Parking Lot Practice
The GWRRA (GoldWing Road Riders Association) is all about safety, education, and fun. Part of their mandate is for local chapters to host training courses, both classroom style and actual practice.
I attended the monthly PLP (Parking Lot Practice) this past Saturday morning and it was much like the MSF course I took last summer, except this time I was riding BabyDragon instead of one of those little 250cc bikes.
After a couple hours of practicing some basic maneuvers (tight U-turns, figure-8's, swerve-to-avoid drills, etc.) the instructors thought we should have some fun, and set up the cones to match the "Team Challenge" course that would be coming up at the Region Rally in May (unfortunately, that's the same weekend as Potrero War, so I won't be attending).
The timed course includes a few tight turns, circling a cone, then weaving a double-figure-8 around 3 cones and back, then a couple more tight turns, and stopping on with your front-tire inside a 3-foot square... At the district and region rallies, The course is run one time by all persons in a team, with the 3 best times (minus penalties for running over cones) getting logged for the team.
My first run was 48 seconds, and I hit two cones. My second run was 46 seconds and I stayed on course. Then I did 44 seconds, then the next two runs at 43 seconds each.
To me, it felt like I could still do a lot better with some practice... but my fellow chapter members were getting in the 47 to 59 second range as their best times, and hitting a lot of cones. One guy was faster than me (his best time was 39 seconds), but he is only an associate member of the chapter as he rides a touring Harley that was lighter and has a shorter wheelbase than a GoldWing.
It was a lot of fun, and let me know that I have learned to handle my bike pretty well... Waht I didn't expect was one o fthe course instructors telling me that he was going to put my name in as a candidate for the Gold Angels drill team. (look them up on YouTube... VERY impressive!). He thinks I'm a natural, since I've been riding a GoldWing just short of 8 months now.
I was flattered... but I really don't have that kind of time to practice. They are dedicated to 3-4 hours training every Sunday. Maybe I'll play with them on occation to hone my skills, but it'd only be a pipe-dream to think of myself among their ranks.
I attended the monthly PLP (Parking Lot Practice) this past Saturday morning and it was much like the MSF course I took last summer, except this time I was riding BabyDragon instead of one of those little 250cc bikes.
After a couple hours of practicing some basic maneuvers (tight U-turns, figure-8's, swerve-to-avoid drills, etc.) the instructors thought we should have some fun, and set up the cones to match the "Team Challenge" course that would be coming up at the Region Rally in May (unfortunately, that's the same weekend as Potrero War, so I won't be attending).
The timed course includes a few tight turns, circling a cone, then weaving a double-figure-8 around 3 cones and back, then a couple more tight turns, and stopping on with your front-tire inside a 3-foot square... At the district and region rallies, The course is run one time by all persons in a team, with the 3 best times (minus penalties for running over cones) getting logged for the team.
My first run was 48 seconds, and I hit two cones. My second run was 46 seconds and I stayed on course. Then I did 44 seconds, then the next two runs at 43 seconds each.
To me, it felt like I could still do a lot better with some practice... but my fellow chapter members were getting in the 47 to 59 second range as their best times, and hitting a lot of cones. One guy was faster than me (his best time was 39 seconds), but he is only an associate member of the chapter as he rides a touring Harley that was lighter and has a shorter wheelbase than a GoldWing.
It was a lot of fun, and let me know that I have learned to handle my bike pretty well... Waht I didn't expect was one o fthe course instructors telling me that he was going to put my name in as a candidate for the Gold Angels drill team. (look them up on YouTube... VERY impressive!). He thinks I'm a natural, since I've been riding a GoldWing just short of 8 months now.
I was flattered... but I really don't have that kind of time to practice. They are dedicated to 3-4 hours training every Sunday. Maybe I'll play with them on occation to hone my skills, but it'd only be a pipe-dream to think of myself among their ranks.