Taking the BRC2 tomorrow

I'm finally getting to take the BRC2 tomorrow, and I've been looking forward to it. I figured it's a bonus that it's toward the beginning of the warmer riding season, and I'm planning on doing more of it this year than last. :thumbup:

So, my question is, other than...

- Pay attention
- Learn
- Have fun

...are there any practical tips anyone who's taken or taught this course would have? Gear's no problem, the bike is good to go, and I'll be packing some snacks, and some drinks to stay hydrated.

Bonus: The weather tomorrow is going to be nice, which is fantastic. Way back when I did my BRC, it was all in a cold rain.

First of all, good man for taking the course :thumbup:

Based on your list, you're good to go. There will be TCLOCS, but if you're keeping up with maintenance, it will not be an issue.

Gear will be checked too, but as you said, you have all the proper stuff, right?

This is more of a shake-off-the-rust course, than anything, so taking it very early in the season is the right thing to do.

Looking forward to your thoughts on last riding exercise (the peanut).

Have a great time!

Where in VA are you taking the course at and how much did it run you?

Thanks! All the BRC2 letter asked for was boots, full-fingered gloves, jeans or riding pants, a DOT helmet, and long sleeve shirt or jacket. More than covered.

Bike's in good running order, with good tires and chain/sprockets, and a I just did fresh oil change and chain lube. Only thing I might do is top off the DOT 4.

The one thing that has me nervous is the sometimes twitchiness of the S1 throttle, but then again, I've had the bike for almost two years. I should hopefully be fine with it by now.

mnuttall87 said:

Where in VA are you taking the course at and how much did it run you?

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I'm taking it in Charlottesville. I'd imagine you can find it somewhere in NoVa, and if not, in Richmond. The fees may vary from place to place, if I'm not mistaken, but this one was a little under $70. The DMV site lists them all: Virginia Rider Training Program

rumblestrip said:

Thanks! All the BRC2 letter asked for was boots, full-fingered gloves, jeans or riding pants, a DOT helmet, and long sleeve shirt or jacket. More than covered.

Bike's in good running order, with good tires and chain/sprockets, and a I just did fresh oil change and chain lube. Only thing I might do is top off the DOT 4.

The one thing that has me nervous is the sometimes twitchiness of the S1 throttle, but then again, I've had the bike for almost two years. I should hopefully be fine with it by now.

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One thing missing from gear list is eye protection. Helmet shield does count as eye protection.. as do regular glasses / sunglasses, because speeds are low on range.

Don't sweat the throttle tip-in. Here's a trick that works really well on FZ6. When I used to give demos of the u-turn boxes on that bike, I would keep it in first with just a bit of throttle, gently ride the rear brake and do not touch the clutch at all. It's geared so low that there's really no need to use friction zone for u-turns. Not to say that it cannot be done, but I found it easier to just stay off the clutch (very much unlike FZ1..which idles at 10mph.. nothing, but friction zone in u-turns).

rumblestrip said:

I'm taking it in Charlottesville. I'd imagine you can find it somewhere in NoVa, and if not, in Richmond. The fees may vary from place to place, if I'm not mistaken, but this one was a little under $70. The DMV site lists them all: Virginia Rider Training Program

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Thanks - I took mine back in Hampton, VA about 7 years ago at Thomas Nelson Community College, wasn't sure which part of VA you were in.

Good luck w/ the course!

Erci said:

One thing missing from gear list is eye protection. Helmet shield does count as eye protection.. as do regular glasses / sunglasses, because speeds are low on range.

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Thanks for the correction. :thumbup: Yeah, I've got both riding glasses and a face shield.

Erci said:

Don't sweat the throttle tip-in. Here's a trick that works really well on FZ6. When I used to give demos of the u-turn boxes on that bike, I would keep it in first with just a bit of throttle, gently ride the rear brake and do not touch the clutch at all. It's geared so low that there's really no need to use friction zone for u-turns. Not to say that it cannot be done, but I found it easier to just stay off the clutch (very much unlike FZ1..which idles at 10mph.. nothing, but friction zone in u-turns).

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Thanks, this is a good point. I appreciate the tip on the clutch. I'll have to try that out before the course tomorrow morning. :cheer:

Keep an open mind! Something they teach you may be different from your current practice or something you've heard about riding whether is be from a friend, YouTube, article, etc..

I've mentioned in another thread I take the experienced course every 2 years (bonus is ad discount in insurance) and with an open mind I learn something new each time!

Have fun

tejkowskit said:

Keep an open mind! Something they teach you may be different from your current practice or something you've heard about riding whether is be from a friend, YouTube, article, etc..

I've mentioned in another thread I take the experienced course every 2 years (bonus is ad discount in insurance) and with an open mind I learn something new each time!

