ninjagirl219
07-10-2005, 10:33 PM
Everyone kept saying, "You're so smooth, so predictable that's what's important, the speed will come, give it time!" That was over a year ago and I was beginning to believe it was total bullcrap. I was so tired of waiting, wonder what the heck was taking so long and why I still sucked. Everyone was getting faster and I was going no where. I know they used to race these damn YZFs so what was my problem?
I've ridden Mid-Ohio six times, this weekend was going to be seven and eight. I should know this track inside and out. I did a track day there less than a month ago and just chocked up again the fact that I'm just never gonna get it. When I was at Deal's Gap last month, it never clicked either after my third year of going. My bike and I were not talking. In fact we stopped talking a long time ago and I didn't know why. I really wanted to break up bad but thought I'd do something I've never done before. Service the poor bastard. In 16,000 miles I have only changed my oil and coolant. :rolleyes:
Josh (my friendly, certified motorcycle mechanic) did the work it's needed and we loaded it on my truck Friday directly from his place so I could head up to MidO the next morning. After the first session, I came in and felt like throwing my helmet along with my gloves, leather jacket and whatever else I could find across the garage. I was pissed. My bike felt like junk and I seriously didn't know what I was going to do. I was boarder line ready to cry from frustration. When I would lean it into the corner it felt so loose and like I was sliding, when I let off the gas, it would remain in a neutral feel and not back off like I was used to. I had no idea how to ride it and didn't understand what I was feeling and why. I went out for the next session and it was doing the same thing and I hated all 20 minutes of it.
A lot of my friends from CORE came up to watch the day and I didn't want to talk to anyone after the second session because I was so mad. They were actually kind of scared wondering what happened to the bubbly, happy Steph they always know. Two and a half years, 16,000 miles of solid, sport riding and I felt like I didn't know a damn thing and probably looked like it on the track too. My bike and I were completely disconnected. I needed to figure it out because the $170 I spent was about to be a big waste. After that second session, I looked at my tires that seemed to have plenty of tread and talked to someone that might be able to try and make sense of what I was feeling and if it was me, if it was the bike, something...ANYTHING!
After telling him what I had Josh do, he basically said, "Your bike is finally running like it should and you're not used to that!" He mentioned the front wear mark was getting close and it wouldn't last the weekend. I decided at that point if the next session felt the same I was going to dish out the money to buy a set of tires even though my rear Metzler had plenty of tread left. I stayed out the whole session and with the realization that it was me and not the bike, I started to "re-learn" how to ride a smoothly running bike and also listen to what it was trying to tell me. I came in and immediately began to take off my wheels.
With the help of friends and the tire dude, Dave we had them off and mounted back on with a new set of Michelin Pilot Powers to include a step up with my front going from a 120/60-17 to a 120/70-17 just in time for the Women's session after lunch. After several laps of scrub in, my bike and I were starting to work out our differences. He was still dancing around a little so I decided my suspension was next and after that session I dropped him off at MPH, forked over the $50 for the adjustments it needed and came back 30 minutes later. I had no more excuses. All the work Josh had done released the choke that was lodged in my bikes throat. He was breathing again and when I finally realized what was going on, we started to communicate. By the fifth session my smile returned and I wasn't the slowest person in the intermediate anymore. People that were lapping me weren't lapping me anymore. My bike was feeling good as was I and we both had a good nights sleep.
Funny thing is, I had no idea it was about to get better.
After I had a good ending to such a bad start of a Saturday track day I didn't really care if I rode today or not, but obviously I did. Intermediate is the first session out and I got a two lap down start with everyone as like always, I was late. Cold tires, cold tires, cold tires...remembering that I always ride for one full lap then start trying to sink it in. I was starting to fall in love all over again as it felt like my bike and I were having a track day honeymoon or something. Turns out it was my lack of confidence in him that was holding me up. I started passing people, getting on the gas sooner, breaking later, shifting smoother, breathing, leaning farther, getting off more and staying focused. I'm not sure how many people were in the class anymore but I would pass groups of people and the only people that passed me were instructors who were racers (or damn near). In the Women's session after lunch is when I realized something had really changed in me even since the day before.
Going back to the very first session yesterday morning there was a women racer from Canada who just full on lapped me. She was smokin' fast! And I thought that was cool as hell. She was bumped up to the Advanced half way through the day as she should have never been in the intermediate to begin with. Today's women's session (a little over 24 hours later), Amy and I were the first riders out as Amy was filming me with a camera mounted to her tank. After the warm up lap, that same racer passed me again. Cool, no biggie, but I wanted to see if I could hang. I could..and I was faster. She got me on the straights (cuz I'm still a speed wuss and she had more motor) but I was with her in the curves and she even held me up a couple times. I stayed with her for nearly three laps until we got separated by lappers. It's on camera, so it's not one of those, "The fish I caught was THIS big, I swear!" stories!
