Best riding schools for street skills?

[ngk12]

I am interested in attending a riding school  [moto] and was curious to get some opinions on the different schools that members have attended. if any of the schools lean more toward street skills,etc.
thanks for the help.

[orangelion03]

You should delete this entry and re-post in the Riding Techniques forum.

Assuming you are in the contiguous USA, I would suggest Lee Parks' Total Control, but it may depend on what is closest to you.

[Grampa]

Classrides is good

[ngk12]

You should delete this entry and re-post in the Riding Techniques forum.

Assuming you are in the contiguous USA, I would suggest Lee Parks' Total Control, but it may depend on what is closest to you.

thanks for the advice , on the school and the post..

[Cider]

Kevin Schwantz Superbike School:
Kind of like a trackday with perks.  I've never been to a "fantasy camp," but that's the first thing that comes to mind.  Tons of fun, but not particularly street-oriented.  They have both Hondas and Suzukis now, so you can try out different bikes.  Have the option to use your own bike here.

Yamaha Champion's School (formerly Freddie Spencer school):
I wouldn't say it's more fun than KSSS, but I got more coaching here, and  liked it enough to go back a couple times.  Even though they ride on the track, the regular school teaches riding skills rather than racing-specific strategies.  Can't use your own bike here.

[Statler]

I guess it depends on what you mean by street skills.

To me when people say street skills I think they mean survival skills and skillsets to use in situations like oil on the road, sand, lane positioning, traffic positioning, where to look, what to do at lights intersections and crossroads, decreasing radius curves, slippery paint and manhole covers, etc.   Haven't found anything except listening to experienced riders and gaining experience yourself to do that.

But riding schools done on a racetrack will teach bike control, which can be used every time you are on the bike.   Becoming good at being able to place the bike exactly where you want it, knowing how hard it can turn and stop, and some useful vision scanning tools, all will help with riding on the street.  You can apply vehicle control skills to riding on the street....you can't really apply survival street skills to vehicle control and actually making the bike do what you want better.

Keith Code's school was good for vehicle control stuff, but so were the instructors at a local track day/class.   

[ngk12]

thanks to all for the replies, and to statler- i think you hit the nail on the head. i was looking for something that replicated city driving and other skills. but, it sounds like youre spot on with your recommendations.

[fasterblkduc]

Statler said it well. I'm a lead instructor with a professional school and I can tell you that any tracktime that you get is very beneficial to you as a street rider for the reasons he gave. Even a trackday with no instruction is good for you as a street rider. If you actually take a school, the benefits are priceless.

What we do at the school level is help you start breaking down the bad habits that you have learned on the street, and start building your confidence level. We don't approach the school with the attitude of trying to make you a faster rider by throwing fancy tricks at you. Instead, we take you to a controlled environment where we start to make you think about what is going on when you are riding the motorcycle. As you build confidence, you will transition from being a "reactive" rider to a "proactive" rider. Breaking it down to it's simplest form is the best way to advance your riding and that's what a good school will do. We help you to learn that you make the motorcycle do what you want it to do, and not just let the motorcycle take you for a ride. Once you learn that you own every moment, you will gain confidence and start to advance your riding skills. Getting to a more advanced level of riding is extremely difficult to do in a street only environment. Too many distractions and you have to break traffic laws to start learning your abilities.

I teach hundreds of students each year from, brand new to a closed course rider to, experienced racer looking to hone their advanced skills, and everyone in between. I enjoy working with all levels but watching the tremendous growth curve from newer riders is very rewarding. The benefits that you will gain from taking a class at a good school really is priceless.

If anyone has questions on this subject...feel free to ask. I don't post on here a lot because of my crazy busy schedule. (racing, instructing, two kids, work, etc.) but I will try my best to help anyone out.
 

[ngk12]

I teach hundreds of students each year from, brand new to a closed course rider to, experienced racer looking to hone their advanced skills, and everyone in between. I enjoy working with all levels but watching the tremendous growth curve from newer riders is very rewarding. The benefits that you will gain from taking a class at a good school really is priceless.

If anyone has questions on this subject...feel free to ask. I don't post on here a lot because of my crazy busy schedule. (racing, instructing, two kids, work, etc.) but I will try my best to help anyone out.
 

what school do you teach at?

[minnesotamonster]

what school do you teach at?

http://advancedridingschool.net/

[fasterblkduc]

Thanks Jake.

This school is run by ex AMA pro, Jessica Zalusky. We do most of our schools on a sweet closed course at a technical college, and we also offer trackdays currently at B.I.R. We have a few school options that offer something for everyone from newer rider, up through advanced racers. Our School of R.O.C.C. is an amazing curriculum that is on par with the other superbike schools. I know how valuable our school is to the average street riders because I get constant feedback from them. We also get a lot of racers advancing their skills by taking our schools at the track. So, we have a unique system that has something for everyone. No other schools have this best of both worlds scenario.
Jessica has created an environment that is like no other school you will find. The amount of support and feedback are amazing. The student to teacher ratio is very low, and we offer a lot of great options including video, and one to one sessions. We have an amazing staff of talented instructors who are very dedicated. We are constantly working behind the scenes to provide the best experience and most positive learning environment possible.
You will find press releases at RRW, and you can go to the website posted above for more info. I am very fortunate to be working with this school, and plan to stay here for a long time.