Stroker

Haven't had a chance to look at the bike....but the pictures are cringe worthy. The bike is at the dealer waiting to get fixed i guess.....the man promised to make her good as new. I suppose that would remove all traces of marks on the tires if they are going to wash the bike after repair. Suffice to say....a highside in the dark is as bad as it gets.

To be honest Tyler, one second i was on the bike....and the next second there was no bike under me. I did not notice the rear step out or anything....was focused on the road ahead as it was dark and i suddenly found myself flying. I have no fear....maybe ill be extra cautious.Will definitely need to work on my riding from the ground up as my left foot would have forgotten to shift etc lol....

It happened early in the morning....it was dark. I was taking a gentle right turn at maybe 40 mph when suddenly there was no bike underneath me. I flew for what seemed two seconds, landed hard on my left knee and elbow. I slid for a bit and put my right hand on the ground to slow down...but my glove caught on the tarmac and i rolled 4 or 5 times. The road was a bumpy section with patches of badly repaired tarmac. I can only conclude that some sand or the tire hitting a bump at an odd angle caused the highside. The bike flipped me to the side with an unbelievable violence.....i can only imagine what highsiding on a liter bike at 150 mph may feel like.

Watching them come down the long straight at Qatar, it seems they time the sitting up with the hip shift and getting on the brakes....like all three in one move?

Hey Guys, So i highsided a month ago....broke my left femur and ankle.Recovering now.The bike was smashed....there was no front end at all.My helmet, jacket and gloves saved my upper body any injury though.The jeans i wore didnt help much in the crash....shredded instantly. Anyway....im sure you guys have had a bad crash at some point. How did it feel getting on the bike later? Was there fear....or a change in the experience? I'm no chicken but i don't want this accident to kill the thrill of riding.

Highly interesting.Your thoughts on this?

Thoughts on this?

Haha......we should have a " Bad Advice " thread that has clips of what advice not to take.What say guys?

Thanks Robert.What exactly is the Wide View Drill? God....wish i could attend a school.

This is a highly interesting point regarding the peg weighting Dylan.I remember i had raised the Rabat peg weighting issue earlier with the similar results.

I practiced braking with a fair bit of focus earlier on.Today, as soon as i need to panic stop i apply the front brake just hard enough to keep the front tire on the verge of locking up.....i can hear that chirupping noise. I guess it is my go to in emergencies as you pointed out.I shall develop my steering and have two things to fall upon.

CSmith, thanks for the advice. 1. The bikes are provided by the manufacturer and cannot be modified in any way. 2. I will certainly walk the track. 3. Will work on my fitness.

Hey Guys, Some interesting developments. 1. I went on a trip to the beach and rode a Jet Ski.I was countersteering and leaning in the direction of the turn and wondering why i was going the wrong way.Only later did i realize i was not on a bike. 2. Crashed on the way to the place.A man in front of me crashed on a two lane road, at a blind left turn.He fell on the left lane but his bike slid to the right lane.I did fine on braking for a while and then the bike skid as i got to the dirt on the outside of the right lane.I let go of the bike to avoid going down the embankment.Leathers tore at the knee and some scrapes on it.Some damage to the bike fairing and a bent handlebar, gear lever. The dude at the showroom said the forks were bent as well. 3. I realized that i was not scared of crashing or cornering hard etc. but that my body might be a little fragile.I must have hit the deck at 60 mph or so, and my hip, knee and thumb hurt a week later.This is something to consider with my racing ambitions in motion. 4. I went over the crash in my head, and i felt my steering to avoid the other bike was ineffective.I braked as hard as the tire could endure [ I did not use the rear brake, it might have helped ] and am happy with that.But i felt there was target fixation and that i kinda froze on the bars/ did not steer quickly and effectively. I have decided to work exclusively on the quick flick to the point of excluding all else for the time being.What do you say? I feel all this focus on other things may have lead to a weak foundation of ineffective steering. Please advice.

Steven - I countersteered to initiate the turn and ceased input after.The bike is holding the line after that. I have tried to watch as many videos of the track as possible.There are some more i have found, and i will be looking at them closely.This one offers more perspective as to how bumpy the track is - I must be careful about the lines taken, and explore multiple lines as suggested. What is your opinion about trailing the brakes to tighten the turns a bit? This is the newest video i could find, and maybe offers the most current view of the track.

Thanks SCRMNDUCK, i will work on the lock on and right turns to start with.

