Wicked Twisties – Originally Posted May 26, 2008

Hayden Lake Road, where 35mph is too fast.

This is the most fun I’ve ever had in 2nd gear. I can’t believe I’d never heard of this run, and it’s just outside my backyard! A down and back around the lake loop full of decreasing radius, off-camber, flipflopping turns.

Got chicken strips?

I’ve been practicing my “ready-aim-fire” reminder to set up and carve through corners, and there is no lack of opportunity to test it out here. Unfortunately, many of these corners are harder because you can’t see the other side of the corner, and usually, there’s another corner right after it. And another. And another. The “fire” and the “ready” blend with the “aim” and there’s not much demarcation between them.

I’ve also learned alot about trail braking which is making my turns smoother and faster. If I don’t roll off the gas to Zero and keep it at about 5%, I can use my rear brake to take up the slowing energy. I can more finely modulate my speed (especially for those ones that get smaller and tighter as you go) and I’m quicker to exit because the throttle is already engaged.

There are many ideas and opinions about trail braking, some do it all the time and others are horrified at the thought of it. Like most things, I have to get a first hand taste to see how I feel, so far I can see the benefit from lightly incorporating it into my riding style. Its still one more thing to think about when I’m walking the razor anyway, but like anything else it will become second nature.