Riding in Smith's Valley
It was a hot summer everning when I took off on a ride on my 1100 V-Star. I left the town of Cassville, Pa and turned onto a local byway called Dirt Mountain road. The name hints at what kind of road it is. Some is paved and some dirt it's a 25 mph road when your lucky.
At the end of the road, I turned onto Smith Valley Road at Bowman's Chapel and graveyard. Smith Valley is a fine, two-lane highway with a lot of sweepers and twity turn.
What was at first just a quick ride outside of Cassville was turning out to be a longer excursion than expected. I was wearing my helmet, but not my regular riding gear. I had a tank top, shorts and sneakers on. I know better, but on a warm summer day out in the country, it didn't seem reasonable to put on leathers and boots.
I had just finished reading David Hough's book "More Proficient Motorcycling" so I wanted to try out his method of going around turns, like the decreasing apex. I would slow down before a curve, look through the turn, then take the outside of the lane into the turn and, at the apex I would lean the bike over using counter steering. I would rool on the throttle to give the rear wheel grip in the turn and not used up my tire's contact patch. While taking the outside of the turn, I was able to see any hidden hazards in the turn. Since I had slowed down before the turn, I was also able to use both front and rear brakes.
All of this came in handy while going through one decreasing left-hand curve. I was taking my outside line when I spotted a doe and her fawn crossing the road. I put on both front and rear breaks and stopped near the whitetail deer. I parked off the road to watch the deer for a little while. A SUV came around the turn going too fast to stop. By the Grace of God, the deer where future down the field. There was no way that car could have stopped in time if more deer had been crossing the road. I got back going down Smith Valley Road, finally coming to its cross road with Rt 829 to take me up the Cassville mountain and back home. Entering the hairpin turn that leads up the mountain,there was a car coming, so I dove to the inside of the right-hander. I then realized that Hough's book was well worth the purchase price.
Coming down off the mountain, I used engine braking to slow the bike down. A dirt road was on my left as I rode into the outskirts of town. In all my years, I had never once met a car coming out of that little dirt road.. Thankfully, I was still covering my front brake when a black Ford Ranger went right through the stop sign and out onto rt 829. I was prepared and applied both brakes, and still the Ranger almost hit me in the side, even with an orange tank top on! I doubt the person even saw me, because he just kept on going down the road. Though the road has a 25 mph speed limit, few people obey it. Certainly that Ranger was going much faster than 25 mph!
With me taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Course and reading books like MSF's Motorcycle Excellence and Hough's Procificent Motorcycle and other Advanced Motorcycling books and article, I was able to survive several Close calls on one brief ride. It's a lesson for anyone who rides a bike or drives a car for that matter.
At the end of the road, I turned onto Smith Valley Road at Bowman's Chapel and graveyard. Smith Valley is a fine, two-lane highway with a lot of sweepers and twity turn.
What was at first just a quick ride outside of Cassville was turning out to be a longer excursion than expected. I was wearing my helmet, but not my regular riding gear. I had a tank top, shorts and sneakers on. I know better, but on a warm summer day out in the country, it didn't seem reasonable to put on leathers and boots.
I had just finished reading David Hough's book "More Proficient Motorcycling" so I wanted to try out his method of going around turns, like the decreasing apex. I would slow down before a curve, look through the turn, then take the outside of the lane into the turn and, at the apex I would lean the bike over using counter steering. I would rool on the throttle to give the rear wheel grip in the turn and not used up my tire's contact patch. While taking the outside of the turn, I was able to see any hidden hazards in the turn. Since I had slowed down before the turn, I was also able to use both front and rear brakes.
All of this came in handy while going through one decreasing left-hand curve. I was taking my outside line when I spotted a doe and her fawn crossing the road. I put on both front and rear breaks and stopped near the whitetail deer. I parked off the road to watch the deer for a little while. A SUV came around the turn going too fast to stop. By the Grace of God, the deer where future down the field. There was no way that car could have stopped in time if more deer had been crossing the road. I got back going down Smith Valley Road, finally coming to its cross road with Rt 829 to take me up the Cassville mountain and back home. Entering the hairpin turn that leads up the mountain,there was a car coming, so I dove to the inside of the right-hander. I then realized that Hough's book was well worth the purchase price.
Coming down off the mountain, I used engine braking to slow the bike down. A dirt road was on my left as I rode into the outskirts of town. In all my years, I had never once met a car coming out of that little dirt road.. Thankfully, I was still covering my front brake when a black Ford Ranger went right through the stop sign and out onto rt 829. I was prepared and applied both brakes, and still the Ranger almost hit me in the side, even with an orange tank top on! I doubt the person even saw me, because he just kept on going down the road. Though the road has a 25 mph speed limit, few people obey it. Certainly that Ranger was going much faster than 25 mph!
With me taking the Motorcycle Safety Foundation Rider Course and reading books like MSF's Motorcycle Excellence and Hough's Procificent Motorcycle and other Advanced Motorcycling books and article, I was able to survive several Close calls on one brief ride. It's a lesson for anyone who rides a bike or drives a car for that matter.
posted by Mean Joe | 3:04 PM
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