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csmith12

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Everything posted by csmith12

  1. No contest between q3's vs 2ct's. Rider preference's always play a large role, but the fundamentals are solidly better.
  2. Turn 8 at @ mid-o is called Madness for good reason. Palmer in Mass is still in the throws of naming it's corners. That track has two downhill sections like Laguna. I sent in a suggestion for the first corner at the bottom of the first hill. Turn 7, at the bottom of "whiskey hill" should be called "shot glass". We will see if they take my suggestion. lol You used to be able to scrape you shoulder on the wall there before they moved the wall back. #Crazyloco!!!! Maybe see you at Mid-O Kevin? If so, look for me in garages 1-6, black and yellow r6 with a big C sticker on it.
  3. Hey SJTrance, Imma kind of be short with my post here. Your fundamental issue is getting a good lock on the bike with your lower body. I have some questions for you to help you along the way though... 1. Do you hang off to much 2. When you feel hip pain, do you also feel tightness in your arms/shoulders 3. Do the balls of your feet hurt While hanging off is a good thing, it's fundamentally different for each rider as we all are not cast from the same mold. Please take some time and experiment with riding positions that compliment your abilities and physical characteristics to best serve you in keeping the bike stable. When you break it down the raw fundamentals, too much localize feedback from the bike in one location is a negative thing (inside peg weigher). Spread your weight evenly over the bike so you can tell what is going on traction wise "all over/everywhere", vs. just what the peg is telling you. There is sooooooo much more to read. aka... don't hang off to much. ps, I like your pics. Much positive things there.
  4. Welcome John, Perhaps see you at CSS or midohio sometime soon. Great outlook on things, never stop learning.
  5. Some of this is funny, other parts that seem funny are spot on serious. Step 1: put on socks, slide across a hardwood floor until you can slide 10ft+ repeatedly and laugh the whole time Step 2: get a skateboard and ride it, the art of balance and how you use your body to influence it is important Step 3: breath... relax... learn to only react to what you really need to react to. If you need an extreme example, get 3 friends... give 2 of them pool noodles, give the other a baseball bat and tell them to hit you Step 4: ride the skateboard again and notice the differences in the reactions you DIDN'T have. Repeat the steps if you're still reacting to EVERYTHING or don't understand what I mean (take control by doing nothing ) Step 5: ride in the dirt as much as you can, then over the winter... ride on snow and ice for extra fun Step 6: do this until you can drift around corners on dirt, mud, snow or ice while laughing 100% of the time Now you're ready to explore the upper limits of traction on a bike on pavement. lol!!! Honestly, you only have 2 types of feedback that you get from the bike. It will be either positive or negative and you only want enough feedback (either kind) that you can work with. Too much is just as bad as too little. So getting back to finding the traction limit... the answer is, there is no answer that will fit 100% of all scenarios. If there was, we all would be traction masters. Instead, focus on assisting the bike delivering positive feedback to the rider. Which is basically why some riders can go faster than others in less than optimal traction conditions, the same thing also holds true when the conditions are perfect for optimal traction. At any time it doesn't feel confidence inspiring, stop right there and figure out why you're not getting that positive feedback of stability. Sometimes, it's the bike setup, sometimes it's the tires, sometimes it's the track, other times the weather, maybe it's simply just the rider having an off day or running into their skill limit. The bottom line is, even if the bike is far from the limit of traction, the risk of crashing goes way up when the bike or rider starts complaining in some way. Many times the rider starts to address these problems via unneeded or improper inputs or changing settings thus reducing the available traction that they ALREADY have. :\ I will use myself as an example, I am not exactly slow, but nowhere near the fastest.. but my bike rarely slides or loses traction even with some of my fastest paces. Those who have attended the track with me can attest to how LITTLE I reference the available grip, yet ride just as fast or faster than the majority of riders on the course. I credit this to prevention, NOT acceptance and anyone can follow that pretty easily imho. Throughout my riding, I have learned that I prefer a stable front end. The rear of the bike can move around as needed but the front must stay nearly 100% stable for me to have full confidence, other riders are the exact opposite. In that respect, I am “needy” of the front and less needy of the rear. To isolate this specific area of my riding, I stopped changing things with the bike and stuck with a pretty decent setup and one brand and model of tires. Since the bike didn’t change, I was free to work on me “feeling” available traction and grip at different paces, lean angles and track conditions. It wasn’t what I learned about grip that was profound, what was amazing… is what I learned about myself. Going further, I learned that it wasn’t even about me in the first place, it was about satisfying the minimal needs of the bike. Find your frames of traction reference... Now as a learning rider, some of the major traction indicators are missing or greatly exaggerated. Lean feels greater for beginners, than experience riders, lack of traction feels greater than experienced riders, Others feel little slides greater than more experienced