Five reasons why CSS makes sense

There are several reasons why every rider should attend the California Superbike School. Here are five that I think are particularly relevant to an Indian motorcyclist

Words: Aninda Sardar

If I could rattle the number of reasons why a rider, any rider, should go ahead and register for the California Superbike School then chances are you can leave the monologue now and rejoin it at the end of the day. Pause. Ok, so now that the exaggeration has sunk in, here’s my point; there are endless reasons (some practical and many are often personal) to go and attend the three days of world renowned California Superbike School, or CSS as it is popularly known (click here to know about CSS India details). I attended CSS back in 2014 and can tell you from experience that it’s a riding school unlike any other. Here are my top five reasons why it’s a must-do for any motorcyclist looking to be a better rider.

It makes you faster

Isn’t that the number one reason anyway? Keith Code, the founder of CSS, decoded the techniques that could be uniformly applied to all riders to make them go faster around turns. That was the late 1970s. Since then he, along with his set of dedicated coaches around the world, have continually improved those techniques, which are then imparted to the attendees. From experience, I can tell you they work and you’ll find a significant difference to your ability to go faster.

Improves confidence

Every drill, starting from the first through to the last, is about increasing the rider’s confidence going into a turn and then getting out. The coaches see to it that every passing session builds your confidence. And once you practise those skills on your regular rides, there’s no end to the amount of improvement that you can achieve in your riding style.

You’ll be safer

Because CSS focuses a lot on improving your vision while riding and teaches you what to look for and what to look at (they even tell you what to avoid looking at!), it makes you safer as a rider. You begin to pay more attention to your environment and thus become aware of potential dangers long before they become a hazard. As a result you act pre-emptively to avoid danger rather than react to what you think is a sudden appearance of danger.

You look cooler

CSS coaches teach you how to sit right on a motorcycle. Of course their intent is to help you with your riding abilities but a happy by-product is that you start looking more confident and much cooler than you did before. Now who wouldn’t want to look cool on a bike?

Three days of track time

If you’re still debating whether it’s of any value to you, let three days of track time around the Madras Motor Race Track convince you to sign up. The fact that you’ve got a coach, live tips and tricks on correct techniques and a bunch of like-minded riders (well, mostly) should have you sold on the idea.