#mma

#mymotorcycleadventure

Years ago I was a dedicated participant with the Indiana SCCA SoloII program. My friend Chris Foresman and I spent numerous hours preparing our cars, driving across state and competing against men and women of all stripes for the coveted award of Best Time of Day.

While neither of us ever set best time of day, we each picked up a few class wins. I eventually progressed from a Honda Civic to an Acura Integra GSR, then an Acura RSX Type S and finally a Honda S2000. Finally! Rear wheel drive and more than 200 horse power at the wheels! A real driver’s car.

That was 2000-2005. Fast forward to 2007. A little thing called the Great Recession happened. As a small business owner, it was make or break time. The toys needed to go and I needed to focus solely on the success of the company I had been building. No more trick aftermarket parts, no more entry fees, no more daydreaming about attending the SCCA Nationals.

But things got better, as they generally always seem to. ISPhotographic is gaining momentum once again, and with the help of numerous friends like Chris from Artisan Electric, Johnny Klemme of KL Securities and others, we renovated and moved into our new studio at 505 Main St. I found myself daydreaming once again about going fast but oddly this time I was visiting the motorcycle forums. The ’70s Honda street bikes, the cafe customs in particular, really began to catch my eye. In the meantime I’d been riding the studio prop – a 1979 Vespa P200E – and having a BLAST! There was definitely something to this two-wheeled thing after all…

Then eBay happened.

You know how sometimes you’ll bid on something on eBay, a super low bid ’cause you don’t really intend to buy the thing, but hey… sometimes daydreaming leads to bidding and next thing you know you’ve bought a motorcycle. Happens to everyone eventually, right? Well, it happened to me in early July 2010.

My friend Jesse Charles rode to Detroit with me to pick up my first bike – a well-used 1969 Honda CB175. Perfect learner’s bike, and slow as heck. But that bike had potential, and it gave me my first taste of two-wheeled adventure. I rode the wheels off of it. It’s in about 200 pieces in the garage right now. It was leaking oil so badly that I’d top it off and 50 miles later it was down to critically low. Rebuild! That’ll be a story of it’s own, once it actually starts going back together.

In November 2010 I found another eBay bike, a red 2008 Kawasaki Versys. It cost considerably more than that little Honda, but it could take me further than the outskirts of Tippecanoe County. I don’t know whether you’ve tried riding a 175cc bike on the highway, but let’s just say it may not be exactly the type of motorcycle adventure riding that you’re looking for. Fun, but scary.

Anyway, I began branching out to Monticello, then my friend Paul showed me the back way to Attica, then we tackled the Turkey Run/Shades park areas. Veteran riders like Paul don’t consider a 200 mile day ride to be exactly adventurous, but to newbies like me it was breaking new ground.

Atop a motorcycle everything seems more… real. Colors are more vivid, you can definitely smell more, there’s the wind and the sky is right there like you can reach out and touch it. But something was missing. I wanted to share these experiences, and not just with Paul. The excitement, the moments of breathtaking beauty, even the “oh $h!t” moments of heart-in-the-throat terror (fortunately those become fewer and further between with experience). I wanted to share this experience with my wife.

Tara rides!

Once I felt like I’d put enough mileage under my belt, I was ready to try riding with a passenger. Pillion, or “two up” as they say. It’s not as much fun. The extra weight of the passenger takes it’s toll on the bike’s handling and acceleration, requiring more concentration to start, turn, and stop smoothly. Fun, but not as much fun.

Tara enjoyed the rides, however.

As some point, and I honestly don’t remember whether it was her idea or mine, she decided to sign up for MSF class, the New Rider training program sponsored by ABATE of Indiana that I had also taken, and very much enjoyed. Tara wanted to ride, but on her own bike. Cool with me! What better way to share the experience?

Tara passed the MSF course in April 2011, with a better score than I received. We were now both licensed motorcyclists! Feeling a bit over-protective I suggested a plan to gain Tara some experience on her new bike (a 2003 Ninja 250 picked up on Craigslist) without mixing it up wheel to wheel with the deranged cell-phone-wielding maniacs that are the general public. I would ride her bike to Prophetstown State Park, located just a few miles north of Lafayette, and once there Tara would take over. Always in full gear, Tara would continue to practice the skills she learned in MSF – turning, braking, stopping, parking and reverse maneuvers – all on the traffic-free, secluded roads within the State Park.

Our skills progress.

