The MotoFit Minute

Take it ALL to the track

This month I want to talk about taking it to the track - and I mean all of it.

Whatever you ride, a great motorcycle experience is waiting there for everyone.

Just ask David Krause from Puget Sound Safety who attended a MotoFit Event at ORP. Taking it to the track has fundamentally changed the way he rides a motorcycle as well as for a number of his colleagues and friends as well.

Did I mention that Dave rides a Honda Valkyrie?

Imagine a Honda Valkyrie -- carving up one of the most technically-challenging tracks in the country and doing it with sorted intention and focus – no doubt a beautiful thing to watch.

Dave's competence as a rider has inspired others to be the same – like his buddy Kenny who also rides a Valkyrie. The fun really begins when you start working on your own riding program to learn safety, develop skills, increase confidence and rider ability.

Being at the track affords you the freedom to really grow as a rider... in a controlled environment... completely void of day-to-day distractions … there's generally a lot to pay attention to when you are riding a motorcycle on public roads on top of managing your machine. On the track, your growth curve is accelerated, without the presence of distractions.

On the track you can really take a deep breath and learn how to relax, focus, and build your situational awareness.

When riding on the track, we only need to listen to the resulting inputs we are giving our bikes, because, it really comes down to good communication, and listening more than telling.

One of my favorite segments of our MotoFit classroom is Pat McGill's topic, "Be a good passenger." Being a good passenger is about communicating. Pat says -- If your wife says "I'm buying a new dress this weekend and you're coming with me on Saturday morning missing the live broadcast of SBK, and by the way you're paying for it," we end up with a much different result than if someone took the other approach... "Babe, I want to swing by the store on Saturday morning and buy you some new tools, and by the way there's this dress I'll look really cute in; would you mind checking it out after you get everything you need?" It's the same as trying to force the issue with your bike and trying to throw it around -- it's exhausting, un-inspiring,and doesn't work so well because you might end up divorced in one case or in a ditch in another.

In life, it's all about surrounding yourself with like-minded people. By going to the track, you will meet a whole bunch more to enrich your life.

And besides, maybe one day you'll have an opportunity to share your experience with a friend who would benefit as well, enabling them to really start living more smiles per mile.

Rob Burch/January 2017

Rob Burch is the founder and principal of MotoFit Group, a company that provides track days throughout the Pacific Northwest. He’s also an avid mountain bike rider and skier.