Derek Sauder

I was a bit of a late with the whole two wheel+motor bike. But I started with two wheels quite early. I still own the bike today, and ironicly was just looking at it today. The wheels honestly can't be more than ten inches. Something you would picture a clown riding. I jumped on that thing with out any training wheels and I was off. The trend would follow one summer evening at a friends house when I was 20-21. I had never been on a motorcycle, but just knew I could do it, so I convinced him I knew what I was doing and he handed me the keys and a helmet. He stood on the porch watching and as I could barely get my shakin leg over the seat, but before I knew it I was out of sight and never missed a shift. The rest was history! My mom still hates it when I ride, but did come watch me race. I guess its just a mothers love.

Adam, Im gonna see if I can get JZ to give some input here.

Gotta go with Cobie and Stuman on wideview and VP. Over all just the importance of visuals. For me everything follows that. I turn much slower when I start losing my visuals!

The Speed and Strength did fit well? I am in the same boat with my current leathers. The SS leathers I tried on had more room and better fit/feel than anything else I have worn or tried on.

Haha, after Cobie responded to my post, I felt kinda bad cause I didn't know how it would be taken. But I feel better now. Tim- Mr. Burns

Haha, no, not tryin to get anyone in trouble!

Haha, yes the questions Adam! I can't seem to find my book, but look up pivot steer. Level three stuff is body possition drills and what not. The body work stuff really helps in the quick transitions and helps keep you from using your arms in fast and quick transitions. Jaybird, have you done Level 3 yet?

Kristi- Baywatch

What about your legs guys? What could you be doing with your legs to help you use less effort to get the same or more pressure to the bars?

Last year I ran Pilot Power Race's at 29F 26R cold on a GSXR 1000. Excellent grip. I cornerworked four days with those tires in May, then rode one hot lunch session and then Level 1 in Sept. and never had a bit of a problem. Only ran fasters times on the Dunlop G-tech slicks. Had crazy grip and excellent life on the Power Races. Been racing Dunlops this year and just haven't felt the same with them. Not sure why cause I know alot of people like em. Now if Cobie would just shoot over some N-tecs... Hotfoot and Fossil, good luck with your coach try-out! If you make it just make sure you stay in the books!

I know what you mean, terrible spectator also. One can for sure spend a ton of dough racing. It can be done a lot more cost efficiently too. Some years ago, ROADRACING WORLD had a nice series on how to go racing on the cheap. You might contact them, see if you can get those articles. Tires is the single biggest expense, lighter bikes with less HP are easier on tires. One of my coaches now does Supermoto, cheap and fun, but it's a little different than roadracing. Prepping a bike can be a bit of work, and best to use aftermarket body work (way cheaper). Finding a used race bike, might be a good approach, if it's in decent shape. Some like to try CODERACE as Hotfoot suggested. It's a good approach, and can be done on our bikes, lots of training and then you race at the end of each day (and you don't have to prep a bike). The 250 Ninjas the guy rents sounds like fun, Hotfoot had a blast doing that. As for being ready, some clubs have a lap time limit that you have to make, if you are slower than that, you can't race. Racing is an absolute blast, let us know if you give it a go. Use the kids as pit crew C Haha, thats great Cobie, use the kids as pit crew! I can see that now w/ my girl. I'd have a Barbie Doll wedged up in the windscreen and lipstick decals! Lets just hope she puts fuel in the tank instead of apple juice!

Good technique or bad technique, does it really matter? No, it doesn't. No matter if you have bad tech or good tech, there is a max for what you can do. Good technique obviously would help in being faster and turning a tigher line, but thats isn't what you are changing in this "40 Foot Circle" question. You are adding trottle, and body technique doesn't change the rate of throttle. It only puts a different maximum on the speed, lean angle, or how tight you could carve a turn. It doesn't change the simple fact that the faster you go through a turn at a given lean angle will increase the radius that you can carve. W/ Pedrosa and Hayden, you are comparing apples to oranges. The question that started this topic wasn't wether rider A could turn a tighter lap at a given speed, lean angle, than rider B.

