Q? Will I receive a certificate for attending this course?
A. Yes, your insurance company may also offer a safety course discount for attending the class.

Q? What kind of motorcycles can be used for RLAP?
A. RLAP does not provide motorcycles – students ride their own bikes.
You are free to select any type or style motorcycle with the exception of trikes and sidecars, because they will not fit through the cone patterns. However, the cone patterns can be adjusted to suit the size of these larger motorcycles.

Q? What is the cancellation policy?
A. Due to the high demand for our class and automatic banking fees, we have established the following cancellation policy.

After your registration and deposit, the student has 5 calendar days prior to the date of the class to cancel. If this is done, $75.00 will be held as a non-refundable deposit.

After the 5th day, if the student cancels or fails to attend, the full amount of the class will be held as non-refundable.

Class will be held if there is a light to medium rain at our training site (not where you live). Motorcycle tires have considerable traction on wet roadways. The class involves slow speed manuevering which will not be affected by a wet road. If your class is being held and you do not want to ride to our site, trailering your motorcycle is an option as there is ample parking for trailers.

If the rain is heavy, the instructors will call to cancel the class. If the class is cancelled by the instructor you will have the option of being scheduled for another available date or a full refund of the course fee.

Q? Will riding in the friction zone while practicing damage my clutch?
A. No, as long as you give your bike a “breeze out” after every 5 or 10 minutes of practicing. That is, ride around the parking lot, get your bike into 2nd or 3rd gear and breeze out the engine, staying off the rear brake and clutch, giving them a chance to cool down. Keep your revs low, around 1200 to 1500 rpms and you will be fine.

Q? My motorcycle has linked brakes. Will the “dragging the rear brake” techniques still work on my motorcycle?
A. Yes. You can still put pressure on the rear brake to help stabilize your motorcycle at low speeds, while at the same time using the friction zone. I show this on my “Ride Like a Pro II” video on a Goldwing, Honda VTX and a BMW LT1200. For those of you not familiar with linked brakes, what that means is when you apply the rear brake, a portion of the front brake is being applied as well even if you don’t pull the brake in with your hand. The fact is, that only a tiny portion of the front brake is being used when applying light pressure to the rear brake. It has little or no affect on the technique I describe. Don’t even think about it.

Q? I have been riding for a long time. Will this video still help me to improve my skills?
A. Yes. This video will help any rider regardless of how many years he/she has been riding. The proper techniques for riding a motorcycle are generally the opposite of your instincts. That’s why they must be learned, they will not come naturally. If you can take your motorcycle, turn the handlebars full-lock and scrape a perfect circle in the ground with your pegs or floorboards without dropping your bike or putting a foot down, you’re in complete control of your motorcycle. In the real world, you will never have to complete this maneuver, it is simply a control exercise as are all the low speed drills in my video. Think of it this way, a person goes to the gym and does bench presses with heavy weights. That person will never have to do a bench press in real life, however, the exercise will greatly improve your overall strength. Making any other physical activity much easier. It’s the same thing with my exercises in the video. Once you perfect low speed maneuvers, high speeds will be much easier and safer, thus, you’re riding will become much more enjoyable.

Q? Why does the motorcycle fall over when using the front brake in a slow speed turn and not when using just the rear brake?
A. When your handlebars are turned and you apply the front brake, all the weight of your motorcycle plus your weight, plus your momentum, is suddenly transferred to the front wheel in what ever direction the handlebars are turned. There’s no way you can handle that sudden weight shift, so down you go. Since the rear tire doesn’t turn side to side, there is no sudden weight transferred in one direction or the other. In fact, if you keep power to the rear wheel and put pressure on the rear brake at the same time, you can keep the bike upright for a second or two without ever putting a foot down. When you apply the front brake, just make sure your handlebars are pointed straight ahead and remember, to squeeeeze the front brake. Don’t grab it or snatch it.

Q? I have a lot of trouble finding the friction zone. I cannot seem to stay in the gray area. What should I do?
A. You have found the friction zone since you must pass through it every time you start off from a stop. I think your real problem is staying in the friction zone, rather than passing through it. Keep in mind that most clutches are adjustable. Check your owners manual for the proper adjustment procedure on your bike. If you have small hands, adjust the clutch for more free play. That way, the clutch will start to grab closer to the grip and you won’t have to hyper extend your fingers to manipulate the clutch. Once adjusted to your liking, let the clutch out until the bike starts to move and keep it there. You know you’re in the sweet spot when you can freely rev the motor up and down without causing the bike to pick up speed or lurch ahead. To get more familiar with the friction zone, wedge a 2 x 4 in front of the rear tire and practice riding over it without the board flying up behind the bike. When you can ride over the 2 x 4 without it moving, you’ve mastered the friction zone.

Q? Why do I have problems making a U-turn? I have taken the MSF course and know about Head and Eyes, but I still cannot seem to make the turn without Duck walking.
A. Though you’ve taken the MSF course and they’ve told you about head and eyes, the friction zone and using the rear brake, they haven’t told you how to apply those techniques properly. Here’s the U-turn drill. Assuming you’re going to make a left hand U-turn. Decide exactly where you are going to start your turn, put your foot on the rear brake, get in the friction zone, dip your bike to the right so that your front tire is heading towards the right side of the edge of the street. As soon as you reach that point, turn your HEAD AND EYES as far as you can to the left. Never, ever look at the opposite edge of the road where you don’t want the bike to go. The further you lean the bike, the tighter the turn you can make. There is no production bike I know of that cannot make a turn in less than 24 feet. In the deepest part of the lean, bring the revs up a little, slip the clutch a little more and put a little more pressure on the rear brake. All the time, keeping your head and eyes focused on where you want the bike to go. Think of how an owl turns his head completely around, that’s what you should look like when executing a U-turn properly.

Q? How much riding experience do I need to take a RLAP class?
A. There is no minimum mileage requirement. Riders should be comfortable with the operation of their motorcycle and the motorcycle’s controls. In general, a rider with 1000 miles riding experience should have this comfort level.