Dance Lessons and New Shoes....
Ever take some Dance Lessons and finally ... "figure it out?" I remember it was back around '83 time frame in San Angelo, TX back in my single days. I'd bought me some new Cowboy boots and Jeans.. but ... rarely wore them. Then one night at one of our local joints, a gal asked me to dance. I had no clue, with this country music .. and told her so. I was in Jeans, Tee Shirt and Tennis shoes; my normal attire. She didn't care, drug me out there.. and .. gave me lessons. With a lot of patience on her part, and a few return trips.... I figured it out. The icing on the cake was slipping on the Cowboy boots and Jeans .. .. then back to that joint and hit the dance floor and sliding around confidently and knowing I'd figured it out. I never truly mastered Two Stepping , but damned I could pull it off back then......
Couple of years ago, I purchased a Ninja ZX14R on a whim. I'd looked at them a lil over the previous five years or so, but never had the want or ... balls.. .to get one. Finally, in a truly spontaneous moment (I've wrote about this previously), I came home with it. I was sweating nervously riding it home that today, with max traction control on and power mode turned off. I've said many a time, it's the only bike that has scared the shit out of me; every time I rode it. Nothing but respect for this baby. The day I brought it home, it was the fastest production bike on the planet, barely surpassing the Suzuki Hayabusa. I'd sat on the 'busa as well many times, and in some ways like the look of it better.. but .. it felt like a smaller bike. I went big; Go Big or Go Home I've always said, as cliche as it may be. And... I wondered ..... what the hell I was thinking........
Well several weeks ago I finally attended the California Superbike School out in Vegas. The bike rode was a BMW S1000RR. Basically, it has the same power as my Ninja, but is over 100 lbs lighter and .. friggin' small in comparison. Now if you are racing around the track for a living, that shorter wheel base on the Bimmer' makes sense. But if you're 6'4" and over 300lbs... the ZX14R makes more sense. JS!
When I'd gotten home from Vegas, I went out of the country for a week so It wasn't until a couple of days ago, I finally got back on a bike, first time since Vegas. My daughter was home so we jumped on my Indian Chieftain and headed to town. My first thought was .. "WTF ... this thing feels heavier and .. sluggish ... compared to last time I rode it.. " I honestly thought something was wrong. When I turned onto the FM 1564, I scraped the boards loudly and had my daughter wondering WTF! Next corner ... **SCRAAAAPPEEE** go the boards again... suddenly dawns on me.. the last bike I was on was that Bimmer. Whoops! I realized right then, my riding style had changed and my new improvements (if you want to call them that) just transferred to riding cruisers. I mean I sometimes scrape once in awhile. But now, it was simple and .. just happened. The following day went out with a buddy of mine.. same shit. I'm snickering now..... this is going to be interesting.
Today, I took out the ZX14R for the first time in over a month. It's always been a notch physically uncomfortable for me; aren't all crotch rockets? BUT, out in Vegas we learned techniques and I'd gotten comfortable on that lil' thing! Leaning into the corners became fun, not work. Still that bike out there was just too damned small. But now, I'm stretched out on Rice Burning, Sport Biken' Cadillac. At just under 600lbs gassed up ( that's 150 lbs heaver than the bimmer) and about a 60" wheelbase ( was the entire bimmer that long??), this baby fits me perfectly, if that's possible. Now I know how to sit on it correctly. Now I know how to lean into the turns and corners correctly on it. Now, for the first time, I'm not afraid of the RPMs ripping through the gears on this thing. The front end attempting to get lift off is no longer freaking me out. Now.. it's time to play. I took off east on two lanes like I always do, but this time sometimes doubled back onto roads I don't normally ride, just knowing the direction I'm going. Down this way.. .that way.. another turn... the whole time I 'know' where I'm at.. but ..don't have a clue really. Just know I'll pop out sooner or later in the right vicinity. Two lane roads become triple digit bliss. My new comfort zone on this is between 90 and 110. I'm still slowing into the curves, not wanting to push my new found confidence, but the bike is handling them smoothly. Hit humps and bumps at 90 has me simply floating over them in comparison to the bimmer that was tight as hell on the track. I've read many that have said the ZX14R isn't a good track bike, but on these twisties, I'm in heaven. I've learned to dance with this baby and she's following my lead. She fits me perfect, like a custom set of Cowboy boots. She's letting me run her through the RPM range, but I'm keeping it under 10k today, since she's coming up on an oil change. But, my god I wanted to take her to redline. I wanted to find more curves and lean further and further into them. I wanted to find a straightaway with no traffic or driveways or popo' and rip 'er up to 186 and feel the rush.