No problems here Spooky. Don't know what would be different, but mine is good!

And I would have to agree w/ Kevin and Sleepr.

That looks like it would be a blast!

I believe one reason people change gearing is so that they can use all the horsepower that the bike has. For instance, if you are at a track w/ no real long straights and don't use every gear you have, then you would change accordingling. So that you get to sixth gear on the straight. It gives you more power at the bottom end for the corners. How good is top end power if you never get to use it?

For me, its when I flick it as hard as I could to the lean angle I wanted, and followed the throttle rule and hit my exit point w/out having to do anything but apply the throttle.

Yeah, the text might be just a bit harder to read, but I like being able to see the curser now. Where as before I had to guess if I was tryin to go back and correct or change something, or I had to use the arrow keys. That I didn't like. It would be nice to have a like back to the main CSS page. Other than that I like it, seems to be easier to navigate and get to all the options w/out haveing to scroll down to get the smiles and such.

I started wearing earplugs after my first time at the track, and I wear them all the time now. Except sometimes running short errands. Someone mentioned that it could give you a false perception of speed. I would have to say for myself it does the exact opposite, and I remember Keith saying that a stone deaf person could right as well as anybody. I have found for myself that not hearing the wind, keeps me from feeling like I am going too fast. Instead of hearing the wind in my ear that always made me feel like I was going about 10-20 mph faster than I should be, I was useing my visual skills. It seem to make it easier to think, and take in what was really important.

So, are you saying that a RP is something that can be moving? Because as a rider, you are moving. What is your def. of a RP? My definition of a RP is a location or object on or near the track you can use to tell you where you are. You don't want to use moving RP's that creates more of a survival reaction such as following someone else around the track and focusing on them instead of your own reference points. That can lead to a crash real quick. By using your reference points and refering to where you currently are you can put together your line for that corner. So, since you would be moving, would you be a RP?

So, are you saying that a RP is something that can be moving? Because as a rider, you are moving. What is your def. of a RP?

How about something a bit more simple? My def.; Something out there, as close to the track as possible, if not on the track, that doesn't move and tells me where I am or what I should be doing.

Hub, So is it on your first lap that you kind of start working on you brake points, turn in points? If so, do you take a mental note of where that took place so you can try to get to that point the next time?

Hub, The three RP's that you said you used in that turn sound pretty good. But what, if you wrote it out, would be your definition of a RP? You said that if you go around a track w/out cones, you will make it around w/out RP's, and will slowly pick them up as you go. Is this something that just as you ride a few laps, your RP's just show up all at once? The best ones possible. Or do they in a way come and go as you find better ones/change lines? Maybe you just have a certain spot you hit to turn in and they come one at a time? It seems to me that you are sayin that you don't really use RP's untill the pace quickens a bit. When I think about my own riding, if im looking for RP's, there is still something there that tells me where I am, what I should be doing, and when I should be doing it. I just find myself not thinkin about them really because I am not running at my full pace. The first session the last time I was at the track, I wasn't going real fast my first few laps, but the first time into each turn, I tried to figure out where I was, so when I hit that turn again, I could try to get to that spot and gain some consistency. W/out even thinkin about finding it, I had givin myself a RP. From there I can see where I think the apex is, or maybe the curbing. Not a great RP, cause I don't really want to be looking there cause then I would hit it. But I could start at the point of sayin I wanted to be 2 feet to the left of it. If I dont' have a RP to start my turn in, how would that turn look the next time into it? Different, right?

Hub, Even when you are just crusing around a track, and you come to a corner, what tells you to turn? If nothing tells you to turn, wouldn't you just continue to go straight? Thinking about the dark house ex. What if you are walking up steps? Most likely you haven't counted the steps, do you find yourself tryin to take that next step at the top? Or does having you hand on the handrail, and feeling that stop tell you where you are?