My beloved bike was away for inspection and repairs
for a little over a month.
So I wasn’t able to ride at all in August
and this was my first ride since my last lesson on July 30th.
The day of the lesson was forecast to be rainy just before the typhoon.
I don’t usually ride my bike in the rain, so I’ve always wanted to try a lesson in the rain.
This time, it looks like it’s going to be a long-awaited lesson in the rain, so I bought some rain gear!
All set!
Orientation
This time, it was a “Sporty Ride Lesson.”
There were 10 participants.
There were two instructors, so this time, the class size was small.
On this day, the “2nd Parent and Child Enjoyment Course,” “2nd Optional Course Parent and Child Clutch,” and “Touring Ride Challenge” were also held, making it a lively day.
The main instructor this time was the same as last time.
My assignment for this lesson was to “make small turns!”
In the last course slalom,
it was pointed out that I would get stuck when making tight turns in the latter half,
so I’ll try my best to make small turns.
Warming up
As always, we start with a warm-up run.
For today’s bike, I chose one with front and rear ABS.
It’s forecast to rain.
But it doesn’t look like it’s going to rain just yet.
When there aren’t many people, they do a thorough warm-up.
Warming up on the course.
It’s always fun to ride a bike after a long time!
Actually, I can’t drive with one hand.
Next, I warm up by driving with one hand.
I drive with one hand and drive around the S-curve course.
I’m laughably bad at driving.
I get left behind by the runner in front^^;.
All kinds of advice is broadcast over the loudspeaker.
When I hear “…knee grip…”,
Ahh!
When I get a firm, loose knee grip, it’s amazing.
My body starts to move and I can drive at a decent pace.
Knee grip is important.
Braking practice
Repeated braking
Full throttle in first gear, then slowing down. Repeatedly.
What?! My butt is slipping.
Today, I was planning to wear a raincoat, so
I was wearing riding jeans.
Usually, Explorer jeans are a lifesaver.
Targeted braking
Next is targeted braking.
Since there are only a few people, we can go in and out.
It seems like I’m gripping the brake lever hard,
but I was told to start gripping it slowly even though it’s a split-second operation.
The other instructor said
I should be able to brake more slowly.
Um,
so I should push in further and start gripping it slowly???
I’m a little confused.
The ABS is working lightly on both the front and rear,
so I guess I’m braking reasonably well?
But these jeans make
my butt feel like it’s coming off the ground.
Practice turns
Next, practice turns.
As always, make a U-turn around one pylon.
Try making a wide entrance and a narrow exit.
You get close to the pylon too early!
I was told that I got close to the pylon too early.
(Ahh, I’ve been told that before.)
Watching the instructor run,
I saw that he was coming up almost directly behind the pylon.
He was able to get around to the back of the pylon successfully when turning left,
but couldn’t get around to the back of the pylon when turning right.
After going back and forth repeatedly,
it seemed like he was starting to turn quite far ahead when turning right,
so I held off for a bit and tried to wrap it around from the back,
and was able to get right behind him successfully.
Even though I thought I was doing the same on both sides,
it wasn’t.
The morning practice is over,
but I’m more exhausted than usual.
We’ve covered just under 30km.
Maybe because there are fewer people, we’re running a lot.
lunch break
The sky looked like it was about to rain, but it wasn’t.
Well, it’s better if it wasn’t raining.
During the lesson, I heard the sound of a Panigale coming from the circuit,
so I went for a walk during my lunch break.
The next day was the “Suzuka Sunday Road Race Round 6,”
so maybe it was a practice day?
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see any racing.
Now, the state of the rain clouds is,
So in the end you won’t be swinging during the lesson?
Straight pylon slalom & offset slalom
The first thing in the afternoon is slalom.
I really hate this one.
I alternate between straight pylon slalom and offset slalom.
As always, I run the slalom in third gear.
I still haven’t found the key to running a good slalom.
For the offset slalom,
I remembered the turn practice in the morning and
I tried to make sure to wrap it around from the back.
I released the front brake too early!
I was told that I released the front brake too early.
When I dragged it until the apex of the turn,
it seemed like I was turning faster.
But I still don’t know how strong the front brake should be.
Figure-8 run
Today, because there were not many people,
a figure-8 course was added.
It’s been a while since I did a figure-8.
The pylons are spaced about 12-13m apart.
You turn around, accelerate a little, and turn around again.
It’s just the right distance to run at that rhythm.
The instructor said that
there is something called a figure-8 GP, and the spacing is 7m.
He said we should try 7m.
For now, I’ll try running a 12-13m figure-8.
Once I remembered the feeling,
I’ll try doing a figure-8 just before the pylon.
I thought I could do 7m, so I moved the pylon.
I put my head on the pylon and turned around it as an axis,
and I was able to run reasonably well, but I was so unsteady that I didn’t feel like I’d fall over at any time.
When I got home and searched for figure-8 GP,
I found that the pylons were spaced 12m apart!
Course Slalom
The final step is the course slalom.
Apparently they made the course layout so that it would hold up in the rain.
What do they mean by “never gets boring”?
I was surprised when I did the practice run!
It was the most difficult yet!
As usual, the first half was a high-speed section that I don’t really like.
The second half was a section with tight turns that I’m not good at, but there were too many tight turns.
My braking is weak
Right away,
I was told that my braking is weak.
I’m not braking at the limit like I did during braking practice.
I should start braking further back!
He also said that I don’t open the throttle enough.
It’s all wrong (´・ω・`).
Remove the weight from the front wheel
The second person gave me some advice.
He said that if you turn while removing the weight that was placed on the front of the car when braking,
the front wheel will roll more.
He also told me this from Maema.
Brake further back, release the front brake and shift your weight to the rear wheel.
With the guidance of the two instructors,
focus on slowing down as quickly as possible,
and when you start turning, focus on the rear wheel!
After this time, my body is finally starting to move.
When making a going around turn,
like making a figure eight, bring your head over the inside pylon.
For the first half of the S-curve, bring your head and body to the inside of the course.
I was starting to get the hang of it!
But then it started raining!
The time was just right.
It’s over!
Summary
In recent lessons, I was occasionally told to move forward and backward.
This time, too, I was told that if I move forward and backward, and shift the weight I’m carrying in front to the back,
the front tire will roll more easily.
I didn’t really understand the need for forward and backward movement, so I didn’t pay much attention to it, but I was told that by shifting the weight to the rear tire,
the front tire will roll more easily.
When I’m conscious of it when I’m turning around, I feel like I can turn around.
It was also good to be conscious of turning around the head,
so next time I’ll try to combine this with my riding.
When making small turns, wrap from the back
In the second half of the turn, take the weight off the front
Don’t forget to grip your knees!
That’s it for my 15th lesson notes.
