Hotfoot

I'm starting to shop for new leathers. Who do you know in Southern CA that makes custom race leathers? I am female, and would love to find someone that can make a nice set of women's leathers. I know about Z Leathers, that's what I have now, and I may very well go to him again, but I want some other options, too - my Z suit is great, but it looks like a man's suit. So, if you have a hookup on someone who does women's leathers well, please let me know. Thanks for your help!

A quick turn in esses can sometimes lift the front. Say a left-right. Come out of the left hard on the gas and start your flick before you roll off the gas and viola - wheelie. Another situation is just banked esses where the left and right banking forms a crest in the road or track. If your flick is timed at the top of the crest you can get the front wheel off the ground. If you do this, just right, in the Corkscrew at Laguna, you can get both wheels off the ground. The interesting thing to remember is the bike has the momentum of the steering input so it continues to lean while one or both wheels are in the air. If there's enough front brake drag, the front wheel slows down enough to slide when it lands but it quickly gets back up to speed and traction in that situation hasn't ever been a problem for me. Of course I'm not talking huge, stand up and wave at the crowd, wheelies either. I think there's a picture in Twist I of King Kenny wheeling in the middle of the Corkscrew right on top of the left/right crest. OMG thank you for posting this, you just cleared something up for me!!! I did EXACTLY what you just described at the Corkscrew last year - quick turned at the top of the crest and the front wheel came off the ground. For a year now I thought that I had caused that by pulling up a little on the bars when switching from one side of the bike to the other. But I don't actually REMEMBER doing that, which was bothersome. After reading your post, the whole thing makes way more sense to me. So what actually causes that lift, the suspension rebound?

I agree with Kevin, this is too theoretical to have any practical significance. Because, after all there is STILL some friction between the tire and the ground. Maybe not enough to complete the desired quick turn, but still enough to make the bike lean, at which point gravity would take over and make you fall down. And momentum would take you forward or to the outside of the turn (depending on how much the bike turned before the front started to slide). The only case I can think of where front wheel traction goes to zero is a wheelie - so, go try a quick turn in a wheelie, I bet you WOULD go straight and remain vertical!

I am not MIA, I am ON MY WAY. See you tonight or tamale.

Just finishing off the LAST WORK DAY before school, YAY!!! Let's see, I'll be on the road most of the day Monday, so that leaves me the weekend to fill out my Level 4 questionnaire, track prep and load the bike, gather my gear, re-read Twist, and start my workout program to get in shape. Two or three days of exercise ought to be plenty of preparation, don't you think? Hey FossilFuel, will you have internet access to continue the countdown right up until Monday?

Someone on this thread mentioned something about designing some infinitely adjustable rearsets - there is something pretty close already, Gilles makes some that adjust by rotating then sliding. It's hard to describe, but here's a link to a picture: http://www.hardracing.com/GILLESRS.htm The combo of rotating and sliding gives a tremendous flexibility of adjustment, but more importantly they LOOK AWESOME. Therefore I have them on my bike. So if you are part of the elite, special group headed to Laguna Seca next week feel free to come over and admire my sexy and well-adjusted rearsets. Truly these are WAY better looking then the normal type with the big screw plate, they are very lightweight and extremely easy to adjust. I like the pegs, too, very grippy and rounded. My only very mild complaint is I couldn't get them quite as high and forward as I wanted, but I'm pretty short. Incidentally if I had it to do over again I'd buy the ones that are black with a gold inset. The ones I got are plain black, which is so subtle that they look like regular stock rearsets, but they are so neat I'd actually rather they stood out a bit more. They came with carbon fiber heelguards but I don't use those because they are slippery - I am using the stock metal (heavy) heel guards.

Wow, sorry, did I miss a day? I was busy all day yesterday sitting in meetings trying to pay attention. So, let's see - to get caught up... yes, I am Level 4, but I've learned that even though I learn the awesome techniques taught by the school, every time I pick up my pace significantly I run into the same barriers again and have to address them anew - quick turns have to be quicker, wide view has to be wider, hip flick suddenly becomes really important, etc. So yes, Cobie has taught me tons of stuff, bless his generous and patient heart, whoever thought I'd be racing a motorcyle or going to shooting matches? Good grief! Can hardly wait to leave on Monday....