riders. Why? Because those more experienced have more frames of reference and more experience with those frames of reference. The big ones... (frames of reference) Bars - you can feel what the front is doing Seat - you can feel what the chassis is doing Pegs - you can feel what the swingarm/rear is doing via the balls of your feet and even heels on the swingarm on some bikes, if you have tidy feet Knee - you know where the tarmac is because it just touched your knee Head - you know how much the bike is leaned over (head bone is connected to your knee bone lol) Now, as a learning rider... how much workable input are you really getting from the big frames of reference? And I am not even including the small ones. ijs... And what if one or more of the big ones are missing or not working right? What if your not going fast enough to drag knee yet? Now your missing a huge input on lean angle vs where the ground is. What if your are unhappy with your rearsets or not riding on the balls of your feet? See what I mean? Since riders don't normally attend a school every track day, it's safe to assume that at some point the next time a rider hits the track, they will be on their own. Some riders might enlist the help of CR's/coaches but they may not (you should, that is what we are here for). So many track orgs that I have been exposed to, error on the safe side, and present the following; "All you have to do is practice skills and the speed will come to you". Just like almost everyone says, "don't try to drag knee, get your skill up and it will happen all by itself." Since we are not bound by any rules of writing a short and complete article we can break the RAW fundamentals of traction down into the big 6 factors to build a picture of traction from the ground up (literally). The short list of traction from the ground -> up 1. The surface you're riding on - The different mixes of the tarmac. The mix is regional!!! JenningsGP grips differently than Mid-Ohio as Nelson grips differently than Palmer and even different that streets or Laguna. The raw materials that the track is made of different raw materials and different amounts of those materials. They can feel different to the rider and what you get away with at one track, may put you in the dirt at another. 2. The type of tire you're riding on - Different tires are harder, softer, size, compound, recommended pressures, bla, bla, bla, bla. They can feel different to the rider. For me, the Michelins carcass starts to flex a bit closer to the traction limit of the tire. Some say they don't give as much warning as the Dunlops. If we were to dumb it down for example's sake, say the following tires will have a 100% traction failure and 100mph. The dunlops will start complaining at 90mph vs 95mph on the Michelins. Some riders want the larger window of warning, others are fine with a smaller window. 3. Suspension - These adjustable bits can increase feel (harder settings) or take away feel (softer settings) as well as feedback to the rider and have a huge effect on traction and how much you feel vs what the shocks eat up/nulls out. 4. Grips, seat, pegs and any other point where the hard parts of the bike comes into contact with the soft parts of the rider - Race seats are thinner. Why? We don't have super fat grips on our clip ons. Why? We don't use rubberized rearsets. Why? How does the tank feel on your chest in a full tuck if you have a chest protector vs not? These can feel different to the rider. 5. Gear - Have padded shorts under your suit, or maybe really thick gloves? One of the selling points of gloves is increased feel in the palm and sometimes fingers. Do you prefer thicker or thinner soles on your boots? These can feel different to the rider. 6. The rider's tolerance/ability/skills - Get warmed up as a rider and prevent some SR's before they become distractions or action items. On the first lap or two, I use my legs to support some of my body weight on the bike to prevent some of the little bumps, skips and slides from making it to my head as sr's. I guess I will also let this little racing secret out of the bag... I call it the "spread effect" in short, but it's really, really, really getting a good lock on the bike. When you stand straight up, you support your weight 50/50 with each leg. Do you support your weight evenly on the bike? What part of the bike supports the majority of your weight? It's not the bars for sure... so I like to spread my weight evenly over the seat, pegs, knee on tank, chest on tank when tucked or arm on the tank when hanging off. To start off, this means the suspension does not have to compensate for me as the rider in general. This also lets me move around more fluidly on the bike, especially sliding across the seat with ease. Feel of traction wise, it ensures I don't get too much "localized feedback" and a better definition of what the whole bike's traction level is. Basically the muscles in bumm, legs/knee, chest, and whichever arm is on the tank act as buffers or noise gates to my head. Sometimes I use use them to dull the feeling of lack of traction or increase the feeling of traction by paying more attention to those contact points. Most importantly, it allows me to really isolate my throttle control to move weight around. After all, your main goal while riding is to "keep the bike stable". If you repeat the throttle control rule 1000 times, this one should be repeated 999 times. This is how I define my instinct while riding. All of these things combine to paint a beautiful picture of traction or lack of it, that is then perceived to the rider. Each of us feel it differently and is just as much an art form, as it is a skill in all to itself. The better your skill, the more traction you can detect and... even sometimes get away with going beyond it a little bit. So far.... I haven't seen anything, anywhere that is a better explanation of a very complex subject.
