shakabeemer

Hotfoot, A few things came to mind when I watched this and some of it is personal so I hope you don't mind. First I was very disappointed by the absence of BMW. I'm wondering if you've ever raced one and what you ride now outside school and do you ride streets as well. For BMW I know they've dropped some of their sponsorship leaving the task up to privateers. Any help from you or others would be appreciated. Oh yeah, I realize this was a Factory sponsored event so of course they're going to push their product but I certainly agree that its a good thing to have racing at that level in your area on a big track. Its also pretty cool that it was a pro-am event and I'm wondering how BMW does at the lower levers. It would have to be competitive I think. What the truth of the matter? Thanks, Nic

Wish I was that skinny. You are going to fly! Best, Nic

Can't wait. Anyone else going to be there? I've been going over Twist 2 for the umpteenth time with a great rider/student which is proving very fruitful and also trying to cram Soft Science now that I finally got the days off from work and I know I'm going. I'm trying also to cram on the bike with all the new info I've gleaned from the study. This is really a big deal to me and I know its is to most but I've had two CSS days set up for me and they both fell through so I'm exceedingly excited. I remember the day I bought my Busa and the salesman/racer told me about the book and all the things in between that made this such a hard fought journey for me. That was a whole bike ago because now I'm on a BMW. I'm really really excited. Hope to see you there and lets hear from you please.

I'm still tentative on two wheels. Hi Eirik.

Most definitely thanks

Thank you Hotfoot, Very eye opening having just recently subscribed to Road Racing World. Nic

T, Thanks for the info. I was kind of looking forward to learning to control the wheelies but speed is speed; I surely want to get myself out of the corner faster so I'll have to learn how to moderated the gas better.

The first thing I changed was to a race windscreen on my S1000RR. I tried Zero Gravity, Puig, and now i have MRA which is the best of the three. I was getting blown all over the place behind the stock screen at high speed. Then I noticed I was getting ripped off the bike under hard acceleration so I designed a seat with a bolster on the back so I would be held in position and it made an awesome difference so I'm not pulling on the bars when I pin it. Then I crashed (no, not from the modified seat) and broke my belly pan so I replaced it with carbon fiber...not that much more expensive and looks way better. Since I always had the plan of putting carbon fiber on it for aesthetic purposes (its a black bike and looks great with carbon fiber) I put a carbon fiber rear hugger and swing arm covers. Eventually I will put a full exhaust on it, power commander, and dyno tune. I put CRC adjustable shorty levers on but they are uncomfortable because they are too short and will be replaced with Pazzo or something similar. I weigh about 195 and I'm not sure if I will have to do suspension work because of that but I will certainly have my suspension set up for me which I wish I did a long time ago. That's all I can think of for now except for more carbon fiber to make her even more pretty..

One thing I realized in my analysis of my riding style is very poor vision. I've been spending my time watching the corners go by pretty much by looking dead ahead and off to my right side. Kind of like touring and watching the scenery go by. Now that I've realized this most egregious error I'm having much better results looking far ahead through the turn. For one thing I'm not becoming fearful of seeing what mistakenly appears to be a line which will run me off the road. Its simply an optical illusion caused by looking in the wrong place. I'm so much more comfortable and finding better lines by looking through the turn. I can hardly believe that I was making that kind of error after all this time. The most important part is that I realized what I was doing wrong and have corrected it.

I'm so crazy about my S1000RR that I couldn't imagine going to anything else at all. I can appreciate your concerns about the power as its hard for me to pin it since its riding on the back wheel a lot when I do. I'm just not used to spending that much time in a wheelie. Its a bit unnerving so most of the time I'm not pinning it. I'm glad you brought it up because I think i'm going to start working on that. Applying more power and getting used to being in a wheelie that is.

