sharing a story

I would like to share a story with you all just because I can. You know how you read in all the mc mags about training courses and how you can never have enough of them under your belt? Well I thought yeah if something like this comes up I would go to one. Well it just so happens that the Colorado State Patrol here in Denver put on a beginning riders course. I thought well sure ill go maybe get some tips and some controlled practice time on their track. The class was free but was limited in the number of people allowed in. I showed up at Camp George West (the training academy) and the first part of the day was fine it was classroom and all the MSF slides all over again, no big deal beginner class. After lunch was track time and this is when I became very dissatisfied with this class. The first exercise was a slow speed U-turn and while the H-D's on the track had very few problems I always seemed to be in the gravel on the side of the track at the end of the turn. After watching me for 2 or 3 try the instructor asked if he could try on my bike. i said sure and while he did the exercise OK he was wider in the turn than the H-D's as well. After the instructor pulled into the rest area he started to understand why I was having the trouble I was having (without knowing about the CT on the back). The reason for this was that all the state patrol bikes are H-D's and this course was set up for those bikes, when the instructor pulled into the parking area and lined my bike up with the rest of them I saw the my wheel base was about 6 inches longer that the H-D's on the track with me, including the cruisers that the instructors were riding. When I pointed out the CT on the rear rim he was kinda freaked out about it but was impressed with the handling and traction that my bike had. the instructor call one of the others over to take a look and he was baffled and kept asking all sorts of questions. I finally said you take it for a spin and see what you think he was skeptical about even getting on the bike. Instead of doing a little bit of everything he just ran some figure 8s on the pavement, no straight line no high speed curves. While I know that the slow speed performance isn't great when doing sharp corners he wasn't willing to even try any of the other areas when the car tire really shines. Here is the quote I got all afternoon thereafter from that instructor "I would put the round profile tire back on if I were you". I ran thought three more exercises ( two with out that particular instructor ) all of it very slow speed. we did a ummm , not sure how to describe it but like straight, quarter lane change, straight, quarter lane change, straight all in about 20 ft. in which i had a few problems but far less that the U-turn section. Next was the zigzag between the cones which we did at 12 ft seperation, they had about 12 or 15 cones set up for that one. I must say that that exercise was probably my favorite, I received a round of applause after the first run not turning over any cones. The last of the exercises that I participated in was the figure 8 with "Mr. if I were you" and I still didn't knock any of the boundary cones over he just frowned and waved me on through. Unfourtinately I had to leave after that exercise because I had to work the night before and the night after the course and needed some sleepy time. I thought that with these guys seeing all that they see would be, well not more receptive, but maybe a little less critical of having the CT out back, I guess its the same all over .
oh I think I forgot to say that I work for the Colorado State Patrol as a dispatcher!

Thanks for the story....
I have always heard; closed eyes can be opened, but a closed mind takes a big hammer to put a crack in.

Jerry

Crossbones,

Awesome story, thanks for the long write up but it was worth it!....

You are correct, those courses are made for the HD and there wheel base and geometry! Our cruisers aren't. It would be hard to do even with a motorcycle tire with your longer wheel base.

But I assure you the car tire will do everything the motorcycle tire can do in a similar course with the same bikes and one with a motorcycle trie and the other with a car tire on it!

My 1300C darkside will turn circles around most riders and their bikes. Most of their comments are that I own a cutting horse compared to their wagon.....hehehehehe


................bobby

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Yeah. You just gotta be cool and calm. I can do U-turns in my dad's driveway (2 car width) all day long at slow speeds with the bars nearly locked to the left. I'm not so great a the right U-turn, but they never happen in traffic situations, so I'm not worried.