Below are some of the most frequently asked questions about Advanced Riding Clinics and Stayin' Safe Tours. If you don't find the answer to your questions here, please don't hesitate to contact us via phone or through the Contact page.
Advanced Riding Clinics:
Q. Do I need a motorcycle license to take the Total Control® Advanced Riding Clinic (TCARC) or other program offerings by Total Rider Tech?
A. Yes. This course is for riders that already have a current, class "M" (motorcycle) drivers license. Total Rider Tech does not teach beginning riders how to operate or ride a motorcycle. Our course offerings are not associated with any State or Federal agency or the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and do not prepare students for taking any driving tests for the purposes of obtaining a motorcycle license.
Q. Do I have to bring my own motorcycle to class?
A. Yes. Students must provide their own motorcycles for the Total Rider Tech program offerings. In addition, students must have a motorcycle insurance policy in force. Students must be able to provide policy and registration numbers before taking any class with us.
Q. What kind of motorcycle do I need for class?
A. Virtually any street legal motorcycle can be used in any of our class programs. We have taught students on a wide variety of motorcycles, from 250cc to +2,000cc, from sport to cruiser to large touring style motorcycles.
Q. I ride a sport motorcycle, what am I going to get out of riding in a parking lot?
A. More than you'd imagine. The range exercises are a laboratory where you can examine your technique under a microscope. You can improve your riding techniques in a reduced-risk, controlled environment while receiving valuable coaching from our certified instructors.
Q. Is this a race or a racing school?
A. No. Motorcycles are never on the same course at the same time, there is no timekeeping, and it is not a competition. We provide technique training to enhance your overall abilities, gain confidence and enhance your enjoyment when riding your motorcycle. However, if you are interested in competition, we have ideal course programs to prepare you for participating in a track day.
Q. I ride a heavy cruiser or full touring rig with floor boards. What can I expect?
A. The opportunity to expand your limits. Many touring riders fear dragging hard parts. Our curriculum will show you how to use body position to preserve precious ground clearance and manage traction. This means more options in an emergency situation.
Q. I've only been riding a short time. Can I take the Total Control® ARC?
A. Total Rider Tech programs are designed for intermediate to highly experienced riders. Our minimum requirement is 5,000 miles of street riding and one year of experience. This will insure that you maximize your investment in learning advanced riding techniques and be able to enjoy the benefits of your newly acquired skills out on the street.
Q. What type of riding gear do I need?
A. Protective riding gear is required during the range exercises. Protective gear includes:
Riding Jacket (or mesh jacket)
Riding Pants (leather chaps are OK, No Kevlar jeans unless armored)
Full-Fingered Gloves
Boots that cover the ankle
DOT approved helmet (full faced helmet is recommended but not required)
Q. Do I need to do anything to my motorcycle prior to taking one of your classes?
A. Your motorcycle should be well maintained.
Tires should have sufficient tread (at least 3mm). Air pressure will be checked before the class starts.
Your bike should be able to perform satisfactorily in hot weather. Your bike should not overheat while stopped with the motor running.
On liquid cooled bikes, check your coolant level before attending one of our classes.
Check your oil level before attending a class.
Your charging system must function properly, and a relatively new battery is highly recommended because you will be starting the bike frequently.
Make sure your brakes are in good working order.
Q. How much of the Total Control® ARC is in the classroom vs. on the range?
A. The Total Control® ARC is 30% classroom and 70% range exercises. The classroom sessions are spread throughout the day. This gives riders a chance to rest, a necessity when the weather is hot.
Q. How is the Total Control® ARC class taught?
A. The Total Control® ARC consists of six modules. These exercises include; throttle/brake transitions, mental state, corner vision, corner entry and line selection, mid-corner body position & corner exits, corner transitions (figure 8's) and basic motorcycle suspension. There is a 10-minute break between each module and a 40-minute lunch break.
