Riding Skills

...Spring Offers from the Shop - Buy 'Survival Skills - Course Notes' and the new v2.0 edition of'Tarmac Tactics' CDROMs together for just £23 - saving over 10% on the usual price... ...Spring is getting closer - Survival Skills is now taking bookings for late March and for April... ...Looking for books about riding? Check out the SHOP and our recommended reads... ...Too far away from where we train? Take a look at the Survival Skills e-course! Next course starts April...  

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Survival Skills

CDROMs
just £12.99

Course Notes
If you want to know about
Advanced Riding Skills
start here.

 

Tarmac Tactics
The latest from Survival Skills -
Practical Survival Tactics
available now!

Getting Started
explains
Direct Access
and how to
Pass the Bike Test

Both packed full of
practical riding
knowledge, hints and tips, in an easy-to-read format

Available from the

SHOP
 


Visit the
Survival Skills

FORUM

on Visordown

chat online
to the Doctor and get
free help
and
advice
on your riding

 

 Survival Skills
WEBSITE
recommended by

"StreetBiker"
featured website
Dec/Jan 2002 edition

"a quick search in Google produced what I can only describe as one of the best UK based websites"
 

"Inroads"
journal of the
Institute of Road Safety Professionals
featured website
December 2001

"interesting to look at and informative to read"

 

 

 

Updates normally made bi-weekly on Fridays but occasionally I miss an update due to work - please check back. This site is designed to be viewed in Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Firebird or Netscape Navigator. If you have table display problems in Opera - apologies to all Opera users - it seems to be a browser problem.

Error reports by email please.

You can support the upkeep and maintenance of this motorcycle safety resource by purchasing from our
"Amazon"wish list"

Gifts are gratefully received.

 

If, in the last couple of years, you have picked up a copy of any of the motorcycle magazines or Motorcycle News, you can't have failed to notice that many of the articles now concern advanced riding. You can also find some sites with riding tips. I don't intend to duplicate those articles here, but to take a fresh approach and to go off at a slight tangent, in an effort to make you think beyond the basics.

I'll be adding to these items from time to time as points of interest crop up.

 

SURVIVAL SKILLS CDROMs - If you have enjoyed reading these tips, many more hours of reading are available in the fully illustrated Survival Skills series of CDROMs:
- for new riders yet to gain their motorcycle licence: "Getting Started" and "Guide to CBT".
- for those with a licence: "Course Notes - Advanced Riding Skills" and "Tarmac Tactics - Practical Riding Skills"

All available from The Shop

What is Survival Skills all about?

01

How are Survival Skills Courses put together and taught?

02

The Making of a Good Instructor - musings on my Driver Education course

03

Would a National Standard for advanced training be appropriate?

04

Writing a riding tip - what detail is necessary?

05

What to do if you've had an accident

06

Accident Statistics - dispelling some myths

07

Improver or advanced, pragmatism or perfection?

08

Piling on the miles

09

Compartmentalisation & Practice - the key to learning new skills

10

Countersteering - Question and Answer

11

Braking Rules and Tips

12

Over-confidence and Riding at the Limit

13

Practice makes Perfect

14

The Danger of Misunderstanding

15

Learning from your Mistakes

16

A Moment of Inattention

17

Staying Warm

18

Staying Awake

19

Don't just ride for yourself, ride for others

20

Filtering - what's legal and how to do it

21

Cornering Problems 1 - Lean or Brake?

22

Springing into Summer - polishing off the winter rust

23

Group Riding - Rules and Tips

24

Awareness of Risk and Risk Management

25

Cornering Problems 4 - Stability and the "Point and Squirt" technique

26

Cornering Problems 3 - Staying out of trouble! Pro-active Braking or Acceleration Sense?

27

Cornering Problems 2 - Staying out of trouble

28

What is Risk?

29

Avoiding Diesel

30

The Vanishing Point - is it enough?

