buck000
08-12-2004, 11:48 PM
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/mapsm.jpg
Hot. Sweaty. Fun.
Were I younger and wilder, those words would have a different meaning. :dude: In my case, they best describe this past weekend, as I rode from the Austin area, in a winding fashion, of course, up to a track day I had won at the most recent Waltz Across Texas (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1526), courtesy of Eurosport Cycles (http://www.eurosportcycle.com) of Ft. Worth. 8-) Thanks to folks like Tourmeister, FWVic, and scratch, I'd been apprised of some good roads to ride on my way up.
With the Futura all checked out and track-ready (new chain, sprockets, tires, oil), and my CamelBak loaded with Gatorade, I headed up I-35 to Jarrell.
In Jarrell, I caught the pleasant 487 over to Florence.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/487med.jpg
I'm thinking that there is not much criminal activity in Florence, or they only need one seriously tough hombre of an LEO.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/florencepdsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/florencepdmed.jpg))
From Florence, I grabbed 138 to 183 to Briggs, where I caught 2657, a nice gentle roller coaster up to Copperas Cove. Very nice views unfolded on this portion of the ride.
In Copperas Cove, I took 116 north. That is, until I realized that the road I really wanted to take was the 'scratch Approved' 1113. So, I backtracked a bit and caught that road. As it climbed into the hills and weaved back and forth, my only regret was this it was way too short a run before it ended at 580. :chug:
I grabbed 580, where I stopped for a picture.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580sm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580med.jpg))
Here's the same spot, but with my first attempt at using the panorama feature of my new camera.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580pansm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580panmed.jpg))
Now, to be honest, my fricking memory can't recall whether this is actually 580, or 116 (just to the north), or way back on 2657. Bleh. Unless someone can verify it, let's call it 580. :oops:
Anyway, enough full disclosure. I took 580 to 116 to 84 to Gatesville. Coming into Gatesville, I spied the courthouse rising majestically up from the town. I've come to enjoy the different architecture of some of the Texas county courthouses, and this one was particularly striking, so I decided to grab a pic. That silly attention-seeking Futura jumped into the image at the last moment. :-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gatesvillechsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gatesvillechmed.jpg))
Out of Gatesville, I took 36 a short while north to 929, which was yet another pleasant roller coaster. There are a set of prison units in this area, and I reflected at how fortunate I was to be riding my bike through nice scenery instead of doing time for some offense.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/929sm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/929med.jpg))
I took 929 over to catch 185, through Osage and into Crawford, near President and Mrs. Bush's ranch. At a gas station / restaurant / Bush souvenir gift shop, I asked an employee for directions to the ranch. She told me how to get there, and said I couldn't miss it, as there are a bunch of signs warning folks to stay in their vehicles and not stop. I decided I would pass on that particular thrill of a lifetime.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that most folks in the area will be voting Republican. :-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/crawfordsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/crawfordmed.jpg))
From Crawford, I bopped up 317 through Valley Mills, where I took 6 to Clifton, and turned on to 219.
Ahhhhhh, 219 to Cranfills Gap. This one road made the whole street portion of my trip. Gorgeous road quality, with sharply defined double-yellow lines formimg a dark snaky line through pretty hills. The curve warning signs had no recommended speed reduction, so I just railed through the bends. Moto-heaven!
As with Tourmeister, I don't have any pics of this road, because it was just too fun to stop. I guess I'll just have to come back again for proper photo-documentation. ;-)
At Cranfills Gap, I caught 1238, which would've been my #1 favorite road of the weekend, were it not for 219. The pavement was a bit older, but still good, and the sweepers were a bit less, um, sweeping, but it was still a lot of fun.
I took 1238 up to Iredell, where I turned westward toward Hico, to supplement my periodic munching of beef sticks and Gatorade with a certified Koffee Kup Pie Induced Sugar High.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkmed.jpg))
Did someone say pie?