Q. What are the Range exercises like for the Level One, Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic?
A. Level One Total Control® Advanced Riding Clinic (TCARC) range exercises are practiced on 40-foot circles. Two pairs of 40-foot circles (marked using small rubber traffic cones) accommodate six students each. New skills that are introduced for each exercise builds on the previous exercise. The first few range exercises are deceptively simple and form the basis for the more challenging exercise later in the day.
Q. What happens if it rains?
A. All program courses offered by Total Rider Tech will be held in the rain. If several days prior to the class the weather looks questionable the class may be canceled. You will be called at the phone number you used for registration. If the class is canceled you will receive a refund or you can reschedule to a later class date.
Q. How long is the Level One Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic and what about lunch?
A. The Total Control® Advanced Riding Clinic (TCARC) is an eight-hour course, excluding breaks. Class starts at 8:00am and finishes at 5:30pm. A 40-minute lunch break takes place about noon. Please bring your own lunch and a snack if you like. Bottled water, sports drinks and light snacks will be provided. NOTE: students are required to be at the site by 7:35am for a technical inspection of their motorcycle.
Q. How many students will be in class?
A. Depending on the course offering, class size ranges from 6 to 18 students. The instructor to student ratio is one instructor for each group of six students. At most of our site locations only 12 students can be accommodated at one time on the range, supervised by two instructors.
Q. What qualification do the Total Control® ARC instructors have?
A. All Total Control® Advanced Riding Clinic (TCARC) instructors are certified and have received intensive training. In addition to the formal training, instructors are supervised by a master instructor until they have achieved a level of core competency to conduct the class in a leadership role. Regularly scheduled professional development courses are conducted on an annual basis. Routine monitoring of our instructors performance by master instructors insures high quality coaching for our students. It should be noted that many of our instructors are certified in other highly skilled motorcycle instruction as well. Instructors generally have at least five years of riding experience to be considered for becoming an instructor for Total Rider Tech.
Q. Do Students get a certificate after taking the Total Control® ARC?
A. Yes. Each student will be given a completion card with their name on it after taking the class.
Q. When are the Total Control® ARC classes held?
A. It depends on the site location: see the schedule page for specifics. Total Rider Tech conducts classes from April through September in Wisconsin, Illinois and Indiana along with our sites in warmer climates (South Carolina, Georgia and Florida) that may have winter classes too.
Q. Can I bring my spouse/significant other as passenger? We'd like to take the class as a couple.
A. Yes provided you and your passenger have already established a level of comfort and trust when riding together. We have taught rider/pillion couples, and all the lessons apply equally to one-up or two-up riding. It should also be noted that the passenger rides for free.
Stayin' Safe Tours:
Q. Is Stayin' Safe a Driving School or a Touring Company?
We're a little of each, but not exactly like either one. We have established enjoyable single and multiple day riding tours that include some of the best motorcycling roads in the country and an outstanding mix of riding environments in which to advance skills. Our highly qualified tour leaders/coaches provide running commentary and guidance to riders in real time and at breaks, introducing proven concepts for discussion and consideration. It's an ideal blend of vacation and learning that no driving school or touring company can match.
Q. I’m an experienced rider with many years of riding under my belt. Why should I sign up for a Stayin’ Safe advanced skills tour?
Most of our participants are life-long students looking to continually improve their riding skills, riding enjoyment and to increase their margin of safety. These well-trained riders regularly tell us that our on-street program had a dramatic impact on their riding, changing habits they’d had for years and opening their eyes to things they had never seen before when riding. We feel that riders of all skill and experience levels will come away with something valuable. As one of our students told us, “I thought I had more than 20 years of riding experience. What I learned is that I had about a year of experience repeated 20 times.”
