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tmckeen

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Everything posted by tmckeen

  1. I would venture its definitely a result of the electronics and the nature of the 4 stroke engine. Two stroke engines don't have anywhere near as much engine brake as 4 strokes which is just one of the many things that can be fine tuned on a corner by corner basis with the current electronics. Combined with the fact that were are seeing the results of the Moto2 feeder Class vs the old 250GP class. Personally I can see some parallels between the riders in Moto2 and a FMX biggest whip competition. The bikes are more predictable on the limit, the riders are more comfortable at the limit and the electronics have made the limit more accessibl Also the nature of the crashes seems to have changed, I don't see a lot of really nasty high sides, most of the time it seems like the riders lose the front which makes for a less painful and damaging slide along the tarmac without the hard landing.
  2. I'll chime in about the off road bit, I find I vary my foot position a lot, when attacking whoops or attempting some crazy rock infested hill I'm for sure on the balls of my feet, but extended periods of stand up riding on the balls of you feet will fatigue you calves pretty quick, so I often switch to the arches or even on my heels for a bit to let my calves relax. If I expect to be using a lot of rear brake then I'll have my right foot on the arch and cover the brake with my toe. Dirt riding encompasses a lot more variety and terrain than a road track so I find you have to change things up a lot more. I'm sure it also depends a lot on what kind of dirt riding your doing. I have 0 experience at MX tracks but I did enjoy a nice 40 mile loop through the SoCal desert last Sunday, so my experience is skewed towards long off road and trails riding.
  3. My advice would be to just take your son and head out to a mini moto event. Club racers will normally bend over backwards to help each other out, so I'm pretty sure you'll find a wealth of knowledge by just walking around the pits and talking with people.
  4. Just notify HR that you have a scheduled apointment with The Flu and your letting them know as a courtesy that you'll be sick in advance to make arrangements
  5. Anyone know what a 600 Race lap is around there ? Since I'm not familiar with the circuit a 2:00 min lap is very arbitrary without something to compare it too. Obviously they arn't going slow, But it doesn't look like a record setting pace either . Just curious
  6. +1 on the vest style body armor for Off-Roading, I prefer it over individual pads as the mesh vest doesn't cut circulation to your hands nearly as much, although it does keep a lot of extra body heat in, bonus when its cold not so much in the summer. There is also a very direct correlation to the amount of protection / body armor you have on and your acceptable risk level, in my full dirtbike kit I am WAY more aggressive than when I have just a helmet and tee shirt on. Mine is the Fox Racing Titan Sport Jacket, though several brands offer them and I imagine the protection level is all comparable Not really ideal for use under modern name brand leathers that have all the padding built in already, perhaps if you had a lower end or custom leathers without built in elbow and shoulder padding, although unless they were already a little oversized the fit would be SUPER tight with that vest on Also +1 on Revzilla for gear, they sell just about everything so its easy to compare and browse, good reviews and lots of useful questions about the products as well
  7. This is where serious data logging and the army of technicians reviewing that data comes into play. Testing multiple lines and techniques through a corner and comparing the sector times and exit speed / top speed achieved. Sacrificing a little entry and corner speed but gaining several MPH at the end of the straight might net a faster lap, or vice versa. The fastest technique and line through corner 1 isn't the same as the fastest technique and line through corners 2 through 15 anymore,
  8. What Cobie said is even more prevalent in WSBK and MotoGP where the electronics and programming control of the bike are a world above what even a well funded Club Racer has, It's really comparing Apple's and Oranges with regards to the hardware your average rider has Also its important to remember that some times a point and shoot riding style is faster than a flowing maximum corner speed style, and often times a Racers top priority isn't taking the best line through a corner but making sure they don't get passed.
  9. The Cheapest has got to be the Ultra-Light-Weight stuff, The less power you make, the longer the tires last, the cheaper the racing
  10. I watched both WSBK Races and they were both pretty good, Multiple factory's in the front pack and a significant number of changes in the lead. Could be a good year for the series.
  11. Sorry I was trying to be funny on the internet, and I basically just put the thread on life support Um for starters I thought I understood motorcycling in general until I took Level 1 and found out I basically didn't know squat I also thought I knew how expensive Club Racing was going to be, but I was pretty far off on that one as well, Unfortunately I don't have any nice specific examples like Hotfoot's that come to mind specifically related to Motorcycling
  12. Gyroscopic force is whats causing the tiny tire in the video to stand itself back up and I'm pretty sure given enough time the gyroscopic force generated by the wheels of a motorcycle would do the same but It's not significant or fast enough to be considered "standing the bike up" Rolling on the gas adds speed, which adds more gyroscopic force, but it doesn't add enough force to cause the bike to pick itself up out of the corner, that is the result of a steering input.