Have fun

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Excellent point!
Another thing comes to mind: The quick stop.. there's a very good chance they will ask you to use 4 fingers on brake lever (especially if neither of your instructions are familiar with sport bikes).
Some are picky about it, others are not. I typically tell my students that MSF advocates using 4 fingers on the brake, but I will watch them do a few stops and I'll only ask them to try using 4 if they fail to shorten their stopping distance after some coaching and few passes.
Heck.. many of us use shortie levers, making 4-finger braking impossible.

Don't forget to bring your credentials for the bike along with your DL. Current registration, insurance, etc.

My advice for the FZ6, disconnect your fuse to your headlights. It's tough to keep your bike charged during the BRC2's or any advanced class for that matter.

You will have fun and probably gain some new friends too! It's pretty interesting what mixture of bikes you get to see people take the course with.

If I had to pick one word in order for anyone to be successful to all of the exercises, it would be the word "Technique"

VEGASRIDER said:

Don't forget to bring your credentials for the bike along with your DL. Current registration, insurance, etc.

My advice for the FZ6, disconnect your fuse to your headlights. It's tough to keep your bike charged during the BRC2's or any advanced class for that matter.

You will have fun and probably gain some new friends too! It's pretty interesting what mixture of bikes you get to see people take the course with.

If I had to pick one word in order for anyone to be successful to all of the exercises, it would be the word "Technique"

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Great advice, Kenny! I forgot to mention the fuse thing.. I pull mine when I coach.

VEGASRIDER said:

My advice for the FZ6, disconnect your fuse to your headlights. It's tough to keep your bike charged during the BRC2's or any advanced class for that matter.

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This is great! I'll take a look in the manual when I get home from work, today.

VEGASRIDER said:

You will have fun and probably gain some new friends too! It's pretty interesting what mixture of bikes you get to see people take the course with.

If I had to pick one word in order for anyone to be successful to all of the exercises, it would be the word "Technique"

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I'll try to get a photo of some of the bikes tomorrow. And yeah, I'm hoping to improve on technique in the BRC2. :rockon:

Check your tire pressure. It's part of the 'T' in TCLOC.

My one word for the class is "smoooooooooooth". Everything you do (controls, body movement, etc) you want to be as smooth as possible.

Oh, and most importantly - have fun!!! :thumbup:

rumblestrip said:

I'll try to get a photo of some of the bikes tomorrow. And yeah, I'm hoping to improve on technique in the BRC2. :rockon:

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MG-242 said:

My one word for the class is "smoooooooooooth". Everything you do (controls, body movement, etc) you want to be as smooth as possible.

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Although this picture is not from the BRC2, you will be doing something similar. I won't spoil all of the fun that waits.

The BRC2 was a lot of fun, and I'm really glad I did it. I realized I've been practicing some good habits, and that I have a couple that I can work on some more. I can go into more detail later if you all want. Erci...the peanut was definitely one of my favorite parts. I have to say that I'm glad I was on my own bike, and that I appreciate it more for what a great one it is all the time.

I snapped a quick photo of the bikes.

rumblestrip said:

The BRC2 was a lot of fun, and I'm really glad I did it. I realized I've been practicing some good habits, and that I have a couple that I can work on some more. I can go into more detail later if you all want. Erci...the peanut was definitely one of my favorite parts. I have to say that I'm glad I was on my own bike, and that I appreciate it more for what a great one it is all the time.

I snapped a quick photo of the bikes.

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Excellent! Happy to hear you had a good time and maybe learned something :thumbup:

I guess what I took out of it was that my habits were covering the brake lever, smooth braking (which you pretty much have to do any on the FZ6 if you don't want to wreck) and throttle and clutch control. What I need to improve on are looking ahead and keeping my head up, as well as relaxing my arms. I'm about to go practice those now, while I make a couple of grocery runs on the bike. :thumbup:

The parts I really enjoyed in the course were the tight maneuvers, and cornering. The slow turns....that tip to hold the throttle steady, leave the clutch alone, and ride the rear brake a bit when necessary really paid off. It feels like the bike should go down, but the only reason it would is because of the rider. Pretty awesome to feel it working and improve on it in class.

All said, I thought the class was a good brush up on things learned in the BRC, and a nice step forward in furthering some skills. The instructors were very cool, and so were the other guys on the course. I think I even managed not to get a sunburn, which is saying something. Blah

I'm looking forward to the ARC in another 6000 miles or so.....I mean, next spring. Thanks, everyone, for all the feedback and advice! :rockon: Time to take the bike out for lunch, and wine and grocery shopping.

rumblestrip said:

What I need to improve on are looking ahead and keeping my head up, as well as relaxing my arms.

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Good advice for any rider. We humans like things exciting and looking down or too close makes things happen fast and exciting. Looking ahead slows everything down giving more time and space to react. It's not something we do naturally and needs to be practiced all the time, like when driving, walking, running, bicycling-all good practice for keeping your eyes up and looking ahead.
Relaxing our arms and our grip permits the fine muscle control for the finese needed for throttle control and smooth braking.

Glad your experience was positive and thanks for sharing it. :thumbup: