Apollo

The biggest thing with collarbones isn't necessarily hitting some random object. Breaks can happen because of landing helmet first because the helmet then cants to the side and jams into your collarbone. The airbag kits mitigate this risk by providing extra cushioning between the helmet and the collarbone. Although the airbag kits were originally one-piece suit only, both Alpinestars and Dainese now have them available in jacket/two-piece suits for more convenient street riding gear. I am personally a fan of buying the gear that makes you feel safest and comfortable. I don't think the higher end gear necessarily crashes better, but the higher priced kit does tend to have more supple or luxurious feeling leather. You might feel some extra mobility due to the supple leather, but a well fitted, cheaper suit may do the same job. Personally, all of the high end brands anecdotally have sufficient protection and quality. If you stay with the major brands like Rev'it, Held, Spidi, RS Taichi, Dainese, Alpinestars, etc, you'll be in the ballpark. If you want a sensor deployed airbag kit though, Alpinestars and Dainese are really the only players. Mithos and RS Taichi have licensed the Alpinestars airbag, but they only offer it in their one-piece suits. Rev'it has the Dainese airbag, but again it isn't available unless you're a world level professional.

I haven't tried the Missile suit, but the TechAir airbag vest has more coverage than any of the Dainese Misano (mostly collarbone), Misano 2D (extends over upper chest), and Mugello (includes side airbag). Supposedly, the same size works, but I think you'll probably want to go up one size in the suit as the vest is fairly bulky. All of the electronics are packaged in a hard shell back protector for the vest that is maybe almost double the thickness of my regular L2 back protector. The biggest issue with the TechAir is that it's a bit cumbersome if you like to walk around off-track with the top half of your leathers hanging loose because the rigid back protector keeps the shape of the upper half. In SoCal, Beach Moto is a TechAir distributor and might be your best bet of having the woman's version in stock. Alternatively, you can always order from Cycle Gear and just return in store for free. I also have the Hit-Air and it is a good option. I still think either of the TechAir or D-Air is a better option though since they are independent of the bike. The Hit-Air takes about 60 pounds of force to set off, so you just get tugged backwards if you get off the bike without unclipping. It is an extra hassle though to have to put it on, clip, and unclip each time. If you're hopping between bikes, setting up the tether each time is also an additional step.

Rev'it is quality gear on the higher end of the spectrum. However, as far as I know, they do not offer an airbag option. For professional racers, they have been using the Dainese D-Air system but it is not available commercially for every day riders. What do you mean by "best gear one can afford?" It seems like you have some aversion to Dainese or think that they're on the cheap end of things. If anything, they tend to be a bit expensive and overpriced due to their marketing and brand identity in my opinion. If you are looking for the best gear you can afford, I think you should definitely look at an airbag suit or jacket/pants combo. The increased protection against a collarbone break is worth the savings in medical bills.

Thanks, Hotfoot. Definitely thoughts to think about. My 300 suspension was also really soft just due to it being entirely stock. I just couldn't justify dumping money into it versus saving for another bike (R6). It's actually pretty funny to see photos from my last race, where my bike is noticeably a bit lower with a nose up attitude compared to others with worked over suspensions. In normal riding conditions, I doubt there will really be major issues since brakes are for braking. I am mostly intrigued to see how I fair on this thing in the morning 3/4, no brakes drills this weekend while cornerworking for CSS. Mainly, my concern (as also discussed with Spaghetti below) was wanting to know how much of this engine braking issue is a mental barrier/technique issue I need to adjust to. There are some moments where I feel like the engine braking is useful. Like I've had it happen where I'm in a corner, closing up fairly quickly but safely on another rider, and transitioning from trail braking to throttle application for the drive out. I've had the rider in front get spooked by something and roll out of the gas post-apex, sometimes being a bit unclear on their intentions. With stock engine braking on my other bikes, I can just easily roll off a touch to keep the gap without worrying about having to get on the brakes again or making a pass while guessing if they're going to take some weird line on the drive out. But maybe this is really also an issue of Wide View and passing drills to go for a safe pass instead of checking up behind another rider. I guess it just made me a bit nervous to give up the engine braking, so I wanted some confirmation from you all here. It's not an issue of relying on the engine braking. I'm definitely not coasting into corners. It is just there are some moments where I feel like the engine braking is useful. Like I've had it happen where I'm in a corner, closing up fairly quickly but safely on another rider, and transitioning from trail braking to throttle application. I've had the rider in front get spooked by something and roll out of the gas post-apex, sometimes being a bit unclear on their intentions. With stock engine braking, I can just easily roll off a touch to keep the gap without worrying about having to get on the brakes again or making a pass while guessing if they're going to take some weird line on the drive out.

Thanks for the info on the GP riders, Dylan. I appreciate the knowledge drop, and it will definitely be something to consider in terms of adjustments based on track layouts. Since I will mostly be riding at Thunderhill East, Sonoma, Buttonwillow, and Vegas this year, I guess I am leaning towards less engine braking to a degree, as they all have flowing sections. I will definitely have to spend a trackday just fiddling with the engine braking settings over back to back sessions to gauge the differences. This is a lot more complicated than my stock, non-adjustable suspension, single fuel map power commander Ninja 300. Haha. See you at Vegas this weekend.

This is more of a tech question, but it segues into technique. So I upgraded this year to a 2011 R6 with a YEC kit ECU. The bike was previously run by a current AMA rider and set at least one lap record, so the bike is not an issue. Also, for background, I've been almost exclusively riding mostly stock twin-cylinder bikes for the past four years. The R6 ECU is set to a heavily reduced engine braking setting. Compared to my twins, roll-off engine braking feels pretty near minimal and gives almost a freewheeling sensation. In searching around, there seems to be a school of thought among a lot of fast riders that minimal engine braking in the ECU is preferable for smoother roll-offs and less speed loss on the way to the apex. The underlying question for me is, should I just keep the setting as used by known fast guys, and learn to ride it "the way it should be?" Or is it something that should be adjusted to by resetting and incrementally reducing the engine braking setting? Or is it really just a feel issue dependent on the rider rather than an "all fast guys at the front do this?"

I have only done single days, so I can't speak to the comparison. However, I think the single days are great for refreshers. If anything, you could always do a single day of any level to gauge your progress and then follow up with a 2-day camp once you have an idea of where you want to focus on.

Since this got bumped, I'll add in some new thoughts for anyone looking into it. The biggest issue, as with all moto gear, is always fit. Personally, Alpinestars just doesn't fit me. It's either too tight in the legs or too loose in the shoulders. Dainese's cuts just fit me perfectly. I have had a Dainese Laguna Seca suit for 10 years. It has been in two lowsides in the rain and a solid tumble with multiple revolutions. It was only after the third crash that I finally needed to have repairs done because the leather on the shoulder wore through (the stitching in the surrounding area was still fine). Probably the biggest reason to go either Alpinestars or Dainese over other fantastic brands (RS-Taichi, Held, customs) are the Tech-Air and D-Air. Tech-Air You can get a lot more coverage with the Alpinestars TechAir setup than the entry level D-Air suit at around $2000. Even the Dainese Mugello at $4000 doesn't have the same airbag coverage. Also, Alpinestars TechAir can be used twice before a repack, whereas the Dainese can only have one deployment. The separation of the vest and suit also means that you can just send in the vest for repacking and still use the suit with conventional armor. However, you have to buy the Tech-Air vest for $1150 and then buy a suit to fit it in. Also, the Tech-Air has a solid, non-flexible back piece doubling as a back protector and electronics housing that makes it feel bulky and pretty awkward if you're used to having the top half of your leathers hanging when you're in the pits. D-Air D-Air is a different beast as it is fully integrated with the individual suit, and comes in a variety of configurations with different levels of protection. The first generation Misano has the least coverage and is primarily focused on protecting the collarbone. The second gen. Misano 2D will have more coverage around the collarbone area. The Mugello has even more coverage extending over the upper chest, but still does not provide the same level of coverage as the Tech-Air. However, the D-Air does include a GPS sensor in aiding determining when deployment occurs. Whether or not Alpinestars doesn't have one due to patent reasons or if they just don't think it is important is only known to them. The upside of D-Air is the suit definitely feels more natural than an Alpinestars suit with the Tech-Air vest. The downside is you can only deploy it once and then the entire suit has to go back to Dainese.

Glad to hear you're alright, Jaybird! That's the most important thing. And props to you for getting back on the bike the same day. One thing though, and maybe someone else will disagree with better info, but those pressures 34/36 seem very high to me. A high pressure like 36 would result in a stiffer tire, which might have contributed to lower traction by reducing the contact patch. Dunlops in general feel like they have a stiffer carcass to me, and I was running substantially lower pressures for grip. Race Tire Services, which is the US Dunlop race tires distributor, suggests 28 cold or 32 hot on the Q3+ rear. I was running Q3+ on my trackbike at 30 hot on the rear. I even ran the older Alpha13 rear at 26-28 hot because it was sliding at 30 hot on a barely moderate pace so I can't even imagine how that would have felt at 36 cold. To get heat in the tire on a cold day, you can either go up or down in pressure from your norm. At least that is what suspension gurus say. I always go down, and just pay for the accelerated wear. I used to ride in DC when it was 30-40 degrees on Pirelli Diablo Rosso IIs set at about 26psi cold. Again, most important thing is that you are safe and sound.

In terms of traffic, maybe it would help simplify things by combining school questions and cornering/techniques, since the school is focused on technique and discussion of technique would probably relate back to school drills anyways. It might be useful to separate out club racing (by students) versus discussion of professional racing. In that regard, a General or Miscellaneous category may include the professional racing threads. Discussion in the pro racing threads would keep the general category active. Students who are racing might find a student racing category to be useful to isolate racing specific threads. Or maybe just all racing, student and professional, should be in the general category. Gear related questions seem fairly few and far between, so maybe it could also fit into the General/Misc category instead of having its own category So maybe: New Members Area Articles by Keith School Questions / Cornering and Techniques Tires, Tuning, Suspension Student Racing General/Kitchen Sink/Everything Else

I think the bein deal is till 2021 and exclusive. I have the MotoGP subscription from MotoGP/Dorna and watch it on my TV through my laptop and an HDMI cable. The upside of the subscription is you get to watch it whenever you want and it includes some cool things, like Honda's documentary From Cervera to Tokyo and random interviews. Chromecast is another option instead of an HDMI cable.

I'd say TTR125 or CRF150. You'll have a lot of parts availability, they have aftermarket supermoto setups available, and they're plentiful. Also, they can be raced in a lot of mini bike organizations.

I think it will likely be Marquez. According to some of the journalists, the Honda is even faster this year while being less taxing on the front tire. I'd really like Dovi to win one though. He has got the commitment and hardwork angle of it down. If he can bring it home in the points every race, maybe he can mount a real challenge this year. Plus, unless it's mindgames, I like that he is taking Petrux under his wing and helping him out, especially as Ducati has seemingly broadcasted that Petrux is on a one year contract and likely to lose his factory ride to one of the Pramac guys. My three predictions though: Marquez wins the most races of anyone. Vinales wins before Rossi does. Francesco Bagnaia wins a race and rookie of the year.

Anyone else here signed up for Streets on March 18? It'll be my first time at Streets since 2010. I'm currently signed up for March 18th and waitlisted for March 17th. I was originally hoping to ride my own bike (Ninja 300) on the 17th and then do the school BMW on the 18th, but we'll see if/what opens up for the 17th. If I am only there for Sunday, I might just car camp at the track on Saturday night. FYI for anyone else, I learned that WSIR does not have shower facilities.

I don't know if anyone takes trades, but I've seen young guns in custom Heroic and Hazardous leathers. The pricing seems pretty reasonable, certainly less than an off-the-rack Dainese suit. If you're still riding trackdays with EvolveGT this year, there might be some kind of membership discount for Hazardous leathers.

I'll take a stab now that I'm just sitting on the sofa after leftover turkey. If the rider is wide at the apex and wide on the exit while upright, I'd think that they probably are keeping pressure on the handlebars. Probably would be worthwhile to see if the rider is getting a good lock on the tank with the lower body, as the bad interfacing might be the reason for the residual pressure on the handlebar. Possibly might be too close to the tank, causing their knees to be open away from the tank, relating back to the lock on. If they're pulling away right after the turn point and then getting closer on the back side, I would think they're too aggressive on the throttle after turn in. Maybe they feel uncomfortable with gauging corner entry, so they think they were too slow at tip in, and rolled on the gas to try and get back up to speed. With the aggressive roll on and potential bar pressure, the bike then runs wide. They then probably rolled off the gas as they found themselves drifting out wider than the intended line.

What lens are you using? I am only running an intermediate group pace, but have had this issue. The specific type of lens does seem to have an effect on the severity. My Acuvue two week lenses rarely have this issue. However, my Acuvue daily lenses, which are softer and more flexible, will occasionally have this happen (maybe twice in a day). Mine seem to unseat more easily when my eyes are dry. I haven't had it enough of a problem to really look for a solution, but artificial tears before each session might help?

Missed responding to this. When you say your inner knee wraps around the tank, how are you moving your body across the seat to preposition? Are you pulling yourself across the seat either through your arms or by standing up on the pegs? Have you done level 3 at CSS yet? Maybe other people will disagree with my method, but I do not have this knee problem. When I pre-position, I am using my inside knee to pull my body across the bike. Since it is the contact patch of my knee and thigh that are pulling me across the bike, my inner knee does not move. It is basically the babystep, or foundation, for the knee-to-knee drill in level 3.

