ScrmnDuc

post up the Australian regs mugget

Amit, If you have never thought about your speed in the turns, why now? Think back to what terrified you in the turns on the SF. What happened? Riding position: Are you sliding around on the seat? If so you may want to look at a different seat for the SF. I know that the seat that came on my Ducati GT1000 had no grip whatsoever! I would slide all over the seat and that gave me great concerns while braking hard You have many options to make the bike comfortable for you. Think about what is bothering you with the riding position and correct it when you can. Ducati's can be deceptive in the speed category compared to other bikes. It could be the fact that the motor is purring along where others require a lot more RPM's to achieve the same speed. For instance my bike at 80 mph (130 kph) is turning a little over 4k in 6th gear. I rode a Kawasaki zx6rr that turning the same rpm's in 6th gear was running 45 mph (70 kph). Tune your brain to the sound and speed. If you haven't learned Ducati's do not need a lot of rpm's to get to speed quickly Be gentle with the throttle and it will be your friend. As for using your bike at the school, all I can say is that in the US it is preferred. Therefore I will leave that answer to the team that is conducting the school in South Africa. I am fairly sure that you will need to do some prep work to make the bike track worthy. You really need to talk to the people running the school in SA to get the details for bike prep. As for the off track bikes it depends on the level you are taking and if there is room at the track for the off track bikes. Once again I'll defer to the folks running the school. Jeff

KBC http://www.kbchelmet.com/?page_id=133 Helmets After Impact Although your helmet is solidly constructed, it should be handled with care and should be replaced in the event of either dropping the helmet onto a hard surface or rough handling. Such abuse may damage the painted surface finish or decrease its ability to protect. IMPACT: Do not wear the helmet after an impact for any reason, even if there is no visible damage showing on the helmet, damage may have been caused to the internal structure of the helmet and it's ability to absorb further energy may have been compromised. REPLACE IMMEDIATELY. The internal layers of EPS are critical to the energy absorption performance of the helmet and any damage which could compress this material will reduce the ability to absorb the impact energy and thus transmit more energy to the rider's head and critical organs. http://www.kbchelmet.com/?page_id=544 General Use & Care Your KBC helmet is made to absorb some of the energy of an impact or blow by partial destruction of its component parts (e.g.- external shell and inner liner) and even though damage may not be apparent, the helmet should be replaced after any impact whatsoever. To maintain the full efficiency of your helmet, there must be no alterations to the structure of the helmet or it's components. Full-face helmets are designed for use with a visor, and are not suitable with any type of goggles. Use goggles only with off road (Motocross) type helmets.

Shoei http://www.shoei-hel...ndlingCare.aspx WHEN SHOULD A HELMET BE REPLACED? The life of a helmet depends on how it is used. A helmet should be replaced if one or more of the following points apply: 1. There was a fall that resulted in an impact on the helmet. <This is open for interpretation. Is that a fall off the bike or a fall - aka crash?> 2. The helmet fits looser than when it was purchased due to frequent use. 3. The EPS liner has come away from the helmet shell. 4. The EPS liner shows signs of wear and is beginning to break up, or if it has been exposed to heat or a solvent and has melted. SERVICE: SHOEI helmets are covered by a five-year, limited warranty, and SHOEI will repair or replace the helmet if it is found to suffer from flaws in materials or workmanship. Shoei offers a free impact and safety inspection service for any SHOEI helmet.* To have your helmet inspected, please send it to: Shoei Helmets 3002 Dow Ave, Suite 128 Tustin, CA 92780 Attn: Inspections Be sure to include a letter with a brief description of the issue with the helmet, as well as a daytime phone number and return address. Once we receive the helmet, it will take 1-3 business days to complete the inspection. Upon completion, the helmet is returned to you with a letter stating the findings of our inspection. Your helmet is returned to you whether it passes the inspection or not. There is no charge for the inspection, and the UPS Ground return shipping is free. You can also see our video explaining how to ship your SHOEI helmet for impact inspeciton service. *For residents of US and Canada only.