31

Posture - the key to smoother riding

32

When the Two Second Rule is not enough

33

Riding in the Dark

34

Roundabouts - straight lines, stability and safety

35

Slow Speed Control

36

Aquaplaning - what it is and how to deal with it

37

Rear Observation - when to & when not to!

38

Staying upright on icy roads

39

KISS - 'Keep it simple, Stupid' or Low Effort Biking

40

Overtaking Safety - avoiding vehicles turning right

41

Proactive versus Reactive Riding

42

Living with  Lifesavers

43

Which Foot? The Hendon Shuffle - Question and Answer (updated March 07)

44

Carrying a passenger - Question and Answer

45

Riding in the rain

46

Riding in strong winds

47

Sorry Mate, I didn't see you - an analysis of SMIDSY accidents

48

Ever gone into a corner too hot and had it tighten up on you?

49

The Point & Squirt approach to corners

50

A time to live...

51

Target Fixation - Question and Answer

52

The Lurker, the Drifter and the Trimmer

53

The five most important things I learned as a courier

54

Overtaking - Questions and Answers

55

Precision riding - or keeping it simple?

56

Wide lines, tight lines, right lines - the law of Diminishing Returns

57

Surface Attraction

58

Euphoria - when your riding is just too good to be true

59

Straight line -vs- trail braking

60

Sit back, close your eyes, relax... and hope for the best

61

Before you overtake, do you...?

62

Do you need to blip the throttle on a downshift?

63

Holiday Riding Tips 1 - Dealing with hairpins (a new occasional series)

64

Holiday Riding Tips 2 - The (drive on the) Right Stuff

65

Why SMIDSYs happen

66

Avoiding dehydration - riding in hot weather

67

Riding errors - and avoiding them

68

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness - riding in fog

69

Where does Point and Squirt come from?

70

Overtaking - lifesavers and following distances

71

Offsiding - what is it, and why you should think before you do it!

72

Anger Management - dealing with "red mist" and "road rage"

73

That indefinable gloss

74

Overtaking on left-handers - experts only or best avoided?

75

Apex or Exit - what's important when cornering?

76

Developing 'Spidy Sense'

77

Armchair Riding - how to improve summer skills in winter

78

IMPORTANT

Always remember advanced techniques of machine control can only increase your safety and reduce the risk of an accident if they are supported by positive attitudes, concentration, critical self-awareness and above all, by self-control. Safety must remain your primary and overriding concern when considering any of these techniques.

The information on this site should be taken as a guide only. Survival Skills cannot accept responsibility or liability for accuracy, clarity or your interpretation of this information.
 



Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 Kevin Williams

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You've read the theory - now see the practical training I offer!

Also Recommended

Try Cooper Bike Training's games - they are not only fun but genuinely useful too. An excellent practical complement to the theory here!!

 

Visit the Survival Skills section on the www.Visordown.com forum and ask me directly. I'll do my best to help.  .

 


e-learning courses - courses starting throughout the year!
More details from
the e-learning centre

Gift Vouchers - quality printed, full colour gift cards, from £20 to... well, up to you really! You'll also save £10 when you purchase a voucher redeemable against the full cost of a one day course or £20 off a two day course!
More details from
The Shop

Buy one, get second 50% - want to bring a friend or partner along on a two day Survival Skills advanced course or one day Bends course?
The second person pays just half the full price!

MAG Member or
VD card holder?

Book a course, get the
Course Notes CDROM free

Last Minute Bookings
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Course Notes CDROM free!
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Courses

Get
Amazon Gift Certificates
here

 

 

Don't forget our courses in France.

If you're new to riding on the other side of the road, you can take our Continental Riding course, or alternatively Survival Skills two day advanced and Bends one day courses can now be taken in Northern France.

Booking now!
France Riding Courses

 

 

Survival Skills is an approved trainer and assessor
for
Buckinghamshire County Council

and "National Motorcycle Escort Group" Qualified

Copyright © 2008 Survival Skills & Kevin Williams

 Last Page update Tuesday, May 13, 2008