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Anyone ever take the MC training at the BMW Performance Center in SC?
- Thread starter satxbiker
- Start date
alancoles
Dress for fall & avoid it
Dug C, are you doing the June 7-8 course just before the MOA Rally, so a different one? I'm scheduled in for that course on June 7-8.
Tried the One-Day Class
Lynn, I took the one day on-road training. I'm a senior citizen and was quite adequately challenged by it. Congratulations on your going for the Authority class.
The one-day training was great! The instructor was excellent, as was the full-time BMW trainer. They encouraged in a very positive manner without pushing to the point of damaging the experience. We did both tight turns and higher speed cornering, finishing with a few laps of the car course at whatever speed we were capable of. Emergency counter-steer avoidance turns, a tightening weave around a series of cones, emergency braking (one student managed to do a "stoppie"). And the general experience at their facility was great.
I've tried the off-road course a couple of times, including the day after the on-road course. I flunked! Conclusion: I'll never be competent at riding on loose gravel. I'd still like to build experience riding on well-maintained dirt but do not know how to go about that.
Lynn, I took the one day on-road training. I'm a senior citizen and was quite adequately challenged by it. Congratulations on your going for the Authority class.
The one-day training was great! The instructor was excellent, as was the full-time BMW trainer. They encouraged in a very positive manner without pushing to the point of damaging the experience. We did both tight turns and higher speed cornering, finishing with a few laps of the car course at whatever speed we were capable of. Emergency counter-steer avoidance turns, a tightening weave around a series of cones, emergency braking (one student managed to do a "stoppie"). And the general experience at their facility was great.
I've tried the off-road course a couple of times, including the day after the on-road course. I flunked! Conclusion: I'll never be competent at riding on loose gravel. I'd still like to build experience riding on well-maintained dirt but do not know how to go about that.
dug_c
New member
Alan, sorry I missed this post. No, I am attending the March 2/3 course. I hope the weather improves by then. Will post how it goes.
dug_c
New member
I just completed the 2 Day Off road Enduro Skills training at the Greenville BMW Performance Center. All I can say is Wow!
Top 5 things about taking the 2 day Off Enduro Skills Training at the BMW Performance Center:
5) The instructors are good, really good. They will show you the skills and allow you to challenge yourself as you feel comfortable doing. They all have tons of ours of experience and are seemingly fearless on the bikes.
4) An R1200GS will do more off road that I could imagine. In our endurance runs, we were weaving in and around trees, rocks, water and other obstacles. Basically, the R1200GS will “tractor” itself around at idle and you only need a slight clutch slip to slow it down. I can also tell you it’s way easier to pick up than the Triumph Explorer.
3) I was do more on an R1200GS than I could imagine I could do. From riding standing with the opposite foot and the other foot out in space, to standing starts and stops (off the bike) and gravel/sand pits. I also learned that I am out of shape. The first night, I was in bed by 7:00 and Sunday my legs and hands hurt like crazy.
2) If offered, take a school on a rental bike. We had 11 students and ALL of us were on rental bikes. It was an additional $200 to use their bikes and it is worth every penny. They wisely state that you should not try to save the bike but rather bail and make a graceful exit from the bike. I saved the bike early on Saturday and hurt my leg a bit. After that, it was Goodbye my Spanish Ladies. We had one failure with a bike taking a rock in the valve cover. It was replaced with another bike in 5 minutes. We had 9 1200s and 2 800 GSs. Observation was that the class was easier to take on the 1200 vs. the 800 (I would not have predicted that).
1) BMW cookies are the best in the world. There must the 4 different types of chocolate chips in the cookies. The hospitality at the BMW Performance Center is 5 star. The Performance Center is a three-ring circus with car performance, highway safety, teen training and Motorrad on-road and off-road training, all in one facility. Truly amazing.
On paper, the training looks pricey but the value I got from the class is priceless. I have no regrets having taken the school. They say that a good on-road rider is not a good off-road rider but a proficient off-road rider is a good on-road rider.
