Hotfoot
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Posts posted by Hotfoot
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The pillion seat cover is not a problem as long as it is secure so there are no concerns about it coming off. You can remove the mirrors or just tape over them, or we will tape them for you during tech inspection. It will get you through tech faster in the morning if your mirrors and brake light are already taped.
It sounds like you have it covered - good tires (90% tread), check your throttle and make sure it turns smoothly and closes on its own when released, make sure your brake lever operates properly, that nothing is leaking. Make sure to bring your key, and fuel.
We will have a mechanic on site so if your bike needs adjustment for something (chain tension, suspension, etc.) we should be able to help with that.
Gauntlet gloves that cover your wrist are preferred, so there is no gap between gloves and suit.
I always recommend an underlayer or undersuit for the leathers, something like UnderArmour, much more comfortable than a cotton tshirt and cooler. (Not a requirement, just a suggestion.)
You'll have to call the office to check on spectators at VIR. The rules will depend on what the track is requiring at the moment, CSS will certainly not mind your wife and son being there, but I don't know what protocols at that track are right now, things have been changing constantly the last two years with tracks all over the country.
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14 minutes ago, Steveberde said:
Indeed I will. The Ridge July 9 and 10.
Oh, good choice! See you there!
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9 hours ago, Steveberde said:
I have the twist of the wrist books 1 and 2 from their original print dates. Are they still relevant in terms of information ? I’m schedule for levels 3 and 4 soon and want to know if I should continue to rely on them.
thanks
Strv
The information is definitely still relevant. There have been revisions to the books, with additions and updates, mostly having to do with the changes in the motorcycle features available today such as traction control and ABS.
One easy and fun way to brush up on the info is to watch A Twist of the Wrist II video, which is now available for rent or purchase on Amazon Prime Video. It goes through a ton of info from the books and has some terrific comparison videos illustrating the effects of different line choices, body position, and steering rates, and has great CGI animations of what happens to the tire during countersteering, and close-ups of suspension movement, it is a really well done video.
Glad to hear you'll be back at school soon! What track did you choose?
PS - bring those original print date books to school and have Keith sign them!
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You can bring cooler, canopy, etc. if you like. For a single-day school (as opposed to a 2 day camp) you do get some breaks - you will ride on track, then have a classroom session, then a break, and it rotates like that through the day, plus a lunchbreak. There will be water, snacks, and hydrating drinks available from the school, and lunch. The school has most anything you might need, so mostly you will just need your bike and fuel. Don't forget the key to your bike!
I do strongly recommend a good underlayer, like an undersuit or UnderArmour type two-piece underlayer. It makes a big difference on being able to get in and out of your leathers, keeps you cooler, and is a lot more comfortable under leathers than regular clothing.
Feel free to ask any others questions you have, there are lots of experienced CSS folks on here to help.:)
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Best thing to do would be to call the office to ask about spectator details for the particular school and dates you are attending. Different tracks have different facilities and opportunities for access for spectators, especially right now since covid guidelines vary by state and many are changing over time.
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Yes that can be done. Call the office to set it up, so that they can be sure to have a set of tires reserved for you, and to give the mechanic a heads up. The tires may be installed the morning of your school rather than the day before, but talk to the office about that so they can tell you which is best. Talk to the office sooner rather than later, I’m not sure what day the trucks will leave for that school.
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That is a thoughtful and well-stated analysis!
Very well done on the no-crash record, in all those days. The philosophy of working on technique first and adding speed later is very smart.
I bet you would be back up to speed faster than you think, if you start with a couple of CSS days. Personally I feel a LOT less pressure to "go fast" at a CSS school day than I do at an open track day, which makes it a lot easier to make improvements and get up to speed using good technique, with fewer distractions and errors, resulting in more gains and lasting improvements.
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It will probably be cheaper overall.
To anyone who hasn’t done much track riding that might seem unlikely but to those of us who have purchased and track-prepped a bike, paid track day fees, bought warmers and a generator and a trailer or toy hauler and numerous canopies (they break a lot) and tires and race fairings and paint and gas and laptimers... it doesn’t sound surprising at all!
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You can try the racer forum at www.wera.com, or there are a variety of forums by motorcycle brand, there is an s1000rr forum, and R1 forum, etc., you can find them on Google, or you can try racingjunk.com.
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No, I know you are half kidding but I’ll answer anyway. The ride sessions are just the right length; as long as you drink water (or hydration drinks like Skratch) between rides you’ll be ok, but a cool underlayer REALLY helps on hot days.
