So, you’ve spent a couple of thousand Rand on a high-performance motorbike, possibly even a superbike, and there’s a good chances you are slightly overwhelmed by its impressive power and minimal weight.
This is where Honda’s Academy steps in. Purchase a motorcycle, on- or off-road, from this manufacturer, and you’ll be invited on a complementary riding course. CAR’s technical editor, Nicol Louw, and myself joined Honda’s On-Road Academy at Killarney Raceway for a few valuable lessons.
Contrary to popular belief, this course is not specifically a track day, although a large part (see article below) part of the day is spent on track. Over two tuition sessions, as well as a full feedback session, instructors and professional racers share some vital – and in some cases life-saving – information. What, for instance, a biker should specifically take note of in traffic, how to behave at a junction, and how to enter a turn without fear that you won’t make it out the other side!
Although some of these aspects may seem elementary, listening and taking onboard what the experts have to say makes you realise just how busy your brain actually needs to be once you start riding any bike on a public road. As one instructor said: “I don’t know about you guys, but I get exhausted riding on a public road”. And he makes a very valid point. Taking note of whether the person driving his/her car in front of you is talking on their cellphone? Are they busy tuning the radio/iPod? Are you riding in a car’s blind spot?
Apart from the road safety aspects, another focus of the day is track riding. Here we examined how a bike behaves under braking, how to set the bike up before a corner, and then how best to feed the power in as you exit. Some of these elements are similar to driving a car smoothly and, as a result, quickly on track, but a motorcycle is a much more sensitive machine. Once on the bike, your weight is around a third of the total mass. Every move on the bike influences it tremendously. Over to Nicol, who experienced his first track outing on a bike whilst attending the Academy.
On track experience
By Nicol Louw
As interesting and helpful as the theoretical sessions were, it only served to fuel my urge to get out on the track. The sound of other bikes circulating at high speed also did nothing to help with an already short concentration span! Soon enough though, it was our turn to head out and put our teachings into practice and feelings of nervousness and excitement flowed through my body. Although I’ve been riding since the age of 16, this would be my maiden voyage onto a race track on a bike…
Three Honda instructors were at our disposal throughout the day and they divided the group equally amongst themselves. We had to follow the instructor during the first session, with no overtaking allowed, and this gave us time to get acquainted with the track’s racing lines, and indeed our bikes, at moderate speeds. The feeling of freedom on the track is overwhelming as there is obviously no oncoming traffic, raised curbs, lamp posts etc looking to ruin your day should you make a mistake. The track is also much wider than a normal road so more forgiving when you go a bit wide or miss your braking point – the perfect training environment then. Soon the chequered flag signalled the end of the first session and I returned to the pits feeling elated – why had I never done this before?
In the next two sessions the instructors increased the pace and allowed us to pass them in order to follow our progress from behind. Never did I feel pressured to go faster than I felt comfortable and my confidence in the bike and my own riding ability grew with each passing lap. Corner speeds increased and racing lines got tighter. After the session the feedback from the instructors was invaluable and helped to ridicule bad habits and improve riding technique. A short time was then also dedicated to practise emergency braking and avoidance manoeuvres but, in my opinion, the speeds were too low to really be of much benefit to the average rider.
In summary, the Honda Academy (and others like it) are a must for any biker (regardless of your years of experience) and I wish it was part of the licensing criteria. It is the best way to get acquainted with your new bike in a safe and unintimidating environment. Congratulations to Honda for the having the insight to offer such a course, free of charge, with the purchase of one of their new motorcycles. Contact your nearest Honda dealer for more information.
Watch a short clip below of the day, together with an onboard lap of Killarney Raceway on a Honda CBR600RR.
