Al's BMW Skills Training Program
It started with an email from Brad Starkey. BMW was launching a rider training program in the U.S. Drills would include those featured at the BMW Enduro Park in Hechlingen, Germany as well as some on-road exercises. I was invited to sign up for a free two days.
If I ever heard of the BMW Enduro Park or Hechlingen I wasn’t paying attention; but unquestionably I could learn more about off road riding and besides it was an excuse to ride to North Carolina. I signed up.
I left home early on Friday morning so I could ride some great roads on my way to North Carolina rather than taking the interstate. I took West Virginia Route 16 to Gauley Bridge where I filled the gas tank and asked my GPS to route me to the BMW Performance center via the shortest route. The GPS estimated time of arrival gave me just enough time to stop to eat lunch. As I hoped, the route completely avoided interstates and even routed me on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles.
The sign in went well and BMW even provided dinner and rides in BMW series 5 cars with test drivers who skidded the car alternately right and left. Then they cruised, partly sideways, around the skid pad.
From my answers to questions they had sent, BMW had placed me in the intermediate group. The schedule gave a little more information about what to expect. In the morning we would get a sample of both the off road and highway skills course, each of which is a full day. In the afternoon we would ride a planned route to Maggie Valley where there would be another ride on Sunday morning.
On Saturday morning my group went first to the off road course. The first exercise was hard braking on gravel, ABS turned off, followed by a route through an obstacle course. The course would be very easy for an experienced dirt rider on a dirt bike but I have little experience on dirt and while my R1200GS can handle dirt, it is not exactly an enduro bike.
Riding over railroad ties was painful to my right foot that was injured a few years ago so I unconsciously put more weight on my left foot and rode off the ties to the left side. I concentrated and nailed it the next round. On the third try I was sure I had it and promptly went left again.
The next exercise was follow the leader, a performance center instructor, on some trails around the center. I stood on the pegs as I knew I should, because they told me so, through any area that looked like it could be a problem. Being lazy and also to protect my foot I sat down in the easy areas.
We came to a smooth grassy area through a wooded area and I sat to shift into second gear. Almost as soon as I sat down I hit a rut that was hidden by the grass and was going down. I slid into a little tree and discovered that the windshield on my bike is more flexible than I would have imagined. I had insignificant bruises on my arm and leg and a severe bruise to my ego. Damage to the bike was less than I would have expected.
We went next to their visitor center where we saw a 15 minute film that I hated. It was one of those artsy things where you could never really focus on anything and seemed more designed to make the viewer dizzy than to really show anything. I could make out an impressive amount of automation on their assembly line. There were some very interesting cars and bikes displayed at the center.
Next were a few braking and turning exercises on pavement that were fun but not a challenge. I’ve had quite a bit of experience on pavement. Still, if I were going to invest time and money in a road riding school this would be the one. Especially since MSF has pretty much ruined their experienced rider course. After lunch we fastened the route sheets to Maggie Valley to our bikes and headed out.
On the highway I was frustrated by the slow pace, especially in the twisty sections. There was a gas stop after 45 miles. I didn’t need gas and had no other reason to stop so I just went on and rode the rest of the way to Maggie Valley on my own. I soon hit the dirt sections and slowed to the point where I expected everyone to be catching me. These weren’t gravel roads like we find around Ohio, but forest service trails with a great variety of surfaces and frequent washed out places. There was a group of three riders who passed me three times and then I would pass them as they were stopped. On one down grade I was passed by two guys on mountain bicycles. After the dirt sections we rode a few miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and some other great local roads before heading on into Maggie Valley.
BMW treated us to a great dinner and discussed plans for the Sunday morning ride. This would be a group ride and there were three options. There was an advanced route which was out of the question for me. From the description of the intermediate route I thought I could probably handle the dirt sections but was concerned that I would be so slow that I would hold everyone up. I chose the "Green Route". The name was obviously chosen to avoid labeling us beginners.
Ten miles into the Sunday morning ride we came to the first dirt section. I was glad I had chosen the easy route. We headed up a jeep trail and I felt I was doing OK. Suddenly I was going around a steep, washed out, up-hill right hand curve and found the trail blocked. It looked like a rider had stopped at the top of the hill and another rider had stopped to talk with him. Between the two they blocked the whole trail and other bikes were forced to stop. Where I had to stop, by the time I could get my right foot on the ground the bike was leaning so far there was no chance of holding it up.
We got my bike picked up and let it roll back down the hill far enough that I could get on and get both feet on the ground. I was more annoyed at the rider who blocked the trail than embarrassed at falling.
As we continued on the rider in front of me was not carrying enough speed up steep sections that I could feel stable. I couldn’t help getting close to him on up hill sections and slowed as much as possible on easy sections to get some space between us. The rider following me was getting too close for comfort so I looked for a place to get over to let him pass.
As I started to move to the right it seemed like I was in deep gravel. I stopped without getting as far right as I wanted and the rider behind me bumped me on the way by. As I tried to go on my bike wouldn’t move. The instructor who was riding sweep came up and we soon discovered that the front brake was locked tight. There were several theories but among us very few tools. Two way radios and cell phones didn’t work very well because of the terrain. Finally we bled a little fluid out of the front brake calipers and the wheel would turn.
