Agreed.... that is a good read.
Those of you that have been on runs I've led (which is pretty few in the Miata crowd...) know that I tend to cruise at a pace that's just moderately in the vicinity of brisk.
I'm not a speed junkie. If you want speed, Interstate highways in rural areas are quite efficient routes for speedy travel. When running solo, rural two lane can make for quick travel as well.
However, I enjoy seeing some sites here and there when out for a cruise with no particular time or destination in mind. But I don't see a whole lot of those sites in the midst of curves...
Nick Ienatsch has been writing about a philosophy for safe, enjoyable touring on motorcycles for a long time. The principles he discusses can be readily applied to safe, ticket-free and highly enjoyable touring in four-wheeled conveyances as well.
Take a moment to read his articles. You can find two of them with these links.
Both Articles in one place
November '91
June '93
Well written, well thought-out article. That guy is a genius! My key take-aways from those articles are:
1) The street is not a racing environment, and it takes humility, self assurance and self control to keep it that way.
2) Any idiot can twist the throttle (or in our case, mash the gas peddle), but an idiot does not understand "the line", does not know how to stop, and can't smoothly/cleanly negotiate a turn.
3) You can have fun -- lots of fun -- without tempting fate... or law enforcement people.
Those things are hard to remember sometimes when Suzie Soccer Mom in her Caravan or Ronnie Ricer in his fart-can wearing POS Civic flies past you on the Tollway going 20 mph over the speed limit... or cuts in front of you on Lovers Lane. When that happens, my mind screams "I have a sports car darn it, and I can out-drive you any day"* ! Most of the time I can keep my ego in check... occasionally I can't. :)
Thanks for bringing those articles to this board.
-----------------------------
* That, of course, isn't necessarily true...
HAHAHAHAHA
Well, I don't have a fart can on my Miata, but I bet you've seen me leaving you in the dust a few times in my Splash Green Mica!
Now if Mini Van Momma would just GET OUT OF THE FAST LANE!
Daily Driver: 2013 Club edition in Pearl White Mica
Lightness? What's that? I drive a PRHT!
Originally Posted by Kestrel
POS got a civic???
Thank you for posting that now if I can get my son to read it (he had a sport bike)
yeah, plus it looks cooler if a whole group of the same car is going down the road at the same steady pace, then if it was the fast and the fearless through rush hour, just looks retarded. not to mention dangerous
03 LS FM2ish TDR I/C
99 Disco, the go anywhere ride
Sure is hard to let an S2k blow by though, guess if the conditions are right like say, the "field of honor"I'll teach the infidel some manners with a low et, hahahaha....Dogg
"Never pee off the angle deck"