At the Cornerspin school, the emphasis is placed on the concept of traction or grip, a critical element in all forms of motorcycling. Knowing the limit of traction is critical for the rider’s confidence in both the motorcycle and the surface.
Aaron Stevenson, the instructor at Cornerspin, offers a tailored approach to the specific aspirations and needs of every student. Aaron, a highly decorated rider himself, brings a wealth of knowledge from his 30 years of teaching experience. He has coached numerous champions in various categories. His expertise includes Road racing, Sport, Touring, Dual Sport, ADV, Dirt, Cruiser, and Supermotard, ensuring comprehensive training regardless of which bike or type of riding you want to train for. Included with tuition, the school provides 100cc or 150cc dirt bikes. For their ADV school, you bring your own bike and swap back and forth between the small bike and your large bike while gaining confidence as you learn new skills.
The learning experience at Cornerspin goes beyond mere practical skills. We started from diving into the physics and mechanics of the bike. We had several theoretical sessions at a whiteboard, covering concepts that I never considered. For example, Aaron provided an explanation of how and why the motorcycle chassis responds to rider inputs and then I tested this through a set of exercises in adjusting body position and hand pressure on the inside bar. This noticeably altered the bike’s front-end feel and I went through ”no feel” to a “full awareness” of the surface. This was an eye opening experience.
Another notable aspect of training with Aaron is that he sometimes rides “2up” with you, meaning he gets on the bike with you and takes control. At a couple of instances, he hopped behind me, rode the same course one handed, with no access to the rear brake, talking to me all the time and leaning the bike way beyond my comfort zone through the dusty corners. And he was faster than me!
Ending the two day training with Aaron I had one question that bothered my mind. How can one really ride without such understanding of grip? Shouldn’t this be required training before a biker would get his/her license? Because it applies to everything, Sport, Touring, Dual Sport, ADV, Dirt, Cruiser, and Supermotard, every moment of riding. I left with a lot of homework and I’m excited to start on it.
You can find the list of dates for future training here.
PS. Our breaks were filled with conversations and stories which related to our training and the sport we love. Interestingly, Aaron included martial arts and how much the psychology and mentality of this ancient art is similar to high level riding. Somehow these worlds complement each other and frequently come together in one person. Just an observation.
LanaOnWheels 