Footdown

Reading Time:2 minutes

Published: 12:00am, 11 Nov 2006

Bike trainer Jimbo Dawson of KwikTigi Racing says Hong Kong riders are ill-prepared for the roads. 'These people don't know how to ride beyond looking at signs,' says the Zhuhai International Circuit-based Macau racer, who has raced in the Macau Grand Prix three times, and was a stunt double for Jackie Chan in Gorgeous.

'I give the average Joe/Josephine [and the not-so-average Joe/Josephine wannabe racer) the chance to ride a race bike, drive a race car, and do stunts in a very safe environment under my personal guidance,' says Dawson ([email protected]). 'It's not cheap, but what is safety worth? Over four years of doing this and no one has crashed while with me.'

He says he charges HK$1,850 for a track session at the Zhuhai International Circuit. 'Customers usually want to do two or three sessions, and come back saying, 'Now I know how to turn a bike.' People say motorcycles are dangerous, but they're not taught things such as counter steering.'

Dawson (below) says riders can be taught not to be intimidated by their bikes, and to 'ride within themselves'. 'I've broken 38 bones, very few from racing, but mainly on the road, doing silly things,' says the trainer, who performs stunts across the mainland on his CBR900. 'One of my clients passed her test, and then started falling over a few times. So she came to me. Now she's fine.'

The Harley-Davidson, BMW and Classic bikers are sticklers for road safety, but we also like the look of the Motor Alliance, a 50-strong group of enthusiasts (www.motoralliance.net). They made an orderly appearance at Sunday's Motorcycle Show in smart BMW black with the mission: 'To promote and respect the road safety of other users'. The club's members own many types of bikes, from choppers to scooters, as its name suggests, says alliance spokesman Thomas Lung. 'Sometimes we go for rides two or three times a week,' he says. 'We concentrate on safe biking, and like to train new riders. I've ridden for almost 30 years. It's not dangerous if you know what you're doing. And it helps to go out with other riders who can help you drive more safely.'

The club also introduced the Air Bag safe vest (above) which is inflated like a life-vest to protect the chest and neck and costs HK$2,000. A jacket version, as used by Japanese police, costs between HK$3,000 and HK$6,000.