06-20-2017, 04:07 AM
Being a school teacher I place a lot of value on learning and study. Since my MSF course this is the second advanced course I have taken. I actually planned to take it last year, but my wife planned a birthday party at the same time I couldn't get out of.
Surviving the Streets takes place at Toronto Motorsports Park which is actually in Cayuga. They have a 3 km road course with 12 turns and a drag strip.
Upon arriving and introducing myself, my friend and his dad to the instructor we were in the pits for about an hour while he inspected all of our bikes. He checked tires for wear and air, brakes, oil, suspension, chain, it was quite thorough. The Harley had too much oil in it! I guess the owner over compensated for how much oil he'd lose between the house and the track. The BMW S1000RR had a bald front tire, luckily a guy who owned a shop was there with a suitable replacement and a good deal was had and his tire was changed readily.
We went to the class and reviewed some handling geometry and physics, some road safety, counter steering and a few other things, including rules for the track and how to switch order within the groups while on the track.
The instructor looked at our bikes, asked us the fastest we'd ever gone on the streets, looked at our bikes and our handling on the track and then put us into groups. I was in the fastest group with a Honda Magna and my buddy's BMW F800gs. The S1000RR was by far the fastest bike there but the owner was more concerned with his girlfriend on the GS500F than actually riding his own bike and I lapped them several times.
So we take a few sight seeing laps and then we do a few emergency maneuvers then we start to focus on cornering. Our instructor is a superbike racer and although he believes he is taking it easy we are flying around this track trying to keep up with him. We go faster and faster and then it happens, GROUND PEGS!!
We do a few more laps each time rotating who is in the position behind Our instructor and taking pit breaks to get feedback on our body position, line, and throttle/braking control.
We take a break and I'm starting to feel it in my legs quite a bit, the head instructor says "So now we will do a session without the lead bikes, take it easy for the first lap and remember only passing on the straights, no exceptions." So I rush all my gear back on, throw a leg over the CB and fire it up with enthusiasm. He hears the engine roar, looks right at me and says "GO" . I slip between a few parks bikes and let the CB fly full throttle down the straights, red lining every gear I get pretty high in third but have no idea how fast I'm going with my speedo taped over. Some of the track bikers in the pit crew look over the fence as I fly by. I guess they don't see UJM's on the track all that often. I come around from my first lap and some people are STILL IN THE PIT! and I make a few passes in the straights.
After a few more laps and some great passes they wave the checkered flag which I clearly won and signal us to come in. From the nature of the speech and the time of day I figured we were done and going back to the classroom for our debriefing so I take off my jacket, gloves, etc and get a drink. He mentions that we can do a few more laps but cautions us that we may be more fatigued than we realize. I turn to my buddy and his dad to see how they're feeling and the Magna fires up with a big grin at being first (modular helmet) . Chad says he's going to take a few more so I rush my gear on. My leather gloves are moist and fighting going back on, fumbling with my helmet I want back on that track!!!! Digging deep I'm riding the CB like it's stolen and having a blast. I pass a few people on the second straight and go into the long cornering section where passing isn't allowed. After I get past a few of the slower riders that were holding me up I start tracking down that magna. Third lap second straight I could have had him but he brakes a bit early. I'm on his ass all through the cornering and if permitted could have passed him at any point. As we come around the last corner, checkered flag, come in, you caught the magna, but no pass, you'll have to settle for 2nd place.
When I compare this course to Lee Parks total control I would say Lee has the teaching part down. If you are a quick study you will find a lot of redundancy in the total control course because he is catering to the lowest learning level in the course. He's done it for decades and wrote the book. However during the day from 8-8 I spent half the day in the class, and 4/5ths the rest of the time watching other people while I idle my aircooled bike in the hot sun. (never was an issue for over heating though, CB is so good.) .
With surviving the streets you are riding the whole time. He teaches the same principals as Lee Parks in similar ways, but at a faster pace. It was easy for me to grasp because I did the TC course and I'm well read and a professional student, however I think the course may be a bit too fast for some. However once on the course the instructors are watching every thing and give lots of feedback and help and they group people together really well. there was one group with older ladies on Shadows and Bolts that fit really well together and made improvements at their level. I think anybody who has 5000 km and basic throttle and braking skills to anyone less than a seasoned racer would get a lot out of this course.
It was the most fun I've had on two wheels by far. With no worries about cops, oncoming traffic, texters, gravel, it was an absolute riot to give 'er on the track.
