To anyone considering doing this (course), I can heartily recommend it. On the ride last year, work precluded me doing the whole ride, so I rode most of the first day. What we did mostly was skills stuff, riding on a dry lake bed near Jean, NV. The things I learned that day helped my riding immensely.

 First, we practiced riding our bikes as slow as possible. Quite a trick on 500lb "dirt bike" I felt sorry for the guys on R/GSs. Two other skills we practiced were maximum front braking and wheelies. Yes, wheelies are a skill, and since this ride, I've practiced and used it several times to get out of jams that before would have caused me to stop or fall down. We also practiced a lot of standing on the pegs. I continue to practice this today. It's simply amazing how much more stable the bike is when you're standing up. One year later, after a lot of practice, I'm finally to the point where that when confronted with an obstacle or less than optimum road conditions, my instinct is to stand and keep the throttle on whereas reflexes used to have me chopping the throttle and sticking my feet out. (Really good way to take a trip to the hospital!)

Now, one year on, I'm ready to try it again. This time I'm ready to tackle my greatest fear and most dreaded obstacle: Sand. Two other plus' to this ride are the weather and riding with Jimmy. He's a great guy and very open. His experience speaks for itself. His insight is invaluable and watching him ride a R1150GS like it's a 250 two-stroke is mind boggling. And the weather. It's great. Just when the snow is starting to fly in most parts of the country, it's 70°-80° here in Vegas. (Don't hold me to this!) Come on down and have a great time. You'll be amazed at the stuff you'll learn and the positive way it will impact your daily riding.

David Earl
Chain Gang, member #476

Hey folks,

I'm just back from my second weekend in Las Vegas doing off road training with Jimmy Lewis (http://www.jimmylewisoffroad.com). What a great time! Jimmy is a real pleasure to train with, combining phenomenal riding skill with a great personality and teaching ability. On the first weekend he was assisted by a rider named David, and on the second by his wife Heather; both were excellent support for the course, as well as gentle encouragement for the back markers (that is, your truly).

I came to the course with no significant off-road experience, and managed to hold onto the position of slowest rider through both weekends (gotta be good at something :-) ). But boy did I learn a lot. I started out scared witless by the twitchy, slippery, chaotic process of riding on irregular, low traction surfaces. (In my case this was exacerbated by the bike I was on, Jimmy's own modified Honda XR400, which was a touch high- strung for an imbalance-averse beginner like me.) I did well on the drills on a dry lake, but powerline roads at speed were just plain scary for me. When I got to use other bikes (an 1150GS and a Suzuki DRZ400), and as I got more used to things, I got much more comfortable. I was "lucky" enough to get to ride on the back on the Honda with Jimmy driving, twice. Image riding the most terrifying roller coaster you know, now imagine doing so without the comforting belief that the ride is actually safe. :-) On the other hand, it really showed me first hand what could be done on a gravel road or in the sand, amazing.

By the end of the second weekend I was cooking along almost as quickly as my (crazy) friends on the powerline roads, as well as:- negotiating deep sand - climbing banks, hills, and piles of stone that I would simply have called impossible before I started- riding over a wide range of surfaces with confidence (sand, stones, deeply rutted gravel, sudden wash-crossings)

We did a combination of drills and rides across Nevada/California. The drills included (in order as well as I can recall, but I'm sure I'll forget
some): - ride around as slowly as possible, keeping your balance - tight, low-speed turns, using counterbalancing and rear-wheel-spin - pop little wheelies to get a sense for what it takes to lift the front wheel (first using the clutch, then just the engine) - lock the rear wheel in a straight line (stopping) - lock the front wheel in a straight line (pushing the bike along with the throttle) - ride in decreasing circles until the front washes out and correct with throttle input - full acceleration and threshold breaking - full acceleration and threshold breaking with 180-degree turn at the end

There were more advanced riders on both courses as well, and while I can't speak for the specifics of their experience, they all seemed to be very well pleased with the course. Jimmy was happy to ramp the difficulty up to match any request: high speed "woops", very steep climbs and descents, etc. He also walked us through some field maintenance things, like changing a tire and fixing whatever went wrong with our bikes during the course.

And then there was watching Jimmy do things that are just plain impossible. It's a lot more fun than seeing it on TV.

I've still got a lot to learn, but this training has laid a foundation of skills that will make my progress much more enjoyable and, hopefully, keep me clear of all the bad habits I would have built if I'd just tried to teach myself. I couldn't recommend the course more strongly, for beginners and experienced riders alike.

YMMV, of course, and all the usual disclaimers apply. Motorcycling is unsafe and should never be attempted. All of these exercises should only be
performed in your imagination, wearing a helmet, at home, in bed. Mr. Crutchfield contains no user-serviceable parts.

I don't work for or with Jimmy, and he didn't ask me to write this. I'm just a happy customer.

Charlie

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