Colorado Rider News

Slow Speed Motorcycle Skills Handling for ALL Riders.

When someone hears “slow speed precision riding” the topic instantly brings to mind the finely tuned skills of our Country’s Motor Officers zipping through seemingly impossible curves at extreme angles at unbelievable speeds, in a seemingly endless sea of traffic cones; which usually provokes a sense of wonder and amazement at what can be done with a motorcycle in skilled hands.  Many of us look on wistfully, sometimes secretly wishing we could ride like that. Others are dismissive, feeling there is no real-world use for such maneuvers on a bike.

The fact of the matter is that none of us ride motorcycles because they are safe. All of us can ride; not all of us can ride extremely well. The necessary instruction can be prohibitively expensive; and not everyone learns at the same pace. Many of us need some extra help. I would always recommend that everyone pony up and take one of the many available Advanced Classes in Colorado; but what happens after that? One weekend of a skills classes a month is insufficient to instill the ideals and professional teachings you can learn at one of these classes. Riding skill is perishable and must be nurtured in a positive way, unlearning bad habits and cementing new ones in our skills repertoire, which will only happen with repetitive practice of whatever it is we need to learn.

Bucks FUNday Motorcycle Practice (BFD) in Lakewood CO was created to bridge this skills gap. The idea was to create an arena, an outlet, where riders of all skill levels can meet up regularly to practice what they know, build on their existing skillsets and foster an intimate relationship with their motorcycle, giving them the confidence and tools to progress to their next level, their next Class, and rinse and repeat. Practicing will save your life; your safety and capabilities on the roadway depend on you knowing what it is you need to do, and effortlessly being able to perform it, often in matter of microseconds. As skills are put through the repetitive wringer, they become muscle memory and second nature, freeing our minds to more efficiently process what is happening around us and dealing with emergencies without the burden of “what do I need my bike to do, right NOW?”

BFD hosts a weekly free and open, semi-structured arena that is dedicated to the practice and discipline of Slow Speed Motorcycle Skills Handling, braking, and evasive maneuvers, for all bikes and all riders. In its two years of operation, Buck Lynn and Christy Tyo have been fortunate to be able to assist several hundred riders improve their skills and confidence at slow speeds. They have nurtured and built relationships resulting in the distinct advantage of a nationwide support system through the National Civilian Motorcycle Competition Network, Motorcycle Skills USA, and the Skilled Motorcycle Riders Association, that consists of many of our Nations finest Motor Officers and Civilian Riders and Expert Instructors, all of whom share their passion for Motorcycle Skills and Safety and often lend their knowledge and critiques, all in this National group effort to spread the skills, enable relationships, and produce Safer Riders.

Locally BFD is proud to work to foster training relationships with the local Denver Grom Squad, and the Canyon Riders Association as well as several local Police and Sheriff Departments, resulting in a delicious smorgasbord of cross training, enhancing the all-around skills of a vast, diverse selection of riders.

MCRider ™ said it best when he said that it doesn’t matter how many times you succeed or fail in Practice; out on the road it most certainly does; life is often a game of inches, and Skilled Riding is ALWAYS a game of inches. In your practice, the error on one gate makes it impossible to succeed at the next. Out on the road, the inch you needed to avoid an accident (THAT gate) was offered to you a few seconds ago. As riders we must learn to recognize these inches and scrape and claw for them because on the Practice Range those inches mean the difference between success and failure; but out on the road, they mean the difference between life and death. Out there, the consequence is greater.

You can find Bucks FUNday in Lakewood in one of two locations, every week, year-round, if its above 40 degrees and there is no snow on the ground. They try to avoid inclement weather, but they do practice in that, too. Visiting BucksFUNday.com will direct you the FB Page and Group where much of their current schedule and training information can be found.  Their Practice is free, regular,  and completely accommodating and customizable to all skill levels of already-endorsed riders. They only require that you wear a helmet. Full gear is encouraged.  Show up anytime for an hour, or the whole session, and practice whatever it is that troubles you or join us in an exhaustive list of exercises; Bucks FUNday has successfully removed every conceivable barrier to training, and rendered irrelevant the many excuses one may use to NOT become a better rider. All you have to do is show up. Love for the Ride. This is FUNday.