Students generally get tired in their legs and core, so quad exercises and Thighmaster type machines to prepare are a good idea, and some core exercises, and also being patient in your first rides so you are not pushing yourself too hard mentally, help a lot to have the stamina to ride all day both days.
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I know you already made your decision but for the sake of others that read this, I agree that the two day camps require a better level of fitness. More riding sessions and you don’t have the 15-20 min break between classroom and riding session, you go right from class to track. It’s GREAT for maximizing riding time but some folks do get a little tired.
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I haven't watched the video but I HAVE experienced noticeable changes in handling as a result of changing tires (brand or size), and after a few of those experiences I now pick a brand and size of tire and set up the bike for THOSE tires and stay with them. If I need to change to a different brand or size of tires, I am prepared to start all over on suspension settings and bike setup.
Changing to a different model or size of tires can change how the suspension feels - is the tire stiffer than the prior one? Does it have a different profile shape that affects the turn in and steering characteristics? Does it support you differently under hard braking, or during trail braking? - and different tires (even ones that are supposed to be the same nominal size) can have differing widths which can affect the fit of tire to rim or whether the tire will rub the chain or different heights which can change the attitude of the bike. If you changed your front tire and the new one had a little less height than the prior one, it would effectively lower your front end which can affect handling, making the bike steer in more easily but feel less stable. Or if the new tire is taller it could make the bike feel more sluggish to steer but more stable in a straight line. Different stiffness/softness of the carcass changes the steering and suspension feel and the tire's profile changes the feel in the corners, too.
At a minimum, if I changed tire models or sizes, I would measure the ride height before and after the tire change and adjust the forks or rear shock to get the bike back to the ride height and attitude that it had prior to the change. I'd also research the design info on the new tires - are they race oriented? Stiffer than the prior model? Is the profile more V shaped than the prior model? - so I have an idea of what might change in the handling and have a plan for how to adjust the bike settings to suit.
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See you there! What are you going to ride?
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Coaching. The weather looks GREAT. Are you coming?
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Ready to ride? I just found out there are a few spots still available for the March 18-19 2 Day Camp at Streets of Willow. It's a rare opportunity to jump in last-minute, schools normally sell out far in advance. I'll be there, I can hardly wait!
Sign up, come on out, tell your friends.
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On 3/1/2021 at 2:29 PM, Red_Baron said:
I just added an extra track day to my 2 day camp, so I will be riding with you all.
53Driver and El Colibri, plus will be testing Hotfoot's patience again. 😉
Ha ha, looking forward to seeing you again!
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Less rake and less trail would make the motorcycle easier to steer into the corner, the front wheel will respond more quickly to steering change.
"More stable" generally refers to straight-line stability - the bike is less reactive to accidental steering inputs, steering from wind buffeting or rider movement, less prone to head-shake or over-reactions to bumps. It is more resistant to initial turn-in, takes more steering pressure to start the turn.
Referring to "stable" IN a corner would usually just mean the bike holds a line (doesn't drift wide or fall in), the term "stable" would not usually mean that it wants to stand up IN the corner.
It is possible that front end instability could cause the bike to want to stand up - if the front is overloaded, shaking, or having tiny slide-and-catch motions from the tire, it could make it want to stand up because the varying load on the tire could create a countersteering effect. Or you could be experiencing the front pushing which makes you have to steer it in more to compensate for the bike not quite following the line you want.
Before you get too far into suspension or geometry changes, I would take a very close look at tire profile and tire pressures. Is your front tire worn? If you have a lot of highway miles, the tire can become flattened in the center, and not provide a stable shape for cornering. It is called "profiling" when the tire gets worn unevenly and it can DEFINITELY cause the bike to want to stand up in the corner. Or, a tire that is too stiff (because it is cold, for example) can resist leaning over, and a tire that is too soft (low pressure) can flatten out and cause a counter-steering effect, too.
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I look forward to seeing you guys at Barber!
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In general, lowering the front will make the bike easier to turn into the corner, and cause it to hold a tighter line. It can also make the bike less stable - more steering response can make the bike feel "twitchy" and lowering the front too much can cause the front end to shake or wobble entering a corner. John (above) is correct that the rear shock or ride height can affect this also - is your rear suspension set much stiffer (or higher) than the front?
You may also want to take a look at the profile of your tires, and the pressures. A cold race tire can feel (and is) very stiff; when leaned over it resists compressing and tends to try to spring back into shape which makes the bike want to stand up, so the rider has to keep pressure on the inside bar to stay on line. If you are using racing tires with a V profile, or using full race tires or stiff track-day tires but not riding fast/hard enough to warm them up, the tires could be causing the feeling you describe. Possibly having the tire pressure too high could cause a similar problem.