I handle and treat my helmets like an egg. Or as a British phrase used during WW2 when handling explosives "Fragile like Eggs" Remember, you can drop an egg and it not bust. It is cracked and not as strong as it was before it was dropped. How many times can this happen before it lets the guts out? This is from HJC http://www.hjchelmets.com/ helmet technology / helmet usage helmet technology / helmet care Short version: From usage: It has suffered an impact. Your helmet is only designed for ONE impact. An impact may fracture the outer shell or compress the impact absorbing liner. You may not be able to detect this damage. Any impact in a crash or a drop from as low as 4 feet is enough to damage your helmet. • Never drop your helmet – Dropping your helmet may crack the shell or damage the protective foam. The damage may not be visible. Your helmet is only designed for ONE impact. Refer to "Helmet Replacement for more information on what to do after helmet has been dropped. From care: Do Not Modify Your Helmet • painting; That is custom paint jobs folks!!!!! Why? Simple. Unless you use the same paint and process as the manufacture you could damage the integrity of the shell.

Welcome aboard Amit. From reading your introduction your not new to motorcycles, but have let your new Italian mistress intimidate you. I would recommend starting with Twist of the Wrist. Keith covers a lot of the basics there. A lot of the book covers how much attention you spend on actually riding a bike. From your statements it sounds like you are spending all of your attention on the bike and not riding. Is that true? Question: Were you terrified taking a corner at 40 kph on your smaller bikes? 10+ years of riding, I would think not. If not, why now? ... Riding position? probably not. ... Sitting higher off the ground? maybe, but no. ... Sense of speed? hmm speed. ..... Is it your perception of speed? ..... Are you having a problem controlling your speed in a turn, If so why? I am sure there you will get many more questions followed by answers and more questions. Jeff

Cobie, great idea on the helmet sub forum. It's been 4 years since I went head first, so to speak, into helmets. That's when I got back riding after a 4 to 5 years of caging. While using an old Shoei that was out of date I researched like mad to help my decision on what to buy. Now after reading this topic on helmets it has me thinking and looking again. I will post links etc.. as I stumble across information again. Quick read on DOT regs: http://www.nhtsa.gov...pages/page2.htm The DOT regs with pictures: http://www.fmcsa.dot...spx?reg=571.218 Easier to read version posted at webBikeWorld and it goes further with links and explanations of a few testing and rating methods: http://www.webbikewo...OT-standard.htm Snell website http://www.smf.org/home Helmet standards http://www.smf.org/stds It covers all the areas that they are involved in and goes back quite a few years. I read this an hour or so ago. http://www.smf.org/stdsDiff This quote I have a problem with. It is taken from the standards difference. "The other problem is, how much helmet you will wear. A good motorcycle helmet will generally provide more protection than just about any other helmet, but they are heavier and do not provide as much venting. This is OK for riding a motorcycle because you are not exerting as much physical energy as you would be on a non-motorized vehicle." I take that as an excuse to purposely design the standards for motorcycle helmets to a level that is not representative to the real world of motorcycling. Don't rant, Don't rant......... That makes me think of what I have to deal with every day with my job (industrial construction and maintenance). more to follow. Jeff

Back in the middle of May I had the time to check out the new track in Shelton WA. The Ridge Motorsports Park. They are still in the construction phase with heavy equipment sitting around while the track is "hot". I was missing just a couple of items to be able and go play , just a suit and bike! Nothing major but needed stuff. Track linky: http://www.ridgemotorsportspark.com/ I know css will be running a school there in a few days. Have fun, be careful, and I would like to hear the thoughts of the track afterwards. In a different thread. These guys may attend. http://scrmnduc.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Track-days/24131729_m7ZC5B/

The answer is simple. Education.

As has been said by others, go to a shop that has a wide variety of brands. Then if you don't know what size you need just ask for help. If you can't get any help then go somewhere else and try again. Wearing a helmet in a store for a few minutes should give you a basic idea if it fits. But this is like many things in life, as you figure out what you need you will get a better idea of what to look for. Some of the manufactures make different models that fit different head types. For instance I wear Shark RSR2's and a RSX. I tried on an RSI model and it was very uncomfortable to the point of almost hurting. Tried a RSF2 and it wasn't bad but just not quite right. Their Evoline fits good. Now that's 5 helmets from one manufacture. 2 fit great, 1 is good, 1 if I had to and 1 is a nogo. The RSR2's and the RSX fit wise is almost identical to the Shoei RF series. I love the Soumy helmets but I don't think Ill ever be able to wear one. To date they hold the record for speed and severity in giving me a headache, wow! Long story short, find your head size then start trying them on. If you find one that fits good remember which one it is then try on others that are for the similar head type, don't forget to ask the folks working there. Go home and think about how the helmets fit then go back in a few days and try them on again. There are stores where you can buy a helmet and return it within xxx amount of time. That way you can take it home and wear it around the house for a bit to make sure it will work for you. Just make sure you buy a helmet from a reputable company with a good reputation. The amount you spend is up to you. Enough quacking for now. quack quack!

