Hey Guys,

The ‘n00b’ part is kinda tongue in cheek: I’m referring to

a) I just joined the club today – this is my letter of introduction. And also an unabashed plug for my purpose in life: Rider safety. Thanks for letting me be a member.

b) that no matter how experienced riders we are, honing and improving our skills should never cease.

I’m semi-retired from business, spend most of my time riding around this fabulous country and making new friends wherever I go. Picked up a new R 1200 GS in June of last year, almost 20,000 miles in the last 7 seven months. Seattle (Touratech Rally), British Columbia, Toronto, New York (MOA rally) usually taking the most winding road in the process. I’m a lone wolf traveler, no set itinerary or schedule. I get there when I get there. Often times, I don’t know where ‘there’ is. As a result, I meet the most interesting people, by chance.

One such person is my new boss, Police Sgt. Ryan Austin. Yes, I am back at work, started March 25th, 2017. This is a poignant date, in both a good way and a very, very bad way. That’s the day I also almost died. More about that later.

Some of you may have seen a few of my motorcycle articles and photography in the BMW OTL magazine, and there’s going to be much more to come. I have some time on my hands as I am recovering.

Ryan Austin can be summed up in ONE word: EARNEST.

He’s a real, full-time motorcop – his job is to train other motorcycle cops to be the very best they can be. Combined with over 20 years of 2 wheel experience and as an expert in accident reconstruction, a particularly survivable, yet fatal motorcycle accident led to the idea of teaching civilians the procedures that only cops are taught. 12 years ago, this idea led to the birth of Advanced Rider Training.
Per simple chance, I met Ryan Austin at a BMW dealership in Ontario, Canada last August. I was immediately struck by his earnesty. I was also about to head west, but decided to delay my departure for another week, so I could actually take the 23 hour class.

Did I mention EARNEST? That’s an attitude that resonates with me. Ryan’s focus truly is rider SAFETY. He doesn’t do this for a living. None of us do. We are all volunteers. That’s why we can offer the full 23 hour, 2.5 day course for a whole lot less than you would think.

The subject matter of the course is confidence. Confidence in slow speed maneuvering, panic stop and swerve, situational awareness, sudden directional changes, anti-target fixation and the list could go on. But first the basics. Keep your head up, waaaay up, look where you want to be, not where the bike is going. Sounds easy? Now trying doing that @ 3 mph while executing a 12 ft radius, full lock 360-degree turn. Something practically none of us can do without practice. In this case, you will have your very own 1 on 1 coach literally running next to you, with a stabilizing grip on your bike. Yes, we do lose several pounds of weight over a weekend of coaching.

My area of expertise is ATTGATT. More than anything else, ATTGATT is about mindset. I used to think I was invincible. Combined with DENIAL. That was 44 years ago. Then I almost killed myself attempting a full frontal assault on a tractor. I was 19. Did that teach me anything? Yes. Now I had proof that I was invincible. I knew how to cheat certain death. Little did I know that Death was merely honing his skills, waiting for the next opportunity to really trip me up. That opportunity arose on March 25, 2017. My wife of a mere 20 days almost became a widow. But I lived, thanks to ATTGATT. And the newest technology: HELITE Airbag vest. I’m hobbling around with a broken femur, but from the waist up I do not have a scratch.

What happened? I’ll tell you in person at Long Beach BMW next Friday, April 21st. 6:30 to 10 pm.
We will be conducting a 3-hour seminar on rider safety and go through the closed course training syllabus. The 2 next days will be where you learn how to do it on a closed course training facility.

Check out our website:
http://www.advancedridertraining.com

Looking forward to seeing y’all. I may be the guy with the walker, but I’m alive!

Erik Munck