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Lee Cowden
For those of you who didn't make Ride Fest, you missed a great opportunity to brush up on some of the most needed riding skills. Led by Jim Stanford in the class and range, Al Koke, John Bourg, Dan Vacek, John Adams, myself and newcomer, Rick Neeley took the class. On the range, Jim was joined by Jerry and Tonya Sun, who helped teach and set up the courses.
As always, Jim did a great job in the classroom. After the coffee was brewed and donuts opened, we settled in to watch several videos. After each video, Jim opened the class for discussion and Q&A. The best part of any class is the exchanging of ideas and new thoughts. The group we had was well-traveled and the discussions were informative.
During the lunch break, we had a little time to kill. Dan wanted to look for a bulb for his lower driving light and I needed a small piece of trim that I lost on my North Carolina trip. It was a good chance to go visit our friends at Honda of Houston and thank them for their support and try to throw some business their way. While there, we got another look at John Bourg's Wing, still waiting for parts. Tonya's bike was also there waiting for new front brakes. After our visit, Jim introduced us to a sandwich deli he frequents for lunch.
Back at the training center, the range was now clear and ready for us. Jerry and Tonya showed exceptional timing, arriving just minutes after us. As Jim explained our first skills practice, Jerry set up the course. Tonya readied herself for the demonstration. The three instructors kept the group working, tag-teaming between setting up the course, explaining the skills and then demonstrating the skills to us. We had about 2½ hours of practice, all of which I decided I needed more. If you're wondering what we did, you'll just have to come to the next meaningful practice or ERC to find out. I know I'll be there.
At the end of the day, the group headed to the grand opening of Republic HD to harass Mike and look at the bikes. The store is about 40,000 square feet on two levels with nice bikes, black T-shirts and leather everywhere. They passed out free BBQ sandwiches on frisbees in the service department that was too new to have grease and dirt on the floor. There was at least one comment made about silicone and tattoos, but I don't think I caught all of it.
Chapter W members, as well as others, are encourage to attend all the education classes. Whether we realize it or not, we all need more practice at our skills. It is far better to have practiced in a controlled setting than never practiced at all, just in case "something" happens out in the real world. I want to thank Jim, Tonya and Jerry for taking time to help us on skills. They volunteered their time, experience and education so we could hopefully improve our riding. See you in the next Experienced Rider Course.