The Art of Control: Bonding with my Suzuki V-strom SX at PSS

This begins when a friend of mine shared with me a post about a riding school near Pune. the dearth of a good riding teacher out here in Pune is such that I still reached out to the man himself, Abhishek Wairagade, a CSS trained rider

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Well this post is long pending and I can not think of a better post to kick start my TeamBHP journey than this. It’s about those three days where I learnt to be friends with my Stromy, unlearn and relearn some fundamentals of riding and subsequently improve on my skills as a rider. To cut the suspense short at the start itself might seem like a silly thing. But I’m sure you would be eager to read ahead, the first part in a two part series, to find out just how exactly I managed to do that.

This begins when a friend of mine shared with me a post about a riding school near Pune. But it indeed had a strange name, a name far from what one might expect from a riding school. If you heard it, you might totally believe that it’s a reference to a vegetable market. And no one would blame you, for the name “Pavtya Superbike School” hardly convinces anyone of its pedigree. But the dearth of a good riding teacher out here in Pune is such that I still reached out to the man himself, Abhishek Wairagade, a CSS trained rider, among many of his other accomplishments and experiences (the list is just way too long, that itself calls for another post). After getting in touch with him regarding the details of the course, I was still a bit unconvinced whether this is something for me or not. And so I waited. I waited for a few more batches to go through PSS, observed their photos, there were even before and after photos posted so that helped cement the inclination to attend the course. I paid the fees and lo and behold, I was all set to attend the course.

Soon I was added to a group and a checklist was shared covering all the important aspects of the bike’s maintenance and what all should be checked. With all the boxes ticked off, I waited eagerly for the 1st February 2025, for that was D1 of the course. The meet up point was some 75 min away from my house as per Google Maps, but being the ever skeptic regarding time (that's because I’m SUPER punctual, please understand the sarcasm) and not wanting to be late, hardly slept throughout the night, waking up after every 10-15 minutes just to check the time and sleep again. Finally by about 3:30 I was fed up with the entire routine of checking the phone and waking up again after 10 min. I woke up, got dressed, had a couple of bananas, did some last minute checks like tyre pressure, chain lubing etc and by 4:30 I was on the road. For a place which was 75 minutes away and we were supposed to group up by 6:30. That was the level of excitement and anticipation I had.

We grouped and topped up our tanks and set out for the location where the actual training would take place, some 20 kilometres away from the meeting point. As we approached the track, the group led by Abhishek just swept up in a smooth fast blaze. Since I was at the rear of the group I could clearly see each rider attack the corner and go up the hill. Boy was that a mesmerising sight. We stopped on a service road where we parked our bikes and a white board was taken out. A rough map of the track was drawn with all the corners highlighted. And on the other side were the drills to be practiced throughout the day. But before actually starting riding, there was a pretty informal introduction and the experience of the riders gauged. Of that I was the one with the least riding experience having learned to ride a bike in October 2023. So naturally I was a bit nervous considering the bikes and the experience of all the others. Over the next two days this feeling would vanish and would be replaced by a sense of elation when all the drills practiced, clicked into place.

My riding and comfort level at the beginning.

