ERC question

[evilted]

Did the ERC a few years ago.  There's nothing there that you can't practice on your own, but personally I enjoyed it because it was with an instructor I like and it afforded me an opportunity to have someone else critique my riding and point out any bad habits I'd acquired.

And because my CBR wouldn't start, I was forced to ride the Stratoliner or forfeit my course fee.  Having to do all those low speed drills on the monster cruiser was a bit of a workout and a confidence builder, so I ended up getting more out of it than I'd expected.

A couple guys at the course said they had been doing the ERC every year as a refresher.

[Sport-Touring]

[Cablebandit]

...and depending where you live the cost could be zero.

[Windblown]

ERC every 2 to 3 years. The insurance discount offsets the cost.

Trackdays are good for a big insurance discount too.  More trackdays = less inclination to speed on the street = Fewer speeding tickets.

 

[Windblown]

That's not a discount. That's avoiding a hike and maintaining the baseline.  

LOL. Agreed. But my way of thinking about it allows me to rationalize trackday costs.  

[sfalexi]

Took the ERC today (well, technically, it was the BRC 2 course).

So just a followup, it's a lot of the same exercises.  We went through weaves, offset weaves, the box, decreasing radius curve, quickstops, stopping in a curve, etc. etc.

6 bikes, mine was the biggest (tourer), smallest was a ducati 1100 evo.  We all passed, I think only one bike tipped over.

I think it's good to get the controlled environment practice on your ACTUAL bike, and I think a lot of the maneuvers and scenarios are good examples of "real world" situations (decreasing radius for a highway ramp, u-turns on a street/dead end, quickstop, etc.), but this IS stuff you can practice on your own if you find a parking lot and have the discipline.

For me, it was free and a day off from work, so hell yeah I signed up.  

[cbsnbiker]

I'm glad that you enjoyed it and benefited from it.    

[ssmith]

You make a good point. The class doesn't make you an expert but you leave with a bag of tools you can practice anytime you want.

+1.  In fact none of the rider training or track days mentioned in this topic will "make" someone an expert. It's the combination of specific skill learning/evaluation/coaching/practice that yields good results.  The controlled riding area rider education courses like MSF ERC/BRC2, ARC-ST, Total Control ARC, Ride Like a Pro, and others provide skill knowledge, development and coaching of techniques that can provide more confidence and translate well to real world street riding.  IMHO some basic track days without professional instruction/coaching may be less beneficial for training purposes and have been known to become a testosterone joust between some participants, making it dangerous for the others.

[Cablebandit]

I think one of the biggest advantages to these classes is you are practicing on your own bike.

When I teach the BRC1, doing the figure 8 box on a 220 pound Kawasaki 125 is slightly different then doing the same exercise the next day in the BRC2 on my 650+ pound Concours 14.  The classes teach you to become more comfortable on YOUR bike.

Also, practicing in a controlled environment helps you boost your confidence as well.  For example, if you tend not to look through turns because you are afraid of hitting something on the street, you can practice with your head turned so far it's impractical because on the range you know there's nothing to hit.

[sfalexi]

Just to keep beating the proverbial dead horse,

These classes are all about "teaching a man to fish".  The BRC2 doesn't give you anything really NEW.  But it provides a controlled environment to work on those skills that, well let's face it, a small minority of riders work on.  I saw a guy in there with a yamaha 600cc sportbike that has been riding for 8 years, and he couldn't do any of the exercises first time through.  Here's a guy with 8 years on a fairly fast sportbike, that can't negotiate a 90 degree turn to the left or right, or make a u-turn.  By the time he left he could.  Hopefully he keeps it up, but if it took 8 years to get THIS far, I doubt it.

And I saw a girl with only a few months of riding under her belt on a 1200cc harley who could do EVERYTHING first time-go. Figure 8 in the box, weaving, sharp turns, panic stops, etc.  Cause she JUST took the basic course and applied all the techniques to her larger bike.  It's one thing to learn on a 125cc kawasaki eliminator how to counterweight and make a u-turn.  Or how to squeeze the brakes to get that one disc up front and drum brake in the rear to work.  It's another to take those IDEAS and apply them to EVERY bike you ride, learning the limits of THAT bike.  Most people don't do that.  They take the BRC to waive the riding portion of the state mc license test, and they dump the info and never practice it on their REAL bike, which is much heavier, more powerful, longer wheelbase, front wheel turns less, etc. etc. etc.  Shame.  

Then again, if everyone DID practice these skills, MSF Instructors would be out of a job, right?!

[spd2918]

Then again, if everyone DID practice these skills, MSF Instructors would be out of a job, right?!

Not really.  Everyone needs a little coaching from time to time.  It is good to be watched by someone who is not on the bike.  I see a lot of good riders take the BRCII every other spring.  Coaches are encouraged to take it now and then, too (at least in my state).  I ask the other coach if my demos need improvement.

[jesse v]

Just took my ERC today.  Love it.  Although the exercises are the same as the BRC, it was definitely a different (and more helpful) experience on my own bike.

I really did all I could to make the most of it... I even managed to do the figure-8 box within the smaller BRC size a few times.