On Sunday, June 24 I took the Riding Course, Advanced Rider Defensive Skills Training and Advanced Rider Defensive Skills Development for street motorcycle riding. I had a lot of anxiety in the time leading up to this course; I haven't been riding that much this year and have had very little time at highway speeds. The course is held at the Dakota County Technical College grounds in Rosemount, a 28 mile drive (on highways!) from home. Yet I had signed up for it because I really want to improve my riding skills, and a class like this seemed to be the perfect solution.
I went shopping a couple of days before the course, and bought a much needed mesh jacket, armored pants, and summer gloves. The ride to the course went without a hitch.
The course itself was amazing. I was in the beginner class, and we had alternating classroom and track sessions. Each time out we added an additional element to our cornering.
1. Notice the X's that mark the turn-in points for the turns.
2. Hit the X's before turning in.
3. Flick rapidly and with control into your turn.
4. Shift your weight toward the turn and look through the corner.
5. Stay relaxed in the straights, wiggle your arms to stay loose.
6. I don't remember what else we added, because by this time it was near 90 degrees and I was tired. I definitely slowed down in the later sessions, just to stay in control and comfortable.
By the time we finished I was utterly drained. I had been drinking water all day, but the mental and physical stress had exhausted me. The highway ride home was tiring and busy, but I just stayed at a comfortable speed and stayed focused.
Wow. Most excellent practice. I want to do it again; hopefully at a cooler time!
Monday, June 25, 2007
The parental visit
Wow - a month since I last posted. How horrendous.
One of my excuses is that my parents were visiting for over a week. We spent a couple of days bumming around, shopping, having a family get-together... and then my dad came down with an infection and had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. Bad vacation! But fortunately they still had another 3-4 days of vacation left, and we had more time to bum around, visit relatives, and shop.
One of my excuses is that my parents were visiting for over a week. We spent a couple of days bumming around, shopping, having a family get-together... and then my dad came down with an infection and had to spend a couple of days in the hospital. Bad vacation! But fortunately they still had another 3-4 days of vacation left, and we had more time to bum around, visit relatives, and shop.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