My bike is the best I have ever felt and I think we're going to renew our vows here soon as this marriage is definitely not over! I could probably die now! :D
I've ridden Mid-Ohio six times, this weekend was going to be seven and eight. I should know this track inside and out. I did a track day there less than a month ago and just chocked up again the fact that I'm just never gonna get it. When I was at Deal's Gap last month, it never clicked either after my third year of going. My bike and I were not talking. In fact we stopped talking a long time ago and I didn't know why. I really wanted to break up bad but thought I'd do something I've never done before. Service the poor bastard. In 16,000 miles I have only changed my oil and coolant. :rolleyes:
Josh (my friendly, certified motorcycle mechanic) did the work it's needed and we loaded it on my truck Friday directly from his place so I could head up to MidO the next morning. After the first session, I came in and felt like throwing my helmet along with my gloves, leather jacket and whatever else I could find across the garage. I was pissed. My bike felt like junk and I seriously didn't know what I was going to do. I was boarder line ready to cry from frustration. When I would lean it into the corner it felt so loose and like I was sliding, when I let off the gas, it would remain in a neutral feel and not back off like I was used to. I had no idea how to ride it and didn't understand what I was feeling and why. I went out for the next session and it was doing the same thing and I hated all 20 minutes of it.
A lot of my friends from CORE came up to watch the day and I didn't want to talk to anyone after the second session because I was so mad. They were actually kind of scared wondering what happened to the bubbly, happy Steph they always know. Two and a half years, 16,000 miles of solid, sport riding and I felt like I didn't know a damn thing and probably looked like it on the track too. My bike and I were completely disconnected. I needed to figure it out because the $170 I spent was about to be a big waste. After that second session, I looked at my tires that seemed to have plenty of tread and talked to someone that might be able to try and make sense of what I was feeling and if it was me, if it was the bike, something...ANYTHING!
After telling him what I had Josh do, he basically said, "Your bike is finally running like it should and you're not used to that!" He mentioned the front wear mark was getting close and it wouldn't last the weekend. I decided at that point if the next session felt the same I was going to dish out the money to buy a set of tires even though my rear Metzler had plenty of tread left. I stayed out the whole session and with the realization that it was me and not the bike, I started to "re-learn" how to ride a smoothly running bike and also listen to what it was trying to tell me. I came in and immediately began to take off my wheels.
With the help of friends and the tire dude, Dave we had them off and mounted back on with a new set of Michelin Pilot Powers to include a step up with my front going from a 120/60-17 to a 120/70-17 just in time for the Women's session after lunch. After several laps of scrub in, my bike and I were starting to work out our differences. He was still dancing around a little so I decided my suspension was next and after that session I dropped him off at MPH, forked over the $50 for the adjustments it needed and came back 30 minutes later. I had no more excuses. All the work Josh had done released the choke that was lodged in my bikes throat. He was breathing again and when I finally realized what was going on, we started to communicate. By the fifth session my smile returned and I wasn't the slowest person in the intermediate anymore. People that were lapping me weren't lapping me anymore. My bike was feeling good as was I and we both had a good nights sleep.
Funny thing is, I had no idea it was about to get better.
After I had a good ending to such a bad start of a Saturday track day I didn't really care if I rode today or not, but obviously I did. Intermediate is the first session out and I got a two lap down start with everyone as like always, I was late. Cold tires, cold tires, cold tires...remembering that I always ride for one full lap then start trying to sink it in. I was starting to fall in love all over again as it felt like my bike and I were having a track day honeymoon or something. Turns out it was my lack of confidence in him that was holding me up. I started passing people, getting on the gas sooner, breaking later, shifting smoother, breathing, leaning farther, getting off more and staying focused. I'm not sure how many people were in the class anymore but I would pass groups of people and the only people that passed me were instructors who were racers (or damn near). In the Women's session after lunch is when I realized something had really changed in me even since the day before.
Going back to the very first session yesterday morning there was a women racer from Canada who just full on lapped me. She was smokin' fast! And I thought that was cool as hell. She was bumped up to the Advanced half way through the day as she should have never been in the intermediate to begin with. Today's women's session (a little over 24 hours later), Amy and I were the first riders out as Amy was filming me with a camera mounted to her tank. After the warm up lap, that same racer passed me again. Cool, no biggie, but I wanted to see if I could hang. I could..and I was faster. She got me on the straights (cuz I'm still a speed wuss and she had more motor) but I was with her in the curves and she even held me up a couple times. I stayed with her for nearly three laps until we got separated by lappers. It's on camera, so it's not one of those, "The fish I caught was THIS big, I swear!" stories!
My bike is the best I have ever felt and I think we're going to renew our vows here soon as this marriage is definitely not over! I could probably die now! :D