Lee Parks Total Control Motorcycle Clinic

I have been riding for 8 years now, legally on the street. I am only 26, I have taken the BRC and ERC from the MSF and teach them, but I have only done one track day. I have heard good things about this class, has anyone here gone?

Wow no one huh, well, i think i am going to go some time next year. It looks like a good idea. I will post up when I go to let everyone know how it is.

I have.

There are two reviews in this thread (Post 1 and 4). http://www.motorcycleaddicts.org/tracks-tr...ing-clinic.html

Bottom line IMO is the course is a "should take" in a succession of courses. If I were to put them in order of courses I've taken:

MSF BRC/ERC
German Rider Safety Course (Of course, this isn't available in the States, I was fortunate to be stationed in Germany)
Lee Parks' ARC
Ed Bargy Racing School

[image: View Post]black06vfr, on Nov 20 2008, 12:28 PM, said:

Wow no one huh, well, i think i am going to go some time next year. It looks like a good idea. I will post up when I go to let everyone know how it is.

I watched a portion of the episode of "Superbikes" where Jason Briton was taking the class from Lee Parks. *(please note I have not taken the class personally so any opinion I have is not completely informed). With that being said, for me, I don't see the appeal. I've been riding over 20 years (not all of them with good technique!), teaching MSF courses for 9 years, and I've taken a couple of racing schools... I get much more out of track time myself.

By the way, I'm always looking for new learning opportunities to learn and better my riding skills... I just don't think this is the class for me. I'm planning on taking the American Supercamp in February. I'm also thinking of taking a supermoto specific school sometime soon (maybe the "Silent H" school).

Michael

[image: View Post]seamus, on Nov 20 2008, 06:28 AM, said:

I have.

There are two reviews in this thread (Post 1 and 4). http://www.motorcycleaddicts.org/tracks-tr...ing-clinic.html

Bottom line IMO is the course is a "should take" in a succession of courses. If I were to put them in order of courses I've taken:

MSF BRC/ERC
German Rider Safety Course (Of course, this isn't available in the States, I was fortunate to be stationed in Germany)
Lee Parks' ARC
Ed Bargy Racing School

That was a really good write up on what to expect. When I did a track day, it was fun, but I really didn't feel like I was getting everything out of the VFR that I could. That's why I stay with this bike when so many people I know have supersports. I really think that you have to be pretty good to reach the limits of this bike to where you would need a more dedicated track machine.

I wanted to take this class... but had surgery instead. Looking at next year thought. I met him at the bike show last year and he seemed to be a really nice guy with something to teach. I agree the class is not for everyone, and I might not take it if it was not close to me.. but it is so I will probably check it out when I get riding again.

[image: View Post]black06vfr, on Nov 18 2008, 06:28 AM, said:

I have been riding for 8 years now, legally on the street. I am only 26, I have taken the BRC and ERC from the MSF and teach them, but I have only done one track day. I have heard good things about this class, has anyone here gone?


Been looking into this and sure does sound like a good course to take after the MSF ERC, it keeps being described as a bridge to a track day. After the BRC and ERC I was surprised what can be learned in a parking lot. The thought of a track day sounds very appealing but my skills are not ready for that and I think this would be a better route than to dive into a track day. That's my 2� on the matter.

[image: View Post]landlover, on Jan 21 2009, 11:27 AM, said:

[image: View Post]black06vfr, on Nov 18 2008, 06:28 AM, said:

I have been riding for 8 years now, legally on the street. I am only 26, I have taken the BRC and ERC from the MSF and teach them, but I have only done one track day. I have heard good things about this class, has anyone here gone?


Been looking into this and sure does sound like a good course to take after the MSF ERC, it keeps being described as a bridge to a track day. After the BRC and ERC I was surprised what can be learned in a parking lot. The thought of a track day sounds very appealing but my skills are not ready for that and I think this would be a better route than to dive into a track day. That's my 2� on the matter.




Am taking it in June!

I have been riding for 3 years and I took Lee Parks TARC last September as a logical successor to both the MSF Basic and Advanced riding courses which I took over the past couple years. I would HIGHLY recommend the class for anyone who wants to improve both their riding skills, mental awareness, and knowledge about your machine.

Yes, the drills are at parking lot speed but, you'd be suprised how fast 25 mph around a 40 foot circle is.

I will not go into the details of the class as they are pretty well described on the TARC website but, I can say that I use almost everything that was taught in the class on every ride (minus dragging my knee).

Bye the way, when I took the class, there were 4 MSF instructors and 2 military safety instructors taking the class too. It just goes to show, that everyone can benifit by learning new skills.

Take the class and enjoy....

I just took this class this past Sunday, April 5 up in Poughkeepsie, NY.....and it was great! I really had a lot of fun taking it, the instructors were great, class participation was great, and I definitely became a better rider by the time I left. I took it with 4 riding buddies and we are already trying to find a parking lot to keep on practicing.

I just took the class this past weekend. I thought it was very beneficial, I had read the book, and had made a bunch of very useful changes to my riding style based on that, but a book can't watch what you are doing and give you feedback after every try. Will I take level II this fall? I'm not sure yet, I hear that's the one that gives you a good opportunity to put your knee down, though that we were doing saturday was the basics for that I just need to practice smoother and faster.

The class itself isn't going to transform anything, not unless you get out there and practice. One comment they made was that you cannot break a bad habit, you can only replace it with a new habit.