I've finally learned this dance step and now.. want to master this new dance. I guess I need to find a Dance Hall to make it happen. I need to ..... go to TRACK DAYS ... with the ZX14R
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Couple of years ago, I purchased a Ninja ZX14R on a whim. I'd looked at them a lil over the previous five years or so, but never had the want or ... balls.. .to get one. Finally, in a truly spontaneous moment (I've wrote about this previously), I came home with it. I was sweating nervously riding it home that today, with max traction control on and power mode turned off. I've said many a time, it's the only bike that has scared the shit out of me; every time I rode it. Nothing but respect for this baby. The day I brought it home, it was the fastest production bike on the planet, barely surpassing the Suzuki Hayabusa. I'd sat on the 'busa as well many times, and in some ways like the look of it better.. but .. it felt like a smaller bike. I went big; Go Big or Go Home I've always said, as cliche as it may be. And... I wondered ..... what the hell I was thinking........
Well several weeks ago I finally attended the California Superbike School out in Vegas. The bike rode was a BMW S1000RR. Basically, it has the same power as my Ninja, but is over 100 lbs lighter and .. friggin' small in comparison. Now if you are racing around the track for a living, that shorter wheel base on the Bimmer' makes sense. But if you're 6'4" and over 300lbs... the ZX14R makes more sense. JS!
When I'd gotten home from Vegas, I went out of the country for a week so It wasn't until a couple of days ago, I finally got back on a bike, first time since Vegas. My daughter was home so we jumped on my Indian Chieftain and headed to town. My first thought was .. "WTF ... this thing feels heavier and .. sluggish ... compared to last time I rode it.. " I honestly thought something was wrong. When I turned onto the FM 1564, I scraped the boards loudly and had my daughter wondering WTF! Next corner ... **SCRAAAAPPEEE** go the boards again... suddenly dawns on me.. the last bike I was on was that Bimmer. Whoops! I realized right then, my riding style had changed and my new improvements (if you want to call them that) just transferred to riding cruisers. I mean I sometimes scrape once in awhile. But now, it was simple and .. just happened. The following day went out with a buddy of mine.. same shit. I'm snickering now..... this is going to be interesting.
Today, I took out the ZX14R for the first time in over a month. It's always been a notch physically uncomfortable for me; aren't all crotch rockets? BUT, out in Vegas we learned techniques and I'd gotten comfortable on that lil' thing! Leaning into the corners became fun, not work. Still that bike out there was just too damned small. But now, I'm stretched out on Rice Burning, Sport Biken' Cadillac. At just under 600lbs gassed up ( that's 150 lbs heaver than the bimmer) and about a 60" wheelbase ( was the entire bimmer that long??), this baby fits me perfectly, if that's possible. Now I know how to sit on it correctly. Now I know how to lean into the turns and corners correctly on it. Now, for the first time, I'm not afraid of the RPMs ripping through the gears on this thing. The front end attempting to get lift off is no longer freaking me out. Now.. it's time to play. I took off east on two lanes like I always do, but this time sometimes doubled back onto roads I don't normally ride, just knowing the direction I'm going. Down this way.. .that way.. another turn... the whole time I 'know' where I'm at.. but ..don't have a clue really. Just know I'll pop out sooner or later in the right vicinity. Two lane roads become triple digit bliss. My new comfort zone on this is between 90 and 110. I'm still slowing into the curves, not wanting to push my new found confidence, but the bike is handling them smoothly. Hit humps and bumps at 90 has me simply floating over them in comparison to the bimmer that was tight as hell on the track. I've read many that have said the ZX14R isn't a good track bike, but on these twisties, I'm in heaven. I've learned to dance with this baby and she's following my lead. She fits me perfect, like a custom set of Cowboy boots. She's letting me run her through the RPM range, but I'm keeping it under 10k today, since she's coming up on an oil change. But, my god I wanted to take her to redline. I wanted to find more curves and lean further and further into them. I wanted to find a straightaway with no traffic or driveways or popo' and rip 'er up to 186 and feel the rush.
I've finally learned this dance step and now.. want to master this new dance. I guess I need to find a Dance Hall to make it happen. I need to ..... go to TRACK DAYS ... with the ZX14R
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