This is the fourth “Sporty Ride Challenge.”
This time, it was a little different from the usual lessons.
2nd Sporty Ride Challenge 4th
The lesson is on Sunday, October 21st.
There is a holiday on Monday the 22nd, so you don’t have to worry about being tired the next day!
The weather forecast for today changed from rain to cloudy,
so it looks like there will be no need to prepare for rain.
This time of year can be a struggle as to what to wear.
I ended up attending the lesson in just a thick sweatshirt and jeans.
orientation
The number of participants this time was the same as last time, 22 people, the full capacity. There was one woman.
There were two instructors.
It was their first time. Hmm?
This time, half of the participants wanted to ride the CB1100.
After a quick explanation, we took the bib numbers lined up at the back and got ready.
Something was different from usual.
Lesson Menu
The content is the same,
but like last time, the afternoon pylon slalom and course slalom have been swapped.
This was probably due to the fact that a driving lesson was being held on the same day.
| AM | ・Brake ・Turn |
| PM | ・Course slalom ・Pylon slalom |
The vehicle this time is No. 11 → Black No. 3 CB400SF
Someone else had brought out my usual blue partner first, so I brought out bike number 11.
It’s red and white, which is typical of a CB(?).
I have to be careful not to forget the bike number, or I might get the wrong bike^^;.
Huh? Am I the only one who borrowed a protector today???
Warm-up running
As usual, we warmed up the bikes and riders as we went around the outer perimeter.
Until now, we’ve only gone around the outer perimeter counterclockwise, but this time we’ll also go clockwise.
However,
Just tilting the bike even a little makes it cut in like crazy!
As we were riding, I looked down at the front tire and saw that the edge of it was frayed.
I didn’t notice because it was dimly lit inside the garage.
We went around the outer perimeter and then changed bikes!
Together with the young instructor (huh?),
we looked at the front tire and chose the black No. 3 bike with the roundest tire possible!
This is my partner for today! Nice to meet you.
I joined the line that continued warming up from the back and continued warming up.
We entered the course and practiced lean-with, lean-in, and lean-out.
We were asked from outside the course if we were doing it right,
but I could hardly do it.
I thought I was moving, but I wasn’t moving.
Upper body movement has always been a challenge^^;.
brake
Braking from 30km/h and 2 braking points from ???km/h
I couldn’t hear the instructor very well, so I started off without really understanding what to do.
Braking using only the rear brake, only the front, and both the front and rear.
Well, as usual, this isn’t something I can do on regular roads, so I concentrated on practicing braking.
turn
We just go around a single pylon and come back,
but first we practice turning at a constant speed.
We gradually increase the speed from 20km/h, and finally to 30km/h.
To be honest, I was staring at the meter and couldn’t turn at a constant speed.
Next, we accelerated to 50km/h, slowed down by braking, and then turned.
There was no specific advice on how to turn,
so some people made bigger turns, and some people made slower turns.
I didn’t know what the correct answer was in this lesson,
so I dragged the rear brake from about 2m next to the pylon,
and made a turn that would wrap around the pylon.
After the break, we talked about dragging the rear brake,
so it seems I wasn’t wrong.
But this lesson was somehow different from usual.
I ended the morning lesson feeling a bit indigested.
Perhaps,
At the end of the morning lesson, I spoke to a young instructor.
“Could you have been a trainee?”
He had been helping out and slipping into the lesson without the bib number I had seen two lessons ago.
He told me he had been an instructor since November.
I look forward to working with him again in the future.
Course Slalom
The afternoon lesson started with the slalom course.
This time, the course had a short slalom at the end.
It was similar to the course two times before last.
Even during the familiarization run, there were no shortcuts and I was able to run safely,
but some awkwardness remained.
This time, I was running around 8th place,
but the pressure from behind was intense!
I was also quite far behind the people in front.
I switched places midway through and started from the back.
This time, there was no individual advice at all,
just running.
I think it was good that I was able to run pretty well in the second half.
But the pack in front was fast!
Pylon Slalom
Pylon slalom, which I’m not good at, and offset slalom, which I love
This time, there is only one type of slalom course.
No accelerator or brake, just idling
First, I drove without using the accelerator or brake, just idling,
practicing turning by shifting my weight from side to side (I think).
I had noticed this movement at the end of the last lesson so I thought I was fine,
but I had no idea about the timing and it was a complete mess…(T_T)
Gradually, I picked up speed and started using the accelerator and brake,
and the group in front of me started to fall away.
There was a traffic jam behind me (sorry (T_T)).
I also started to wonder if I was doing the offset slalom right…
“Try doing it with your butt in the air”
Then I was told to “try it with your butt off the ground.”
I was completely worn out.
Because I was leaning hard on the footpegs, I must have been stepping on the gear shift pedal,
which caused the gears to slip out, which was terrible.
During the final break, I felt like I had forgotten something,
and then I remembered that last time, I had brought the grip end close to the pylon, which felt good, so I decided to try that.
Before resuming, I was told that the correct time to open the throttle in pylon slalom is when you cross the center dotted line,
and that in offset slalom, the bike should be standing halfway between the pylons,
or when it’s starting to lean towards the next turn, so I should check for myself.
For pylon slalom, I did as I was told about bringing the grip end close to the pylon and opening the throttle, and it started to feel pretty good.
I didn’t really understand offset slalom.
It felt different from usual, and the lesson ended.
After the lesson
The edge of the front tire was swelling up so I had to get it changed.
Even though I felt a bit unwell, was the tire still usable?
Next time, I’ll make sure to remember to pay attention to the grip end!
bonus
On this day, a “Parent-Child Motorcycle Enjoyment Event” was held.
I guess there were a lot of younger elementary school students?
They were so cute.
Those are my STEC lesson notes.