The seat question reminded me that I have an awesome seat that has just the right amount of friction so that you can still slide into hanging off. I designed it myself from foam insulation and had it fabricated by New Image Seats in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Some people have questioned that I can't get into a good tuck but the foam is soft so I don't find that a problem. Besides that fact you can design the seat to your exact specifications. I think you'll notice lots of race bikes that have some sort of bolster that keeps the rider in one position. Take a look and see what you think. The seat is awesome in that it keeps you in position under hard acceleration which is important from the man himself...Keith. That is Keith said in Twist 2 that you should find a position and stay with it.

Howdy, I loved London when I was there and have recently been watching British Superbike racing to pick up whatever I can lean therein. I also saw a few spots from the British CSS and one hosted by a woman named Sheila on Youtube. All very instructive and entertaining. I've put a lot of effort into applying Keith's methods to my riding and am looking forward to doing my first track day May 20 in Millville NJ. Hope to see you in the forums again soon.

Thanks Hotfoot, it will be great to get my SRs cut down to size and know, for sure, without question, how I should be handling my corners at this point in my riding development after getting hands on coaching.

While I definitely agree that some drills and techniques are best left to the track environment, what is it about the "Quick Flick" technique that you consider unsafe for public road ? I was mostly thinking of wet conditions and when you are going too slow like in the Twist 2 DVD. I guess it was a little bit of overkill but in the moment I was writing I was angry with myself for crashing and the emotional component caused me to find fault anywhere possible. I had come to the point that Keith noted in the introduction to Twist 2 under the heading 75 Percent Perfect (page xiv) where the panic button..."ruins self-respct, confidence and trust in oneself, and the process". I don't know if you've ever crashed and come to the point where you felt this way. Although I've mostly made the best of this experience in the sense that I made it an opportunity to learn from my mistakes there is still the part of me that wants to say, thats enough I quit, it too dangerous, I don't have what it takes to learn this. Fortunately I know that if I take my time and learn everything in the book as where Doug Chandler says in the Forward, "Don't be in a hurry. I've seen guys in a hurry and they don't make it. You've got to get these Ideas firm in your mind and then get comfortable with them in your own style, no matter how long it takes; because if you don't get these ideas you wont get any farther". So now I'm starting at the beginning and going over the whole book again with a more advanced student who is helping me understand each point one by one. In May I'll have my first day of coaching at level 1 and then level 2 in August. 3 and 4 next year and then CODERACE. I mostly want to get on the track and feel free and go after lower lap times.

Thanks r, We both made it out ok except for a little bruising and a couple of pieces of broken plastic. I'm using the opportunity to replace the belly pan with carbon fiber and to soothe my bruised ego, I'm also adding three more pieces of carbon fiber which all together is going to make my baby Black Night look really good. My blog is in its infancy so to make it worth your while I'll send you the link once it looks like a real blog. Thanks for giving me reason to keep working on it. I'm heading over there right now.

I think this is a GREAT idea. With lots of photos and perhaps some video as well. Not enough people out there sharing their personal journey for fear of judgement. I finally got started on this tonight. Its surely helpful and fun. I thought I would feel more like a fish out of water without all my fellow students there to guide me but as long as I keep it simple it should be ok. On that note I'll share the fact here but not there just yet that I crashed, minor but nonetheless crashed, again, and its definitely time for me to tone it down some. I have this really bad habit of getting overconfident and forgetting to keep my effort below the level which will get me into trouble. I'm leaving to much to chance and not using enough common sense and well accepted science. I'm almost OK if i'm on the track where risk is minimized but not so on the streets and public roads where there are a host of complications that can make a simple minor crash something serious. I don't mind retracing my steps through Twist 2 with a friend who's more advanced than I and can make observations and help me create training videos that I can post here and get feedback on...I think I'll answer the question "Can you learn..." with respect to a more generalized set of circumstances and say "no", There are simply some sets of day to day experiences of practices that get too dangerous to be tried on the public roads; Quick flicking sometimes being one of them. Thanks again for the eye opener.

