I'm pretty excited to be taking Lee Parks Total Control ARC class this spring. Priscilla and I will be going out on May 10 & 11 to Troy, NY and I'll be taking two days of classes, with Priscilla, hopefully, joining me. for a little two up instruction.
The class appealed to me as I am a pretty competent street rider but not particularly interested in track days. Track days seem great, but the nearest track is a good distance away and the days are expensive. The basic entry for a track day in these parts is around $200.
I guess the idea is good. I can haul ass around the track and just worry about my line and testing my limits. There's no Aramco or trees and no SUVs drifting over the line. Track days, seem to me, to be the province of guys with two year old Aprillias. don''t get me wrong here. I think they're great and I'll get there eventually but I am not in going fast.
Well, I am interested in going "fast" but not as a measure of outright speed. There's a fast feeling that comes from doing things well.
I rode this past weekend with the Yankee Beemers and had a great time with them. I rode in the slow group, but near the front and on wet roads. There's a lovely feeling on group rides. The Beemers are a nice club and good riders, from what I saw. We never grossly exceeded the speed limit, but, to quote Crosby Stills and Nash we were "nicely making way".
I'd like to have that feeling more often. That's why I signed up for Lee's course. It's seems to be about riding well. Riding well is something I am interested in.
Being a librarian I picked up Lee Park's book, Total Control. I read through it pretty quickly. I have to say it suites me better than the standard, Keith Code's A Twist of the Wrist.
This is a funny thing though. Parks suggests that you choose your corner entry position in advance on turn in. So, like, I am coming down the straight, and decide I am going to turn IN at the mailbox, or just after the mailbox.
All my motorcycling life I have been choosing the corner exit point and just sort of tuning in when I thought I could see far enough through the corner that I felt like "now".
I tried this somewhat on the Yankee Beemers ride. I worked sometimes and sometimes didn't.
After about 10 years of thinking about riding I had gotten to the point of refining known facts. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. It seems like a track day thing, but of it winds up being useful and improves my street riding, great!