The day started with a cone drill, we navigated our bikes, both standing besides it and walking it through and riding it, manoeuvring it between the cones. Some had a bit of difficulty while some just waltzed through it. Post that we had our breakfast comprising of sandwiches and then we kicked off the first drill. The first drill was pretty basic and what we had to do was go about the track without changing the gear and without using the brakes. The purpose behind this was to get familiar with the track, and to get familiar with the bike as well. Once we got comfortable with the track, we started up on the second drill- throttle control. Instructions were clear and crisp with step by step explanations. This was something new for me, something which I had seen in quite a few reels earlier, but somehow never got what the intention was behind that and more importantly how to implement it. We did about another 20 min around the track and rolled in for the next drill. The third drill- counter steering. Again something which I was aware of through YouTube videos and reels, something which I had tried it out earlier, but just wasn’t doing it the right way. The instructions were pretty basic and the key part of this entire drill seemed like a paradox and the words of Doc Hudson from “Cars” rang in my ears, “to go right turn left and to go left turn right.” Some concepts that had confused me earlier, became clear as we got the explanations and the instructions. After about 20 mins of riding, we pulled up under an underpass for the instructions for the fourth drill- body positioning and rider inputs. The entire process of being shown the positioning of the legs was quite arduous I must say. The effort required, at that moment, seemed so much that it was a wonder people could even ride. But all of this was when we were stationary. When we started moving, the instructions made sense. The difference in pace was immense and even a newbie like myself could feel that I was going smoother and quicker if not necessarily faster. Soon after this we broke off for lunch and helped ourselves to a tasty chicken thali from a nearby highway side dhaba. And after a bit of break off we went to practice the fifth and the last drill- following markers. These would be our aids to make sure that we are leaning the bike at the right place and focusing on where we want to go. A couple of funny incidents happened in middle of this drill, the red coloured bottle which were the markers looked strikingly similar to a bottle full of petrol and while we were in middle of the drill, a couple of villagers just stopped their bike, picked up the bottle and made off with it, all in a matter of few seconds. One of the instructors soon replaced it with a pile of stones. However I didn’t notice that another similar pile of stones sat just a few feet behind it, right at the edge of the road. One particularly smart rider ( yours truly) didn’t realise that the second pile of stone could be a wrong one and instead focused on that and only when I passed through the two piles did I realise that I was focusing on the wrong marker. While this did have the potential to go down the wrong way, to me it just emphasised the importance of visioning- you will go where you look, hence look for the exit always. I followed the instructions well enough that even though I was close to the edge of the road, it didn’t feel wrong and I was able to get out of that situation. With that the drills for the day were over and we just practiced braking before calling it a day. We all braked from 60kmph-80kmph using only rear and front brakes. I always knew that the front is more responsible for the stopping power of a bike than the rear, from what all YouTube videos and Instagram reels i saw before, but the actual difference in the braking distance was realised on that day. With all the drills done for the day, we packed up and left for the hotel.

Going around the tracks using the "petrol" markers.

The Instructor in action himself.

