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Advanced Rider's Course

Just to clarify:
MSF has renamed some courses, and is causing confusion all over the place.

The BRC (basic rider course) is still the same course at present (there are changes coming to this too!)

The original ERC/ARC (Experienced rider course or Advanced rider course) is now called BRC-2 and is essentially some of the BRC exercises with add-on exercises ridden on your personal bike.

The NEW ARC (Advanced Rider Course) really is a new course and material designed to be ridden at speeds considerably above the BRC or BRC-2. The range setups are totally new, and very challenging due to the speeds involved. The exercises are designed to teach real-world skills. For many riders, it will be the first time they have ever dragged the feeler pegs or touched their boot toes to the ground in turns at speed. Even long-term riders will find this to be a fun, informative course that will refresh skills mostly never used or practiced. Everybody who has taken the class leaves with a huge smile on their faces.

+1. My wife and I teach a range of courses to include the ARC as well as the course it was derived from, the Military Sportbike Riders Course (MSRC). The course is designed to apply real-world riding issues in a fast-paced classroom curriculum, as well as to give riders the opportunity to advance their skills on the range. It provides a great follow-on to the basic rider courses, once a rider has some experience.

That being said, I also have to agree that you really do get your PhD in street bike handling skills on the track. Track riding, when done right by starting with a good track school and mentoring, provides a rider with the opportunity to really explore and advance their bike handling skill limits in a relatively safe (in reality much safer than on the street) environment. My wife and I have been riding track now for several years and have been to a number of track/race schools. We are also firmly committed track junkies, as are most who start down this road, LOL. Riding track changes your approach to street riding. Contrary to what people may think, a lot of mature riders who spend time on the track usually end up slowing down and becoming more deliberate on the street. You become more conscious of the dynamics of riding. Things like traction, lean angles, bike suspension response, braking, cornering, road surface conditions, etc., take on new meaning and you begin to recognize how inconsistent many of these can be on the street. You also become hyper-aware of other dangers (like the insane drivers on the road...). Also, when an emergency situation arises on the street, track-honed response skills come in really handy! Once you miss a downshift at 130 mph going into a series of S-turns on the track and have literally a split second to figure out how to save the line without piling in, you find that most street situations just don't rate that kind of response. Ask me how I know... :) I rarely ride my track bike on the street, only enough to keep it fresh between track days. I actually prefer my GS as a daily mount, or to take a collector bike out for a spin.

If you're looking to really advance your skills, take the advanced MSF course(s), and then when you're ready, find a good track introductory course. You'll be amazed at what it can do for your riding!
 
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