Sunday once again was a wonderful day. With winter all but non existent it was decided that a few of us would go for a social ride. Andy on his k1300 r (affectionately called Brutus), Bruce on his VFR 800 ( affectionately called ..."underpowered"), a couple of other guys from IAM and Myself. Andy is an observer and Bruce is all but, Brett and Peter, although yet to pass there test are both excellent riders.
So all of us are heavily influenced by our IAM training, or more specifically "Road craft".
It was a day for just riding, no observing or debriefs, just a good ole fashion ride around some of the wonderful roads the west coast has to offer.
It was while we were riding , and while I was following Bruce that we began to discuss the perfect corner. The beauty of intercoms allowed us to discuss a few things while riding.
Bruce is a very talented rider, who demonstrates the art of cornering so precisely and elegantly it is a pleasure to watch. Of course it is a continuing process for all of us. But from where I looked, when it is done well, it is a pure art form and a beautiful thing to behold. Bruce is very very precise and carries excellent corner speed.
It got me to thinking how much my riding has changed over the last few years. How my desire for smoothness, precision and perfection seems to encompass my riding so much now. And I don't just mean when the roads are dry and the camber perfect.
I mean when you come into a off camber, wet, shiny corner and and yet put your bike around it perfectly, exiting under throttle and feeling the bike drive out. It is a wonderful feeling. More importantly knowing why it felt good and being able to rinse and repeat at will.
Cornering on a bike, is one of my life's greatest pleasures. It is why I ride. I never perfect every corner exactly as I would like all the time, ...but that doesn't stop me from trying.
On our way back Bruce was leading with me tucked in behind. We managed to put a bit of distance between us and the others, but i warned Bruce that Andy loves a challenge and would only give us a few minutes before he would attempt to chase us down.....six minutes later Andy 's light appears in our mirrors....I love motorbikes.
Rog,
ReplyDeleteYou selfish bugger..... clearing off and enjoying yourself and leaving your advanced trainees in the dust. Sigh... I dunno ;-)
Stop it! We didnt clear off....we just umm, ok we cleared off.
DeleteI gotta admit that going around corners on two wheels is one thing that I really miss since adding a hack. Going around corners on three wheels is still challenging but not the same as on two.
ReplyDeleteYeah mate, u gotta ditch the third wheel occasionally..
DeleteNailing a corner is certainly one of life's most enjoyable things. And you can always improve.
ReplyDeleteFor me it's about getting that entry speed right, no late braking, just setting the bike up on "the line" and hitting the gas at just the right moment.
I still say that being in a line of bikes whipping through some great twisties is like watching some sort of two-wheeled ballet (hate ballet but love bikes BTW).
Damn, I hope the weekend's weather forecast is wrong...
You have it in one Andrew, ensuring excess speeed before the corner ensures the bike is wellset up and stable to exercute perfection.!
DeleteRoger I'm jealous .. not just cause I haven't taken a corner in months .. but also because I just haven't had that feeling that I've done it right, I always think I am getting better and yep there are times when I get a buzz cause it felt better than the last one, but I am still feeling like I'm learning and need to improve... I sometimes wonder if I will ever get it.
ReplyDeleteOr maybe I just desperately need to get a good ride in :D
oh Brenda, I know how you feel. It was a long road for me..saying that, sometimes you just need to ride, to smell the road and everything around it!
DeleteRogey me mate!! I was going ask how you are doing, but your post sums it up.
ReplyDeleteYou are having fun on two wheels and enjoying the curves. Good for you.
Thanks Hun, yes all good here. Having a very mild wnter...hope summer is as good as last year.!
DeleteFor you it's the perfect corner for others it's ironbutt. Everybody has their own motives why we ride. I believe my strongest motivation is the companionship and traveling (no matter where as long as it isn't where I was...).
ReplyDeleteI love your post, Rog!