The season is coming in full force. The temperature is great and other than a few rainy days, there have been some great days for riding.

No, I haven't ridden yet this year. But, progress has been made on the Fizzer. I have had a set of R1 forks and brakes for probably two years with the intentions of making a serious upgrade to the FZR's outdated design. Also, wanting to complete the stripping of the fairings. I finally enlisted the help of Cafe Motorsports in Eastpointe, MI. So the FZR has new forks with stiffer springs and new fork seals and without a doubt, the R1 brakes will outshine the FZR set up. And it just looks cool as hell.

With the new forks on, I hope to start fitting the headlight. That will be sweet. It's not a show bike, but I think the look is going to be just what I'm looking for.

Most importantly, I'm one step closer to riding again.

Today, well, today is a story of new beginnings.  

I started riding with the people from Detroit Sportbikes almost as soon as I started riding a motorcycle.  When I started, the most bikes on any ride I attended that first season, was eight, I think.  It was a good feel then.  Everyone got to know everyone and it was about riding.  But, as with all good things, everybody wants to be a part of it.  It is a great way to get a lot of different personalities together.  It is a great way to get riders with different views in one place.  It is even a great way to put on some big events.  Unfortunately, it is also a good way to lose touch with what you once thought was the ideal group of riding friends.  You see so many faces in a crowd yet, remember only a few when the day is done.

Unfortunately, it also means that you can no longer trust the rider next to you on a group ride because you just don't know that person.  It isn't always the groups fault.  Lord knows that I wasn't able to get out and ride nearly as much last year.  Otherwise, this blog would have definitely been more active.  But when you aren't as comfortable with a group, you definitely aren't going to drop whatever and head out for a ride.  

I don't know if I outgrew DSB or DSB outgrew me but the fact remains, it no longer felt like home.  I'm sure I'll still run into some of the guys from the forum, as some were good riding buddies but I am no longer trying to plan my schedule around DSB events, am no longer an active contributer to the DSB forum and am happy to say that I have found a new home.  I will still be riding with some of the same guys, and a couple that I never got to meet but I can honestly say, that I already have that "just right" feeling that I lost over the last year.  

So here's to new beginnings and, as always,

Ride safe, but have fun doing it!

The Track...

I'm not sure I can put it into words. I'm not sure I can express through any electronic medium why I can't stop thinking about my next chance to get out to Grattan. I'm just not sure I'm capable, but I'll try. And I'll start with the butterflies.

Everyone out there knows this feeling. That sick feeling deep inside you. That feeling that has you doubting yourself and has you questioning what you are getting yourself into. I remember it distinctly while sitting on the "starting grid" last April. Waiting for the go sign, anticipating my first venture out onto a "race track." I had been told what to expect but what laid ahead was still a complete mystery to me. As soon as I saw the sign to head out onto the track, that feeling multiplied ten-fold. And that was only a non-competitive track day. A school. If I felt like that, I can't imagine how a club racer feels his first time lining up with 10, 20 or more bikes surrounding him. All of them waiting to drop the hammer on the drag race to turn one. How do they not throw up right there in their helmet?

Yes. I can now say I've been there before, if only once. This time, though, I'm moving up a level. It's no longer the "Goldwing Class" for me. I don't want to parade around Grattan this time. I want to turn it up just a notch. So when I'm on that starting line again this April 7th, those butterflies will be back. Actually, I'm pretty sure I'll feel the same way for track days I want to attend in May and October, too.

So how long does it take for the butterflies to clear, you may ask? Just about as long as it takes to get to that first turn. At that point, the butterflies are quickly replaced with excitement and a surge of adrenaline. That is the reason I'll be out there. That is my high. That is my drug of choice. Turn after turn, as the pace quickens lap after lap, nervousness is replaced with exhilaration. And while I will be in full concentration mode, I will be smiling and laughing the whole time. The excitement of being out there attacking the track. Not having to watch for the inattentive driver waiting to pull in front of me or the unexpected law enforcement officer waiting to end the fun. Focused only on the task at hand and maybe, just maybe, executing that task cleanly and smoothly. That is a great feeling. A feeling all too quickly replaced with another. Disappointment.

But disappointment isn't always a bad thing. You see, I won't be disappointed by anything that happens on the track. I will only be sorry that it is over because, before you know it, they will be waving the checkered flag. My indication that this session of fun is over and it's time to come back to earth. It is a very anti-climactic feeling, you can be sure. But it is only disappointing because it is such a rush to be out there playing in the twists and turns and that is disappointment I'll live with.

And that is why, even (or maybe especially) after only one track day, I am sitting at my desk, looking at the track layout. Thinking about some of the intricacies of certain turns. It is why I'm getting my do do list for the fizzer in order. It is why I'll be watching video of other riders' track days at Grattan. And most of all, my friends, that is why I can't stop imagining those butterflies fluttering in my stomach one more time.


Detroit Sportbike Track Day info
Grattan Raceway
NESBA
Sportbike Track Time