Hi Guys, The racing season here starts in June, at this track - How do i best prepare for this track? The track is fairly tight and twisty.The bike used is kinda like what i will be using, and the speedo is indicating in KPH.I cannot visit the track before the races, so do help me figure of what to do when i get there before hand. I don't have access to a track in my city so i can't really practice either.

My observations - 1. Outside foot lock on the pegs could be better on both sides. 2. Sitting too close to the tank. 3. Holding the right arm stiff on right turns.Holding the bars too tight as well. 4. Need to drop the right elbow more. 5. Need to get butt off the seat more. 6. Need to stick knee out more? 7. Need to look up and around the turns more. 8. Need to lean in the direction of the turn in right turns. 9. Need to get more weight forward aka hook turn? I want to incorporate the " Pivot steer " technique.But i am not sure how much to press on the outside peg and for how long? I also want to hang off more and run more lean angle.I want to start feeling how the bike feels on the edge of the tires....in a safe and progressive manner.

Thanks man, i noticed that too.

Hey guys, i took some more pics of both the inside and outside of the right and left turns respectively.As you can see my right turns are quite bad.I feel i am holding my inside arm stiff? Please look through the pics and help me improve.There are multiple angles, and hopefully you can get more from them. https://picasaweb.google.com/Arpithc/BodyPosition2?authkey=Gv1sRgCKv3iceG2ZrJKw Thanks for the advice HF and everyone else.Feel free to point out even the slightest mistakes.I fear there are many.

There are no open parking lots in India....people park anywhere they want, any way they want.People also dont spend money on paved parking....it's just a dusty field most of the time. There is some dust on the surface...but not worrysome. I agree the front tire is a cause for concern.The public expect large rear tires on bikes here.It is possible that Yamaha went for a large rear tire simply for that reason as the earlier model was criticized for having a skinny rear tire.However, using the front tire to the edges at such modest lean angles certainly is alarming.In fact, i would have expected a good 0.5 inch on either side to unused. I will do the same thing tomorrow and make more observations. I do not have the finances to get the front tire changed yet, but i shall do at the first opportunity.It has locked up at modest brake pressures on our dusty roads. If i am running out of front tire....what are the warning signs?? I would like to know what it feels like when the front tire can't support the lean angle required.

Personally...i love the sound of MotoGP bikes especially the Ducatis.Nice rumble to them.The Moto2 bikes aren't bad at full chat either.

Thanks Robert - Interesting that we did the same thing.I too noticed the body position was way off but just getting used to the suit and boots will take a while i think. Thanks Lnewqban - Ill check those threads.

Hey guys, So i suited up and found a place where i can practice going round in circles.I had a friend take some pics, and made some very interesting observations besides.Please critique my body position and help me solve these problems. https://picasaweb.google.com/Arpithc/BodyPosition1?authkey=Gv1sRgCMGDqfHCotvnvAE Observations - 1. Left turns are easier than right turns.I can hold a constant radius circle and feel fairly relaxed while at it.The pictures are while i was taking left turns.Did not have the sense to click pics of right turns. 2. It was my first time in race boots and a suit and it was awkward.I am yet to get used to the feeling. 3. I was dipping in and out of right turns.My inside arm felt tired cause i was putting too much pressure on it.I have a feeling i was afraid of right turns for some reason..? I had noticed this discomfort with right turns earlier also. 4. i felt like i was leaning a fair bit but there was a lot more lean angle left as seen from the pics.I have not used the rear tire fully as you can see from the pics. 5. I had used the front tire fully on both sides. 6. My helmet obscured my vision a bit. 7. I love my bke.... Goals - 1.How do i start to explore leaning further and using the rear tire more? I don't want to lean for no reason, but i do want to learn to be able to do it at will without fear. 2. How do i get comfortable on the right hand turns? 3. How do i differentiate between turning more and leaning more? I am not sure what makes the bike lean more and what makes it turn more? Or maybe i am confused in this matter because i felt i was falling off the edge of the world when i tried running circles in earnest. 4. Improving body position as suggested. 5. Vision when leaned over.....everything looks tilted.What is the correct way to see when leaned over? Thanks

Hey guys, regarding the helmet vision obstruction problem - I was watching an Isle of Man TT video.In that, i could actually see Ian Hutchinson's chin!! Their helmets are that high up.Come to think of it, i have observed the same thing in Moto GP.

Oh my god....a little more money and you could get a new bike eh?