VOL. 49 ISSUE 29 JULY 24, 2012 P55 ht
LEARNING TO RIDE THE RIGHT WAY AT THE HONDA RIDER EDUCATION CENTER
STORY AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY PAUL CARRUTHERS
T
eaching someone to ride an off-road motorcycle is simple enough. It's just a
matter of some hand gestures, some finger pointing, and a bit of yelling. "That's the clutch, that's the throttle… let that one out and give it some of that. There you go. Oops, you stalled. Okay, give it more of that and let that out slower. Off you go… Hey, slow down. The brake, the brake, use the brake… crap, not that one." At that point you run over,
pick them up, make sure they are okay, dust them off, reposi- tion the handlebars and levers that are now pointing the wrong way, explain that the front brake wasn't the best one to use in that situation, get yelled at… and then hope like hell they want to try it again. Or you send them to school to
learn the proper way. They are taught the difference between the front and rear brake, the easy way to master the clutch… they don't fall down. And you don't get yelled at. A much better solution. When you've ridden motor-
cycles virtually your entire life, it's easy to just assume that ev-
The fearless foursome is all ears while Mercedes Gonzales-Natvig instructs early in the lesson.