All this time I’d been putting in as many miles on my Versys as possible. Any excuse to get away for an hour here, a half day there. I was still enjoying just riding and taking in scenery, and what better place to do so in Indiana than Brown County? Besides, Tara was now riding to work and back and joining me on short jaunts to Monticello. Let’s start planning a longer ride! Tara put together our route, booked a cabin in the State Park and picked up some luggage for her Ninja. With the two saddle bags and tank bag on my Versys loaded, and Tara’s change of clothes in her tailbag, we had breakfast, suited up, and set out for BC on a very gloomy Sunday morning.

“What if it rains?” Tara asked as we got a few drops on our helmets’ visors. “Whaddaya mean, what if it rains?” I responded. “We ride through it”. I was pretty confident regarding riding in rain, as earlier in the year I had made the 300 mile round-trip ride to Chicago, in 40 degree temperatures, gale force winds and persistent rain. On a Friday. At Rush Hour. That trip was when the #mymotorcycleadventure concept was born: as a tweet from my iPhone as I huddled in a gas station, steaming coffee in hand, trying to warm myself in a gas station somewhere on highway 41.

Our Brown County Adventure.

Be careful what you wish for. It rained most of our ride to Brown County. It can be pretty discouraging to ride in the rain, but it can also be a great confidence-building experience. Once you realize that the motorcycle is NOT going to go flying off the road just because of a little moisture, you can quickly get back to the business at hand: freezing your butt off!!! LOL

Tara and I reached a point where we were cold enough, hungry enough and just plain tired enough that we had to pull off the road somewhere. Anywhere. I couldn’t tell you exactly where we were when the time came, but we decided on a little church that was just letting out from morning services. The kind pastor allowed us to use the restroom, change our soggy clothing and eat our snack. Many thanks! After 20 minutes and a few photos we were back on our way. It even stopped raining!

We made it safe and sound to BCSP via some of the best motorcycling roads in Indiana; highway 45 and 135 from Bloomington to Nashville. I’d managed to convince Tara to lead for some of the way, and she negotiated the tight, twisting roads well. It is always nice, and very noticeable, to watch her progress throughout the day during a long ride. I can visibly watch her confidence levels rise. When we came down the long, swooping hills of 135 into Nashville, I think Tara had her first motorcycling epiphany. The view opens up grandly, a picturesque little town full of tourists surrounded by trees and rolling hills. It really is a special little place. If you haven’t been, go any time in the summer or plan ahead for peak season, which is late fall. The changing colors of the leaves are spectacular!

MotoGP!

If you’ve never visited the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you really should. Consider the heritage and history there. If you’re from Indiana you should require very little convincing. The IMS hosted my favorite series, Formula 1, for several years but the series has yet to really capture the imagination of the American public. Same goes for motorcycling’s equivalent, MotoGP. That works in the fan’s favor to a degree, as MotoGP tickets are reasonably priced and the crowds very light. The event is very enjoyable.

I took my son Aaron to MotoGP Qualifying on a Saturday last August. The speedway is a great setting for a father-son outing, and we had a really great time. One highlight for me, besides the one on one bonding time, was visiting the vendor area where all manner of motorcycling supplies were on display for purchase. While visiting Sport Bike Track Gear’s Teknic store I happened upon a set of their Chicane one piece leathers, priced very reasonably as a race weekend promotion. Hmmm… the wheels starting turning and next thing I knew I was in the dressing room trying on a set. I figured if I was ever going to ride in a track event (something I’d been considering for some time), I might as well take advantage of an opportunity to save a few hundred dollars. An expert at rationalizing purchases, I concluded that a track day or two would be an excellent learning experience (they are), preparing me as a safer rider on the street (they do). Ten minutes later the purchase was made.

The next day I attended the race, and my friend Paul and I discovered some great vantage points from which to watch. It was a picture-perfect day, and I’m looking forward to riding down to next year’s race as well. Motorcyclists are given VIP treatment at the track, led into the facility in parade fashion before being parked in the infield, within sight of the best access areas around the track. Casey Stoner rode a great race in which Honda (my old favorite) dominated. American Ben Spies thrilled the crowd with some aggressive passes to eventually finish on the podium in 3rd. Before race day my attention had shifted to my own hypothetical track day, however. I owned the gear, time to put it to use.

Gingerman – My First Track Event!

For some the ultimate form of motorcycling might be a week in the Alps atop a BMW (ummm, that would be awesome, actually), for others it’s a weekend spent in the mud either on a motocross course or simply having fun in the woods with friends. Still others enjoy spending countless hours polishing chrome to then ride half a mile to the local bar to show off their children’s inheritance (I keed, I keed!).

