Scratch's new legs

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As some of you already know, last year we had a North Cali meet and greet with lots of hard riding thrown in for good measure. During said trip, RW and I swapped bikes for a few miles. Feeling the difference between stock suspension and dialed in Penske and Racetech legs inspired me to update my own. Here is my account...

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Scratch, the time has come. I know you are feeling a bit long in the tooth with all the new girls out there on the road. 10 years and over 50,000 miles have taken their toll on your legs. The facelift we got you last month helped you out a bit, but your age is showing a bit when we tame the serpent.

Happy birthday old girl. How do you like your new blue Penske? Now your rear is tighter than it's ever been. A nice firm, rear end is always a good thing for a girl. With this one, you hunker down less and don't have any trouble absorbing even the hardest impacts I throw your way. I can pound you through the curves and never worry about you losing your rear grip. On the highway, we feel a little more stiffness, but that's okay. Where we live is in the twisties. Was it worth it? Well, we are just getting started on the fun and don't totally have you dialed in back there just yet. We'll have to keep slamming it and see what settings work the best for rear comfort/performance.

Now, let's get to that front end. I have been feeling more required effort to keep you on track in the last year. I know I push you hard sometimes, but it's only because I want you to maximize your potential. Now, thanks to Racetech we can grab a line even in a bumpy curve and maintain it. Even with this tire old shoe up front, we don't push at all. You still look just like the day you rolled out, but underneath, you are a new girl.

Test the package. Finally we get a chance to test your new gear on something besides the straight freeway. Out to 229 we go. You growl in anticipation. I can feel my pulse increase as your tach leaps up. I'm already getting that pleasant buzz through my body thinking about what's coming. Bang! I grab a handful of throttle, climb the first small hill and hit a quick right going slightly downhill then as the tach nears 9000 I flick you on your left side for the next curve. What, no dive, no wiggle. Whoa! This is gonna be fun! Through the left hander going uphill, trying to glance around the hill and curve going back to the right. No gravel on the inside today, keep the RPMS up. We are doing it now. Now I have to back off the throttle a little for this hard left, we'll stay in 2nd and keep your growl up there to alert the world to the beast I have unleashed on this highway. Your snarls and pops terrify the wildlife peeking out from their protected lairs. Through more lefts and rights we go. This first couple miles stays pretty technical. We stay mostly in 2nd for this. No need to shift much, you are an interceptor. The severity of the curves start to lessen. We move on to third, you try to reach for the sky, but we'll just float the front a little and get back to business. Up, up, up climbs your speedo needle, I glance down and notice 85 mph sliding by and your tach still climbs as I look back up to see what 229 throws at us.

Next section. Bam! Hard right, that one can be difficult but your new legs grab it without a bobble. Road narrows again, back into second, we have a chicane here then a nice right that lets us climb the needle then up a hill into third and a nice unicycle ride for a split second then back on the ground for a mild chicane running downhill. Slam it down to 2nd, wham your tach jumps up and we hit a smooth fast left then into a beautiful chicane that inspires the soul while your growl your greetings to your old rival. At the bottom of the chicane, a hard right that always slows us down due to visibility. It's clear, around we go, let's get our tach back. Short straights and a few curves, then we have almost back to back near 180 degree lefts then another hillclimb.
Now, the part we have been waiting for. Probably a one mile chicane with a narrow well paved gentle downgrade. In the past, your legs slowed us a bit here as we toss from left to right, but not today, today we continue to push the tach up towards heaven. The road melts beneath us. Today, the beast is tamed. She offers minimal resistance. Today we caught her by surprise. your looks were the same, but your legs did their job and made easy work of her.

You've been with me two years now. I have more fondness for you than any bike before, and there have been several. You bring a smile to my face most every time. Was it worth it to spend over $1000 on a 10 yr old? I think so. This was just our first fun ride with the new front and rear, and I think once we dial them both in, the fun will get even better.

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Sounds sweet Reg. Makes me jealous.

Hey, I might e heading up your way (well, up the coast) pretty soon. Depends on the weather.

 

It makes a noticeable difference but I'm still workin on dialing it in. The guys were supposed to help when they came down for the BBQ last month, but we got sidetracked...

 

always a pleasure... sometimes my posts are a little offbeat, but I try to offer at least an interesting perspective if nothing else...