Twist of the Wrist 2 DVD Review
For more than 30 years Keith Code and his coaches have been working to develop a system of training that removes the mystery of riding a motorcycle quickly. From his findings he started the riding school, California Superbike School.
The school breaks down the various aspects of riding and gives you drills to perform to help you improve on those aspects. It is a formula that has been tried and tested for many years, producing many happy customers in the process.
However, while I’m sure we would all agree that when it comes to bettering our riding skills there is no substitute for on track and classroom training, the costs involved can be quite substantial and for a lot of riders it’s either unaffordable or they feel they’d rather spend the money on something else, such as more track time.
This doesn’t mean to say that you are unable to better your understanding of riding motorcycles and in turn see some real improvements on the track.
During the time that Keith has been perfecting his training curriculum, he has also been publishing his findings in a variety of books, the most recent being ‘A Twist of the Wrist II’, and it is on this book that this DVD is based on.
Things You’ll Learn About
If you know anything about the book ‘A Twist of the Wrist II’ then you’ll know that there is an awful lot of material on the subject of riding, and because of this the DVD also conveys many lessons in the art of cornering on a motorcycle.
During the DVD, among many other things you’ll learn lessons such as:
- How we properly turn a motorcycle and what we can do to make it easier.
- The importance of good throttle control and how bad throttle control can affect our riding.
- How our vision can help us go quicker.
- The benefits of correct body position.
- How to choose the right lines.
- Correct braking techniques.
- How our ‘Survival Reactions’ hold us back and how we can beat them.
What I Like About it
Many have commented that the book this DVD is based on is hard to understand and take in, with a lot of riders finding that they simply glaze over as they get deeper into the various lessons. The DVD is a lot easier to take in because it has been somewhat simplified, however this doesn’t massively affect your learning potential as it still contains all the important information needed to get the concepts across.
This simplified approach coupled with some great demonstration footage means you can really get to grips with the principles. Seeing them in practice while the teachings are narrated (very well by Julian Ryder I should add) over the top of the footage just makes it easier to take in and understand.
Another plus point is that the teachings are never sold as being solely for the track. Being a canyon rider himself Keith understands that road riders are as much in need of coaching as track riders, and so you will find many instances where the principles are demonstrated in a road environment.
The lessons aren’t about how to navigate a track quickly but rather how to efficiently and safely use your motorcycle, which will then in turn allow you to navigate different environments quickly, be it the road or track.
If you don’t fancy diving into text based teachings on motorcycle riding just yet, then you will not find a more comprehensive set of guidelines for riding than you will on this DVD. It really is a very complete course that covers almost every aspect of cornering on a motorcycle.
Click to see prices for A Twist of the Wrist II DVD
What I Don’t Really Like
The DVD follows the story of two budding motorcyclists who are trying to better themselves and their riding. As you progress through the DVD and you are taught each new principle, the new riders are shown to be learning those same lessons and getting better as a result.
It’s a good idea on paper and it’s clearly an attempt to get some sort of entertainment factor in there, but it doesn’t really work and just comes across a little too cheesy for my liking. Though you only have to put up with it during your first viewing, after which you can skip through all the cheesiness.
As I said above, it is a very complete set of instructions to motorcycle riding, but as a consequence it can seem like a lot to take in for a new rider. This shouldn’t strictly be seen as a negative as it just demonstrates how comprehensive this DVD is, but it doesn’t change the fact that if this is all new to you it may take a while to digest.
Summary
If it is your goal to become a better road and track motorcycle rider, aside from getting on track training, the best thing you can do is try and better understand the principles behind riding a motorcycle quickly by studying from a variety of different sources.
The Twist of the Wrist series is one of the best sources to learn from, and if you can implement what Keith talks about to a decent level then you’ll find yourself as one very competent rider.
After my second crash I decided to take my riding more seriously and this DVD was my first port of call in my quest to better myself and my riding skills. To this day it still remains as my favourite resource I’ve picked up, and while many of the teachings are now part of my riding, I still find there is something that I pick up on each time I watch it.
This can only be a testament to how useful the teachings have been, and proof that Keith’s 30 years of work have developed a great platform to teach riders wanting to learn.