During the past few days, I’ve been thinking more and more about what my blog has become - perhaps that’s my way of saying I’m in a bit of a self reflective moment right now, which all in all I think is a realatively healthy thing - its been a pretty good length of time since I started blogging and as I look back at what has come out so far, I’m left with the realization that what simply started off as a rambling creative outlet, has in many ways become a journey through my life via motorcycles.

I set my blog up in January with the idea that I’d spend my time writing about a number of potential areas and I set up several categories in preperation. However seven months later it appears that a number of these categories still stand relatively barren. I seem to continually come back to writing about my experiences while either riding or reading about riding. Almost exclusively actually.

In a way this realization seems rather surprising to me because I derive a great deal of pleasure out a number of different things or activities or areas in life, yet on the other hand I supose that there are few things that truly exemplify one’s exsistence like riding. And, I’ve always thought that everyone in life should have a certain number of James Bond type skill sets at their disposal. Riding proficiently just happened to be a skill set that spoke out to me.

Like many other riders out there, I take a great deal of pride in the skill that I’ve been cultivating for the past several years. I started out knowing I wanted to become a good rider, but completely unaware of how one actually went about doing that. The MSF course laid a basic foundation and MotorMilt certainly helped me get a well rounded grasp of the sport, but unlike many other activities, learning how to ride well is something that is almost a 100% internal exercise. Once you’re on the bike there simply isn’t room for a driver’s ed teacher. It’s just you and your first bike navigating any number of beginner pitfalls.

I remember when things first started to ‘click’ for me on my first bike, an old and cranky BMW R1100RSA, I was on Mullhulland Highway headed towards the Rockstore when I got through a short chicane that went left, right, left and I took the whole piece in one fluid motion. I was grinning ear to ear after only lightly tapping my brakes and almost exclusively countersteering the bike. From that day forward I realized that to become a really good rider - not some crazed canyon kid putting his or her knee down at every stop, but a truly proficient, safe, and fast rider I need more information… And it was only a short time later that MotorMilt & I did our first CLASS course together. Obviously you can only do track days so often, so in order to continue to accumulate more knowledge I started reading more and more motorcycle related books - Keith Code’s ‘Twist of The Wrist’ series being perhaps the most memorable… Fast forwad to today and I’m still actively seek out more knowledge about riding and the techniques involved.

So with that in mind, I ordered Reg Pridmore’s Smooth Riding The Pridmore Way and Nick Ienatsch’s Sport Riding Techniques: How to Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, & Confidence for MotorMilt & I to digest.

In many ways I’m sure that picking up the new Duc has motivated a renewed interest on my part in books like these because for the first time in quite awhile I feel like I have loads to learn in order to safely ride the Ducati. All I’ve ever known since I started riding has been BMWs and while I’ve grown to love their Anti-Lock Brakes and the rather unique BMW telelever suspension, they’re very cushy, comfortable motorcycles that in many ways limit how much risk you feel. The Ducati on the other hand constantly reminds you. You feel every bump, every rev, and every movement by both the rider and the suspension.

In many ways the differences between the Ducati and the BMW could be an apt comparison between Nick Ienatsch’s book and Reg’s. The Pridmore book is easy to read, has a ton of great information and reminds you how much you love to ride. The Ienatsch book on the other hand feels like one stop below a track day. After reading both of these books cover to cover - a couple of times each - I feel like I’m choosing which bike to take out for a weekend ride. I’m hard pressed to pick a winner, but rather I find the combination of the two an optimal experience. Just like the bikes, they’re both fantastic reads and without a doubt some of the best money I’ve spent on motorcycle riding education over the past year.

Reg spends quite a bit of time harpping on smoothness and control - not exactly a shock if you’ve taken a CLASS course with him - yet he also sets up a four step approach for getting your knee down and explains why it’s not as crazy as it seems. I also greatly enjoyed his description of which line to take on a city street and why… Perhaps that’s the reoccuring theme with Reg, why… Why you should try this or do that instead of merely riding like a beginning MSF student…

In comparison, Ienatsch’s book feel more sport bike centric. Like Reg, Nick spends a great deal of time on smoothness and proper riding mechanics, such as seating position and the optimal grip for the throttle and brake, yet he also tackles his version of the right line and suspension management as it relates to throttle and brake control. While Reg’s book is filled with bits of his personal racing history, Ienatsch forgoes much of that and instead spends his time with you focused on his version of how you should ride. Although, ultimately one of the things that I greatly respect about both of these riders and authors is that they don’t act like their word is the definative truth on the subject. Rather they both present their advice as if they were one part of a series of suggestions. I for one greatly appreciate that, as I’ve never gotten on well with people who believe their way is the only way. Not that it greatly matters since it’s the information inside that’s important, but if there’s one area that Ienatsch clearly outshines Reg it’s in packaging. David Bull Publishing has done an outstanding job of making Ienatsch’s book not only amazingly readable but also coffee table worthy in presentation.

While much of the information in both books is simmilar, both authors clearly have their own voice and their own take. If you were only going to purchase one, I’d suggest you try to read a few samples pages and see which style you find more enjoyable. Personally, I found both extremely readable, but that may not be true for everyone.

Perhaps most importantly, after reading both books several times between rides, I feel like I’m beginning take what I’m learning from the text to the asphalt. And that’s a pretty cool feeling.