  13. There are for sure some circumstances where a motorcycle does not counter steer, but they are exceptions to the rule. I have found when making a 90 degree turn from a stand still you can feel the bike transition from direct to counter steering. I can initiate a left turn by turning the bars to the left and as I accelerate away adjust the bars back to neutral and then counter steer them to complete the turn. That said you can also negotiate the same turn by rolling forward slightly and counter steering the bike at very slow speed, which will more or less cause it to just fall over and then "catch" the bike with the throttle once you're desired lean is achieved, its exactly the same thing that happens at higher speed, but at very slow speeds the lack of gyroscopic force makes it feel a lot scarier.
  14. Hey now, Each one of those Zip ties gets me a extra HP at the rear wheel ......
  15. +1 for the Under armour option, Their Heat gear works great when its 100 out and the cold gear works great when its 60, I use it for both my Track leathers and all my dirt bike stuff as well
  16. This isn't really limited to motorcycles, everything wears out, the rate at which it wears out depends on usage. A 60 gallon air compressor might last the average home owner that does his own wrenching a lifetime, but it might only last your local tire shop a year or 2. If you use your bike to visit the local Starbucks on Sundays all its assorted consumable items will last for years, use it to commute to work every day and they will last months. If Hotfoot decides to take up racing Hair Scrambles or Enduros, the wear and tear on her Dual-sport will increase significantly and the brakes and tire usage will reflect. ( also dirt tire wear is very sneaky and you don't notice it until you compare it to a fresh tire ) To get some discussion on the topic going I pose the question: What added Preventative Maintenance do you do on your Track / Race bike to offset the extreme nature of its use ??
  17. Yes, stack something of equal height as the floor scale, so that the bike remains level, ( if your lucky the height of the wheel on stands will be very close ) weight each wheel with the bike upright and level, combine the values for total weight and then you can use some easy maths to figure your weight bias front and rear. You can also use this technique with super heavy bikes but need to add additional weight distribution on the scale to not over range it, and do a little more math as well
  18. You forgot Titanium Hardware, its very expensive, but there's a lot of weight savings there if you wanna spend the money, especially with things like the axle shafts, the weight difference even in stuff like banjo bolts for the brakes is pretty incredible Robert, You can easily weigh your bikes with a bathroom floor scale and a few pieces of plywood or 2x4, and also determine the weight bias of the bike at the same time
  19. That's better than the 7-8 MPG I got getting there from LA
  20. Spaghetti, I had the opportunity to spend 4 days at the track in every kind of rain condition imaginable last week, so I can give you plenty of feedback on the Q3 in assorted wet conditions. My experience was that it comes down to being able to get heat into the tires, when I went out and the track was already wet I wasn't able to push hard enough to get any heat in the tire and the edge grip was very limited. I had plenty of feedback from the tires so it was easy to judge the available grip but I couldn't really carry a lot of corner speed or lean the bike over without the tires sliding. When it was a partially dry track or the rain started mid session and I already had some heat in my tires the grip was a bit better. I have not similar experience with any of brand of tires in these conditions so I cant say if they are better or worse than other offerings.
  21. What I find weird is that for some reason the "Judiciary levels of Impartiality" RChase is expecting of us here are somehow exempted when the discussion turns to brands and models of motorcycle .... I say to you Sir Robert , How can a Track School that does not rent BMW S1000RR's even begin to compare to one that does ..... On a serious note though I know of someone who basically got kicked out of a Pridmore school for responding with "That's not what they taught me at CSS" to everything, I don't think the rider was asked to leave, but my understanding was they were no longer coached for the remainder of the day There are Lots of other schools and organizations, I hear there's a ranch just outside Tavullia with some top notch instruction, however few have the resources and travel to as many facilities as CSS. I've not actually checked the numbers on this, but I'm fairly sure they are the biggest school in the country, and their schedule has WAY more dates than any other organization that I'm aware of. Personally the next school I would like to attend is Collin Edwards camp in Texas, but the curriculum there is very different from CSS, so I wouldn't put them in the same category
  22. You're assuming there is only 1 pit board at the start finish line then ? I'm not a expert on the rules of the IOM , but I do believe they have several located around the course
  23. Streets of Willow is a great track , with a horrible reputation, I personally love it, and if you can learn to ride fast there, you can ride fast ANYWHERE To your original question, 97% of my track time is with CSS, I've only done 2 non CSS track days ( one was to get my race license ) and 2 Club Race weekends, Personally I've done at least 100 days at Streets of willow and been to a few other tracks as well with them, although I'm normally not there as a student, but as one of the corner workers. I have done all 4 levels though and the coaching is very good. There is nothing wrong with sticking with the best program available, there are a number of very habitual riders that take the school as students almost as often as I'm there corner working, However there is one caveat to riding exclusively with CSS in that you're never going to be able to do some "hot laps" as a student, one because its frowned on as you're there to learn not set fast laps, and 2 due to the group makeup the pace of riders is always a mix and getting a few laps of clear track is a rarity once you're pace pick's up. Unless of course you're at a Code RACE school Tyler
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