Like Hotfoot said, I keep both of my knees against the tank under braking. I preposition on the side of the bike, but keep both knees planted until tip-in. I feel like helped to reduce unwanted bar pressure under braking. Interesting that Troy talks about using the arch and heel rather than the ball of the foot on the outside leg to lock in. I've tried both, and am currently still on the balls of my feet as I am too slow transitioning side to side from heel to ball. Funny enough, I do feel a better lock on the tank with the heel, even though my contact point is lower on the tank. I've seen Marquez start while the rear is still off the ground when watching videos. This is the best that I could find from a google image search.

Noice! You'll love L3 and L4. I felt like L1-L3 were great and really informative, but then L4 took it to a whole new level. It was like moving from high school to college.

Just wanted to share my woohoo/a-ha moment from this weekend! A bit long. I still need to actually hook-turn and work on getting my head more down and outboard. But for now, I'm psyched about the progress made. I started doing trackdays again this year, after years away from bikes for grad school and work. This time around, I went with a Ninja 300 instead of another 600. (Side note: it is ridiculous that used 600s are the same price now as they were 6 years ago). The differences in bike design, especially the low footpeg position, have highlighted my issues with body position. I found myself dragging my toes before touching down my knees. The fear of touching down my toes and potentially pegs before getting my knee down was a huge hindrance for me. In August, I repeated level 3 and did level 4 at VIR. I also convinced a friend to join me for his first time on track. Gerry, Ash, Jon, Dylan, and Cobie had to put up with my constant questions about body position for two days. In particular, Jon and Dylan spent a bit of time working with me on my interfacing with the bike. From review with the coaches, I was trying too hard to hang off. This resulted in poor contact with the tank and my rotating around the tank. By hanging off less and not getting rotated around the tank, I could still get my knee to the same position, if not better. Then, I adjusted my inside foot position after talking with Dylan so that my foot is in line with the bike instead of sticking out at a 45 angle. At the time, I felt like my body position was improving, but I still didn't trust my positioning. Cobie also got me to change up my riding fairly significantly with switching to index/middle braking instead of middle/ring, as well as going clutchless. Needless to say, I felt like a duck out of water with all these changes and had some missteps while reaching for the shift after prepositioning. Still, I made huge gains in smoothing out my rider inputs. After CSS, I did two days at Pitt Race where I was able to get more comfortable with prepositioning. The flowing back section of the track also helped build up my confidence, and I was finally able to confidently get my knee down without worrying about my toes! Still, the best was yet to come with this past weekend at NCBike with EvolveGT. The long constant radius turns proved to be the perfect practice grounds for playing with my body position. The prepositioning, the right-hander clutchless downshifts, and the knee position just all clicked. It was two perfect days of riding. The changes to my riding position completely revamped my riding style. I was confident in using my knee as a lean angle gauge, and didn't have to worry at all about dragging my feet or pegs. Separately, I also loved the WVLS level 4 drill, and have left the stars on my helmet for the past 4 trackdays. I don't even think I want to remove them. They're a nice reminder to not get tunnel vision, and have actually helped with looking through the corner instead of focusing on the rider in front. Photo from this weekend to end:

Cool. I'm arriving in the afternoon the day before, and wasn't sure if the trailers would already be there. And definitely agree on VIR. It is by far the fanciest track I've been to in terms of amenities.

Nice! The 250s and 300s are so much fun! And they're much better on the wallet than the big bikes. The Honda should be bulletproof. I had an 07 600RR before moving, and loved that bike. I did levels 1-3 on the Best Coast between '07 and '10 when the school was still on Kawasakis. This time around, I'm exploring the East Coast. If you're ever at VIR, NYST, or Summit Point, there's usually a pretty good turn out for 250/300s.

Awesome. Thanks, Hotfoot! That will be super helpful come this weekend. I'll be doing levels 3 and 4. I wanted to get some refresher training as the last time I rode with CSS was level 3 in 2010.

Hi everyone, I'm Allard. I'm getting back into riding after a few years away due to moving cross-country, grad school, and settling into a new job. My first day at the track was with CSS at Laguna back in 2007 on the 600s. This time around, I have gone smaller with a Ninja 300 in the hopes of improving my riding skills. In case anyone else is going, I'll be at VIR on Monday (8/8) and Tuesday (8/9) with my primer grey 300.