Another thing that makes the rider have to maintain pressure on the inside bar to keep the bike on line is trail braking. If you are applying the front brake while the bike is leaned over in a corner, it will tend to make the bike want to stand up, and you would have to press on the inside bar to counteract that. (Watch A Twist of the Wrist II for a great CGI video explaining why this happens.)
Another potential cause for having to press on the inside bar is... pressure from your OTHER hand on the outside bar. Make sure you aren't unconsciously pushing on the OUTER bar, forcing yourself to have to counteract that force by pushing on the INSIDE bar. Check your body position to make sure you are not pushing accidentally on the bars, trying to support your body. Riders do this more commonly than you might think.
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I can try to answer you but I'm not sure what exactly you are asking. If you are asking about whether to do single day schools versus a 2-day camp, there is info on the website about the differences but some of the major points are:
2 day camp gives you 7 riding sessions versus 5, there is a 2:1 student to coach ratio at 2 day camps versus 3:1 for single day schools, and there are fewer riders on track. For a 2 day camp you must use a school S1000rr, so if you want to bring your own bike you'll need to do the single-day format.
If your question was "what level(s)" should I take, the answer is you start at Level 1. Everyone starts at Level 1, whether it is your first time to a track or if you are a pro racer. You will be able to ride your own pace and passing is allowed, your on-track coach will tailor coaching to meet your pace and experience level, but the classroom portion applies to ALL levels of riding.
My personal opinion, having been a student many times with CSS, is that I prefer the 2-day camps - more riding time and more time with your coach - as long as you are reasonably fit (able to handle more riding time) and can afford the additional cost. 2 day camp provides the bike and all riding gear (or you can bring your own) which makes it a lot easier to travel to whatever track suits your fancy.
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Wow, thread resurrection! A nice reminder that even threads that are years old, on this site, are a great resource for information.
Yes, whether you push or pull or do both is a personal preference and perfectly ok- as long as you know which way is the correct way to turn the bars for countersteering - and assuming you are not fighting yourself by pushing/pulling with one hand and resisting with the other, which is a surprisingly common thing that riders do, especially if tense or if they have some fear of leaning the bike over.
Many of us have had the experience of riding one-handed on a bicycle (or motorcycle) and by necessity we were using both push and pull with that one hand, to steer - even if we didn't really think it through at the time.
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On 1/5/2021 at 12:57 PM, Mike Palmers said:
Hi from Aotearoa/New Zealand. New to this forum. I hadn't ridden for 30 years. Bought a Yamaha XSR900 early 2018. Have done three training track days (first two with Brian Bernard of Bernard Racing at Manfield [he was coached by Keith when he raced in the USA]). Did my first Superbike school November 2020 at Taupo (Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park) and have read Twist of the Wrist and also follow Nick Ienatsch (Yamaha Champ School). My coach for the day was someone I'd seen at Manfield but wasn't involved in the training. I'm primarily a road rider but want to lift my skill level. I also learnt within my first 4 laps how addictive track riding is. I'm not focused on lap times or speed but smooth and predictable riding. In NZ we have the "RideForever" government funded programme that's based on the UK Police Riding Manual; I've repeated this course (silver and gold levels) 6 times and learnt something each time. I'd rather spend the time and money improving my riding than buying farkles (and the XSR900 is very customisable). I plan to do the level two course this year.
Very nice! Where do you plan to do Level 2?
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A benefit of Streets of Willow (aside from the interesting and challenges technical aspects that Yakaru mentioned) is that due to the layout and the schedule flexibility of the track, coaches tend to get a little more time with students, both on and off the track, compared to some other larger tracks, and also the weather is generally good - rarely rains, etc. If you are doing a 2-day camp, though, which I imagine you probably are, there will be plenty of coaching time no matter where you ride.
Sonoma is a lovely area and the track has a lot of variety and is a longer track with more places to put the S1000rr through its paces. It might be more fun to go to if you are building some sightseeing into your plans, close to some beautiful wine-country areas.
It might just boil down to which dates suit your schedule best, both tracks are fun and good learning experiences and are both quite a bit different from the Vegas and Barber tracks.
The Aye's have it
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
I have never worn contacts but my first thought it this- if is is really dry out, desert dry, or windy or dusty, glasses might be better, so that your eyes don't get irritated from the dust or dryness, and if it is humid, contacts may be better so you don't have to deal with glasses that might fog up.
Which track are you coming to?