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkpiessm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkpiesmed.jpg))
The restaurant was a bit crowded, so I wound up sharing a table with a very nice couple, who had ridden the husband's '91 Harley down to Gruene from the Arlington area for a long weekend stay at a B&B (http://www.gruenemansioninn.com/). I was just there for the pie, and was kind of in the mood for something with a big meringue on it. However, the special of the day was fresh strawberry pie. So, I asked the waitress for her advice: lemon meringue or today's special? Without hesitation, she said the strawberry pie was the way to go. She was not wrong.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksbpiesm.jpg
(Larger image of this incredible concoction here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksbpiemed.jpg))
This was one of the best slices I'd ever had. Every bite was a bit of sugary satisfaction. Yum.
So, after that bit of gluttony, I headed up 281, where I caught 1824 through Duffau to 2481. 2481 was yet another nice road, though at this point, I'd been spoiled with 219 and 1238.
2481 ended at Bluff Dale, where I headed west for a bit on 377 and took 1188 to 1189. These roads were a lot of fun, with slightly tighter turns.
As I got closer to Lipan on 1189, I ran into a road closure. The detour involved a bit of gravel, and the Futura is no DS/GS (especially with the Pirelli Diablos on it), so I backtracked to Bluff Dale, where I stopped in to a convenience store for some water and some A/C.
In a way, you could say that the owner of the store is doing his part to make this section of Texas safe for motorcyclists.:-P
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/bluffdalesm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/bluffdalemed.jpg))
At this point, the sugar rush was gone, I was sweating fairly piggishly, and was close to Granbury, so I decided to check into my hotel and clean up before finishing up riding for the day. So I took 377 to the Days Inn (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1992) in Granbury.
After checking in and washing off some sweat (a fairly futile exercise, as I was dripping again soon after remounting the bike), I headed up 377 to find the site of my track time the following day: The MotorSport Ranch (http://www.motorsportranch.com) in Cresson. I then came back to Granbury and grabbed 4, which took me to the city square and over to 2580 to Tin Top.
Over the preceding few hours, the heat and, probably, the Koffee Kup pie had conspired to tire me out pretty well, and riding was getting to be a bit more of a chore than a pleasure. Suddenly, an additional bit of anxiety arose, in the form of a recurring problem I have with my hydraulic clutch reservoir. Within, it seemed, only about 20 miles, the free play in the clutch lever went from about 1/8" to about 1 1/2". :headbang:
Of course, once riding, I was loathe to pull over and deal with it, so I pressed on, up 2580, which was a pleasant road, but less fun, due to my distractions.
At the wide spot in the road known as Dennis, I became a bit confused, as I'd seen a sign for Old Post Rd. Now, FWVic had mentioned that this was a very fun road to take, but he'd described it as coming out of Weatherford and hooking up with 1189, which was about 10 miles west of me. Still a bit addled, but willing to give it a shot (in case I'd misunderstood things), I turned right off of 2580. It turned out to be a rough little country road that looped back on to 2580. :oops: "What the
heck," I thought, as I negotiated mini-whoops, gravel, and an increasingly loose clutch lever, "part of the fun of a ride is a little adventure." I continued north on 2580, and took 1708 over to 51, where I headed south back to Granbury.
A few miles down this road, I decided to stop at a gas station, and address the clutch reservoir problem. I pulled in, got the bike on the centerstand, and popped the reservoir cover. Sure enough, the fluid was down. This was no big deal, as I'd brought some fluid Just In Case.
Now, on every trip, I always forget One Thing. In this case, that thing was a tube to use in bleeding the line.
I'm no McGuyver, but I'd also brought duct tape with me, and with a styrofoam cup and a straw, I was able to fashion a little receiver of bled clutch fluid.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/temptoolsm.jpg
I added some fluid, bled, added, bled, etc. until I got a satisfactory feel back in the lever. Then, I made sure to tighten the bleeder, which the folks who service my bike (http://www.af1racing.com) had put on for my convenience (so I wouldn't have to pop the lefthand fairing to use the one by the clutch slave). On a hunch (having done this many times before), I felt under the bleeder point...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/leaksm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/leakmed.jpg))
Aha! Mental note: talk to service folks about fixing this up.