We can actually rent the track for 500/hr for a 3 hour minimum so if anyone is interested in doing a CB meet up at a racetrack we'd need 15 guys at $100 for or 8 guys at $187.50.
Surviving the Streets takes place at Toronto Motorsports Park which is actually in Cayuga. They have a 3 km road course with 12 turns and a drag strip.
Upon arriving and introducing myself, my friend and his dad to the instructor we were in the pits for about an hour while he inspected all of our bikes. He checked tires for wear and air, brakes, oil, suspension, chain, it was quite thorough. The Harley had too much oil in it! I guess the owner over compensated for how much oil he'd lose between the house and the track. The BMW S1000RR had a bald front tire, luckily a guy who owned a shop was there with a suitable replacement and a good deal was had and his tire was changed readily.
We went to the class and reviewed some handling geometry and physics, some road safety, counter steering and a few other things, including rules for the track and how to switch order within the groups while on the track.
The instructor looked at our bikes, asked us the fastest we'd ever gone on the streets, looked at our bikes and our handling on the track and then put us into groups. I was in the fastest group with a Honda Magna and my buddy's BMW F800gs. The S1000RR was by far the fastest bike there but the owner was more concerned with his girlfriend on the GS500F than actually riding his own bike and I lapped them several times.
So we take a few sight seeing laps and then we do a few emergency maneuvers then we start to focus on cornering. Our instructor is a superbike racer and although he believes he is taking it easy we are flying around this track trying to keep up with him. We go faster and faster and then it happens, GROUND PEGS!!
We do a few more laps each time rotating who is in the position behind Our instructor and taking pit breaks to get feedback on our body position, line, and throttle/braking control.
We take a break and I'm starting to feel it in my legs quite a bit, the head instructor says "So now we will do a session without the lead bikes, take it easy for the first lap and remember only passing on the straights, no exceptions." So I rush all my gear back on, throw a leg over the CB and fire it up with enthusiasm. He hears the engine roar, looks right at me and says "GO" . I slip between a few parks bikes and let the CB fly full throttle down the straights, red lining every gear I get pretty high in third but have no idea how fast I'm going with my speedo taped over. Some of the track bikers in the pit crew look over the fence as I fly by. I guess they don't see UJM's on the track all that often. I come around from my first lap and some people are STILL IN THE PIT! and I make a few passes in the straights.
After a few more laps and some great passes they wave the checkered flag which I clearly won and signal us to come in. From the nature of the speech and the time of day I figured we were done and going back to the classroom for our debriefing so I take off my jacket, gloves, etc and get a drink. He mentions that we can do a few more laps but cautions us that we may be more fatigued than we realize. I turn to my buddy and his dad to see how they're feeling and the Magna fires up with a big grin at being first (modular helmet) . Chad says he's going to take a few more so I rush my gear on. My leather gloves are moist and fighting going back on, fumbling with my helmet I want back on that track!!!! Digging deep I'm riding the CB like it's stolen and having a blast. I pass a few people on the second straight and go into the long cornering section where passing isn't allowed. After I get past a few of the slower riders that were holding me up I start tracking down that magna. Third lap second straight I could have had him but he brakes a bit early. I'm on his ass all through the cornering and if permitted could have passed him at any point. As we come around the last corner, checkered flag, come in, you caught the magna, but no pass, you'll have to settle for 2nd place.
When I compare this course to Lee Parks total control I would say Lee has the teaching part down. If you are a quick study you will find a lot of redundancy in the total control course because he is catering to the lowest learning level in the course. He's done it for decades and wrote the book. However during the day from 8-8 I spent half the day in the class, and 4/5ths the rest of the time watching other people while I idle my aircooled bike in the hot sun. (never was an issue for over heating though, CB is so good.) .
With surviving the streets you are riding the whole time. He teaches the same principals as Lee Parks in similar ways, but at a faster pace. It was easy for me to grasp because I did the TC course and I'm well read and a professional student, however I think the course may be a bit too fast for some. However once on the course the instructors are watching every thing and give lots of feedback and help and they group people together really well. there was one group with older ladies on Shadows and Bolts that fit really well together and made improvements at their level. I think anybody who has 5000 km and basic throttle and braking skills to anyone less than a seasoned racer would get a lot out of this course.
It was the most fun I've had on two wheels by far. With no worries about cops, oncoming traffic, texters, gravel, it was an absolute riot to give 'er on the track.
We can actually rent the track for 500/hr for a 3 hour minimum so if anyone is interested in doing a CB meet up at a racetrack we'd need 15 guys at $100 for or 8 guys at $187.50.
