NEW BERLIN, Wis. — At Pro Motorcycle Training, instructors aim to teach riders the skills they need to stay safe on the road.
Lead riding instructor Bob Gelhaus emphasizes that safety goes beyond just knowing the laws of the road. It's also about teaching the necessary skills while focusing on the mental side of riding.
The course is designed to teach riders of all experience levels the techniques they need to master riding, from cornering to stopping in a straight line but also how to increase positive rise offset.
"We try to get the skills as high as they can be. The other component is risk. You want your risk as low as they can be. We also talk about how to reduce the risk and that's the four categories," said Gelhaus.
According to Gelhaus, the four categories of increasing positive risk offset are:
- Mental: Instructors teach riders to make good mental decisions, stay focused, and avoid distractions while riding.
- Emotional: Is the rider upset, angry, or overly excited? Is the rider experiencing any emotions that can take away from the focus of riding?
- Physical condition: How is the rider feeling physically? Are they fatigued or sick?
- Social interaction: How is the rider interacting with others?
"It’s an ecosystem out there. There’s vehicles, pedestrians, bikes, you’re part of that. On a social perspective, we talk about what is your role in relation to the entire system," said Gelhaus.
While most students come to the class to get their motorcycle license, Gelhaus said that taking this course and focusing on the different components of riding along with taking a holistic look at safety, can help reduce the risk for anyone out on the road.
"At the end of the day, they all come away with skills and the mental tools to become safe riders," said Gelhaus.
He hopes that when students finish the class, they will choose to be safe riders at all times.
To learn more about Pro Motorcycle Training, visit their website.
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