I need some parking lot practice!

[dantama]

I had a great day today. I've been trying to persuade an instructor of Motor Officers to let me practice with him. Today it happened.

Today I found out that turning as tight as I can turn isn't enough. And that last little bit is pretty damn hard to master. He set up a cone weave that then became an offset weave half way through. I could follow him through it without hitting cones, but would eventually lose distance on my own and blow a cone. I was glad that following him through it I could do it so that I didn’t look too amateur.

Then we did the keyhole exercise. That is the one that always looks the hardest in police competition videos. It's the one that looks like an old skeleton key hole. That one is tight I couldn't do it. I could get half way and then was out of room. One of my figure 8's or circles isn't enough for one of those.

He said that I was about half way through the police training course with the knowledge I already have, but that last bit is difficult stuff. I was surprised how tight it really is. The other thing I'm not good at came as a total surprise. You have to swing the bars from one side full lock, over to the other side fast, way fast. Swinging the bars in a figure 8 is like slow motion compared to the key hole. I can probably do a key hole, if only I could swing the bars fast enough.

So all in all, I had a great time. I've got a lot to learn to be motor officer good, but the challenge is great fun. I'm hoping he calls me back for more.

I did beat him on one thing. He headed into some deep gravel, decorative gravel in between trees in a large planter area about four inches deep. Then do a tight turn and ride back out of it. He had to put a foot down when he lost traction in the tightest part of the turn, and I didn't.

I could also stop within 3 feet of his best stopping at speed. Harleys have better brakes, so he said that I was stopping as fast as a Nomad can stop probably. I never had anything to compare my stops to, so it was nice to know I'm sufficiently skilled at stopping.

I subscribe to his parking lot practice videos on you tube, and I sometimes go look at what my subscriber’s post of their own. I was hoping that he didn't do the same and see some of my crazy stuff. At the end he let me know he's seen me in the high marking on the bridge video. He didn't seem put out by my lack of good judgment :)




Practicing with an instructor of motor officers is about a dream come true for me. It was a great day.