Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

were demonstrated by Wayne. but we were not allowed to try them ounelves during the course of the school. After a long day of riding, we would return to the motel at aQout 7 p.m. where we would shower and dress for dinner. This was usually the one meal everyone would eat, if only becaUR they were starved after a long, hard day of riding and not having eaten much at lunch and breakfast. The dinners were excellent and were an example of what could be eaten that didn't contain red meat or fried foods. The first night we had baked catfISh, the second night barbecued swordfish or shark (we never did find out what it was exactly). finally ftnishing up with chicken chow mein on the last day. There was always a salad. lots of fruit juice and low-fat milk again, while dessert was limited to some kind of fruit like fTesh strawberries or melon. They weren't finished with us when dinner ended. After leaving the restaurant, we would crawl back into the vans and return to the dassToom. This time it was a little more enjoyable as we watched video tapes taken of us riding during that afternoon. Of course, Wayne and Bob pointed out any faults. Afterwards we were treated to motocToss movies ranging from highlights of the SupeTbowl and the Trans-USA Series, to a story on Roger DeCoster and a really nice Suzuki Official School of Motocross film on riding techniques by Danny LaPorte and Mark Blackwell. It wasn't until 10 p.m, at night that we were finally taken back to the motel where we collapsed in our beds, too exhausted to even watch television. The schedule of full 18-hour days had taken their toll on our bodies: Still, we were left feeling we had only scra.tched the surface of what we needed to learn. There was so much more. In fact, the only real complaint by students after completing three days of intensive training at the Suzuki School is that it is just too short. Most would like to see it expanded to at least a fiveday school in order to cover everything thoroughly. Wayne explains this would crea te too much of a logistics problem and that the school is at its capacity with the budget and personnel it has. The Suzuki Official School Of Motocross is a must for any aspiring young rider contemplating being a serious motocrosser. What they teach you is aJmost invaluable at any price. while for the $150 they do charge the school is a steal. The majority of students attending the school had flown in to San Diego from across the United Stat~? ~d like my roommate Pedro from MexiCo, they come from outside the United States as well. ' It may take a couple of months after completion of the school for a rider to be fully able to utilize everything that he has been taught, but Wayne guarantees the student they will either move up to the front of their racing class by then, or even move up to the next higher class. Not one student at the completition of the school felt that they wouldn't be able to do so. Two of the students in my class had come back for the second time, feeling the school was so worthwile and had so much to offer him. Suzuki's [SOT and factory enduro riders attend the school on a regular basis to help them sharpen their high-speed riding skills. If you are interested in attending the school yourself, you can write Suzuki for a schedule of classes and an application form. Remember to send in your application well in advance to assure an opening on the date you want. Write to United States Suzuki, Suzuki Official School of MotocToss, 5251 East Imperial Highway, Brea, (Continued/Tom page lJ) 00 0") -. That stack of Cycle News plied over in the corner could becom.e an attractive addition to your Ilviac roo. or trophy shell. All you need is our new, bri8ht.red, top quality binder. Each one holds 25 laue. of A.erica's Weekly Motorcycle Newspaper. They also provide a handy lilin8 syste. when you need to reler back a lew iuaes to an inlor.ative article, and they're a positive state.ent about the sport you like best: Motoreyclin8. .Just 1111 out the order blank below, .allit to Cycle News, aad we'll ship you the Cycle News Product that's bound to please. _._._. ._._._._._._._._._._._._._ " Please send me • b'Ind er( s I at $1495 each . !includes shipping and postage.) i ' I • City • • • ! 20 o......,.;....' .~ ~~:"':' ",."; """,um shown " , • TOTAL ~~~~dd~~;~;:~;~~~:' wm. the.""*,, govern· Addre.. , F<.;aI'I Name I Tho; ~ ou'ho,;". '0 •• "h. tifiedonthisitem'l 11Or.. ing1he U•• 0' auch cerd, , ,. I • • I Signature State_Z''P__ Send to: CY~ION::.~e.t Expiration Date _ • , Vi.. I • , MC I ,. :.._._._._-_._._.__._._._._._._....."" , Lo"9 Beach. CA 90801 12131427·7433 icy·slick with whoops and berms like unforgiving walls placed there to serve as tank barricades against an attack by the Camp Pendleton Marines just up the coast. It was the best Suzuki had to work with and fortunately. most of the riding skills would be taught in areas laid out away from the race track, Before riding, everyone checked over the production RM Suzukis pro· vided by the school and the mechanics on hand helped with any paTticular adjustments needed to fit the bikes to the riders. Each rider would keep the same bike throughout the three·day school and in case of mechanical break· down, there were always spare bikes available. It was nice not to worry about maintaining the bikes or wearing them out during the course of the school. Suzuki replaces the bikes at the school every six months, selling the used bikes to dealers at a very good price. After a 15·minute warm·up period on a small practice track, the riding portion of the school gets down to serious business. The first day centers on the very basics of motocross riding starts and acceleration, then braking' on smooth and rough surfaces. Amazing as it might seem, it takes the whole afternoon to teach these basics until everyone is doing them right. Body position is highJy important for each technique sitting up on the tank for maximum weight transfer to the front wheel during smooth braking and stretching back over the rear fender for rough braking. It is difficult to break old habits and it takes a lot of work to get it right. Each riding lesson usually begins with a discussion by Wayne of the proper techniques-required, and why, to do a particular thing like brake the motorcycle over rough ground, coming to a stop at a desired point from high speed. After the discussion and any questions from the students are answered, Wayne will go out and demonstrate on his own bike the right and wrong ways of doing the particular maneuver as Bob discusses the techniques once again, this time with Wayne as the visible example. Next, it's the students' turn, We were usually put into two lines and sent through the maneuver, one at a time from each of the lines, with either Wayne or Bob calling us aside after each time to discuss with us what we might be doing wrong. It would only be after we all got the "thumbs up" signal each time we went through the particular maneuver that we would move on to the next thing. On the second day we advanced to cornering, first on smooth ground, then on off-cambers and in berms. We also got into jumping. Only on the third and finaJ day were all the maneuvers spliced together and were we allowed to try things like landing on the front wheel on a downhill jump, applying the brakes and going around an off-camber tum, then accelerating back up a rough uphill. After each day's lessons, we were allowed about 50 minutes of free riding time on the Carlsbad Grand Prix course. By the third day, 1 was so saddle sore, weary in my arms and legs, and tired that it was all I could do to make it back to the van and collapse, The school can take its toll on riders who aren't careful. On the first day, we lost one rider to a sprained elbow when he flipped his bike using too much front brake in his first attempt at the bumping braking technique. The next morning, a student sprained his ankle on the running course. Injuries in the Experts-only classes are also common, so advanced techniques I!~e tackling $I liil5'\l dl'ub~ jumps r ,

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