Keeping the front end out of a short
water crossing prevents it being
knocked about by unseen obstacles. |
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The images on this page represent four reasons for tire lofting. There are more. Perhaps the most important reason for developing CVTMS (Controlled Vertical Tire Maneouvering Skills), is as a
self-rescue technique for getting yourself out of a tight spot.
When traction is key, & steering
less important, putting all the
weight on the rear wheel is helpful. |
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Obstacles can come out of nowhere pretty quickly off pavement. If
you've already been involved in the SkillzDrill Series for a while,
your average speed off pavement has likely been increasing. You may not
be able to correspondingly decrease your reaction time, but you can
certainly increase your repertoire of effective reactions.
 Tire lofting can get you down this
drop into a sandy wash without 3
helpers - or a stop. It can get
you up, too. |
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Lofting the tire(s) is largely a matter of simultaneous, synergistic control use. Our initial drills will build on the Control Synergy SkillzDrill, covering various ways to combine control inputs in different circumstances to achieve useful results. Once we have the basic tools in hand, we will move on to applying these new skills in a variety of real-world situations, focusing on details such as body memory, timing, & how to recognize which type of lofting technique is most suitable for a given terrain.
Heading left to right, the washout is almost invisible. Coming upon such an obstacle unawares could spell disaster. Lofting could easily save man & machine. |
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Situations can arise in which the ability to loft the tire(s) can spare
a rider costly repair shop and hospital bills, yet many people are
intimidated by the idea of removing even one of their motorcycle’s
tires from the earth. This is the class for you! On the fence? Here's a
real case of tire lofting saving my skin (turned into a tongue-in-cheek class advert).
This class has a prerequisite: Contact EarthRider before registering for this class.