Properly restored, hungry, and tired of beef sticks and Gatorade, I bopped back to Granbury, and rode over to the Pasta Fina restaurant, which track day veterans had recommended as a good place to eat. They were, of course, right.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pastafinasm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pastafinamed.jpg))
Hey, Italian bike, 25% Italian me, Italian restaurant; it just makes sense. :-)
After gorging myself on a nice Chicken Florentine, a basket of garlic bread, and about 18 gallons of iced tea, I came out to a setting sun and a few raindrops. I dropped by a grocery store to get some lunch fixings for the next day and some Advil. ;-)
I was a bit anxious about My Baby resting alone in the back of the motel...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/daysinnlotsm.jpg
..but I figured that at least it was not super visible from most streets, and with a cover, a disk lock, and a cable lock connecting the rear wheel to the centerstand, thieves would have to work at least a little bit to take it away.
So, I buttoned up the Futura for the night. A little more rain fell.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tuckedinsm.jpg
I was pretty shot by 9 p.m., but all in all, it was a good day, about 460 mostly fun miles worth.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gooddaysm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gooddaymed.jpg))
Awaking nicely refreshed at 6 a.m. the next morning, and excited about the track day, I packed my gear, refilled my CamelBak, and grabbed some corn flakes (and a Pop Tart for lunch) from the spartan Continental breakfast provided by the motel. I checked out, and headed for a new experience.
I arrived at the track, checked in, and found a bit of shade that would be my pit area for the next few hours.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pitsm.jpg
I ran the bike through 'tech inspection', where the good folks even taped up my glass bits, and lowered the tire pressure to track pressures (30/30 F/R). I then returned to my little pit area, and made room for another decent little sport-tourer...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/preppedsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/preppedmed.jpg))
As more bikes started to come in, I realized that one cool thing about having a Triumph/aprilia/Ducati/Guzzi dealer put on a track day was the fact that a nice number of exotic bikes would be showing up, in addition to the normal (I'd imagine) complement of UJMs. Here are a few of my favorites.
A really nice guy named Mark had a nice setup, where he drove his Mini to the track, while a buddy trailered his totally droolicious Ducati there.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/749ssm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/749smed.jpg))
I really like that bike, and that color. Even higher on my list, though, was the ride of 'James'.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/agustasm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/agustamed.jpg))
James is a pretty cool young guy, who's obviously financially ok. Tourmeister would relate to this dude, as he had 12,000 miles on his MV, and had done 21 consecutive weekend rides in the Ozarks, that string broken only because he and his buddies decided to go to Big Bend. :bigokay: It was amazing how quiet that bike was, as it continually passed me all day long. :-)
James' buddy, Peter, also had a sweet little ride for the day. Yowza.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/factorysm.jpg
Here are some awesome looking bikes where ground clearance shouldn't be a problem...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/supermotossm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/supermotosmed.jpg))
Some folks visited with their nice yellow bikes. I didn't know the new R1 came in that color. ;-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/yellowbikessm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/yellowbikesmed.jpg))
Here's Tony, the owner of Eurosport Cycles, and "Junior" from N. Dallas BMW, who was helping out.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tony_jrsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tony_jrmed.jpg))
Tony is a mellow guy who hates being photographed. What I found cool about him, though, was that besides running a dealership all week, and organizing the track day, this ex-racer also provides a bit of classroom instruction, and puts on his leathers and takes his (for that day, anyway) Triumph Speed Four out on the track. :bow:
Speaking of the track, for those not familiar with this one, here's a diagram:
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tracksm.jpg
The groups were split into A folks (fast, experienced, etc.) and B folks (classroom instruction, slower, less experienced, i.e., me). The classroom sessions basically emphasized looking where you want to go (which wound up helping me avoiding some nasty excursions on a couple of turns, yay),late apexes, and weighting the inside peg.
