RE: [ST] Texas Raid Ralley-The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

["Ken Mitchell" <kp.mitchell@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

That was a GREAT post, John. Well thought out, well written.

I am one of those "born agains", who bought a bike on a lark, a flush of
"want my youth back." I hadn't owned a bike in 13 years, and rode only on
borrowed bikes (one of which I crashed, an FLH.)

When I bought that bike (Katana 750) I was cognizant of my eroded and
(mostly) non-existent skills to be on a bike that had about 2x the power of
my last road bike ('75 T160 Trident!) I made a commitment to educating
myself, to stay alive for the family if not myself.

Now, it's 5 years later. I've done 2 MSF-ERC courses, at least one track a
year, and ride over 12,000 miles each year, mostly with riders more skilled
than I. It's been a tremendous experience. I've seen a few crashes, 1 of
them mine. Fortunately, nothing with severe injury or...

I've also seen many people just like me. Older (I'm 43 now) riders who take
a serious approach to getting back in it. Almost all have come to have the
best gear, the right training, and lots of practice by riding with skilled
riders. (Q: Why are the more safety-oriented "born-agains" on modern ST's or
sportbikes, the less-inclined....on cruisers?)

I now LEAD many group rides. Anytime there's an "unknown element" in the
group, I go through a briefing of the route and it's pitfalls, as well as
it's good features. I describe how certain corners have bumps, debris, or
decreasing radii (or all of them). I also explain the concept of "riding
your own ride" within a group ride. We'll wait at the route changes, we'll
stop every hundred miles or so. And we'll caution you if we see trouble
brewing (brake lights in corners, questionable passes, etc.) We'll send you
on your way if your a danger to others.

Group riding can be a TOTAL blast. Or, it can be very painful. Much depends
upon the leaders and there commitment to planning and execution of the ride,
but it comes down to the loose nut on the handlebars. I cannot make another
rider have better skills when they need them most. I cannot countersteer
another's bike or make you go slow into a corner. But, if you come out of
that corner faster and take the next one better, you've learned something
and we'll have a GREAT time talking about it over dinner and drinks later
on.

Great perpective you have there John, thanks for sharing that with us.

Ken M.
'00 RS
http://motorsportpix.com


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