Top 5 things about taking the 2 day Off Enduro Skills Training at the BMW Performance Center:
5) The instructors are good, really good. They will show you the skills and allow you to challenge yourself as you feel comfortable doing. They all have tons of ours of experience and are seemingly fearless on the bikes.
4) An R1200GS will do more off road that I could imagine. In our endurance runs, we were weaving in and around trees, rocks, water and other obstacles. Basically, the R1200GS will “tractor” itself around at idle and you only need a slight clutch slip to slow it down. I can also tell you it’s way easier to pick up than the Triumph Explorer.
3) I was do more on an R1200GS than I could imagine I could do. From riding standing with the opposite foot and the other foot out in space, to standing starts and stops (off the bike) and gravel/sand pits. I also learned that I am out of shape. The first night, I was in bed by 7:00 and Sunday my legs and hands hurt like crazy.
2) If offered, take a school on a rental bike. We had 11 students and ALL of us were on rental bikes. It was an additional $200 to use their bikes and it is worth every penny. They wisely state that you should not try to save the bike but rather bail and make a graceful exit from the bike. I saved the bike early on Saturday and hurt my leg a bit. After that, it was Goodbye my Spanish Ladies. We had one failure with a bike taking a rock in the valve cover. It was replaced with another bike in 5 minutes. We had 9 1200s and 2 800 GSs. Observation was that the class was easier to take on the 1200 vs. the 800 (I would not have predicted that).
1) BMW cookies are the best in the world. There must the 4 different types of chocolate chips in the cookies. The hospitality at the BMW Performance Center is 5 star. The Performance Center is a three-ring circus with car performance, highway safety, teen training and Motorrad on-road and off-road training, all in one facility. Truly amazing.
On paper, the training looks pricey but the value I got from the class is priceless. I have no regrets having taken the school. They say that a good on-road rider is not a good off-road rider but a proficient off-road rider is a good on-road rider.
dug_c
New member
+1.
(I wuz there too!)
Highly recommended course!
It was great to meet you. Will you be going to the MOA bash in June? If so, we need to meet up.
I was really nervous about attending the school but now I am really glad I attended. Now if it would warm up so I can go out and run circles......
The entire class was a pleasure to meet, and to participate in the course. Like you, I am also really glad I attended it, and learned a lot. I will try to make it to the bash, but it looks unlikely. We will of course keep in touch.
I am waiting for better weather to put all the newly gained knowledge into practice. It was 8 degrees this morning.
One thing I want to add is that it is a good idea to rent their bikes, but please consider riding it as if you were riding your own bike. After all, one wants to learn habits applicable to one's own bike, right? I treated the rental bike as I would my own and I think that after the course, I could take my own bike around that circuit without any mechanical abuse.
That last trip around behind Roberto and my friend JD through the Rock Garden in the pouring rain was a challenge indeed. We did the massive Camel Humps every which way in the rain as well, and the river crossing twice. I opted to skip a section of the rock path since I was getting tired by the end of the day. The thing that I personally enjoyed the most was blitzing around the race track.
austinlonghorn
New member
Authority course versus the on-road course
Howdy y'all,
I'm looking at the training offered at the Performance Center, and considering maybe doing a Saturday/Sunday on-road/off-road combination or the two-day authority course for around the same price.
How much overlap is there between the two days of motor / authority training and the one day on-road course?
The thought of getting comfortable with loose gravel, terrain, etc., in the off-road course is also really appealing (and getting to repeatedly drop someone else's moto while learning, heh).
Just looking for feedback to tilt the scales one way or the other.
Thanks!
Howdy y'all,
I'm looking at the training offered at the Performance Center, and considering maybe doing a Saturday/Sunday on-road/off-road combination or the two-day authority course for around the same price.
How much overlap is there between the two days of motor / authority training and the one day on-road course?
The thought of getting comfortable with loose gravel, terrain, etc., in the off-road course is also really appealing (and getting to repeatedly drop someone else's moto while learning, heh).
Just looking for feedback to tilt the scales one way or the other.
Thanks!