Turns 1 (lower left in the picture) and 5 are uphill lefties with blind exits. They proved to be the most challenging turns for me, although 9-11 ("The Rattlesnake") worked me pretty good, too.
Each group had 6 sessions available. I decided to only do 4, so I'd have energy to blast back to Austin in the late afternoon. My 4th session was really a hoot, as a lot of things clicked. I leaned the bike over the most I'd ever done (a bit of an anxiety producer, since I don't like to do that on the street), and even managed to grind the toe of my left boot a couple of times, w00t. Due to the shortish straights, and the fact that the fastest straight goes into the Rattlesnake via a significant uphill right hander, my top speed was only about 95. However, even 40 or 50 mph at (to me) a decent lean is much more exciting than my more tame riding on the street, even at higher speeds.
After finishing up, I packed up my gear, and made it into Cresson to gas up and reinflate my tires. It was kind of cool to see a track-prepped bike come into the station for more gas, then go back out to the track. :-)
Leaving the track, I had to take one last picture. You have to admire the entrance road to the track.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/entrancesm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/entrancemed.jpg))
From Cresson, I rode home pretty much non-stop, taking 171 to I-35 South to Round Rock. 169 miles from the Cresson gas station to my garage, in about 2 1/2 hours.
It was a wonderful experience. I got to practice some techniques on the track, and even do my best Ricky Racer imitation, hanging off (to avoid worrying about scraping my centerstand, which I never did). Never mind folks passing me like I was standing still. :-)
I'm more enamored with the Futura than ever, in spite of the clutch fluid drama. The bike is just so comfortable on longish rides, and yet the engine sounds wondrous when kept at 6-9K rpm on the track. There is a heaven on earth, and it's aboard two wheels.
Total mileage for the two days: around 700, of which about 80 were on the track.
Hot. Sweaty. Fun.
Yeah!
Hot. Sweaty. Fun.
Were I younger and wilder, those words would have a different meaning. :dude: In my case, they best describe this past weekend, as I rode from the Austin area, in a winding fashion, of course, up to a track day I had won at the most recent Waltz Across Texas (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1526), courtesy of Eurosport Cycles (http://www.eurosportcycle.com) of Ft. Worth. 8-) Thanks to folks like Tourmeister, FWVic, and scratch, I'd been apprised of some good roads to ride on my way up.
With the Futura all checked out and track-ready (new chain, sprockets, tires, oil), and my CamelBak loaded with Gatorade, I headed up I-35 to Jarrell.
In Jarrell, I caught the pleasant 487 over to Florence.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/487med.jpg
I'm thinking that there is not much criminal activity in Florence, or they only need one seriously tough hombre of an LEO.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/florencepdsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/florencepdmed.jpg))
From Florence, I grabbed 138 to 183 to Briggs, where I caught 2657, a nice gentle roller coaster up to Copperas Cove. Very nice views unfolded on this portion of the ride.
In Copperas Cove, I took 116 north. That is, until I realized that the road I really wanted to take was the 'scratch Approved' 1113. So, I backtracked a bit and caught that road. As it climbed into the hills and weaved back and forth, my only regret was this it was way too short a run before it ended at 580. :chug:
I grabbed 580, where I stopped for a picture.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580sm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580med.jpg))
Here's the same spot, but with my first attempt at using the panorama feature of my new camera.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580pansm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/580panmed.jpg))
Now, to be honest, my fricking memory can't recall whether this is actually 580, or 116 (just to the north), or way back on 2657. Bleh. Unless someone can verify it, let's call it 580. :oops:
Anyway, enough full disclosure. I took 580 to 116 to 84 to Gatesville. Coming into Gatesville, I spied the courthouse rising majestically up from the town. I've come to enjoy the different architecture of some of the Texas county courthouses, and this one was particularly striking, so I decided to grab a pic. That silly attention-seeking Futura jumped into the image at the last moment. :-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gatesvillechsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gatesvillechmed.jpg))
Out of Gatesville, I took 36 a short while north to 929, which was yet another pleasant roller coaster. There are a set of prison units in this area, and I reflected at how fortunate I was to be riding my bike through nice scenery instead of doing time for some offense.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/929sm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/929med.jpg))
I took 929 over to catch 185, through Osage and into Crawford, near President and Mrs. Bush's ranch. At a gas station / restaurant / Bush souvenir gift shop, I asked an employee for directions to the ranch. She told me how to get there, and said I couldn't miss it, as there are a bunch of signs warning folks to stay in their vehicles and not stop. I decided I would pass on that particular thrill of a lifetime.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, and guess that most folks in the area will be voting Republican. :-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/crawfordsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/crawfordmed.jpg))
From Crawford, I bopped up 317 through Valley Mills, where I took 6 to Clifton, and turned on to 219.