  6. I don't think you're missing anything. I just didn't take her post as meaning 100% back in the seat, just back far enough to get a good lock on the bike and then maybe a bit farther. I dunno, I am sure she is not sitting so far back she becomes disconnected. So maybe there is some room to play with, maybe there isn't, but yea... any mass moved forward will move the CoG.
  7. khp, unless you're double jointed in your back, keeping a lower CoG in the braking zone normally comes along with sitting farther back in the seat. If you have watched the twist 2 dvd, there a scene where the rider is hard on the brakes. Sitting up straight, unlocked from the bike and stiff armed... the bike stoppies. Locked on and loose arms is smoother and in control. What is NOT "said" in the video is, the rider is sitting farther back in the saddle AND has a lower CoG. I have watched many scenes in slow motion, things get real interesting at 1/4 speed.
  8. Awesome! I love it when a plan comes together.
  9. That is just too damn cool! I see it has limits right now, but the idea is sound.
  10. Someone is seeing the effects of steering with the rear. ​
  11. Just a hunch here, but after you come to terms with your new markers, your throttle control will get even better. The flat throttle you have in those problems areas should become smooth rolls. And we know what that does for stability right?
  12. Cool track, looks alot like Gateway in St. Louis. Ok then, one last thing. Let's work the problem from the other end backward... Quick turning, we both know that the the turn in point affects your brake marker. For those problem corners, can you adjust your turn in point via a quicker flick or track positioning to allow for a better brake marker and more compliant feel in the braking zone? While it might not agree with the "race line" perfectly but you know... each rider has their take on lines. Or will it kill an early, clean throttle roll? Alternate lines are useful tools, perhaps use the late brake line/turn in to guard/make the pass when you need it, use your qualifying type turn in and line for lap times and closing gaps, ie to up your corner speeds.
  13. For completeness, let's look at it one more way. I bring this up because having the same problem as you on the brakes, I always want to check the rider as well as the bike. Are you charging the corner? (that was my main problem) Perhaps SR #7 is showing up as a wiggly rear wheel. So you mention there are many new things going on. New people, new setup, pressure to perform, ect... ect... Any way to divide and conquer? How about this, can you ride the track with no brakes to find your entry speeds? After all, the brakes are nice and all, but the main point is to get your entry speed perfect.
  14. When I first started track riding, I used to use the shape of the track to define the line and guide me to some vague reference areas. While that worked pretty well at first, all my friends became faster and I was stuck. Every time I upped the pace, I felt as if I was riding in the moment too much and guessing if I will make it through the corner as I came upon it each lap. Once I discovered the how to really take advantage of my visual skills and use reference points to define the line, I stopped building my line "from scratch" as part of my corner entry setup. I also noticed my brain was thinking ahead of where I currently was on the track. But most importantly, I stopped guess if I would make it through the corner. I simply thought of it like this, "I have points that got me through the corner once, as long as I hit those points again... I will make it through just fine this lap." It's not like they are going to go out during lunch and move turn 4... I was finally riding with 100% confidence, 100% control of where my bike was on the tarmac and 100% understanding of what was coming next. It's a GREAT feeling and did wonders for my throttle control, drive and lap times.
