[Chain]

It's late, but I'm back. Got the truck unloaded, came inside, chewed a small handful of Advil, swallowed some allergy meds, and washed the whole lot down with a cold beer. Limped to the shower (hot and long lasting), then to the fridge to warm up some leftover chicken, and now here I sit in front of the pc...

...utterly, completely exhausted.

I am the kind of tired that, since two-a-days in college, didn't exist except in my imagination.

Look, I'm 6'3" and 220 pounds. I weight train four days a week. I like to think of myself as a guy who can hold his own. Y'know, a tough guy.

No tough guy any more. I feel like I've fallen down a flight of stairs.

No amount of preparation can get you ready for your first track experience. It has to be felt to be believed. I'll never forget it, and what exactly it means to me and for my riding hobby is something I'll better understand in the coming days after I've had time to absorb it all.

The class was small, only five riders including myself, with Jim Milroy and two other expert class control riders to assist. We had both a '99 R1 and a brand new 2004 model in the class; a guy rode his '03 Hayabusa from Des Monies for the school (the 'busa and the new R1 were both rubber bands on the straights - gone before you knew it ); one fellow was riding a seriously clapped out Kwak 636; and then there was me on the FZ1.

The instructors were very fast (we saw that by the end of the day ) and they all seemed eager to foster a learning environment. Through six hours of ~30 minute classroom sessions followed by ~20 minutes on the track, they incrementally added more to our plates until we had gone from laughably slow and deliberate to surprisingly swift and smooth. At the class end, Jim complimented the group and said we ranked among the best he's ever taught.

My Dunlop 208s are scrubbed hard from the very edge to the very edge, something I was never able to accomplish on the street. I ground both of my peg feelers (the first time that happened it was quite a shock - further incidents didn't scare me again, but did upset my line a little). Nothing else touched down which I attribute to the respring job I did with Traxxion stuff a couple weeks back.

I believe I'm a good street rider, capable of carrying decent speed through a set of twisties. Now though, my whole outlook on riding has changed. I don't think I'll ever intentionally push myself hard on public roads anymore (but for an occasional straight line blast - who doesn't like some acceleration once in awhile?). On the street, charging hard into corners carries too slim a margin for error and the stakes are simply too high. On the track? Well, the available traction and lean angle is more than you can get your mind wrapped around unless you experience it. Unreal.

I did 101.2 miles on the track today and my riding just got better by about 50%, minimum. The Fizzer did pretty well too. It had plenty of poke down the straights and made a good showing for itself in the turns. Were I to go back to the track with this bike, lower bars and non-rubberized pegs would be mandatory though.

I have a newfound respect for anyone whose ever done this. For those of you who do regular trackdays and/or some club racing, my admiration is immense - it must truly take exceptional physical and mental toughness. As for the professional racers, well, I now view them as water-walkers.

I'm all kinds of tired and am going to head for bed in a second. I leave you with only a few pieces of photographic proof of my participation today; my buddy who was manning my camera failed me, but the memories I've got inside my head are worth far more than anything I could have captured on digital media anyway.

In closing, if you're anywhere within a day's drive of the Omaha area, this school is well worth the $195.

http://www.mamriderschool.com/

G'night all...

[roadrunner954]

Good for you Dude!

[RaggedEdge]

I've been waiting all evening to read this post, Chain. Thanks for updating us in a timely manner. A most excellent report.

[Rios929]

That sounds awsome! Omaha is only 400 miles from home for me. Maybe some day...

[nhfirefighter13]

Now are you gonna start listening to us when we tell you something is gonna be fun?

[john954rr]

Wow, $195.00 and only 5 riders to share 2.2 mile course. Gotta move to Omaha. Naaaa, the winters suck.

[Bacchus]

Dayum, Hemingway is BACKKKKKK! Great write-up Chain, you have just made me want even harder to do this one day. Seriously happy that you had such a good time, and that the experience left such an indelible mark on yer ass!

