Found me some nearby twisties!

skydivr

Jumps from perfectly good Airplanes
Donating Member
So, my wife (a pilot) takes me for a ride in my dad's airplane (1946 Taylorcraft, low and slow) on Thursday; clear as a bell and smooth. I am out looking nearby for a 1) big new asphalt parking lot to practice turning; and 2) maybe a local road that might have some good turns in it so I'd have a place to try and work on getting my knee down.

Low and behold, about 3 miles from our house I spot it: A side road out in the country, few/no houses, with a 90 degree right, a 90 left, a straightaway, then a right and a left again. Asphalt looks new, no center stripe, and looks like you could see thru the turn. So instead of enjoying the flight, I'm telling my wife, "lets go land so I can go ride that real quick before it gets dark!"

Didn't make it that day, but yesterday morning I did: It was as it appeared. Clean and smooth, no gravel and can see what's coming from both ways all the way thru to the other side. I think I rode it back and forth about 15 times (til my legs got tired standing/shifting on the pegs). I'm still a little spooked to go thru it fast enough to lean hard enought to get my kneee down; I'm going thru it in 3rd at somewhere near 50, but it's gonna another 5 MPH I suspect. I am just so tickled about finding a nearby road to learn on I had to post about it. The best part it's only 5 mins away so I could go ride it every day. As long as the few people who DO live out there don't call the LEO on me!

Still looking for a clean parking lot...
 
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Awesome! That's way better than searching the sat images on google for twisties. :beerchug: I found myself a parking lot that way, though. However, no twisties to speak of. I just have to make do with one 90 corner in front of work, but the u-turns do get a bit tiresome and the 35mph posted limit does NOT help either... :whistle:
 
Hey Keith, she didn't tip you over to the inverted position and shake you until all the change fell out of your pocket did she? That's an old trick I learned long ago. Shake em while inverted and pick up the change when you get back on the ground :cheerleader:

Little trick to try is put a little fish hook on the end of your turn to make the bike lean a little more. Give it a try and you'll be dragging your knee very quickly. I was doing that all day today. Once I could see throught the corner, I'd be out wide then tip it in hard all the way across into the other lane and make sparks fly from my titanium sliders. Tons of fun! Try it tomorrow and I'll bet you get your knee down! :thumbsup:
 
If the freakin rain would ever clear :(

Steven, it may be more about me trusting the tires/lean angle; it's something I've got to work thru in my head. I start for the turn, then get nervous and back off...it's why I need a spot to do it again and again. Oh, and by the way, I put that Woodcraft Stator Cover on last night so I don't have to worry about that slider catching anymore - which contributed to the nervousness.

Same for Airplane Pics Bogus....my wife is a pretty good taildragger pilot - This Taylorcraft won best of show for Sun/Fun several years ago.
 
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