Photos: 2003-05-22-fast2

Map of route from home to Shannonville Speedway (County Rd 15)

Map of detail at beginning of route from Shannonville Speedway to home (including Desert Lake Road & Little Long Lake Road - a great one lane goat path)

Map of complete route from Shannonville Speedway to home (County Rd 10)

I woke up at 5:45am and climbed into my silk long-johns and brandy new, half-price leathers (it pays to be goofy-sized and not too picky about colour). I threw my pre-packed tank bag on the Katana, then re-packed to try to fit some spare clothes. Then I fiddled with the fit of the leathers over my electric vest - they just aren't made to play well together. When all the adjusting and repacking was done, I was about 15 minutes late leaving the house. Then I realized I had only a half tank of gas. That got sorted out and I was on my way - 230 kms ahead of me was a FAST Riding School phase 2 course at Shannonville speedway. The only problem was that I was supposted to arrive before 8:30 for registration.

Apparently the navigational section of my brain wasn't switched on that early in the morning because I kept going straight past my first turn, but managed to catch my error after about five minutes. Got to the right secondary highway and started hauling ass. Almost no one was on the road (this is well out of commuting territory) and I saw narry a beastie near the road. Speeds around and above DOD nominal got me to the track half an hour late, just in time to register, snag some better armoured boots and gloves and head out to join the track walk. I arrived just as they were going to the apex of corner 1. Perfect timing.

I spent the day riding an SV650S (and judging from the photos making it look small). Absolute blast. Was flying by the end. My street bike now feels bloated, heavy, shod with grease and with too much throttle free-play (this last I will look into). More details on the track session to follow as time (and interest?) permits.

The ride home was more leisurely, so I semi-on-purpose got myself lost, then, found a road that connected somewhere useful and came out into Verona, Ontario, from where "Desert Lake Road" always beckons me. So I checked the map and found there was side road off of it that lead to another road that lead to the secondary highway I wanted to take into Ottawa. The road turned out to be "Little Lond Lake Road", which I think Greg might have put on last years OMMT. It's posted as 20km/h "slow twisty road next ? kms". What an excellent goat path it was. Hilly, gravelly, dirt, trees and at one point the shoulder was the lake. I wasn't having trouble controlling the bike, but found myself worrying about how you'd pull six hundred pounds of bike out of a lake in the middle of nowhere. Saw a fat beaver and four white-tails, but had no need for evasive maneuvers.

The rest of the return home was on the reasonably interesting, but unremarkable Hwy10 (can't remember which county 10 it is). I arrived back in Ottawa, filled up the tank, stopped off at a dealer in a failed attempt to schedule an appointment for a new front tire, and made it home just before 9:30. I fetched a beer, called the pizza delivery and collapsed on the coutch. What a great day.

- Richard

Photos from my FAST Riding School Phase 2 Course Photos by Flair Photo
full Large Group 3, RCP looming at back left	full Large Fabi track, turn 1	full Large	full Large
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full Large too wide, probably late turn-in	full Large	full Large	full Large
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full Large turn 3, a decreasing radius	full Large	full Large	full Large
full Large	full Large	full Large too wide, and onto the concrete pads	full Large
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full Large better line and better body position