No I haven't seen an MZ that I know of, or just didn't pay attention. When I saw your post Hotfoot, I was thinking CZ not MZ. I'm glad I looked it up before making a fool of myself. And congrats on the races too. Rain I didn't see the TB 1098R, it could be that he just didn't unload it. As for the 1199 It may be next year or the year after. Too many irons in the fire right now so to speak. I am looking at a 916 right now. But I'm a bid concerned that she may be a garage queen. I'll know more in a couple of days.

Good point Rainman. I am interested to see how it all plays out. Personally I hope the Panagle is a success, at least commercially - I think that is better for the sport. And come to think of it, if it would help Checka beat Biaggi, I'm ok with that too . And now I have got to hear one being ridden in anger. I think there is a Duc shop in couple of towns over... Rainman, Ducati did the same thing in 07. They ran the 999 in WSBK while the 1098 was on sale to the public. So I think that is just the way they operate. Let the new bike go through the teething pains in lesser series and run the tried and true in the top series. And the 1098R is still preforming quite well this year to date, more wins and podiums then the rest . The 1199 isn't doing to bad in the FIM Superstock 1000 series either. I think things are looking good for the new bike. I did get lucky enough to test an 1199 with the termies installed, no db killers either. I was concentrating more on the ergo's ( comparing the 1198 - 1199) than the shear performance. Plus I was being nice to the bike too, ~ 200 miles or so showing. The bike is more comfortable than the outgoing series and sounds real nice too. Low end grunt (3-6K) and rideability is about the same as my Sport Classic but twist the right bar and triple digits are there real quick There was a guy at Barbers riding a 1199 and it sounded sweet at a nice clip. Was this the same one that Dylan rode at NJMP? Retired school bikes: Now that's a thought. Hmmm!

My job requires that I wear gloves, almost every day. There is nothing like a good fitting and long lasting glove. I get real pissed when I put on a pair of cheap gloves and rip the cuff off while putting them on I myself like and use the Held brand gloves. Present every day glove is the Phantom. I would have bought the Titan but it wasn't released and not on the market at the time. As a back up when my phantom's need a bath is an inexpensive pair of Dainese gloves with a short gauntlet. Cool to colder weather I use a pair of Held "Steve" gloves ( soft protection only, no hard parts) with Held inserts, I don't remember the type. The guys at Held USA recommended the inserts. For frosty cheek riding at present I'm using a pair of BMW Motorrad " boxing gloves". Not great, it's a toss up on what get cold first, feet or hands. None of the gloves I have mentioned are water proof. I need better COLD weather gloves. One of my best friends wears Held "warm and dry" in the winter "frosty bottom" with no problems. He is riding a BMW 1200 GS with hand guards and heated grips too! BTW I haven't had to stress test any of them, yet. You have received some ideas of what some of us wear. Personally I would try on as many as you can, make a list of what fits and feels right then look at what is said about the gloves of choice. Read as many reviews, from users, as you can on your choices and decide from there. Good luck ps. Cobie I agree with you about custom fit gloves. Boots would be nice too.

Folks, take a real close look at the picture. His front tire isn't even touching the ground. Think about it! Jeff

Well I've been lurking around here for over a year now, so....... Hi all, I got lucky and managed to get in on the resent school at Barbers. My work scheduled allowed me to attend and I was able to sign up last minute. 2 days of class and I even hung out for a little on both days of the camp that followed. In the future I will try to do the camps but will take whatever I get. My observations between regular class days and camps. The regular class days are rather busy and moving at a quick pace, with some downtime shoved in between each drill. This was a good opportunity to think about the next track session and meet some of the other students. It was also nice to see several of the same people for the 2nd day. Camp days are from an outsiders (not student) point of view. Things moved at a quick pace but seemed more relaxed. From watching there was more time spent with the students after each session. Not as many students = more time + 2 more track sessions each day. If you are thinking about attending a school but undecided upon regular class or camp, I would let the money determine the outcome. Yes, camps cost more but there is more to be had. If I had it to do over again would I have picked the camp over regular class for my first outing? Probably. But now I have a good feel for how things operate and have a better understanding of the class flow. 2 strokes scream and Duc's are Duc's. Jeff