Jaybird180

This doesn't make sense to me. My idea of 1g is that it is simply a representation of the acceleration of gravity. So the only time 1g is equilibrium is when an object is not moving and the reason it's not moving is because the ground is providing enough force to counter the acceleration of gravity - we'll exclude earth rotational, and other larger scale movements for the sake of simplicity. For an object to change it's speed, whether that speed is 0mph or 100mph, a force must be applied to cause acceleration. The resultant acceleration need not be greater than 1g unless we are talking vertical acceleration. For road racing motorcycles, vertical acceleration is generally a bad thing. I think the 0.1g is correct. 1g, 32/ft/sec/sec, is a lot of forward acceleration. You are correct in that 1g is too much in the forward component. (What in the world was I thinking....)

Why didn't I think of that? (LOL)

1- Change the lever's position. 2- Or you can fiddle with the leverage ratio. I think it's possible to once in awhile screw it up. Don't sweat the small stuff, ya know.

More on this sir, please.

.1g is not the same as 1.1g. 1.0g is equilibrium. In order to have 10% weight shifted to the rear one would have to have a force (forward drive) above 1g, hence 1.1-1.2g. I noticed that lately Cobie has been a bit repetitive, almost mantra-like with gentle warnings of adding lean angle and throttle simultaneously. It would seem to me that removing lean angle and adding throttle as suggested by your "accelerating out of lean angle" statement would be just as perilous, as they are both done by a countersteering input. Remember, the throttle does not cause the bike to stand up. If I am incorrectly applying Cobie's warning to picking the bike up, then I am open for correction (more on this in the last paragraph). Engineers are constantly tweaking the Center of Gravity (CoG ) on bikes and the current trend is toward an increased forward weight bias. Does this in itself allow harder acceleration, as one would need to transfer more weight in order to reach Mr. Code's stated goal of 60% on the rear? Maintaining lean angle isn't something the rider must do, rather than something the rider must NOT do. He must NOT change the lean angle once established during mid-corner. The roll of the right wrist arrests the lean angle and adds stability (resistance to change) to the machine. That's it. In conclusion, I agree with you in that high-performance cornering is 3 inputs: 1- Countersteer 2- Roll on the throttle during mid-corner The force applied during this rolling action must not exceed the available traction of the front tire that will be needed during cornering, with enough reserve to stand the bike to vertical 3- Countersteer to vertical while continuing to feed throttle The limit of the rate of roll is now higher because of what is now available from continually reduced side loads

definitely watch the moto gp guys and time them going from vertical to max lean and though they may seem so smooth that it does not appear that fast, when you time them you will realise that they turn mega fast, Nicky Hayden uses wider bars to help turn the bike fast! Perhaps (and this is just a suggestion) that it's a matter of style and type of bike ridden. SBK riders focus more on 'point and shoot' and GP is more focused on energy maintenance (cornerspeed). Agree/disagree?

Belle, I think you are my new best friend

The dead has arisen

I practice and believe in using the balls for balance, however I've also observed many GP and SBK riders going flatfooted. What was your observation, Cobie?

Everyone's familiar with the discussions and debates on street rider skill vs track skills but what about this question: Does Stunting improve one's skill at the track and vice versa?

I often think about my riding while I'm driving. I pick out RPs, look for Turn points and when I remember, work on Wide Screen view and the 3 step. Over the years, I've noticed an annoyance with drivers and wonder if it's the same SR that causes a motorcyclist to turn-in too early. What I've noticed is that when setting up for a 90 degree left (for example) many car drivers will pull to the outside of the turn before turning in. Since this is exactly the steering action that we as motorcyclist make when turning left (countersteering), I'm wondering if this is some part of the brain that's just wired this way and many people aren't conscious that they're doing it. As example, I recall a heated discussion between a loving husband and wife over the issue a few years ago while I just watched and listened. What do you-all think about this turning-in early business?

I enjoyed your video. I'm sure you'd have fun comparing your lines on video to a video of MotoGP.

Hmmmm.....I notice Red Bull isn't on the list. That means I can have it, right?

An ex-racer once told me, 'I don't want to drag my knee, knee pucks are expensive! (laughs)' Then he said, 'I can use it as a gauge to tell me where I am, but the drag (pavement friction) slows me down.'

You should be able to slip some washer in the front where your bolts go to raise it a few milimeters. Ergonomics can be a trial error thing. But you should also have someone who's expertise you trust take a look at your BP.

LOL- Yeah, your seat.

I'm sure he did it to get a steeper steering angle. Sometimes it just feels "right" to have the rear-end up high. I've tried it out and tend to prefer it, however I'm 6 Feet, so it works for me. Seat modifications are easy and inexpensive to do, as is working on the Thighmaster.

Comments: yes- How about the fact that I'm a Male over 21 and keep it moral, ethical and Legal (LOL) Glad you figured out your issues.

This is as much an observation as well as a suggested solution: You're not having fun anymore.

If I understand you correctly, you're saying that you have trouble applying what you've learned?