Thanks Benny, that's exactly what I needed to hear. I have to change things up or as u say I'm headed for trouble. I love riding with my friends on the street. The difference Is I'm going to back off until I get some coaching in May and and see if I can overcome some of the flaws In my riding skills. Even so, I'm pushing way too hard and just have to be safer period. One of my problems is panicking in the corner, backing off the gas, braking, standing up the bike and going wide. At least that's what I think is happening. It's hard to know without proper coaching. Thanks for taking an interest. It helps to think through it with you in the forum. it's serious business.

Although I have reserved a single room, I want to welcome you to the USA and I will be seeing you on the 20th to do level one. Looking forward to meeting you. Nic

r, I think u've seen my custom seat. With that I think I'd go with the HP4 Competition or the 1000rr with some carefully chosen upgrades...which is what I prefer because I like to tailor the bike to my own exacting personal specs. Either way it's the BMW no question although the Honda does a lot of things really well and their race support is tremendous.

Laura, Thanks for believing in me.

Tyler, Thanks for explaining. Please know my ability to even think about racing represents true growth in confidence for me as I was afraid until two weeks ago. It was just a natural part of study in the School and faith in Coaching.

Dropped the bike in the hay today! This one could have been bad and as it was I broke some plastic at got a small bruise on my forearm trying unsuccessfully to pick her up because I couldn't get footing. It was a classic Twist 2 DVD looking in the wrong place and poor steering combined with too long on the brake. All to avoid sand that I never hit and because I was trying too hard to out do someone who I raced with yesterday and wasn't even with me. I have been charging the corners without realizing it and was practicing discharge and hanging off with much success until I did the negative thing, went wide and down. I steered through some road refuse that could have made things a lot worse but eventually some of it caught the bike and she went quickly to her left side down. I was going about 45 or more so I'm very glad things turned out as well as they did but the nagging question of playing too hard in the street rears its ugly head again. So I read your article again Keith and its sinking in as I have read it multiple times now. Thanks for helping me to keep it in perspective and reevaluate my skills and choices.

Hotfoot, I'm sorry you missed the point completely. It has nothing to do with wanting to be admired and everything to do with finances and improvement. Firstly, you won't give me my money back right now. Finances for me are super tight now and everything I know about the School tells me its the best in the world. If I am good here, I'm good anywhere. I would like to go to CODE RACE and the money is going to be hard to come by since I am semi retired and we are trying to save for retirement. Winning a race is important to me because of the same reasons its important to anyone. Everyone who races wants to win. Everyone tries as hard as they can. That's racing. And yes, ultimately, being admired is part of winning. Winning means you were the best on the track that day and that's something no one can take away from you. There's nothing wrong with that. Its unlikely that at my age, nearly sixty, that I'm going to have a lucrative career in racing but its conceivable that I could do well in CODE RACE. I'm happy and proud that I have the confidence to know what I want and to believe in myself. Our School instills pride in us. That's great. Its a great School.

I'm anxious to read what you post after your May School at NJMP...Rain[/quote Kevin, This is ridiculously brazen and should be taken with a grain of salt but if one must think like a winner one must think like a winner. My hope and intent for a post after NJMP is Keith agreed I didn't learn much and refunded my money...I need to save up for the other levels and CODE RACE even if I have to set a precedent. I've had lots of implosions in my many athletic careers and I'm due for an outstanding achievement.

Thanks for the blog idea. I'l have to learn how to blog. Want to thank you all and rchase and Eirik thanks for telling me exactly what to look for and how to set-up drills and what drills will work in the speed limit and parking lots. I learned A Lot from these suggestions. I'm finding Keith and Eirik that there is a limit to what can be safely learned on the public roads because I'm becoming too fast and can't risk other's safety and my own. Its a two edged sword to know I'm getting much faster...measured lap times but I'm now coming up on traffic and law enforcement so fast that its not worth it anymore. Its going to be all about getting ready for May 20 at NJMSP and CODE RACE after I complete all my levels. I'm also looking into track days with the New York Sport Bike Meet-up Group. Would I do the blog in the Forums or elsewhere?