Upon review of this thread, I'll be signing up for a class in September in Irvine.

[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 21 June 2010 - 01:59 PM, said:

Upon review of this thread, I'll be signing up for a class in September in Irvine.

The September class in Irvine got pushed to October,and I attended the class this weekend. Mine was the only VFR there, did you make it?
What I got out of the training way surpassed my expectations. It was the most I have learnt in a single day. Lee Parks is a genius at teaching. Certainly recommend this class for anyone who wants to improve on cornering skills. I only wish they e-mail/upload the pics they take during the training.

[image: View Post]GutsyGibbon, on 25 October 2010 - 05:10 PM, said:

[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 21 June 2010 - 01:59 PM, said:

Upon review of this thread, I'll be signing up for a class in September in Irvine.

The September class in Irvine got pushed to October,and I attended the class this weekend. Mine was the only VFR there, did you make it?
What I got out of the training way surpassed my expectations. It was the most I have learnt in a single day. Lee Parks is a genius at teaching. Certainly recommend this class for anyone who wants to improve on cornering skills. I only wish they e-mail/upload the pics they take during the training.


Nope! I wrecked in mid August and didn't get my bike back on the road until the weekend before last. I spent that weekend and the last getting reacquainted with the bike. Maybe I'll catch a future class. Glad you enjoyed it. Would you mind giving a brief description of the day and/or what you learned?

Thanks!!

I took the Total Control class and it was excellent. I'll definitely go again.

[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 25 October 2010 - 05:23 PM, said:

Nope! I wrecked in mid August and didn't get my bike back on the road until the weekend before last. I spent that weekend and the last getting reacquainted with the bike. Maybe I'll catch a future class. Glad you enjoyed it. Would you mind giving a brief description of the day and/or what you learned?
Sure thing. There were 3 more instructors along with Lee. The class is held in trailer where you can sit look at the presentation material, and listen to theory. Lee tries to keep it fun and alive with some interesting personal stories. There were a bunch of MSF instructors from Canada, so it was a good bunch of people to hang out. The theory is about tire tech, throttle control, riding psychology, suspension, & body positioning. Before every drill, Lee or one of his instructors demonstrate incorrect ways of riding followed by the right way. Lee drags his knees while on a Goldwing, on a VStrom, and then on a 125cc Honda. As you can see in the you tube videos the drills are all in the parking lot with paths marked by cones. The instructors provide instant feedback about what we did. Lee also takes hi res photos and shows it during these drills. He also goes over all these pics, at the end of the day. There is a short 50 min break for lunch, you can go to the restaurants nearby, or take lunch from home. By the evening, most people lean close to scraping their knees. For people without knee pucks, they have a few strap on knee pucks.

I have been riding on the streets for more than 10 yrs around SD, did all cornering sitting upright. Definitely learnt a lot about body positioning, & suspension for sharper cornering. It also helped me overcome fear of crashing, as its in a controlled environment with supportive people around.

[image: View Post]black06vfr, on 18 November 2008 - 05:28 AM, said:

I have been riding for 8 years now, legally on the street. I am only 26, I have taken the BRC and ERC from the MSF and teach them, but I have only done one track day. I have heard good things about this class, has anyone here gone?


Hello - I am a Lee Parks Adavnced Rider Coach. I am in NYC and do clinics at Christine Firestock's school in Poughkeepsie, NY. The Total Control ARC is more than worth going to. In 03 I went to Lee Park's ARC and got so much out of the Clinic i went back and certified as a Coach. If you can get a copy of Lee's book "Total Control". I highly recommend Lee Parks ARC or an established race school like Keith Code to get you ready to get the most out of a track day. Lee's ARC and racing schools teach you how to lean properly and counter steer. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

[image: View Post]GutsyGibbon, on 26 October 2010 - 01:32 PM, said:

[image: View Post]jaimev34, on 25 October 2010 - 05:23 PM, said:

Nope! I wrecked in mid August and didn't get my bike back on the road until the weekend before last. I spent that weekend and the last getting reacquainted with the bike. Maybe I'll catch a future class. Glad you enjoyed it. Would you mind giving a brief description of the day and/or what you learned?
Sure thing. There were 3 more instructors along with Lee. The class is held in trailer where you can sit look at the presentation material, and listen to theory. Lee tries to keep it fun and alive with some interesting personal stories. There were a bunch of MSF instructors from Canada, so it was a good bunch of people to hang out. The theory is about tire tech, throttle control, riding psychology, suspension, & body positioning. Before every drill, Lee or one of his instructors demonstrate incorrect ways of riding followed by the right way. Lee drags his knees while on a Goldwing, on a VStrom, and then on a 125cc Honda. As you can see in the you tube videos the drills are all in the parking lot with paths marked by cones. The instructors provide instant feedback about what we did. Lee also takes hi res photos and shows it during these drills. He also goes over all these pics, at the end of the day. There is a short 50 min break for lunch, you can go to the restaurants nearby, or take lunch from home. By the evening, most people lean close to scraping their knees. For people without knee pucks, they have a few strap on knee pucks.

I have been riding on the streets for more than 10 yrs around SD, did all cornering sitting upright. Definitely learnt a lot about body positioning, & suspension for sharper cornering. It also helped me overcome fear of crashing, as its in a controlled environment with supportive people around.


Thanks! Unfortunately, no more local classes this year, so I'll have to wait until 2011. Seems like a fun time.