  15. Ah... I see what is going on here via the video. Seems to me you have a bit of street brain leaking into your track brain and it's having an effect on your riding. I see a rider that is hesitant to outride his vision, pretty plain and simple. I see it in your sweepers as well as your blind corners and crests. You 100% for sure need some additional reference points to confirm to your brain that you are on a safe line. Your throttle control tells the story as you don't really get into it until a final line to the exit is confirmed. Ie being hazy mid corner. Picking reference points is an art form in itself, how are you skills at picking them out? You are aware that the points do not have to be on the track surface or near the track's edge right? Are you limited to 3 or can you have more? While the track itself is fairly dull, there are no less than 5 possible reference points though that turn. Here is an example; The circled part of the fence is one of many like it through that section and can be used as reference points as well. there is a lone tree off behind the fence before you get to the new building under construction. Each of these static structures can be used. Having a wide view will assist you in keeping yourself online through the corner as you reference point is off the track surface. As far as the blind corners and crests. Picking a reference point that you "can see" but is inline with an apex or exit that you can't will also work wonders. So armed with that info, you can go out and pick points that work with your riding. Now for the question... how do you know you have picked a good reference point(s)? What are some signs that a reference point needs to be moved even if the line and throttle control is good through the corner?
  16. I had the same issue on my 08 r6. Hotfoot, assuming your braking and downshifting techniques are great. Then, I would focus on 2 things; rear rebound and front compression. Your braking technique will have a strong influence on your suspension setup here. If you're fast and sudden on the brakes to load them up, then you are more prone to collapse the front due to a very fast weight transfer. Your suspension settings on the brakes much match your application skills. A common and improper solution to this would be to simply add more rebound to to the rear to help keep the rear on floor. While your rebound could in fact be too slow, make sure it is not too fast as to accent a jumpy/floaty by the rear shock rebound pushing up the rear during braking. My gut feeling is you need to work with a suspension guru to setup the bike to your riding style vs some generic numbers or "common" settings. If I were a betting man, I would bet they will add preload and/or adjust compression damping in the front too better manage the weight transfer per your application. Lastly, there comes a point where you must start to enjoy the lifting and sliding around, as you shouldn't sacrifice corner feel, feedback and rideability for the 300/350ft of braking feel and feedback. Let's face it, even with a perfectly setup bike, scrubbing 100mph in 300ft is a fairly violent affair.
  17. Cool, glad you figured it out, your welcome and thanks! You will find in other sections of the track (turns 2->3) and other chicanes on other tracks, where you CAN and should be ahead of the countersteer as the cornering forces are much less influential. Tracks are supposed to be challenging right aye? Just like setting up for any other corner on the track, it should be done early. The knee to knee and hip flick are skills to assist the rider in setting up for the corner early in tight back to back corners, as I am sure you already know. Is it next season yet?
  18. I will follow you again ASAP, but unless something is up with your bike making it want to stand up or not hold it's line in the corners, you're simply gunna have to figure out how to relax more. A well set up machine, with good throttle control will hold it's line with no bar pressure. So somehow you must becoming disconnected/unlocked from the bike during that transition? You're a fresh A group rider, there is mostly self imposed pressure to go faster and much to see from other riders, so be mindful that their riding isn't influencing/leaking into yours as it can be very subtle. And if the you prematurely start the hip flick (bumm slides across the seat and the bike follows) before initially counter steering the bike back up, it takes at least twice the muscle effort because you are fighting the cornering forces to move. And besides, you don't start the flick to the other side at near max lean angle anyway. You simply have to move over faster than the bike can flick over. For example, exiting the carousel... the transition from right to left in the A group is very fast plus you might should catch an upshift in that transition as well. It's very challenging to get right lap to lap. Don't be hard on yourself if it doesn't come in a few sessions or even a few days as these are fairly advanced skills to get comfortable with. It took me a year to get consistent/fast/smooth at it without thinking about it in that section. The best way to learn it, is to watch a CSS coach do it. They are amazingly smooth and extremely fast when it comes to transitioning. When I was with CSS, I was humbled to know that I wasn't even in the same zip code as to how fast they transitioned. Seeing is believing, I promise you. When I was learning, my biggest, most common error was to do it so quickly, that I ended too far off the seat due to momentum. And yes for sure, when riders get tired. I see them use the bars to move from right/left, left/right all the time. Oh, and one more thing... Don't forget to connect the dots of information you must have already learned as they build upon each other. Something to think about; effective steering + quick turn + knee to knee + hip flick + good timing = nearly effortless chicanes and very relaxed riding lap to lap. As far as shifting, while braking, while the lower body is in the hang off position feels awkward at first, it gets better with time and practice. After that, you will wonder why you did it any other way in the first place?!?!?!? Your foot size plays a role in this though, so you might have a look at your shifter position while sitting on your bike in this position. Maybe your answer is simple as that. "The seemingly complex problems created by circumstance, often have the most simple of solutions."
