DS Skilz-drill 05 - Apr 2008 - Recap

‘TIS THE ARC FOR YOU – 1 of 2
What . . . . . . . . . . . .Dualsport Skills Practice, short day
When . . . . . . . . . . . . .Meet Saturday, 26 April, 7:30 AM
Where . . . . . Meet @ BMW Motorcycles of Ventura County

Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Laine MacTague
Registration Fee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .$10.00

[DSS 05 Outline]

The morning started at BMW Motorcycles of Ventura County, where we discussed our route, and the drills planned for the day. Our route lead us down Grimes Canyon, always a fun set of twisties -









Once off pavement, our first task was adjusting the positions of the controls for easier use off-road -









After that, we began by discussing riding position -








After warming up with a little slow riding, we began with a drill that simultaneously strengthens body position, clutch / brake / throttle control, and balance. After a brief demo, we took turns, one rider practicing while others assisted by watching our form and reminding us of what we were forgetting. Getting everything right is like juggling half a dozen different shaped items at once: Head up - Elbows out - A little more throttle - Hips out - Whoops, dropped that one - Knees bent - More rear brake on the downslope!... -


















Occasionally, all the juggling items got dropped at once -









Next, we discussed climb and descent postures -









We spent quite a while working on uphill and downhill body position, as well as stopping and starting smoothly on steep climbs and descents -









In a few short hours we covered more than enough to assimilate. We decided to take a break, and test our skills on some single track. It was a pretty area -




















But it proved a bit more than we were ready for -



















Fredo thought that looked fun, so he gave it a try - with similar results. Why he put down the elephant gun for this shot is beyond me -









We, uh, let it bleed out for a while -








Getting the big bikes back on track turned out to be fairly simple -









Some folks learn well by doing, others by watching. Seemed like Peter learned well by watching -









"Don't worry; I'll catch you..." -









Peter got by with little trouble. That narrow canyon was a hot place to be hefting big bikes, though. We all needed a little break after the hard work. Luckily, it was just a few more turns to where the terrain opened up and the trail became road-wide -









The ride back to town was comparatively uneventful -- a welcome change! It wasn't long before we were cooling off over lunch in Castaic; a hard-earned reward for a day well seized -