In this installment of “Motor School,” Quinn offers exercises for better clutch control and slow-speed maneuvering. (Photos by Kevin Wing)

People ask me if I miss being a motor cop. Let?s unpack that. Do I miss washing off petrol and sunscreen at the end of every shift" Do I miss roadside debates about how ?everybody was speeding?" Do I miss the tragedy of consoling parents at a fatal accident in the middle of the night" A hard ?no? to all of those.

But what I do find myself missing these days is the incessant verbal abuse our motor unit dished out to each other at every opportunity. It didn?t matter how serious or important the moment; if you screwed up, however slight, you were doomed to receive ongoing mistreatment until the next guy came up short.
And there was no better place to experience the hazing than on the grinder where we trained slow?­speed skills every month on our motors. What should have been a place of learning, exploring, and honing of one?s skills was instead a schoolyard of insults, jabs, and finger?­pointing. Simply put, if your bike hit the ground, standby to standby, buddy, your ticket got punched.

Luckily, my bike rarely hit the deck on training days, because I was skilled with my clutch. Don?t get me wrong, my colleagues found ample opportunities to pound me into submission, but sloppy clutch work never made it on the menu.

Now I can?t speak for your sewing circle, but I?d venture to guess you all give eac...