  19. Oh snap Subisti, I help people to do this all the time at Mid-Ohio. Unless your legs are REALLY weak in this area... extra workouts or exercises are normally not needed as a focus point. A normal level of fitness is more than enough. Do this; When starting knee to knee, just focus on keeping at least one knee against the tank at ALL TIMES and it will become a habit burned into muscle memory that you don't have to focus on so much. (don't forget you might have to slide back off the tank to keep the outside knee fully locked in) After that would be to ensure you're not lifting your bumm completely up off the seat at ANY TIME, but instead just slightly lifting your weight to make it easy to slide across the seat. This is a tough habit to break but is the key to making knee to knee a less strength intensive skill. Of course XPyrion is right that it's based on decent body position and keeping tidy feet on the pegs. I remember seeing your bike still had stock rearsets. Do you feel your current ergos help put your feet and knees in the best place to enable knee to knee without much fuss and moving/shifting around? Also, can you clarify what you mean by the bike dipping down? Does the bike feel unstable before tip in? Are you using your arms to stabilize yourself on the bike while transitioning from one side to the other? Are you getting your bumm off the seat while still on the throttle? Do you have both legs against the tank while moving your bum or just one? I think your issue is mostly an order and timing thing but need more input from you. Also, if your transition from one side of the bike to the other is fast, and you lift your bumm completely off the seat what are you using to stabilize yourself? Hint... you twist something there to go fast. Lemme know... And one more thing, Mid-Ohio has areas of the track where knee to knee is especially important, the 2->3 chicane, 9>10a combo and the carousel->14 front straight chicane. Once you get a good grip on knee to knee, you can expect to take some time off your lap in these areas. And to assign you some homework,.. Your next area of research should be the hip-flick to complete knee to knee.
  20. ^^^^ lol Cool pics spike. I have done a lot of track days with different orgs. CSS is one of the very few that I feel guide the riders on the proper path starting at lvl 1. You chose well imho. I am happy your first time at the track was a pleasant experience. Meeting cool people at the track is what makes going to the the track great. When you go again, remember that when you meet the next first timer as they will also need a friend. The track is cool and all, but it's the people that make it a great experience. Here's to many more trouble free trips to the track! Cheers!
  21. @YellowDuck - Yes sir, totally agree that the bars are a bit high. They have clearance issues if mounted under the triple . I could cut the fairing to allow for clearance but it would create a sharp edge near my hands. In the event of a down or the likes, I don't want the extra risk that comes along with that, because my mind would wander to cutting my hand(s) from time to time. I try to solve problems not create extra ones if you know what I mean. lol @Apextc - I lump all this stuff in one category. "Contact Points" ie where do you as the rider come into contact with the bike. Many riders focus on the seat as a starting point. I really don't... I start with the knees locked up under the tank lip. This normally puts my bumm back in the seat just a bit off the tank. From there I can adjust all other ergos to support getting and keeping a good, comfortable lock on the bike. imho, The #1 mistake is to sit in the saddle either too close or too far back. Too close and your outside knee loses contact with the tank when hanging off to the inside while cornering (taxes the inner thigh for support). Too far back may create instability as the rider has to work extra hard to grip what little bit of the tank the knees come into contact with (and using the bars to hold on). And speaking of adding instability, the original question states that there is instability and tightness when turning right. Lemme ask this, when should you move your bumm to the right side as your prep for the upcoming right corner? Which of the following adds more instability? A: Moving your bumm while on the throttle B: Moving your bumm while on the brakes And one more thing... There are a lot of things to do when prepping for a corner. Would it help if the rider was able to complete some of those tasks earlier?
  22. Thanks!!! This one is even better but on the left. My only issue with with ankle stress (both sides). Maybe some of those cool new CSS rearsets would help in this case.
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