Offseason Motorcycle Fix

Last weekend was the Cycle World International Motorcycle Show in DC. Having not attended any of these in the past I went in with an open mind and limited expectations. I was also aware of how the struggling economy has taken a serious toll on the industry. Everyone is struggling, but the 'toy' industries are suffering the worst. That having been said, I was prepared.

The first thing I noticed was the number of people at the show. It was shoulder to shoulder the entire time I was there. I was very surprised. I took the time to visit the NESBA booth to sign up for a chance at a free trackday. It seems that I didn't win. I then started walking around checking out the displays, trying out how the different bikes felt underneath my 6'4" frame and generally absorbing the atmosphere.

Suzuki, Yamaha and Ducati did the patrons the favor of bringing out their fast bikes. Yamaha, of course, had the most to show off with a MotoGP championship and a World Superbike Championship. Both bikes were there, and I'll tell you, it was fun to check them out. Ducati had Hayden's machine on display, and Suzuki had Mladin's bike out for people to look at, and (gasp) sit on. Kawasaki and Honda had very large display areas but did not bring out any bikes, which was surprising. With the popularity of Monster, I was shocked to see that they didn't exploit that. Same goes for the Repsol partnership. Everyone that knows anything about bikes still enjoys seeing a Repsol GP bike even in the post-Hayden, post-Rossi era.

In terms of gear, there was precious little of interest. A local dealership had a nice display, and I did have a chance to try out the Sidi Vortice boots, which have come in a very nice white and blue combo. I can see myself in a pair of those! I also had my first chance to try HJC and Shoei helmets, which I have not been able to do yet. The Shoei fit incredibly well! It might just be my next choice for protecting my head. Several brands of gear failed to be represented at all. This would have been a great opportunity for me, as a track rider to check out the latest in suits, gloves and other protective gear, but now I am stuck taking forum recomendations and advice from friends. Disappointing.

Overall, the show was vanilla. I didn't expect much more, but it was a touch underwhelming. It fulfilled my need for motorcycle stuff in the offseason, but not my need for a hands on experience with gear and equipment. I will likely go again next year, but I will be more prepared for what the purpose of the show is. Its all about seeing bikes on the floor and not at all about getting to know about the other stuff that makes the industry run.

Training for the Track

The hardest part about working out is motivation. I have been blessed with a super-high metabolism, so I can generally eat whatever I want and stay within 5 pound range. I am also the person that enjoys walking around and generally being active. I feel like the fact that I work in front of a computer shouldn't be a reason to not make the most of the situation. The problem with this, is that I don't have (too much) excess weight to motivate me.

The motivating factor now though is that I don't have the conditioning that I need for the track. Well, not to be successful at the track anyway. So, I have started a workout regimen that will hopefully adequately prepare me. It looks like this:

Cardio: I will work on cardio on either the treadmill or bike everytime I go to the gym. I don't mean a light jog for five minutes to get the blood pumping. I mean a solid workout with varied speed and incline to make sure that I am toning my leg muscles, strengthening my heart, and building my endurance.

Flexibility: While I am on the bike flexibility is going to be important when considering the ways I am going to keep my long gangly limbs in place. Toes sliding across the pavement are not good! The bigger issue though, is the crash. If I don't get my flexibility to a more respectable level, the likelihood of injury during a crash is significantly higher. While I don't plan on crashing, I don't plan on being ignorant about that possiblity. If it should happen, I will be ready.

Muscle stamina: Strength and endurance are both very important, but to have both for extended periods of work is much more important to what we do. So, I will be taking a lower weight setting and doubling the reps. This will not only tone existing muscle mass, but also build the much needed muscle stamina.

Core Strength and Balance: Let's be honest, with the exception of your legs (which are supposed to be the part that is holding you to the machine) core muscles are the ones that hurt the most after a day at the track. I have started to build on that. Back workouts, both on the machines and gravity, have become an everyday piece of the puzzle, as have abs. NOBODY likes these exercises, so they are the hardest to get into. I have to say though, I can already feel and even see results. That does help. With these exercizes I have built in balance workouts so that as I am hanging off the side of my beautiful Gixxer, I am not out of alignment or extending myself to a point where I lose control of my body. Being able to make subtle and timely adjustments are key to keeping the geometry of the bike in order.

With all of this, my plan is to drop 6 pounds, hit an even 170, and be better toned than I have at any point previously in my life. Wish me luck!

Obsession in Overdrive

Its official, this hobby has taken over my life. I woke up this morning at 5 am to get to work early so I could hit the gym first. The catch though, is that I had to be into work early, so that I could leave early and make it to my second job tonight. So, instead of 9-5, I will be working (or some illusion thereof) 5-9. Why? So that I can ride a motorcycle this summer.

Working in the non-profit sector doesn't lend itself to independent wealth. It barely lends itself to financial independence (okay, I exaggerate a little). One thing is true though, it does not support on-track riding of any variety. So, in order to compensate for this, I picked up a job delivering pizzas. Every penny of that goes right to the trackday fund. While it is nice to have that, there are days that I realize how tight the track's grip has gotten on my life. I work my normal job Monday-Friday 9-5 or 8-4, then I work at the pizza joint Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. Think about that. It leaves Monday and Wednesday for a social life. Thats right, I have surrendered myself to the track. No girl wants to start dating 'that guy,' and friends don't go to happy hours on Mondays

If this wasn't enough of a commitment, I just started my workout regimen. I refuse to show up to the track physically unprepared. I will highlight the plan a little more in a future post, but needless to say this takes 5 more hours a week.

The really sad thing(or exciting, depending on your perspective) is that I am not disappointed, upset or even annoyed by the extra effort this is taking. I am just ready to be back on the track.

Hitting the ground running....

I took the 2009 season off. It was the end of my first year at my new job, which was my first 'career' position and I wanted to make sure that I was doing what I needed to in order to get paid more! The bigger problem is that I made the mistake of digging myself a financial hole the previous year-- an easy thing to do with trackday riding. Now that I have gotten my things in order, I am ready for my big return to the track.

Over the past few months I have been busy preparing myself, and now that the season is only a few months away the preparations seem to be ready to hit high gear. I finally got a set of race bodywork, which I wrapped in a few sheets of Trackwraps vinyl. I followed the project with an article in trackdaymag.com. I also put some Vortex rearsets on the bike and took off all of the extraneous lights, bells and whistles. My street bike would see the street no more.

My recent purchase was my new custom made race suit from Spartan Leathers. It will be here in February sometime, and I can't wait. I did it in white and light blue to match the bike's new look. It is going to be great (assuming I didn't screw up the measurements). There will certainly be a post dedicated to this topic when the leathers finally arrive.

Finally, the biggest news of the offseason came this week. That is that Trackday Magazine has agreed to sponsor me, my riding, and my writing. Lithium Motorsports will be the primary supplier for this sponsorship. I am unable to put into words the appreciation to K3 (TDM), and Rob and Jason (Lithium). I will be adding to and improving the bike a lot, and these guys will prove to be invaluable.

As I continue this blog, there will be updates about the bike, riding, and anything generally associated with motorcycles on the track. I hope that you will feel free to comment, and provide me with feedback!

Cheers,
DK