Q. What can I expect to learn?
Each of our tours is designed to introduce and hone skills that are vital to survival on the street and to the enjoyment of motorcycling. Picking up where parking lot courses leave off, Stayin’ Safe tours apply proven strategies and introduce the component of real-world, real-time coaching. While situations often govern the exact content, all tours address the following:
- Visual Strategies – how to read the landscape, the road and traffic patterns to gain intelligence that will work to the rider’s advantage. Through effective visual strategies, along with appropriate action, we believe more than 90-percent of all traffic crashes are avoidable.
- Lane Position – knowing where to place the motorcycle within the lane at any given point to achieve greater visual advantage and distance from potential hazards.
- Cornering Lines – how to select the best line through a single curve, combined curves, and blind curves for maximum smoothness and to minimize those heart-stopping surprises mid-turn.
- Throttle Management – Tied closely to visual strategies, throttle management presents how to select speeds appropriate for what visual information is available.
- Braking techniques – understanding when to brake (and when not to) and proper braking technique for smoothness and efficient slowing/stopping.
Q. How does Stayin’ Safe compensate for riders with different levels of riding experience?
While differences of rider skill and experience level are inevitable – from riders with 1 year to riders with 40+ years on a single tour -- we attempt to group participants with compatible riders and split the varying skill levels into separate groups. However, all participants must be able and willing to ride at the speed limit on straight highway sections.
Q. How much experience should I have to participate in an advanced skills tour?
We generally recommend that participants have at least 5000 miles of recent on-road experience prior to enrolling in a training tour. It is also helpful if riders have at least some prior experience riding on mountain roads – especially those riding large touring or cruiser bikes.
Q. What is a “polite” exhaust and why do I need one?
While we don’t require that riders have a stock exhaust system on their motorcycles, we do encourage participants to have an exhaust system that is not offensively loud (i.e.: no straight pipes). Because radio communication is so critical to our training, excessive noise can interfere with clear coaching and, therefore, could contribute to confusion. Also, on a couple of our training tours we conduct drills in neighborhoods where repeated passing by loud motorcycles can be viewed as a public nuisance. If you are not certain if your exhaust is suitable, just contact us to discuss.
Q. Am I going to be expected to ride fast?
Stayin’ Safe advanced skills tours are not speed events. And, while we may occasionally adopt an adult pace, each participant is always encouraged to “ride his own ride”, never allowing other riders or the coaches to influence him to ride at a pace faster than he is comfortable with. The only speed requirement we have is that we expect all riders to be able and willing to maintain the speed limit on straight sections of road.
Q. What is a “chalk talk”?
When we stop for a break from riding, it’s not unusual for our coaches to break out a piece of sidewalk chalk and begin drawing curves on a parking lot or sidewalk to illustrate a concept. It is often easier for riders to visualize a concept when it is diagrammed in this way. Students are also invited to discuss the pros and cons of various lines through corners or other strategies that are drawn on the ground. A simple piece of chalk and a flat, clean surface transform any break into a virtual classroom.
Q. Does Stayin’ Safe rent or provide motorcycles?
No. But we can help coordinate motorcycle rentals in the area from reputable rental agents. Usually, riders can rent Harley-Davidson and sometimes BMW motorcycles and dual-sport motorcycles such as the Kawasaki KLR 650, depending on the tour location. All rental agreements will be with the rental company and not Stayin’ Safe.
Q. How is this different than other training programs?
Parking lot-based courses, like the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s basic and experienced rider courses teach physical riding skills on the range and strategic concepts in the classroom. Our program builds on the physical skills and introduces strategies to real-world riding. Unlike track days, which are excellent ways to build confidence and physical riding skills in a consistent, predictable environment with no traffic risks, each Stayin’ Safe tour introduces the rider to unfamiliar roads complete with driveways, tertiary roads and traffic which he or she must interpret and execute safely.
Q. Can I bring a passenger?
Yes. If you are comfortable with the operation of your motorcycle – especially in twisty backroads – we invite you to bring a “second rider.” There is much a passenger can enjoy and learn from our tours, including their active role on the motorcycle. Please understand that there will be a nominal additional cost to cover our additional costs.