Two of the three instructors with the group were still with me and I suggested that one of them should go on. Being careful not to use the front brake I went another half mile, followed by the remaining instructor, and the brake locked again. I could tell that it came on gradually rather than locking up suddenly but this gave us no more idea of what was causing the problem.
We bled the brakes again and expected that we might have to do this repeatedly to get to a road where the driver with trailer could get to us. Fortunately, the brakes didn’t lock again in 5 more miles of dirt plus 5 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the dirt section I did my first real water crossing. I may have taken it a little too fast. The water flew up in front of me so much that I couldn’t see anything until I got through.
We came to a planned stop at a beautiful overlook and discussed what to do. Some of the other riders were still there. I had gone ten miles without a lock up and I really wanted to complete the ride; it just didn’t seem smart to risk it. A front wheel lock up at speed on pavement, possibly even in a curve, could be disastrous. I decided to wait for the trailer to take me back to Maggie Valley.
We got the bike loaded and back to the hotel. I was wondering where I would find a BMW dealer and whether they would be open Monday. We were discussing whether to unload my bike in Maggie Valley or take it on back to the performance center and where we would find the closest dealer. The chase vehicle driver didn’t know where a dealer would be found but knew that some of the other instructors would know.
One of the instructors who had ridden with another group, or possibly hadn’t gone on the ride, took a quick look at my bike and saw that the hand guard on the right side – the brake side – had been twisted in my fall and was pushing slightly on the brake lever. There was a quick explanation that I didn’t understand about how this would slowly make the front brake come on. I’m not sure that I turned off the ABS when I restarted the bike after the fall and possibly that makes a difference. I know the ABS was off after the stop for the second lock up.
My first reaction to this explanation was disbelief. Maybe we twisted the hand grip while we were crawling around the bike to get it tied down in the trailer. A couple of minute’s sober reflection, however, convinced me that the diagnoses was correct. Where was this guy when we were out on the trail and trying to get the bike to move?
Since my problem was fixed all that was left to do was say my goodbyes and head home. I mostly followed Route 19 to Marion, Virginia then Route 16 north to Route 52 which brought me to the Ohio River. All great roads. Especially the section of Route 16 from Marion to Tazewell Virginia.
I now have some things to work on before I try any serious dirt riding, especially using the rear brake and the gear shift while standing on the pegs. Maybe I should sign up and take the full day off road school. My impression is that both of the schools we were there to learn about would be time and money well spent.
If I ever heard of the BMW Enduro Park or Hechlingen I wasn’t paying attention; but unquestionably I could learn more about off road riding and besides it was an excuse to ride to North Carolina. I signed up.
I left home early on Friday morning so I could ride some great roads on my way to North Carolina rather than taking the interstate. I took West Virginia Route 16 to Gauley Bridge where I filled the gas tank and asked my GPS to route me to the BMW Performance center via the shortest route. The GPS estimated time of arrival gave me just enough time to stop to eat lunch. As I hoped, the route completely avoided interstates and even routed me on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles.
The sign in went well and BMW even provided dinner and rides in BMW series 5 cars with test drivers who skidded the car alternately right and left. Then they cruised, partly sideways, around the skid pad.
From my answers to questions they had sent, BMW had placed me in the intermediate group. The schedule gave a little more information about what to expect. In the morning we would get a sample of both the off road and highway skills course, each of which is a full day. In the afternoon we would ride a planned route to Maggie Valley where there would be another ride on Sunday morning.
On Saturday morning my group went first to the off road course. The first exercise was hard braking on gravel, ABS turned off, followed by a route through an obstacle course. The course would be very easy for an experienced dirt rider on a dirt bike but I have little experience on dirt and while my R1200GS can handle dirt, it is not exactly an enduro bike.
Riding over railroad ties was painful to my right foot that was injured a few years ago so I unconsciously put more weight on my left foot and rode off the ties to the left side. I concentrated and nailed it the next round. On the third try I was sure I had it and promptly went left again.
The next exercise was follow the leader, a performance center instructor, on some trails around the center. I stood on the pegs as I knew I should, because they told me so, through any area that looked like it could be a problem. Being lazy and also to protect my foot I sat down in the easy areas.
We came to a smooth grassy area through a wooded area and I sat to shift into second gear. Almost as soon as I sat down I hit a rut that was hidden by the grass and was going down. I slid into a little tree and discovered that the windshield on my bike is more flexible than I would have imagined. I had insignificant bruises on my arm and leg and a severe bruise to my ego. Damage to the bike was less than I would have expected.
We went next to their visitor center where we saw a 15 minute film that I hated. It was one of those artsy things where you could never really focus on anything and seemed more designed to make the viewer dizzy than to really show anything. I could make out an impressive amount of automation on their assembly line. There were some very interesting cars and bikes displayed at the center.
