, done that" experience. He also addresses the mental aspect of riding.
Countless times while readin' his techniques I sat there and went, "Damn, that just plain makes sense!" Especially interesting to me is his "body steering" chapter. I found that I was kinda sorta usin' this technique for the most part but I wasn't conscious of what all I was doing and what effect it was having on my handling. While reading that section at least two corners jumped to mind in which my "body english" had caused me to run wide. One being the one I posted about a long time ago when I went off roadin' on the busa. The other occured this past weekend. These two incidents happedn because I was blindly doin' the thang instead of understanding it and consciously doin' what needed done. In both cases the bike simply "got ahead of me" and I blew it.
Anyway, I don't care how experienced you are on a bike, I highly recommend this book. According to the book, Nickey Hayden still takes classes from this guy and works on improving his smoothness and control. Unless you're ready to skin Hayden's azz, do yourself a favor and get this book!
There's even a section in there on the folks who don't need to learn anymore.
FWIW, I liked this book a LOT better than Keith Codes' Twist Of The Wrist II. Unlike Codes' style of writing, this book is interesting and easy to read. It includes tales of Reggie's racing and life history (quite interesting by the way!). It has some awesome illustrations and photography of some of today's top riders doin' the thang.
I have to give this book two big thumbs up and BT's ultimate stamp of approval. I wish I'd had this book before I even bought the busa. I wouldn't have a few of the bad habits that I'm gonna have to work on now. I'm even going to check into a CLASS school if he's still doin' 'em at Road Atlanta. His style of riding is EXACTLY what I want to learn. It's like how I learned to shoot handguns. Get smooth and controlled, and fast will follow.
I'll say it again...
<span style='color:red'> <span style='font-size:17pt;line-height:100%'>GET THIS BOOK!</span></span>
I read most of it last night and was quite impressed with his techniques and his ability to put things into words that a sport ridin' rookie such as myself could understand it perfectly. The thing I really love about this book is that he doesn't preach and push FAST above all, he preaches and pushes smoothness, safety, and most of all, CONTROL. Throughout the book he talks about keepin' you alive to enjoy motorcycling, not just how to get through a section of road the fastest way possible. His contention is that you have to learn to do it smoothly and with control before you can truly learn to do it fast. Exactly the message I needed to hear. He also offers a LOT of advice for street riding based on his 50+ years of "been there, done that" experience. He also addresses the mental aspect of riding.
Countless times while readin' his techniques I sat there and went, "Damn, that just plain makes sense!" Especially interesting to me is his "body steering" chapter. I found that I was kinda sorta usin' this technique for the most part but I wasn't conscious of what all I was doing and what effect it was having on my handling. While reading that section at least two corners jumped to mind in which my "body english" had caused me to run wide. One being the one I posted about a long time ago when I went off roadin' on the busa. The other occured this past weekend. These two incidents happedn because I was blindly doin' the thang instead of understanding it and consciously doin' what needed done. In both cases the bike simply "got ahead of me" and I blew it.
Anyway, I don't care how experienced you are on a bike, I highly recommend this book. According to the book, Nickey Hayden still takes classes from this guy and works on improving his smoothness and control. Unless you're ready to skin Hayden's azz, do yourself a favor and get this book!
FWIW, I liked this book a LOT better than Keith Codes' Twist Of The Wrist II. Unlike Codes' style of writing, this book is interesting and easy to read. It includes tales of Reggie's racing and life history (quite interesting by the way!). It has some awesome illustrations and photography of some of today's top riders doin' the thang.
I have to give this book two big thumbs up and BT's ultimate stamp of approval. I wish I'd had this book before I even bought the busa. I wouldn't have a few of the bad habits that I'm gonna have to work on now. I'm even going to check into a CLASS school if he's still doin' 'em at Road Atlanta. His style of riding is EXACTLY what I want to learn. It's like how I learned to shoot handguns. Get smooth and controlled, and fast will follow.
I'll say it again...
<span style='color:red'> <span style='font-size:17pt;line-height:100%'>GET THIS BOOK!</span></span>
