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lampstax

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  1. I've decided to do both days ( level 1 & 2 ) on my SV650. I know that bike well, which hopefully will focus me more on the drills vs being distracted riding a new to me bike, and have spares in case of small issues. Thanks for everyone's advice and see you guys at the track !
  2. Hey guys, I'm getting ready to sign up for my first school date and have a few noob questions. Hopefully I can get some insight from you guys. 1. At a typical Level 1 date, what is the ratio of students renting the school bike vs bringing their own bike ? I would be on an SV650 track bike with all of its 70HP ( on a good day ), so there's would be a pretty big gap speed wise if everyone else is running the S1000RR. Just don't want to be a rolling chicane for everyone else out there. 2. If you bring your own bike, I assume you have to go through an extra step of taking your bike through tech whereas rental bike are just available and already tech'ed when you arrive ? 3. Would you typically recommend people register for back to back levels ( 1 + 2 for example ) on back to back days ? Since each level cover its own topics, the only advantage I can think of for back to back day is that if you're unfamiliar with the track, day 2 will be much more productive since you don't have to relearn the track. However, back to back day run the risk of a hard crash on day 1 ruining both dates. Right now I want to take both days on my SV though am seriously considering just attending 1 day on a rental bike.
  3. Thanks HotFoot, TMcKeen. I had heard about the famous / infamous no brake drill, but didn't realize it was a one gear drill too. It makes sense. I guess I assumed it was hard for any coach to identify the issue because I've worked with a bunch and none has ever noted that issue to me. To be fair it has never been a CSS coach though .. so really excited about the upcoming day in Sept. The track I went to this time was a track I don't know very well and have not been to for over a year so my RP is not the best. I have apex point set on most the corner, but I kept moving my TP marker around when I felt I came into a corner faster / slower than I had intended so they're rough. I could definitely work on improving my TP markers. I have been following the 2 / 3 step thread so hopefully I can put some of that to work my next time out at a track I know much better.
  4. I just came back from 2 days at the track. Prior to the first day, I reviewed this thread and reminded myself to not worry about lean angle and just worry about increasing speed progressively and staying on the correct line. Lean angle will become the natural by product if I can get these two things correct. First session of the first day, I found myself with shifting issues. A new adjustable clutch lever was installed and not adjusted properly. It worked fine for parking lot stuff but when I'm trying to downshift at speed, even with me focused on being as smooth as I can with clutch release, the rear still was wagging around way more than I was comfortable with. Not wanting to waste a session, I said to myself .. forget shifting ( actually the other f word .. lol ) .. and did the entire track in 5th gear. My 650 was making pretty much 250 power through most of the track. This "problem" turned out to be one of the biggest lucky break for me in term of learning. Without the need to shift or get distracted with trying to 'push for a lap time' I was very relaxed coming into a corner. Plenty of time to setup my turn in speed. My entire focus was corner speed and staying on my line. Then I realized it. Mid corner, on every corner, I was un-countersteering. Pulling on the inside bar just a bit ( perhaps half an inch ? ) because I wasn't properly locked onto the bike, so at a certain lean angle, my BP put weights back on the bars and I sub consciously pulled on the inside bar. So when my brain is screaming for me to lean the bike more to keep on the line, my subconscious was doing the opposite and taking away lean angle. Perhaps that is an SR ? Regardless, it took all the freed up brain space from being relaxed for me to notice this little twitch of mine. I doubt any coach would have been able to catch that half inch movement following me. I ended up liking the 1 gear approach so much that I continued to ride using only 4 and 5 gear the next few sessions even after my shifting issue was sorted. I worked on fixing my outer foot position to provide a better lock between rear set and gas tank to hold my weight during corner entry. I worked on weighing the inner peg just before tipping in to stabilize the bike. I worked consciously to be as light on the bar as possible mid turn. Soon enough, I was coming into the corner faster than I ever have, then carrying that speed and also be able to get back on the gas harder and earlier than I ever did before to drive out of the corner AND STILL STAY ON MY LINE. The 4th session of the day, while the photographer was stationed at the posing spot ( a long constant radius sweeper corner ), I felt a surprising nudge on my knee just before getting on the gas to exit. WOO HOO!! I had done it, and best of all, I knew HOW to do it and was able to repeat it again and again .. in that spot. For the next session continued into day 2, I kept at the lesson plan. Increase entry speed, increase mid corner speed, be light on handle bar to be able to stay on my line. Eventually I added a few more tweaks of body positioning like rotating my inner wrist to a screw driver position to keep even less weight on the bars but unfortunately still couldn't manage to touch down on any other corner. I found the following "new" problems to fix. 1. My boots ( Axo Aragons ) don't have the 'nonslip' contact patch in the right place. So when I try to lock my foot to the rearset ( Woodcraft ), I don't have as stable an attachment as I would like. It forces me to really have to use a lot of muscle to push into the rearset, which caused some leg cramping issues. I'm looking around for new boots now but figure I would bring that up in case its a technique issue. 2. I'm much much stronger on my left side than on my right. Its way easier to control the throttle when my throttle hand is on the outside. I'm told this is normal and will come with more practice. 3. I'm still steering too slowly. Even on that posing corner, I wasn't able to knee down until almost on the exit. I see faster control rider on their knees from the entry. Even with these new problems, I'm way faster than before. My time puts me into the intermediate group, but since I'm much slower on my right, I feel like I would be too unpredictable and a danger to riders in a faster group so I'm sticking to the beginner's group for a while longer. Thanks everyone for their input. This thread truly helped me a lot.
