A Most Excellent Motorbike Vacation - STAR 2011 - Day 5

Day 5 - Wednesday, June 29 - 150 miles

Stayin' Safe - Rolling By Thunder Valley - MSTA Banquet

I didn't get much sleep last night because I was so amped (and a bit nervous) about what was on tap for me this morning. But it didn't matter. It was a great sunshiney morning and I felt fantastic, sleep deprived or not. I registered to take my first ever on road, real time, motorcycle training class this morning. I take the Motorcycle Safety Foundations Advanced Riders Course each spring, but all that training is done at slow speed in parking lots. Don't get me wrong, it is great for developing the necessary "neurological inputs" to make counterintuitive actions become intuitive, which all motorcyclists need to develop. But it is not "real road training." Eric Trow, president of Stayin' Safe Training Tours, offered discounted half-day mini-sessions to MSTA members while attending STAR. I jumped on it.

So, up early - downstairs to eat breakfast, then to a conference room for a pre-ride briefing. Roo gets to sleep in today; no resistance to that on her part! There are 6 club members in the class, plus our instructors: Eric, Pete and Randy. We all introduce ourselves and fill out the required legal paper mumbo jumbo while Pete gives us the lowdown on what is going to happen today.



Seeing as I did not have any real time pics for this part
of my post, Joe decided it would be Cool to crash this
blog. What a Virginia Ham! Anything for a photo op!

Stayin' Safe is an on road, real time, real speed, advanced training course. In a nutshell, the first half of each class has us "students" following the instructors on a pre-determined route containing all the things you would encounter on a road ride: straight roads, sweepers, technical mountain roads, city traffic, suburbs, rural areas, farm tractors, Ma & Pa Kettle slow drivers, cow patties, chasing dogs, etc. Yes, we did get chased by dogs, twice! The pace is held at the speed limit of the particular road being ridden. Students are expected to be able to ride at the posted speed limits. Instructors communicate with the students via one-way radio. As we ride, the instructors are talking us through key points of riding safely and smoothly that are pertinent to the lay of the road we are riding on. A lot of the info was review for me (which is always good), but I learned new things and re-learned old things that were communicated and executed in a different manner for more effectiveness. Periodic breaks, dubbed "chalk talks", were taken in parking lots where Eric would promptly produce a piece of chalk, get down on his knees, and draw out key points on the blacktop. Very effective!



After an hour or so, the group broke up into 3 groups of 2, plus one instructor. Now it was time for the students to take the lead with the instructor right behind where he would continue to give cues on what to look for when scanning the road, and also to critique us on what we had just learned, with appropriate feedback on how to correct bad habits in real time! A bit intimidating, but a fantatstic learning experience! Four, much too soon hours later, we arrived back at the hotel. What a great morning and an excellent learning venue! I am already planning to do one of their 3 day training tours. For more info on this novel training course, go to http://www.stayin'safe.com/ .

Roo and our buddy Jon met me as our group rolled into the parking lot. I was all grins! After de-briefing with the instructors, Roo, Jon and myself ate lunch at our now go to eatery, Cootie Brown's. After lunch, Roo wanted to chill by the pool and Jon was tired from riding demo bikes all day.



Rhode Island Jonny and Roo pose it up while the ST cools down.
Where's Elmer? I think we found the wabbit!

But not me. I had one more required photo shoot to take. So I geared up again and pointed the ST north. Fifteen minutes later I arrived at my destination and the shutter started clicking. Here it is:

Bristol Motor Speedway



Entrance to Thunder Valley Drag Strip



Yessir! That's right. NASCAR! Bristol Motor Speedway and Thunder Valley! The Nascar and drag race capital of the southeast. Bristol Motor speedway - a shrine to all 4 wheelers that run in a circle and make left turns! NASCAR! Woo Hoo, darlin'!

But really, this place is immense! It's shear size is mighty impressive. Having had my fill of Nascar, it's back on the beaST and motor on down the road to the Holiday Inn. It's time to clean up and get ready for our STAR closing banquet.

At 6:30, all 520 of us MSTA members gathered in the hotel ballroom for the final night of MSTA motorcycle frivolity. I left my camera in the room, and the tables were so jammed packed in the ballroom that I just didn't feel like fighting the crowd to go get it. Besides, the festivities had already started. Bad journalism, I know.

Awards were given out: longest distance traveled to STAR, most STARS attended, oldest MSTA member (Don Clark, get this, 92 years old and still riding motorcycles!), and a special award given to our buddy, Rhode Island Jonny, the "King of the Demos" award. This award, the first ever given at a MSTA event, was given to the person who rode the wheels off the motorcycle demo fleet provided by Kingsport Cycles, Kingsport, TN. Jon's coronation even included "crowning" the king with a paper crown. Lot's of great door prizes were given out (we didn't win any) and guest speaker Eric Trow of Stayin' Safe gave a very informative and humorous talk on rider safety.

Finally, the moment everyone was waiting for - the announcement of the winner of the raffle bike - a Triumph Tiger 800. No, we didn't win. And neither did anyone else in attendance. The winning member was home in Atlanta, GA (you did not need to be present to win). Many moans of disappointment ensued. Oh well, the luck of the draw. The banquet ended, but the party continued in the lobby and outside. Things broke up fairly early, as many people had many miles to travel to get home. Another great MSTA comes to a close.

Next up: "Yes Thomas, you can go home again."