[Roadsters] My roadster Driving (print)

[Gary McCormick]

Aah, the dreaded decreasing radius turn - the traffic engineer's way of
implementing natural selection.

I ran afoul of a decreasing radius turn once on my motorcycle, on a dinky,
windy back road in the Coast Range hills west of Carmel Valley. Got into it
too hot, couldn't slow down/turn tighter fast enough to stay on the pavement
and ran up onto the bank on the outside of the curve. All would have been good
except for the power pole in the bank -- which I didn't hit, but I did hit the
washout below it, which catapulted me up and up and to the right, back across
the road with my axles at about eye level to my buddy who was a few seconds
behind me on his bike. I landed on my wheels, at a dead stop, on the shoulder
on the opposite side of the road.

I told that story a few days later to a couple of the not-so-bright guys who
manned the parts counter at a local motorcycle shop. They had problems with
the meaning of decreasing radius -- then one of them said, "Oh, I know what a
decreasing radius turn is -- it's one you don't make it around."

I think he nailed the definition on that one.

Gary McCormick
San Jose, CA
'70 2000 SRL311-13291

--- On Wed, 7/25/12, Hall, Phillip B. (MSFC-EE11) <phillip.b.hall at nasa.gov>
wrote:

From: Hall, Phillip B. (MSFC-EE11) <phillip.b.hall at nasa.gov>
Subject: Re: [Roadsters] My roadster Driving (print)
To: "David Bentz" <davidbentz at gmail.com>, "RWM" <RWM at rwmann.com>
Cc: "Datsun-Roadsters" <datsun-roadsters at autox.team.net>
Date: Wednesday, July 25, 2012, 6:06 AM

Great conversation and one my daughter (14) and I had last night as she was
washing her Miata.  I gave my mom's old Miata ('89 #366, 61,000 miles) to
her and now teaching her to drive - she is getting good with the clutch.

New cars are not only boring, but people are relying on all the traction
control, ABS, yawl control,,,,, so much they forgot how to drive.  After my
daughter gets her license, I am enrolling her in performance driving schools
so she can really enjoy the car she drives and be so much safer doing it.

Leaving the arsenal, there is on ramp with a decreasing radius.  Almost
every time it rains a "new" car slides out and pegs the concrete barrier.
So where is all the ABS and crap now???


On 7/25/12 7:46 AM, "David Bentz" <davidbentz at gmail.com> wrote:

> Couldn't agree more. WHen i drive my 72 bmw 2002 (sorry i don't have a
> roadster...yet...;) it's involved. I don't want or can't play w/the phone,
> radio, or be bothered w/any other bs besides driving.
>
> It really makes me think that maybe THAT is the problem w/today. Driving
> has become such a numb task, that people are looking for something else to
> concentrate on...
>
> Eh, for what it's worth...
>
> David
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 25, 2012 at 7:48 AM, RWM <RWM at rwmann.com> wrote:
>
>> On 7/25/2012 7:22 AM, David Patten wrote:
>>
>>> " - roadster at 100 - you are involved..."
>>>
>>> "Involved" that is the perfect description!
>>>
>>
>> ... and if you're not, it won't be for long.
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