Ahhhhhh, 219 to Cranfills Gap. This one road made the whole street portion of my trip. Gorgeous road quality, with sharply defined double-yellow lines formimg a dark snaky line through pretty hills. The curve warning signs had no recommended speed reduction, so I just railed through the bends. Moto-heaven!
As with Tourmeister, I don't have any pics of this road, because it was just too fun to stop. I guess I'll just have to come back again for proper photo-documentation. ;-)
At Cranfills Gap, I caught 1238, which would've been my #1 favorite road of the weekend, were it not for 219. The pavement was a bit older, but still good, and the sweepers were a bit less, um, sweeping, but it was still a lot of fun.
I took 1238 up to Iredell, where I turned westward toward Hico, to supplement my periodic munching of beef sticks and Gatorade with a certified Koffee Kup Pie Induced Sugar High.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkmed.jpg))
Did someone say pie?
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkpiessm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kkpiesmed.jpg))
The restaurant was a bit crowded, so I wound up sharing a table with a very nice couple, who had ridden the husband's '91 Harley down to Gruene from the Arlington area for a long weekend stay at a B&B (http://www.gruenemansioninn.com/). I was just there for the pie, and was kind of in the mood for something with a big meringue on it. However, the special of the day was fresh strawberry pie. So, I asked the waitress for her advice: lemon meringue or today's special? Without hesitation, she said the strawberry pie was the way to go. She was not wrong.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksbpiesm.jpg
(Larger image of this incredible concoction here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/kksbpiemed.jpg))
This was one of the best slices I'd ever had. Every bite was a bit of sugary satisfaction. Yum.
So, after that bit of gluttony, I headed up 281, where I caught 1824 through Duffau to 2481. 2481 was yet another nice road, though at this point, I'd been spoiled with 219 and 1238.
2481 ended at Bluff Dale, where I headed west for a bit on 377 and took 1188 to 1189. These roads were a lot of fun, with slightly tighter turns.
As I got closer to Lipan on 1189, I ran into a road closure. The detour involved a bit of gravel, and the Futura is no DS/GS (especially with the Pirelli Diablos on it), so I backtracked to Bluff Dale, where I stopped in to a convenience store for some water and some A/C.
In a way, you could say that the owner of the store is doing his part to make this section of Texas safe for motorcyclists.:-P
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/bluffdalesm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/bluffdalemed.jpg))
At this point, the sugar rush was gone, I was sweating fairly piggishly, and was close to Granbury, so I decided to check into my hotel and clean up before finishing up riding for the day. So I took 377 to the Days Inn (http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=1992) in Granbury.
After checking in and washing off some sweat (a fairly futile exercise, as I was dripping again soon after remounting the bike), I headed up 377 to find the site of my track time the following day: The MotorSport Ranch (http://www.motorsportranch.com) in Cresson. I then came back to Granbury and grabbed 4, which took me to the city square and over to 2580 to Tin Top.
