IRC this Sunday

[rodzghost]

I was planning on inviting a buddy to take it with me, but it looks like it filled up last minute.

I'm a bit nervous since I haven't really ridden for awhile, and I'll be using my newly purchased F800S, which is a bit larger and has slightly more hp (I think double) than my old R3. P/W is about double now, but I haven't fully explored the upper limits of that yet.

I've been taking it around my area on side streets, short freeway runs, and to the practice courses at DMV and DVC's parking lots. Feels good to ride again, but I'm definitely rusty.

Just looking for some advice on what to expect.

I've done about 20k miles in the last 1.5 years, but most of that was commuting. I've only had one weekend where I took it to Tilden park, but quickly learned that I need to improve my skills before attempting that again. Or maybe pick a spot that's less crowded, and maybe not so twisty.

So, if any of you have some words of wisdom to share, I'm all ears. And maybe I'll even see a couple people from barf this weekend!

 

[danate]

Nothing to be nervous about for the IRC. If you are comfortable with day to day street riding, then you are ready for it. If there's anything to practice ahead of time, just work on being smooth with your throttle in first and second gear.

If you're taking it in Livermore on Sunday, I'll be one of your instructors.

 

[rodzghost]

So, here's a little follow up from the class.

First of all, I should note that since crashing my R3, I haven't been riding all that much. I crashed on May 10th, and have ridden maybe 3-4 hours since then. Prior to that, I was unemployed, and maybe even a little depressed. Due to that, I just didn't have the motivation to go out and ride, so my skills were further deteriorated over an additional 5-6 month span.

So, going in to the IRC, I was at least *comfortable* riding my bike. I was nowhere near as confident in my skills as when I had been busy racking up 20k miles in under 1.5 years on my R3. In all honesty, I'd consider myself right now at about the level of a new rider with 2-3 months of daily riding experience.

The class showed me a lot of the things I was doing wrong, and how to correct them. In theory, it all looked easy, but on the practice range, I found myself tensing up and over-thinking every little thing. That, and it was hot and towards the end, fatigue was starting to set it. I couldn't complete some of the exercises to my satisfaction, but I at least got a good sense of what I need to work on.

Today, I decided to ride in to work since Monday's are typically lighter traffic. I had been avoiding it due to lack of confidence. I'm still a little nervous being back on the bike, but one of the biggest things that really stuck with me from the class, was keeping my eyes up.

That one little thing made such a big difference in my confidence. Riding in slow traffic, I found myself tensing up again and the self-doubt would creep in. I felt cramped and tight on my bike.

But as soon as the slow spots cleared up, I found myself getting back in to my normal, relaxed mental state and suddenly the bike wasn't so cramped anymore. I was even able to apply some of the techniques I’d found difficult in the IRC, like bending my inside elbow, and pointing my shoulders where I wanted to go in my turns. I was surprised at how “natural” it felt to shift my body weight like that.

I realized I was focusing too much on the cars immediately around me, instead of scanning ahead/around me, and that was causing me to tense and cramp up. (It also made me realize just how badly I need to start training my core muscles again. The F800S “sport” position is definitely not made for comfort.)

I fully intend to keep practicing all the techniques taught during the IRC. My original plan was to take the ARC level 1 next, but I feel like re-taking the IRC would be more beneficial to me. I wish I’d recorded my progress on my gopro, but I left it off the whole time, even though it was attached to my helmet the whole time. It would have been nice to compare my progress from this session against where I’m at when I take the class again.

Sorry for the wall of text. If you made it this far, thanks for reading.

Oh, and a special thanks to Nate for being one of our instructors for the day. It was cool seeing another barfer out there. Colleen was also an excellent teacher, and you both gave me awesome feedback on what I need to work on.

Next time, I’m gonna try to pick a cooler day to attend, though. That heat was killing me in my leathers. I did appreciate the snacks and water. I thought I’d brought enough but was quite mistaken.

 

[danate]

Thanks for the feedback. The heat is definitely a hindrance and wearing full leathers while doing parking lot practice is tough. Definitely a place where textile/mesh gear can be a life saver.

I'm glad you are seeing some improvements. One of the biggest obstacles to get past in riding is not letting your mental stress translate to your body. The moment you start to tense up, riding becomes more difficult, leading to more stress and more tension.

The good thing is, you learned all the concepts from the class. It takes time and repetition to get your body used to those movements and new feelings and eventually you will find yourself doing them without thinking about it. This will lead to less mental stress, which will add to your relaxation on the bike as well.

I agree with your self assessment that working on the IRC techniques before moving on to the ARC (which of course adds new techniques) may be best. I'm hoping in the future we can do some range-only practice days for those who have already taken the full IRC and just want more time in the exercises.

Last thing, as for the riding position of bikes, it certainly does make a difference. I know the F800S has a rather forward position and it can make things less comfortable. There is the option of handlebar risers, though it can be pricey. For my street riding, once I discovered bikes with upright body positions, I never looked back. Just something to consider.

 

[rodzghost]

I would totally pay for something like a practice-only session like you mentioned. Would be nice if it was only 4-5 hours long too.

I was actually just looking at some bar risers for my F800S. I originally sat on the ST version, and really liked the ergos on that bike, but went with the "sportier" look of the S. Kinda regret it, but after a couple more days on the saddle, I'm getting used to it again. I just needed to remember to relax, and now the cramping isn't so bad.

Also, I started watching fast eddie's motojitsu vids on youtube, and he goes over a lot of the same stuff we learned in the IRC. He even gives some tips on setting up the parking lot exercises, so now I have an idea of how I'll be spending the last 15-20 minutes of my commute (just before I start work).