Twisty Sisters Riding Club USA

Teaching Old Dogs...

or A Review of Atlanta Motorcycle Schools’ Course 301

When it comes to motorcycles we are always learning, or at least we should be. Whether it’s about new bikes, technology or “street smarts”, we continually pick up and hopefully retain stuff that might be useful at some point down the road.

The evil twin’s helmet

I consider myself very lucky with the friends I’ve acquired but in contests that rely on sheer luck of the draw, I usually find myself standing next to the winner. A year ago at the Twisty Sister rally at T.W.O. in Suches, GA, I won a gift certificate for any class of my choosing with Atlanta Motorcycle Schools. It was to be one on one with Ken Murray, instructor extraordinaire and would provide me a great opportunity to learn a little more.

More in-depth information on AMS is available on their website www.jkminc.com, but here’s a little background. Ken Murray taught MSF classes sponsored by the state of Georgia for 10 years. He and wife JoAnna, (also an MSF instructor) started their own motorcycle school several years ago. They offer custom designed courses geared for individuals, dependent on their levels of experience, either singly or in more “intimate” groups than the state.

A “non-teaching” moment

We finally scheduled our class for Friday a week ago (August 8, 2003). In my excitement I arrived at Toosy’s Way Station so early even the instructor wasn’t there. This gave me an opportunity to take on more coffee and chat with other early birds who had also taken a day off work to ride the roads while most people were working.

So with Ken on his brand new BMW R1150 Rockster and me on my BMW F650 we headed north. Most of the time when I ride with others, we travel in staggered formation until the roads get narrow or curvy. Then we usually go in single file following the curves. It felt strange to follow his lines because he was in my line of sight and I couldn’t see through him. He followed the curves of all the roads, not just the wavy ones and his suggestion was to do this all the time. I usually stick to the outside track on familiar roads unless there’s debris in my path. This style was developed after cars passed me in my own lane.

We were going from apex to apex, inside to out and back. Instead of looking hard through a corner and as far out as possible, I picked my line as I approached the apex, and when the road started opening up, my eyes were already looking out the opening. Just a slight change, but at 55mph a noticeable difference occurred in my riding. I practiced the next two days on my own and was aware my riding was a lot smoother.

Hwy 136 in beautiful north Georgia

No new roads were introduced to me so there were no surprises and Ken reinforced a lot of information I already had. Taking a class every year is a good habit to get into. Even if you only pick up one pointer it will dust off a few others that have been sitting on the back shelf for a while. You never know when you might need them.

We went up Long Branch Road to Hwy. 129 and made a stop at the store on top of Blood Mountain for a short debriefing. Then we turned around and did it again, this time with me leading. We stopped for lunch at Turner’s Corner Cafe and wouldn’t you know it—Judy, Bill, and Will Bulmer showed up. You can’t go anywhere in north Georgia without running into someone you know. It was a good job I had taken a day of vacation and not just played hooky from work.

The safety slogan “The more you know, the better it gets” is so fitting. Today I’m better than a week ago and next week, who knows.

My thanks to Britt & GT at T.W.O. for contributing so greatly to the welfare of our motorcycling community with the Twisty Sister rallies, amongst many others, and to Atlanta Motorcycle Schools for their wonderful gift certificate.

Somewhere off Dial Road northwest of Suches, GA

A north Georgia brown “bear”

Jackie has been riding for 34 years and has taken many training courses including two MSF Experienced Rider Classes, one Beginner rider class (when considering becoming an instructor), and a StayinSafe class with “the Great” Larry Grodsky—in addition to Atlanta Motorcycle Schools Course 301.

Story By Jackie Flood

For more information on Jackie, visit:
http://www.winglessflite.com/

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