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!
3 comments:
Turn-in points, also known as apexes, shouldn't be committed to until you can see the exit of the turn. At least, on the streets. It's only then that you have all the information. Why make yourself vulnerable without knowing all the factors? Stay wide until you can see the exit, then. Most apexes in the real world will be late because of limited visibility.
As to track days, if you go into them with the goal of making yourself a better street rider, they're worthwhile. I train motor cops in slow speeds, small enclosed tracks, and flat out high speed race tracks.
We tell them to use street lines rather than racing lines even on the big tracks. The difference? Street lines always leave a rider a way out. Riding on a track will also give you more confidence in just what the bike will do if ever you should need to call upon it. For example, a lot of riders get into corners too hot and don't think the bike can make the curve. So they give up and crash. Guess what? Most bikes are capable of far more than a rider realizes because they've never had a chance to go there. Look and press. You know the bike will do it.
Work on smooth transitions. Riding a lot faster also trains a rider to make their head and eyes keep up with higher speeds. The faster you ride, the farther ahead you need to look.
Sorry to get carried away but it's a subject near and dear to me! My helmet's totally off to you for stepping up to a higher level!!!!
Really, thanks for your thoughtful response. My goal this year is to really think about my riding. I like it a lot because it's elemental.
The Lee Parks book makes some mistakes, I think. It's written for both the street and track and I don't think it can really be done that way.
For what it's worth I think I misinterpreted Parks' advice. He is talking about practicing. I've read it over a few times and I have to say it's ambiguous. I really don't know if he's saying to choose the point in advance or not. I've emailed him to ask.
Even in turns where I can see the entire corner before I arrive it's very hard for me to choose a tip in before I am actually tipping in.
I have to say I am more confused than ever. This is a good thing. It means new thinking. I am really revisiting turn in with new eyes. I'm not too sure how this will work itself out.
I rode around a traffic circle on the way home over an over again. Interesting.
About track days: That post was kind of hurried. I think track days are great, for those that can afford them. The $295 for the Lee Parks class is totally worth it to me. It's almost $100 more than a track day but I think I will get a lot more out of it.
I also think that I can learn a lot more in the relatively low speed environment of a parking lot.
The MSF ERC lets off too early. I need more than the ERC at this point (I took it every spring for years and still think it's a valuable refresher) but I don't know how much I would get out of a track day where a mistake could happen at really high speeds.
If there was a track closer it would be a better option too.
I'll get to a track day but it's not a super high priority.
I also like riding with guys that are good safe riders. I've learned a lot from other riders and I think now Yankee Beemers is a good club for me. There's guys there that can teach me a think or two and they are pretty funny to boot.
Thanks for your thoughts on this. Intuition tells me your right. My uncertainty has allowed me to see tip in for what it is, a succinct part of cornering I had not isolated before. Who knows where it will take me.
I attended Lee Parks' class too. Really enjoyed it! It was a nice step beyond my MSF teaching (including the ERC).
What it showed me about my riding is that basically I'm kind of lazy, staying in the saddle and just tipping the bike in via the bars rather than working harder to hang off and lean in.
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