I'll try to keep this short, but here are a few comments about my first time
on the Salt - at WoS a couple of weeks ago - in reference to the threads
previously published here that discussed visibility, side markings lines,
first times on the Salt and so on especially with reference to motorcycles.
It was no big hu-huu after all. There you have it in a nutshell. I had
read attentively the discussions about the marking lines on the sides (6"
wide parallel black stripes, 90' apart) being difficult to use to keep the
vehicle straight enough to drive it safely down the course, and I was ready
for discomfort because I couldn't see enough, or there wasn't a center
stripe, or there oughta be six different stripes of different colors, and
darn near everything else, too. I was quite ready to have a problem.
Nope, didn't happen. I found a comfortable tuck position where my chin was
on the deck of the tank and my hiney on the rear seat. My helmet was at
such an angle that I had fine peripheral vision and enough vertical
clearance (to the upper rim of the eyehole in the helmet) that I could see
the clouds, Floating Mountain, the gates at the miles, the stripes on either
side of the course, the turn-offs, the timing tent, and so on -- without
moving my head. Full necessary visibility, in other words. It was quite a
pleasant letdown after all of the horror stories I read back a few
weeks/months ago.
But even more important to me in dispelling my concerns were the licensing
runs. They did their job well, forcing me to get at least a little time in
on the Salt at (relatively) reserved speeds - so I could learn something
about how to drive on it before I twisted hard on the throttle. By the way,
thanks here to the USFRA for letting me get about 13 runs in. I practiced
as much as I could in the three and a half days I ran.
Also, Nancy attended the rookie driver meeting and the regular driver
meetings with me, rode the course at least three times during set-up and the
orientation ride, and probably did better than I at driving on the return
road. The CB was on, although we never needed to have it --- but as
first-time racers there was no reason to get anyone cranky at us 'cause we
thought we could skip the small stuff like it or the fire extinguisher.
It worked for me.
Jon #436 1350 M/PS/G
Marquette, Michigan
(that's way up north)
200.471 and still want more.
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