Over the preceding few hours, the heat and, probably, the Koffee Kup pie had conspired to tire me out pretty well, and riding was getting to be a bit more of a chore than a pleasure. Suddenly, an additional bit of anxiety arose, in the form of a recurring problem I have with my hydraulic clutch reservoir. Within, it seemed, only about 20 miles, the free play in the clutch lever went from about 1/8" to about 1 1/2". :headbang:
Of course, once riding, I was loathe to pull over and deal with it, so I pressed on, up 2580, which was a pleasant road, but less fun, due to my distractions.
At the wide spot in the road known as Dennis, I became a bit confused, as I'd seen a sign for Old Post Rd. Now, FWVic had mentioned that this was a very fun road to take, but he'd described it as coming out of Weatherford and hooking up with 1189, which was about 10 miles west of me. Still a bit addled, but willing to give it a shot (in case I'd misunderstood things), I turned right off of 2580. It turned out to be a rough little country road that looped back on to 2580. :oops: "What the
heck," I thought, as I negotiated mini-whoops, gravel, and an increasingly loose clutch lever, "part of the fun of a ride is a little adventure." I continued north on 2580, and took 1708 over to 51, where I headed south back to Granbury.
A few miles down this road, I decided to stop at a gas station, and address the clutch reservoir problem. I pulled in, got the bike on the centerstand, and popped the reservoir cover. Sure enough, the fluid was down. This was no big deal, as I'd brought some fluid Just In Case.
Now, on every trip, I always forget One Thing. In this case, that thing was a tube to use in bleeding the line.
I'm no McGuyver, but I'd also brought duct tape with me, and with a styrofoam cup and a straw, I was able to fashion a little receiver of bled clutch fluid.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/temptoolsm.jpg
I added some fluid, bled, added, bled, etc. until I got a satisfactory feel back in the lever. Then, I made sure to tighten the bleeder, which the folks who service my bike (http://www.af1racing.com) had put on for my convenience (so I wouldn't have to pop the lefthand fairing to use the one by the clutch slave). On a hunch (having done this many times before), I felt under the bleeder point...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/leaksm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/leakmed.jpg))
Aha! Mental note: talk to service folks about fixing this up.
Properly restored, hungry, and tired of beef sticks and Gatorade, I bopped back to Granbury, and rode over to the Pasta Fina restaurant, which track day veterans had recommended as a good place to eat. They were, of course, right.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pastafinasm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pastafinamed.jpg))
Hey, Italian bike, 25% Italian me, Italian restaurant; it just makes sense. :-)
After gorging myself on a nice Chicken Florentine, a basket of garlic bread, and about 18 gallons of iced tea, I came out to a setting sun and a few raindrops. I dropped by a grocery store to get some lunch fixings for the next day and some Advil. ;-)
I was a bit anxious about My Baby resting alone in the back of the motel...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/daysinnlotsm.jpg
..but I figured that at least it was not super visible from most streets, and with a cover, a disk lock, and a cable lock connecting the rear wheel to the centerstand, thieves would have to work at least a little bit to take it away.
So, I buttoned up the Futura for the night. A little more rain fell.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tuckedinsm.jpg
I was pretty shot by 9 p.m., but all in all, it was a good day, about 460 mostly fun miles worth.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gooddaysm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/gooddaymed.jpg))
Awaking nicely refreshed at 6 a.m. the next morning, and excited about the track day, I packed my gear, refilled my CamelBak, and grabbed some corn flakes (and a Pop Tart for lunch) from the spartan Continental breakfast provided by the motel. I checked out, and headed for a new experience.
I arrived at the track, checked in, and found a bit of shade that would be my pit area for the next few hours.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/pitsm.jpg
I ran the bike through 'tech inspection', where the good folks even taped up my glass bits, and lowered the tire pressure to track pressures (30/30 F/R). I then returned to my little pit area, and made room for another decent little sport-tourer...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/preppedsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/preppedmed.jpg))
As more bikes started to come in, I realized that one cool thing about having a Triumph/aprilia/Ducati/Guzzi dealer put on a track day was the fact that a nice number of exotic bikes would be showing up, in addition to the normal (I'd imagine) complement of UJMs. Here are a few of my favorites.
