There is a measure of concern from mothers and lovers that a rider appreciates. Their worries could be spilling out from riding misconceptions. A way to familiarise your loved ones is to ride down together to ComfortDelGro Driving Centre and attend the Ride Safe Course, which is being promoted in partnership with Harley-Davidson of Singapore as part of their joint-campaign to reduce the amount of biker blood spilt on our roads. Your mothers and lovers might not be glad to hear this, but according to the Traffic Police, over half of all traffic fatalities in Singapore are motorcyclists and their pillions. Yesterday, motonoob rode to Ubi to participate because she was promised food; she is still single so she came alone.
Can you win him over?
I came early because lao ban niang said breakfast was provided. As the head riding instructor lectured on, I was doing an ASMR orchestra with chicken wings and eclairs. That guy was an effective lecturer; concise but well-delivered information.
Riding brief, or what I called breakfast lesson
Here are some iced gems I tabaoed:
- During cornering, lean together with the bike for gradual turns. Lean the body out of the bend and slightly push the bike handle towards the bend for slow but sharp turns. Lean the body in to negotiate with centrifugal force. Good body position is critical.
- Counter-steering helps dictate where the bike will go.
- Harley-Davidsons are comfortable for pillions. This made me laugh hysterically in ASMR. Pillion should look over the rider’s left shoulder and never on the right.
- You can sign up for a lucky draw to win a Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight motorcycle and a jacket if you take the course.
Now, this was a condensed course preview for the media, but you can sign up for the full 3.5 hours of meaty lessons.
Head instructor pointing where the corners are and what riding position should we use
After the brief, we took the Harley-Davidsons out for drills around the circuit. We focused on good riding posture at slow speeds with proper cornering techniques. We were given cues on how to improve our riding every now and then. Then we had lunch, my favourite drill.
Riding instructors correcting our riding techniques
There was a gentleman in the course who was introducing his ride-cynic wife to motorcycling. The wife and her two other non-riding friends were so hyped after eating catered lunch that they signed up for 2B Riding Course. See? Come out of the closet, tell your parents that you’ve been riding motorcycles for years now and all the business trips were actually motorcycle tours, then invite them to try it out.
CDC is the prettier and taller sister of BBDC
It’s the stuff they don’t teach you in regular riding class:
The Ride Safe Course arms motorcyclists with practical skills and knowledge for coping with the hazards of the road. It includes tips on how to recognise and react to common causes of accidents, cornering and braking techniques for different scenarios, and how to spot dangerous wear and tear on your motorcycle, among others.
The half-day Ride Safe course consists of theory and practical segments, and is available in three levels to cater to riders of all abilities. Promotional rates start from 53.50sgd for Level 1, until December 2019. Find out more here.
