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After viewing RLAP the Fifth DVDa couple of times I'm still not exactly sure I learned anything that hasn't been part of my repertoire for the last 44 years, but it offered some refreshers.
First the easy part: The author (Motorman Palladin) states in his opening comments that if you've viewed RLAP 1, 2,3, or 4, there's really nothing new in version 5. So if that's your situation, you can put your wallet away and save the $34.95 he's asking for the latest issue.
In looking and listening, I didn't see anything that hasn't been an accepted tenet in low speed (or high speed) motorcycle operation dating back to the invention of 2 wheelers. Having said that, the RLAP presentation provides the re-packaged information in an entertaining form, and the demonstrations of low speed/big bike handling through a variety of fairly intimidating obstacle courses are certainly impressive and confidence inspiring. There's a bit of an element of campy showmanship of course, but that's to be expected from a troupe that puts on motorcycle shows and teaches the RLAP training seminars 365 days a year. If we all put in those kinds of hours at practice we'd be able to make a DVD too.
I did find the presentation a little slow and frequently found myself thinking "OK, OK, I got it the first time you explained it, now skip on down!" But of course the DVD is pitched to a generic audienceand illuminating a technique from several different angles is an accepted teaching practice, so my impatience is just due to me being a curmudgeon; I often have the same problem with the way MSF publications present their information.
In my opinion the DVD could have been shorter, ending after the presentation/demonstration of the 8 excercise/courses. The section dealing with the Motor Officer Course simply went over much of the same technique, differing only in the layout of the obstacle course (tighter tolerances).
I also felt thatone of the more important cautions wasn't properly emphasized. At the end of the 8 excercise presentation the instructor noted casually in passing that you should cool the clutch and rear brake "every 5 minutes or so" especially in hot weather. Given the extensive demonstrations of riding the rear brake and slipping the clutch during the obstacle courses, I think that caution should have been presented at the beginning of the exercises and reinforced midway through. Because of the way the DVD is edited, the viewer doesn't see any of the students or demonstration riders cooling down their bikes during the exercises and it isn't emphasized in the written practice instructions that accompany the DVD.
My last nitpick is admittedly petty and mean spirited.:X In the opening credits the DVD shows that Palladin and his Ride Like A Pro team are sponsored by Harley-Davidson; the RLAP team uses Electra Glides. No big deal; the EG is comparable in weight and slow speed handling to Goldwings.What frosted me a bit is during the all too brief views of the students and the accompanying off screen analysis commentary, the camera seemed to focus on the poor guys and their GL1800's having troubles with the obstacle courses (including a GW dump). There are a few sequences of non-GW riders having problems, but the principal focus is on Wing riders' difficulties. The fact that the ending summary shows an 1800 (Red, too...:dude successfully navigating the course doesn't wholly dispel the tacit negative message.
Having said all that, if you've never seen the demo's or haven't ever gotten used to slipping a clutch and using the rear brake to stabilize your bike, this is a decent presentation and may inspire you to do great things at low speed (U-turns, figure 8's, cone weaves, etc) with confidence.
Or not...:cheeky1:
IMHO $19.95 would be a more realistic price for the offering, so if you want to add this sort of thing to your personal MC library, see if you can find an "obsolete" version (RLAP 1 through 4)
My .02
After viewing RLAP the Fifth DVDa couple of times I'm still not exactly sure I learned anything that hasn't been part of my repertoire for the last 44 years, but it offered some refreshers.
First the easy part: The author (Motorman Palladin) states in his opening comments that if you've viewed RLAP 1, 2,3, or 4, there's really nothing new in version 5. So if that's your situation, you can put your wallet away and save the $34.95 he's asking for the latest issue.
In looking and listening, I didn't see anything that hasn't been an accepted tenet in low speed (or high speed) motorcycle operation dating back to the invention of 2 wheelers. Having said that, the RLAP presentation provides the re-packaged information in an entertaining form, and the demonstrations of low speed/big bike handling through a variety of fairly intimidating obstacle courses are certainly impressive and confidence inspiring. There's a bit of an element of campy showmanship of course, but that's to be expected from a troupe that puts on motorcycle shows and teaches the RLAP training seminars 365 days a year. If we all put in those kinds of hours at practice we'd be able to make a DVD too.
I did find the presentation a little slow and frequently found myself thinking "OK, OK, I got it the first time you explained it, now skip on down!" But of course the DVD is pitched to a generic audienceand illuminating a technique from several different angles is an accepted teaching practice, so my impatience is just due to me being a curmudgeon
; I often have the same problem with the way MSF publications present their information.In my opinion the DVD could have been shorter, ending after the presentation/demonstration of the 8 excercise/courses. The section dealing with the Motor Officer Course simply went over much of the same technique, differing only in the layout of the obstacle course (tighter tolerances).
I also felt thatone of the more important cautions wasn't properly emphasized. At the end of the 8 excercise presentation the instructor noted casually in passing that you should cool the clutch and rear brake "every 5 minutes or so" especially in hot weather. Given the extensive demonstrations of riding the rear brake and slipping the clutch during the obstacle courses, I think that caution should have been presented at the beginning of the exercises and reinforced midway through. Because of the way the DVD is edited, the viewer doesn't see any of the students or demonstration riders cooling down their bikes during the exercises and it isn't emphasized in the written practice instructions that accompany the DVD.
My last nitpick is admittedly petty and mean spirited.:X In the opening credits the DVD shows that Palladin and his Ride Like A Pro team are sponsored by Harley-Davidson; the RLAP team uses Electra Glides. No big deal; the EG is comparable in weight and slow speed handling to Goldwings.What frosted me a bit is during the all too brief views of the students and the accompanying off screen analysis commentary, the camera seemed to focus on the poor guys and their GL1800's having troubles with the obstacle courses (including a GW dump). There are a few sequences of non-GW riders having problems, but the principal focus is on Wing riders' difficulties. The fact that the ending summary shows an 1800 (Red, too...:dude
successfully navigating the course doesn't wholly dispel the tacit negative message.Having said all that, if you've never seen the demo's or haven't ever gotten used to slipping a clutch and using the rear brake to stabilize your bike, this is a decent presentation and may inspire you to do great things at low speed (U-turns, figure 8's, cone weaves, etc) with confidence.
Or not...:cheeky1:
IMHO $19.95 would be a more realistic price for the offering, so if you want to add this sort of thing to your personal MC library, see if you can find an "obsolete" version (RLAP 1 through 4)
My .02