Eh, no convincing. The faster you want to go, the faster you'll turn the bike. That's just the physics of it. To really see quick turning from the pros, watch them in the esses. Especially watch national championships when the leaders are lapping the "slower" riders. Don't think I'll get the chance to see this up close anytime soon. At the school, Dylan showed us some video from a chase bike of him doing QT's. It was about 3/4s from vertical to knee! It was awesome. I remind myself of it now, by making a "dink" sound while riding. Sounds weird, but it's working enough to get me to remember to QT! And it took Dylan about the same time for me to make the sound for him to execute it!

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL. Good One! The practicality is in convincing someone like me that it's all too difficult to crash by QT'ng and encouraging me to JUST DO IT!

First of all, let me apologize for the tardy write-up on my L1/L2 class at The Streets. My attention is split at the moment, so the forum doesn’t get as much attention as it did just a few short weeks ago. I traveled from the Right Coast to the Left Coast to get there and it was worth it! Many of my buddies didn’t understand why I’d willing surrender four figures to attend a riding school, but I was convinced that it was the right thing to do as CSS’s reputation precedes itself, and it didn’t disappoint. Secondly, I’d like to say that I’m glad to be in the motorcycling community. Bikers around the country are some of the nicest people anyone would want to meet. We come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds but there is still a singular something that makes us different. I have a few thousand street miles under my belt and a few trackdays also, so I felt that I could focus on the lessons and take to heart the experience, all of it. Setting the tone on Saturday the 28th was my first experience with a drill, The Steering Bike. I was certain that I would do well on this, but that drill stuck with me and still today makes my think about the time and effort I put into steering a motorcycle. It is definitely a skill worth working on diligently and is a distraction if not well honed. I started that drill goofing with the shifter and the coach, without laughter quickly realized that I hadn’t done something as simple as standard shift pattern in awhile and had to remind me to shift up to get to first gear (LOL). The lessons learned just from this drill would be with me over the next two days and on my ride on my own bike. It was such an eye-opener that I probably could have boarded the plane and headed home at that point because I’d probably received what I’d come for; but NO! There would be drill after drill showing me the value of basics that need ALOT of work. I plan to use my time to work on what was taught over those two days before returning for L3/L4. I was highly impressed by the quality of the staff and the atmosphere. I was amazed at how relaxed it was; I’ve been to trackdays that were more stressful. And although it was a relaxing atmosphere, discipline and safety was a top priority. Kudos to Cobie and the coaching staff. Thank you for helping me check-off one of my life’s “To Do’s”. Thanks to Mr. Code for the lectures both in and out of class.

I wonder...when a bike is QT'd and the front doesn't grip (for whatever reason), physics says that the bike should continue in the same direction, forward. If a traction loss occurrs during the countersteering input, the bike should remain vertical AND, I propose remain stable (?). What do you guys/ gals think?

If a rider has good throttle control, and doesn't add lean angle and throttle at the same time, he won't get surprised. He'll also (or she) find the limits of that tire, warm or cold, better or worse than some other tire, whatever it is. Street tires of today would have won races of some years ago (Keith has written about that). Sometimes you have to take a look at who is writing/giving a tire opinion. Fast racer, griping cause it's not as grippy as a "real" race tire--but he's still within 2-3 seconds of his best lap time? C So with better throttle control, I can feel the limits of the tire? How do you recommend dealing with the confidence issues? For example: I went out a few nights ago and metup at the hangout. We sat around for awhile and then all departed. Knowing it was cold out, I took it easy as one of the guys blasted by me. At the light, I cautioned him about the tarmac/tire/ambient temperature. His reply was, "I don't worry about that, I'm on ****" (same brand tire I'm on, different compound). Light turns green and away he went, hanging off around the tight DR turn, while I meandered about my cold tires. What does he know that I need to find out? Or is it the other way 'round? JB, So what's he know that you need to find out?........ Maybe he knows that specific ***** tire's threshold or grip, when the tires IS cold, and he is confident that the tire will hold, consistently, up to or close to that point. That certainly would be a confidence booster in my book . Do you know of said threshold? I believe we gain confidence thru personal, specific experiences that either reinforce our TRUST of grip........ or distrust of tires and equipment that are inconsistent, and difficult to "read". I'm not saying ride with no regard to safety, I'm saying SNEAK UP on it. Find the range of grip, at various temps. A mans gotta know his limitations ( and his tire's limitations, literally). Those limitations are different for all of us, in different situations where our individual strengths or weaknesses show thru. Are you more confident with your tires at certain temps? I don't believe in "throwing caution to the wind", but I do believe in pushing oneself, in measurable ways, to achieve a deeper understanding of the true ability of our eqiupment. Do you agree? Makes sense. About my other question: Do tires give discernible feedback when they're ready? I "think" my front tire does this, but I've only felt it on track. It feels like it resists turning in and feels like it's rolling on the carcass. Then after a few corners this feeling goes away. I've taken it as a sign that it's ready. Am I going in the right direction?