I think I’ve decided that my favorite form of riding is the road course. As I write this I’ve now completed four “track days” – organized riding events on the race track. I honestly feel that what I’ve learned during these four days has improved my riding skill more than five years on the street would have done. Especially considering that the events I’ve attended have included considerable amounts of instruction and advice from designated “control riders”. My first event took place 10/2/11 with Sport Bike Track Time. I had the foresight to take some notes and of course photographs from my first few events, let’s take a look at the abbreviated version from Gingerman Raceway in South Haven, MI.

I decided to use Tara’s Ninja 250 at my first track event. I figured that 1. The Ninja’s lower power levels would keep me out of trouble as compared to my Versys and 2. Repairing a crashed 250 represented less expense. In reality, the 250 is almost universally considered to be the ideal learning tool, whether on the street or track for the first time. The bike was checked over by Mike Claycomb, then of Action Motorsports. His work included fork seals, valve check, brake lines and pads, inspection of bearings and other components.

Track specific prep which I addressed included removing the rear fender, lights, passenger pegs, signals and taping down the wheel balancing weights, to STT’s Novice Class guidelines.

For Gingerman we rented a motorcycle trailer from U-Haul for $15. I was doing the budget track day: Ninja 250 and U-Haul rig! Oh, well, I was looking to have fun, not impress anyone with my toys.

Tara and I left Lafayette about 6pm on Saturday the 1st, drove US43 to I-94 and South Haven, Michigan. It was nice to have an essentially trouble-free drive to the track. It was full dark at about 8:45pm when we arrived. Our plan was to camp at the track, and we’d brought along an air mattress for sleeping in our Honda Element. Temperatures that night were in the high 30′s. That, along with the excitement of a 9 year old on Christmas Eve, transpired to keep me awake most of the night. I might have slept for three hours.

I awoke at 6am and showered, and was first to registration and tech inspection, which took all of 60 seconds apiece. I was terrified the bike wouldn’t pass tech for some obscure infraction of the rules, which of course was not the case. At this point the big question was whether the bike would start. It was still only 40 degrees or so and there was a thin layer of ice on the bike since it was in the open and not under a canopy all night. Ninja 250′s are also known for being cold-blooded… they don’t like to play unless they’re at least a little warm. After two unsuccessful attempts to start the bike I parked it in the direct path of the rising sun and then waited. And waited. After 30 minutes or so the temps had risen to a balmy 50 degrees and the little Ninja started. Whew! Disaster averted.

With the bike started and two trips to the track concession stand for coffee it was finally 8:15am and time for the Rider’s Meeting. This mandatory meeting at every event covers rider classification, flags, track etiquette and pit procedures. The riders were then divided into their respective groups of Novice, Intermediate and Advanced. I joined my fellow newbs in the Novice classroom session where we received an overview of the day’s activities and assurances that we’d be slowly brought up to speed on track. The reassurance was needed, as we could see and hear the riders in Intermediate class blasting past the tower at what seemed like warp speed. Gulp.

Geared up for the first time. Leathers, back protector, helmet, boots, gloves and my trusty balaclava to keep out the cold. I gridded with my sub-group and we took to the track with our instructor Dennis for our first exercise of slow lapping to learn the track layout and a basic race line. Afterwards was another classroom session, where we discussed the “line” around the track. The “line” represents the quick way to navigate each set of turns. The ideal is a smooth, flowing, and consistent approach. Braking and turn-in reference points were the hot topic of discussion as really everything else is more or less just going straight (for now anyway. Trailbraking, knee dragging and power wheelies would have to wait!).

The next few 20 minute sessions consisted of taking turns riding in front of the instructor in order to be evaluated. By midday we’d also been shown proper form for riding the bike – balls of feet on pegs, hands lose of the controls and lastly the mythical “hanging off”. Up to this point I’d been relying heavily on the instructor for maintaining the proper line, braking and turn-in points. When I was finally “waved by” by my instructor I proceeded to shine like Valentino Rossi for a couple of turns and then promptly target-fixated and went off track in the left hand hairpin. No harm, no foul. The next lap I did exactly the same! Time for some coaching.

Coaches will often teach that eventually slow is fast. Concentrating on learning the correct line and slowly working up to speed pays greater dividends that simply pinning to win, which was what I had been doing.