Ray
Well-known member
I am sure going to miss you guys. I did the ramble first time 5 years ago - hand full of guys very informal. I have watched these 18 pages of post with amazement, amusement, and a little bit of shock. Amazed just how big this is becoming and how far away some guys are coming to ride the roads we get lucky to do on a long day ride on a whim. Amused by all the fuse you guys are making - sound like either a bunch of old ladies preparing for a quilting marathon, or a race team getting ready for the Daytona 200. That is the part that worries me - like the post above needing to warn everyone to take it easy. You are on street bikes, on rural roads with unexpected dogs, kids, gravel, and cars that can creep into your lane on the blind corners. Everyone probably has experienced all those. So it is assumed everyone is going to be running 65% max of their and the FJR capabiiites.
I am going to miss it as we have our first race weekend so I am instructing at the track days and racing Sunday. Racing we try to go 95%, a few times I did over 100% and ran out of talent in the middle of a few corners - but with $2000 in gear on including inflatable vest usualy there are no concequences other than replacing some clip ons and levers. You really start to understand how uncontrolled the street is after riding on the tracks regularly and a lot of racers quit driving on the road becuase it appears so dangerous and uncontrolled compared to the track. But they are just big wimps
One thing we have learned for the track that really helps in street riding as well is go into the corner deeper and a little slower than normal, turn sharp and then accelerate to control how wide you want to exit (Lee Parks has a great book on this - I loaned mine to Gray Ray and he traded it to someone for a beer and cheap cigar). That approach helps you see if anything is in the road to make corrective actions, at a speed you can manuver if needed. It allows you to then accelerate as hard as you want exiting (which is a blast on the FJR) - this point and shoot method - slower in and accelerate hard out if done correctly makes it impossible to overshoot the corner and go off the outside of the road. It also keeps you away from the centerline of the road. If we turn too early on the race track we run too wide as well. If you have not done a track day highly recomend it. I did my first one on the FJR 5 years ago and learned more that one day than 35 years of street riding. It is extremely addicting however leading to race bikes, enclosed trailers and motorhomes
Really hate missing this