[jafo]

Great write up,glad you had fun and learned a lot.I need to get off my fat ass and do a school or track day.

[deez]

Now that is a rear tire that has seen the track Good job Chain, most guys would be too worried about how a FZ1 would look on the track (intimidated by the repli-racers) or not have the balls, way to be

[Heavy-Dee]

Now though, my whole outlook on riding has changed.

I told you so.

HD

[Zeeman]

Originally Posted by Chain

I like to think of myself as a guy who can hold his own.

So, Chain, exactly how long ya been "holding your own" ?

Z...

[HondaGalToo]

Originally Posted by Zeeman

So, Chain, exactly how long ya been "holding your own" ?

Z...

Coffee on my monitor, AGAIN!

Chain, thanks for the report, I was waiting for it! Told ya your riding skills would take a huge leap! You can learn so much on the track! Welcome to the addiction! Looking forward to seeing you at Grattan!! HG and I are getting ready for our first track days next weekend!! Can't wait!!

Your observation about street speeds is right on, too. I find I ride slower on the street now. Most of my track-junkie friends do, too, if they still ride on the street at all.

[ND4SPD]

Originally Posted by Bacchus

Dayum, Hemingway is BACKKKKKK! Great write-up Chain, you have just made me want even harder to do this one day. Seriously happy that you had such a good time, and that the experience left such an indelible mark on yer ass!

Then come to Grattan

Way to go Chain

[GhostRider]

Originally Posted by Zeeman

So, Chain, exactly how long ya been "holding your own" ?

[Mojave954]

[quote=HondaGalToo] Coffee on my monitor, AGAIN!QUOTE]


There is no way you guys are going to let this comment go are ya?


Chain, congrats on the track. It does give you a new perspective on riding out there.

[GhostRider]

Congrats Chain on your achievement.

[SuperDave]

Good for you Chain! Your description of what it feels like after a track day is exactly why I only wanted (2) days at Grattan. I still think I'll be too sore/tired/useless for the second day. I've gotta start working out more!!!!!

[Newfie TLR]

Originally Posted by HondaGalToo

Coffee on my monitor, AGAIN!

Originally Posted by Mojave954

There is no way you guys are going to let this comment go are ya?

Mojave, I, for one, will let it go. But only 'cause nobody pokes fun at me when the coffee comes out my nose.

Originally Posted by HondaGalToo

Welcome to the addiction!

Well said, HG2!

I wish I had said it first.

[Jungleboy]

Way to go Chain

[ccwilli3]

Chain wouldn't respect me if I didn't say:

"TOLD YOU SO!"

Good job man.

[ccwilli3]

Oh, and 40 min of cardio 4X a week will help you immensely. I don't know if you are a cardio person or not during your normal workouts, but doing so will change you 100% at the track...

As for the peg feelers, take them off and get your ass off the seat some more!

[CBRBob]

Awesome, glad you finally went! FYI, even after doing this for years, the 1st day back after not coaching for a few months yields the same results, all over soreness and fatigue. Don't worry. It's usually gone by the next morning. Way to go!

[abtech]

[ER]

Great write-up...glad to hear you enjoyed it. All the working out I did didn't prepare me for trackdays either. Honestly, you have to treat your rides as a workout and train your core muscles to get used to supporting your weight as you hang off the bike. That doesn't mean dragging a knee on the street but it helped me a lot to work on shifting my weight even when I was taking it easy on Saturday morning rides.

Now comes the only downer to having a track-day under your belt -- street-riding just won't cut it anymore. Once you've been able to really ride your bike the way it's meant to be ridden (in a controlled and safe environment), putting around on gravel-filled streets while watching for deer and turtles won't be as much fun.

Congrats again!

[phozed]

Chain come to Grattan - there's nothing like sharing the on-track experiences (e.g. lies, aka benchracing) w/your buddys at the bar afterwards!!

Congrats on finding your way onto a track!!