  5. Lnewqban .. please don't misunderstand that I'm ungrateful for your advice / explaination because I said it confused me. If my "internet tone" sounded that way, I apologize. Its a good thing ( in most cases ) when someone forces me to go "hmmm" and question what I thought I knew. Your example about the broom makes perfect sense to me. Your entire follow up explanation actually just triggered a light bulb moment in my head. I'll re read it a few more times to make sure, but I think I understand now why you say the lean angle is natural. When I make steering input, the purpose of the steering input is just that .. to steer. To keep my bike on the trajectory that I want. Nothing more. If I'm able to keep on my trajectory at my speed, then my lean angle is in the appropriate range for that turn radius / speed .. "naturally". If I add a few mph to my entry speed and still steered enough to make the turn, connecting the dots, then either I've naturally added lean angle without even realizing it to compensate for the added speed, or I've remained at the same angle and still made the turn meaning my previous lean angle was excessive for the speed I was carrying. Light bulb ! So I think coming back to my original question, my drill isn't missing any pieces. I was over analyzing and over complicating things. Doh! Now for steering ... Hmmmm .. ( good way ).
  6. Thanks for everyone reply. I've been peeking a bit but finally have the time to sit down and really type out my replies. First, the reason I think an SV ( and other small bikes ) teach you corner speed is many. First is the top speed is slower, thus not allowing you to charge a turn as much. The slower speed allows you to more accurately set the entry speed because trying to brake from perhaps 80 or 100mph into a 60 mph turn is not as hard or scary as coming into the same 60mph turn at 145mph on a Panigale. Plus the smaller 160 tires on the SV plus or the 130-140 tire on the 250Rs allow a quicker turn in. Throttle is more forgiving allowing you to roll on earlier / faster mid corner. The weight is less, making the bike more easier to 'toss' into a turn. And the relative low cost of damage in case of a cash means you're not riding around at 50% because your wife will kill you if you put a scratch on it. Most of you have touched on visual skill. This is something I had not thought about since I simply assumed I was doing it correctly. Even if not expert levels like some of you guys, but not wouldn't think it was the weakest link in my chain either. Reason for my assumption is because I'm able to replicate my lines pretty accurately around my track, or at least that's what my GPS data tells me, and I'm not feeling 'lost' in a corner. I'm able to hit my markers as well as my apex pretty constantly. To me those are indicators that I'm looking far ahead enough in the turn and have decent visual skills. The problem is although I’m constant and hitting my apex / marker, its constantly at a much reduced speed than what I know the bike / tire is capable of. Lnewqban .. your questions makes me go "hmm" and reflect on my current turn in techniques. You're certainly right that I do not and simply cannot directly select an exact lean angle. I don’t currently go into a corner thinking .. 23 deg for this left turn .. 33 degree for the next right, so it certainly makes sense that can't 'choose' to add exactly 5 more degree of lean angle consciously. So how am I mentally selecting my lean angle for each turn currently? You answered this I think, when you said, “You determine your entry speed for a particular curve and the lean angle naturally follows that decision; then, subconsciously you adapt the inclination of your body and bike to meet that angle ........ or you and bike fall”. That’s seems crazy to me that the subconscious can just figure this out, but I guess its really true and that’s what has been letting me make it through turns so far since I’m not consciously selecting a lean angle. I guess this become a matter of just growing a bigger set of balls to throw myself into the corner at a higher speed and trust that my subconscious will have the experience necessary to find the “natural” lean angle make it through and not put me on the ground ? Seems like a leap of faith that can end badly. As for steering input, I push the bar at an angle and have never thought to measure how fast my input was. I've heard of Keith's quick flick steering but have not tried it yet. Something about that technique is very intimidating to me. Maybe because I’m too consciously thinking about lean angle for each corner that I default to a slower steering to allow myself time for corrections ? That's just an off the top off my head guess, but the solution seems to be again trust and take the leap of faith. Thanks all. Lots of food for thought here. Maybe a few points that you guys made that I've missed / glossed on. Apologies for that. I'm definitely looking forward to my school dates.
  7. I'm a slow learner it seems. After 2-3 years of doing trackdays, I'm still relatively slow riding in the beginner's group and I've yet to drag my knee more than a split second ( without crashing anyways ). After working with a coach at my last trackday, I was able to identify my biggest weakness as a fear or leaning, and it is causing me to reduce my entry / mid corner to a level where its killing my laptime. Especially shameful if you consider that I'm on an SV, a bike meant to teach your corner speed. For the rest of this year, my goal is to build up corner speed. And this is where I need your help! I'm told to practice this drill: 1. Adjust my brake marker out further so I'm not charging into the turn. 2. Focus on where I release my brake marker, and adjusting that to build up higher corner entry speed. 3. Once I enter the corner, practice increasing mid corner speed by slowly and carefully accelerating with more throttle. My question is does those steps sound correct to everyone ? If yes, then where does adding lean angle fit into all that ? If I follow step 1-3 and get into the corner faster with the same lean angle I use with my current slower speed, my line will widen and I'll run off track. I have to lean more ( which is easier said that done ) to offset the higher speed, but when should my lean be 'completed' I assume between step 2 and step 3 since I would want to avoid adding throttle and lean angle at the same time. Just seems to me there's not much time there to work on figuring out how much lean angle to add along with adapting to the higher speed. Seems like there's a middle step missing from this drill. I think I would benefit greatly from using the lean bike in the Level 2 class. Unfortunately, its not available at my local track ( Sonoma Raceway ) for a few more months. I have a couple of normal trackdays prior to that date and I want to use those trackdays to work on this drill if I can figure out the lean angle stuff. Any tips would be appreciated. I'm also open to suggestions for other drills. Thanks!
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