Well, the weather was a little cool for extended riding today but I couldn't resist takin' 'er out. If I went nowhere else I just had to go back for some hair of the dog that bit me the last time I rode. That's right, I revisited the corner that sent me skating down the shoulder. I was on a mission.
To cut down on how long my thighs had to sting from the cool wind I skipped a couple roads and went into the corner from the opposite end this time. As I came up on it I thought to myself, "Damn, that don't look so bad. Why the f#@k did I lose it?".
Hmmm... I rolled through it at maybe 20mph just looking the roadway over. Yeah, it's off camber a little but not THAT friggin' much! Hmmm... I find a place to turn around and decide to take the corner at around 35mph just like I did the last time but without the throttle roll off. I just knew I could stick it.
I put the speedo on around 35 and got relaxed. As I approached the turn I went over my mental body position checklist... Ass slid left of center a couple inches... check. Right leg tight against tank... check. Left leg hanging out just a bit... check. Most of my weight on the pegs... check. I'm ready... As I enter the corner I counter steer a bit and drop into my lean while rolling on the throttle just enough to load the rear without increasing my speed too much. I was ready to give 'er more lean if necessary but there was no need. She was holdin' my line like she was on rails. Da 'Train was in 'er groove! Yeah baby!!!
I thought to myself, "That was way too easy. I gotta hit it harder!" Hehehe... A couple u-turns later I'm headed into the corner again. This time I'm rollin'. Don't know exactly how fast because I was concentrating my line and body position. No time to look at the speedo. This time as I enter the corner I roll on smooth but strong. So strong in fact that I got a little ass wiggle coming out the other side, and NOT because I was in MUD! Woohoooooooo!!! Ya know? I think that instant of ass wiggle on a busa rollin' hard off of a corner is almost as exciting as lofting the front in 1st and 2nd gear roll ons.
Almost! Hehehehehe...
So, after revisiting what I affectionately refer to as the Bastard Corner I can tell you that my running wide and leaving the road had absolutely NOTHING to do with the off camber nature of the corner. Without a doubt it was my riding and state of mind that day that sent me muddin'. I had planned to make several passes through that corner today but after the second run I felt no need to hit it again. There was nothing left to learn from it. It taught me the only lesson it held the last time I rode. That lesson was... KEEP your DAMNED HEAD out of your ASS and STAY on TOP of your MENTAL GAME while RIDING. There is no such thing as "JUST CRUISING"!!!
I think my new quote should be, "Ride Hard, Think Harder!".
<!--EDIT|BulletTrain
Reason for Edit: "Damned emoticon didn't work right..."|1070315210 -->
To cut down on how long my thighs had to sting from the cool wind I skipped a couple roads and went into the corner from the opposite end this time. As I came up on it I thought to myself, "Damn, that don't look so bad. Why the f#@k did I lose it?".
I put the speedo on around 35 and got relaxed. As I approached the turn I went over my mental body position checklist... Ass slid left of center a couple inches... check. Right leg tight against tank... check. Left leg hanging out just a bit... check. Most of my weight on the pegs... check. I'm ready... As I enter the corner I counter steer a bit and drop into my lean while rolling on the throttle just enough to load the rear without increasing my speed too much. I was ready to give 'er more lean if necessary but there was no need. She was holdin' my line like she was on rails. Da 'Train was in 'er groove! Yeah baby!!!
I thought to myself, "That was way too easy. I gotta hit it harder!" Hehehe... A couple u-turns later I'm headed into the corner again. This time I'm rollin'. Don't know exactly how fast because I was concentrating my line and body position. No time to look at the speedo. This time as I enter the corner I roll on smooth but strong. So strong in fact that I got a little ass wiggle coming out the other side, and NOT because I was in MUD! Woohoooooooo!!! Ya know? I think that instant of ass wiggle on a busa rollin' hard off of a corner is almost as exciting as lofting the front in 1st and 2nd gear roll ons.
Almost! Hehehehehe...
So, after revisiting what I affectionately refer to as the Bastard Corner I can tell you that my running wide and leaving the road had absolutely NOTHING to do with the off camber nature of the corner. Without a doubt it was my riding and state of mind that day that sent me muddin'. I had planned to make several passes through that corner today but after the second run I felt no need to hit it again. There was nothing left to learn from it. It taught me the only lesson it held the last time I rode. That lesson was... KEEP your DAMNED HEAD out of your ASS and STAY on TOP of your MENTAL GAME while RIDING. There is no such thing as "JUST CRUISING"!!!
I think my new quote should be, "Ride Hard, Think Harder!".
<!--EDIT|BulletTrain
Reason for Edit: "Damned emoticon didn't work right..."|1070315210 -->