On reaching the hotels, we retired to our respective rooms to freshen up and get out of the heavy sweaty riding clothes we had spent the entire day in. As soon as I stepped into the bathroom and the moment the hot water hit my body, I was suddenly made aware just how tiring and physically demanding the day had been. This feeling was completely unknown to me for I had never ridden that much in a day. After all was done, we all assembled in the restaurant/bar and nice chilled beers offered some respite from the heat of the day. The night went by in merriment as everyone now had something in common to talk to each other, that increased the amount of comfort and at the end resulted in us having a good evening. One particular incident i remember which took place in the evening was when we were discussing how many km had we ridden that day (about 235 as per my bike’s odometer) when i commented on the fact that since we rode at quite high RPMs throughout the day, I had a record lowest mileage of 31 kmpl. On hearing that, everyone else who had higher capacity bikes gave me a look of bewilderment and made me realise that maybe I should have just kept quiet about it, because there was an uproar at such a high mileage that I had on account of it being the smallest capacity bike in the group. Talks even went on to such an extent that I should use up the saved fuel charges and treat the group using that. Fortunately this didn't happen and it was indeed a good evening. We retired to our beds after refueling so that we wouldn't be in a rush in the morning and things could start on time.
The next day started early and chilly at 6:00 in the morning where we all collected our stuff and emptied the rooms. Within 10 minutes we were all on the road on the way to the track. The cool morning felt really fresh and the anticipation of today’s learning was creating intrigue in all of us. We halted at another highway side dhaba for breakfast and the briefing for the first drill. The white board was out and the objective was set. Continuing from where we had left off the previous day, we now would be creating our own markers to guide us along the curve. I did get the hang of it, however I didn't know how I would be able to apply it in real life, where there is so much uncertainty happening on the road. Would i get the time to pick out the marker and then commit to the turn, would the roads be even capable for me to do this. After 20 min, we went on ahead to the 2nd drill of the day. Now that we could envision our entry points to the corner, we had to also figure out and make sure that we are also sticking to the optimal line. This meant that we focus on a point which could be the apex of the turn. The apex is the point which is closest to the inside of a corner and is on the route of the shortest path through that corner. After going round the track, I could feel that the control which I had on my bike and that feeling of being quick had increased even more so than the previous day. This brought us to the third drill of the day, we would now learn how to exit the corner. By the end of the next 20 minutes, it all fell into place and i realised that there is a lot of things going on when one goes whizzing in corners. But all of this is good and merry when things are going on an isolated road or a track where there is no fear of people or animals or vehicles coming into your way at the most unexpected times, thereby sending your “line” for a toss. What to do now, your line is gone, how would you focus on your entry, your apex, your exit if you don't have any references or the clean path. And that brought us to the last drill for this very reason. All this time, we were following a line which was the fastest or the most optimal line on the track. But now we had to deliberately go out of that line, select the uncomfortable lines and then follow the instructions. By the time we completed the 20 minutes of riding, it was very clear to me that the techniques shown to me were the fundamental skills needed to be safe on the road. Because these did not depend on whether i entered a corner wide or close or if i was too slow or too fast or perhaps could not use the handlebar that effectively, whatever may the scenario be. The drills ended and we all caught our breaths exhilarated that we learned the cornering aspect of motorcycling, something which all enthusiasts crave to do. With the drills over, we all got out luggage and mounted it on our respective bikes and soon started the journey home. It was still a week to go for Day 3 but I was looking forward to it like anything. The entire journey back home was a chance to showcase all I had learnt regarding bike control and overall riding in general. I noticed that I was quicker than how I had been on the way to the school. I noticed that I was in general noticing a lot of things which were happening on the road, something which I had not noticed earlier. The journey home was smooth and I reached quickly in spite of the traffic which I encountered.

After two days at the Pavtya Superbike School, I walked away with far more than just technical knowledge. I gained confidence, control, and an entirely new perspective on riding. Each drill, no matter how simple it seemed at first, built upon the last, revealing how much I had yet to understand about handling a motorcycle. Throttle control, counter-steering, body positioning—these weren’t just techniques which MotoGP riders do to look cool; they were fundamental tools that transformed my riding from hesitant and reactive to smooth and intentional. But beyond the mechanics, the biggest realization was that riding isn’t just about speed or aggression—it’s about precision, awareness, and adaptability. The contrast between riding on an isolated track and navigating real-world traffic hammered home the importance of applying these skills dynamically. There would be no perfect lines on the road, no neatly placed markers to guide me through turns. Instead, I had to learn to read the environment, anticipate changes, and ride proactively rather than reactively. What started as an attempt to “bond” with my bike turned into an exercise in breaking down bad habits, unlearning assumptions, and rebuilding from the ground up. And perhaps that’s what truly separates a casual rider from one who is in control—not just of the bike, but of their own reactions and decisions.

Post the riding school, I kept the lessons in mind and at times it was frustrating that I could not implement them smoothly. The primary reason was because of one thing- traffic. What was almost absent at the track was now in abundance. Even though I had upgraded my skills to a certain level, the rest of the mass public had not. Which meant that I had to adjust and adapt to using the lessons I learnt out on the city roads. Aspects like throttle control, visioning etc still had their role, but what I found was that I could not fully commit to the turn, and rightly so since I was in the city with a lot of people around. This taught me to keep a cool head and not let instinctive reactions take over- ironically those could be more dangerous in real world scenarios.

My riding and comfort level after the two days.

As I ride now, a strange sense of clarity has settled in. I wasn’t just riding better—I was riding smarter. And that, I realized, has made all the difference.

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