Next were a few braking and turning exercises on pavement that were fun but not a challenge. I’ve had quite a bit of experience on pavement. Still, if I were going to invest time and money in a road riding school this would be the one. Especially since MSF has pretty much ruined their experienced rider course. After lunch we fastened the route sheets to Maggie Valley to our bikes and headed out.
On the highway I was frustrated by the slow pace, especially in the twisty sections. There was a gas stop after 45 miles. I didn’t need gas and had no other reason to stop so I just went on and rode the rest of the way to Maggie Valley on my own. I soon hit the dirt sections and slowed to the point where I expected everyone to be catching me. These weren’t gravel roads like we find around Ohio, but forest service trails with a great variety of surfaces and frequent washed out places. There was a group of three riders who passed me three times and then I would pass them as they were stopped. On one down grade I was passed by two guys on mountain bicycles. After the dirt sections we rode a few miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway and some other great local roads before heading on into Maggie Valley.
BMW treated us to a great dinner and discussed plans for the Sunday morning ride. This would be a group ride and there were three options. There was an advanced route which was out of the question for me. From the description of the intermediate route I thought I could probably handle the dirt sections but was concerned that I would be so slow that I would hold everyone up. I chose the "Green Route". The name was obviously chosen to avoid labeling us beginners.
Ten miles into the Sunday morning ride we came to the first dirt section. I was glad I had chosen the easy route. We headed up a jeep trail and I felt I was doing OK. Suddenly I was going around a steep, washed out, up-hill right hand curve and found the trail blocked. It looked like a rider had stopped at the top of the hill and another rider had stopped to talk with him. Between the two they blocked the whole trail and other bikes were forced to stop. Where I had to stop, by the time I could get my right foot on the ground the bike was leaning so far there was no chance of holding it up.
We got my bike picked up and let it roll back down the hill far enough that I could get on and get both feet on the ground. I was more annoyed at the rider who blocked the trail than embarrassed at falling.
As we continued on the rider in front of me was not carrying enough speed up steep sections that I could feel stable. I couldn’t help getting close to him on up hill sections and slowed as much as possible on easy sections to get some space between us. The rider following me was getting too close for comfort so I looked for a place to get over to let him pass.
As I started to move to the right it seemed like I was in deep gravel. I stopped without getting as far right as I wanted and the rider behind me bumped me on the way by. As I tried to go on my bike wouldn’t move. The instructor who was riding sweep came up and we soon discovered that the front brake was locked tight. There were several theories but among us very few tools. Two way radios and cell phones didn’t work very well because of the terrain. Finally we bled a little fluid out of the front brake calipers and the wheel would turn.
Two of the three instructors with the group were still with me and I suggested that one of them should go on. Being careful not to use the front brake I went another half mile, followed by the remaining instructor, and the brake locked again. I could tell that it came on gradually rather than locking up suddenly but this gave us no more idea of what was causing the problem.
We bled the brakes again and expected that we might have to do this repeatedly to get to a road where the driver with trailer could get to us. Fortunately, the brakes didn’t lock again in 5 more miles of dirt plus 5 miles on the Blue Ridge Parkway. On the dirt section I did my first real water crossing. I may have taken it a little too fast. The water flew up in front of me so much that I couldn’t see anything until I got through.
We came to a planned stop at a beautiful overlook and discussed what to do. Some of the other riders were still there. I had gone ten miles without a lock up and I really wanted to complete the ride; it just didn’t seem smart to risk it. A front wheel lock up at speed on pavement, possibly even in a curve, could be disastrous. I decided to wait for the trailer to take me back to Maggie Valley.
We got the bike loaded and back to the hotel. I was wondering where I would find a BMW dealer and whether they would be open Monday. We were discussing whether to unload my bike in Maggie Valley or take it on back to the performance center and where we would find the closest dealer. The chase vehicle driver didn’t know where a dealer would be found but knew that some of the other instructors would know.
One of the instructors who had ridden with another group, or possibly hadn’t gone on the ride, took a quick look at my bike and saw that the hand guard on the right side – the brake side – had been twisted in my fall and was pushing slightly on the brake lever. There was a quick explanation that I didn’t understand about how this would slowly make the front brake come on. I’m not sure that I turned off the ABS when I restarted the bike after the fall and possibly that makes a difference. I know the ABS was off after the stop for the second lock up.
My first reaction to this explanation was disbelief. Maybe we twisted the hand grip while we were crawling around the bike to get it tied down in the trailer. A couple of minute’s sober reflection, however, convinced me that the diagnoses was correct. Where was this guy when we were out on the trail and trying to get the bike to move?
Since my problem was fixed all that was left to do was say my goodbyes and head home. I mostly followed Route 19 to Marion, Virginia then Route 16 north to Route 52 which brought me to the Ohio River. All great roads. Especially the section of Route 16 from Marion to Tazewell Virginia.
I now have some things to work on before I try any serious dirt riding, especially using the rear brake and the gear shift while standing on the pegs. Maybe I should sign up and take the full day off road school. My impression is that both of the schools we were there to learn about would be time and money well spent.
posted by Beemer Administrator at 9:51 AM
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