I recently did the two day off road course and can recommend it highly. One thing the Instructor said was that much of skill taught in the off road course applies on road as well, but that is not true the other way around, for whatever it's worth in helping you decide.
austinlonghorn
New member
Thanks; I've kind of heard the same over the years, that off-road skills are easily transferable to the pavement.
Anyone else care to comment on any of the on-road training? I've had the opportunity to do the (~ half day?) PDC thing twice (very nice cages: E90 335i / F22 M235i) and wonder if the one-day, on-road Motorrad course is about the same thing - road course practice following lines, obstacle avoidance + braking, etc.
satxbiker
New member
I just completed the two-day motorcycle authority class. It was a day and a half of very intensive slow speed maneuvering around cones. It was much like what you see motorcycle cops doing when they compete at those MC rodeos. The last half of day two was spent at the track where we did high-speed emergency braking, obstacle avoidance, and emergency maneuvers. I highly recommend the class if you want to improve your on road slow speed skills. The folks who seemed to do the best at it were off-road riders, to begin with. I personally had a very hard time wanting to throw the bike into a hard right or left handlebar lock and give it some throttle. It definitely gave me things that I need to work on.
mikegalbicka
Back in the saddle again
Thanks for the follow up. Do you feel you got your money's worth and did it help you improve those slow speed skills enough to increase your confidence or will it take more practice to get there?
satxbiker
New member
For me it will take a lot more practice on my part. The whole issue is really mental. I have dropped the bike before at a full lock and had a real hard time trusting the bike. I definately got my money's worth because it did teach me many things, and I certainly know how to do the skill, it is a matter of making myself trust the bike and do it. I think it just depends on how you feel personally about 'tricycle steering' at slow speeds. If you feel pretty comfortable doing it then you should pick things up pretty quickly. If not, then you will at least learn what you should be able to do. The nice thing is that you are using their bikes. You will drop it and it is better to practice with their bike instead of yours.
I was on the same course with Lynn and want to add a bit of my impressions:
The course was great, its makes you confident with the bike on a different level. the fact that you don't really afraid to drop the bike, letting you try things that with your own you probably will not do.
The only things I would add to this course is just little bit more deep theoretical explanations.
I did many (like 12-14) different on and off road courses few years ago in other country where I lived, and always learned something new even by taking same course in different schools.
Worth the money? on my opinion, definitely yes.
Motorcycle in USA in not necessity, we buying bike for fun, we paying 20-30K for bike and few more $K for accessories. I hope most of people here also wearing right (and not cheap) protection, which cost another few $K, so additional some $$$ to make you more professional rider and possible save the life doesn't look like waste to me.
P.S. English is my fifth language, please excuse me
The course was great, its makes you confident with the bike on a different level. the fact that you don't really afraid to drop the bike, letting you try things that with your own you probably will not do.
The only things I would add to this course is just little bit more deep theoretical explanations.
I did many (like 12-14) different on and off road courses few years ago in other country where I lived, and always learned something new even by taking same course in different schools.
Worth the money? on my opinion, definitely yes.
Motorcycle in USA in not necessity, we buying bike for fun, we paying 20-30K for bike and few more $K for accessories. I hope most of people here also wearing right (and not cheap) protection, which cost another few $K, so additional some $$$ to make you more professional rider and possible save the life doesn't look like waste to me.
P.S. English is my fifth language, please excuse me
austinlonghorn
New member
This feedback is great, thanks y'all.
It seems like folks are generally signing up for the two day authority / two day off-road courses? I might also give the PDC folks a call next week and see if they can explain what their one-day courses are like versus the longer formats.
It seems like folks are generally signing up for the two day authority / two day off-road courses? I might also give the PDC folks a call next week and see if they can explain what their one-day courses are like versus the longer formats.
austinlonghorn
New member
I called the PDC folks and they said the one day on-road course is definitely more of an introductory course (MSF-like).
So the two day courses (2 day off road or 2 day authority) are where the more intense training opportunities lie (in terms of it being worth the trip out there).
So the two day courses (2 day off road or 2 day authority) are where the more intense training opportunities lie (in terms of it being worth the trip out there).