A really nice guy named Mark had a nice setup, where he drove his Mini to the track, while a buddy trailered his totally droolicious Ducati there.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/749ssm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/749smed.jpg))
I really like that bike, and that color. Even higher on my list, though, was the ride of 'James'.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/agustasm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/agustamed.jpg))
James is a pretty cool young guy, who's obviously financially ok. Tourmeister would relate to this dude, as he had 12,000 miles on his MV, and had done 21 consecutive weekend rides in the Ozarks, that string broken only because he and his buddies decided to go to Big Bend. :bigokay: It was amazing how quiet that bike was, as it continually passed me all day long. :-)
James' buddy, Peter, also had a sweet little ride for the day. Yowza.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/factorysm.jpg
Here are some awesome looking bikes where ground clearance shouldn't be a problem...
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/supermotossm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/supermotosmed.jpg))
Some folks visited with their nice yellow bikes. I didn't know the new R1 came in that color. ;-)
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/yellowbikessm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/yellowbikesmed.jpg))
Here's Tony, the owner of Eurosport Cycles, and "Junior" from N. Dallas BMW, who was helping out.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tony_jrsm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tony_jrmed.jpg))
Tony is a mellow guy who hates being photographed. What I found cool about him, though, was that besides running a dealership all week, and organizing the track day, this ex-racer also provides a bit of classroom instruction, and puts on his leathers and takes his (for that day, anyway) Triumph Speed Four out on the track. :bow:
Speaking of the track, for those not familiar with this one, here's a diagram:
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/tracksm.jpg
The groups were split into A folks (fast, experienced, etc.) and B folks (classroom instruction, slower, less experienced, i.e., me). The classroom sessions basically emphasized looking where you want to go (which wound up helping me avoiding some nasty excursions on a couple of turns, yay),late apexes, and weighting the inside peg.
Turns 1 (lower left in the picture) and 5 are uphill lefties with blind exits. They proved to be the most challenging turns for me, although 9-11 ("The Rattlesnake") worked me pretty good, too.
Each group had 6 sessions available. I decided to only do 4, so I'd have energy to blast back to Austin in the late afternoon. My 4th session was really a hoot, as a lot of things clicked. I leaned the bike over the most I'd ever done (a bit of an anxiety producer, since I don't like to do that on the street), and even managed to grind the toe of my left boot a couple of times, w00t. Due to the shortish straights, and the fact that the fastest straight goes into the Rattlesnake via a significant uphill right hander, my top speed was only about 95. However, even 40 or 50 mph at (to me) a decent lean is much more exciting than my more tame riding on the street, even at higher speeds.
After finishing up, I packed up my gear, and made it into Cresson to gas up and reinflate my tires. It was kind of cool to see a track-prepped bike come into the station for more gas, then go back out to the track. :-)
Leaving the track, I had to take one last picture. You have to admire the entrance road to the track.
http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/entrancesm.jpg
(Larger image here (http://www.bitsof.info/moto/twt/tdSep04/entrancemed.jpg))
From Cresson, I rode home pretty much non-stop, taking 171 to I-35 South to Round Rock. 169 miles from the Cresson gas station to my garage, in about 2 1/2 hours.
It was a wonderful experience. I got to practice some techniques on the track, and even do my best Ricky Racer imitation, hanging off (to avoid worrying about scraping my centerstand, which I never did). Never mind folks passing me like I was standing still. :-)
I'm more enamored with the Futura than ever, in spite of the clutch fluid drama. The bike is just so comfortable on longish rides, and yet the engine sounds wondrous when kept at 6-9K rpm on the track. There is a heaven on earth, and it's aboard two wheels.
Total mileage for the two days: around 700, of which about 80 were on the track.
Hot. Sweaty. Fun.
Yeah!