If I thought my skills were great, I’d be kidding myself. After four months of not riding, my bike feels as cumbersome as trying to ride a drunk donkey. My goal was to squeeze in some extra training before the Down East Rally. The training area was like a giant MSF course, but with a drop off bigger than the Grand Canyon. We kicked things off with introductions, our riding history, and a bit of chest-thumping about our riding skills. You know the type: “I’ve been riding since I was in diapers on my Harley.
We started with large figure eights, which were straightforward—except for that one rider with the loudest pipes. Not to point fingers, but after he tipped over, his bravado vanished quicker than a donut at a police convention. It was like watching a eagle suddenly realize it’s a pigeon.
Next, we tackled swerves, cone challenges, and my favorite, hard stops. The cone challenge was a particular joy, like trying to navigate a landmine field while being chased by Jocelyn Snow... The hard stops? Those were like playing chicken with sand on four-way intersection. As the day went on, everyone got better, and the smiles grew bigger. It was like watching a bunch of awkward 8th graders slowly turn into slightly less awkward 8th graders.
The coaches were amazing, picking up on the little things: looking through turns, keeping our eyes up and down range, and getting righted before hard braking. Sure, I knew this stuff, but it was nice having someone call me out on my bad habits. It’s like having a backseat driver who actually knows what they’re talking about. 
The biggest takeaway? We should always push ourselves to be better riders. Whether we have 1, 5, 10, or 20 years of riding under our belts, keeping our skills sharp means practicing and being willing to learn new techniques. After all, even old dogs can learn new tricks—especially if those tricks involve wheelies. So, here’s to more practice, fewer tip-overs, and endless adventures.
*Jon applied for and received a Paul B. Training Grant through the BMW MOA Foundation for this training.