Arriving on New Year's Day at Harry's offices in Redwood City, I was sitting in a large room full of motorcyclists at the offices of Wong Chiropractic  when Richard Alves, Kari Praeger and other GS celebrities entered and the class began. As in the past Dr. Wong had squeezed a dirt bike up the elevator and into the office, and he and a champion enduro rider addressed the class while standing on the bike to demonstrate proper technique including the following:

• One should stand on the pegs on those occasions when the bike needs to work under you to go over irregularities in the trail. Also standing on the pegs will effectively lower the bikes center of gravity.
• Proper stance entails standing with the balls of your feet on the pegs (except to shift or brake) keeping your balance neutral. This is to say neither having to pull or push on the handlebars. On a GS this is usually with your head over the triple clamps. You can tell if you tend to be too far back because your forearms get tired. If you tend to be too far forward, the back of your arms gets tired from pushing off the handlebars.
• As you accelerate you lean forward to keep your balance neutral where you aren't pulling on the bars, the reverse as you decelerate.
• Proper braking means using both brakes without locking up wheels.
• I you ride across a hill, drive the rear wheel into the hill to increase traction by weighting on the outside or downhill peg. If the rear wheel loses traction the rear will tend to slide down hill. If you find this advice counterintuitive, try weighting on the uphill peg and see what happens. As in all situations where lack of traction is an issue, be smooth with the throttle when traversing a hill.
• Turning by countersteering takes traction from the front wheel. Bikes need to lean to turn. Learn to turn (lean) the bike by weighting the pegs rather than steering in situations where traction is limited.
• Learn to turn the bike by locking the rear brake while putting your weight on the outside peg and leaning the bike. This technique can save you if you go into a turn too fast since you can both turn and slow. Practicing this is promised for the riding part of the class on Sunday.
• The most important thing about going uphill is to have enough momentum before you even hit the slope to get up it. You will lose traction on the slope. If your not going to make it, turn the bike to the side or even completely around to make it easier to go down. Once the bike is stopped trying to proceed up the hill will often just result in digging a hole with your spinning rear wheel. BTDT. Note in a borderline case, don't stand on the ground spinning the rear wheel with only the bikes weight on it. Sit as far back as possible to put as much weight as possible on the wheel and see if you can move the bike.
• When going down hill look to the bottom at a place where you can get into control if your going to fast. Don't panic and lock up wheels on the way down or your going to take a soil sample with your face. Keep the spot at the bottom where you can regain control in mind.

After the class which included several points that I have not remembered, there was a rustling of people putting on their Aerostiches and rumble of good conversation. I rode off intending to go to bed early. The next day promised breakfast at Alice's Restaurant, the twisties of Skyline Drive and the Pacific Coast Highway with the dirt riding class to come on Sunday.