Omigod you are TOTALLY KILLING me now. I've been making a reasonable effort not to get too wrapped up in anticipating the school, then I read this. NOW I'm not only dying to get to a school, you made me want to send in a coach application! CSS creates an environment unlike any other and you provoked such a vivid recollection of it that I felt the track-day butterflies in my stomach. Well, if I am worthless at work, or can't sleep tonight, I'm going to blame you. And here you go, just to get you back for that - imagine sitting on your school bike in the line-up in hot pit, hearing the rumbling of all the bikes, smelling the exhaust and seeing the plumes in the cool air, waiting for your coach to come find you (wonder who it will be? Is he/she fast? Friendly? Easy to follow?), wondering how that school bike will handle, waiting for Trevor to let you go... and then he does, with that friendly reminder, no-brakes and warm up your tires... And then you're off, cool air and a big, wide expanse of empty track. Just look at all that room to ride... no race tension, no wild start, just that exhilarating moment of the start of a fresh new day, with a fast bike underneath you and all the potential in the world... and a crew of wonderful people, the best in the world, all there to help you discover what you can do out there, how good you can really be. I can hardly wait.

First, the sky would fall. Then there would be crazy German hardcore with bagpipes. And creepy looking guys in long leather skirts beating each other bloody. Just so you know..... I just don't know what to say to that... Wow, you covered a lot of ground to get from Sesame Street to THAT!

Yes they are. There is a noise meter on the track. I did a school there last year and there was a guy there whose bike tripped the meter, really early in the day - I think he got warned once, then when he tripped it the second time he was told (by the track, not the school) that he couldn't ride anymore. He spent the remainder of the day trying to find some way to get a quieter pipe bought and installed so he could ride the next day, not sure if he got it done or not. I felt sorry for the guy, that would be hugely disappointing. I know CSS sends a reminder out to anyone signed up for Laguna Seca about the noise regs - I got mine a few weeks ago, which is why I was joking about stuffing steel wool in my exhaust pipe. Just last night I put the sliencer insert back in my aftermarket pipe to make sure it will be stealth quiet. Is it true that the track is very abrasive and a slightly harder tire might be a better choice than, say, PowerRace PR4s?

Sorry, Cobie. Missed this earlier as I'm sure all the girls did. Maybe Hotfoot will come over and show you some love now that she's revealed her true identity, or, at least gender. (We really don't want to have to go looking for our keys!) Don't have time for a full response now as I feel I may need to include the before and after details. But, before I'm interrupted by this pesky day job, I'd like to test a theory. (This is for all of you.) Sit cross-legged on the floor and tell me which knee is higher. (Yeah. Go ahead and try it with the other leg in front, too.) Thanks!!! I haven't spoken up much on this thread because I don't have much helpful advice on conditioning. Cobie already gives me cr*p about what I eat - he seems to think that Mc Donald's cheeseburgers and Cokes are not a good diet, so I figured I just wasn't the right person to answer his request for fitness ideas. For me, being relaxed on the bike and being hydrated and eating adequately on the day of the event seem to be more important than fitness level or strength. Certainly even the most fit people can exhaust themselves with tension in just one or two sessions, and dehydration will ruin anybody's ability to concentrate. That being said, I do think leg strength, especially quads, is helpful for hanging off and hip flick. I ride horses and an exercise bike, both of those are great for that. Incidentally, I haven't exactly been hiding the fact that I'm female, it just doesn't always come up. There are some other threads where we've had some discussion about women and riding or racing, I'm always happy to share my opinion. OK, I tried your experiment - when I sit cross legged my left knee seems a little higher, but not by much.

Fantastic! Sounds like a great trip, and cool that you are coming with friends. My husband and I will be there the 14th and 15th, riding Level 4. My first time at CSS was also my first time on a 600 cc bike and my first time on the track. I've come a long way since then (and done lots of schools) but I probably don't ride at the pace you do... yet. Sounds like there will be a pack of Level 4 riders, should be a BLAST.

That happens to me, too, and pretty much only in that turn. The simplest thing to do is just make sure you have your foot tucked up on the peg, with either the ball of your foot, or better yet your toes, on the peg, versus putting the middle of your foot on the peg and leaving your toes hanging out in space. Or, you could work on your quick turn so you snap it over fast and early, that way you have less lean angle in the middle of the turn. Or you could raise your footpegs a little, if you have adjustable ones. Or you could stiffen your suspension a bit (rear compression) so the bike doesn't sink so much at that bump at the beginning of the turn. Where in the turn does it happen? If it happens right at the beginning, at or before the first apex, you probably have to look at foot position or bike setup, but if it happens in the middle of the turn try the quick turn idea. For me, it usually happens in the middle when I am trying to go fast but don't snap it over fast enough at the turn point. For a lot of people it must happen at the dip at the first apex, because there are a LOT of scrape marks there! I think that is a suspension issue, it seems to happen to the SV650s a lot and I hear they are a bit soft in rear compression.

Gee, hate to nitpick, but I think you spelled ##### wrong, too.

Noooo... don't hang that awesome responsibility on me, clearly I have not been keeping up with things on the forum adequately, so best not to trust me with the countdown (is this the agreed-upon spelling?) just yet. Oh, and I'm a "her", not a "him", just so ya know. And yes, I am the one that Cobie got with the kill-switch trick - he pulled up really close so I thought he had something really important to tell me... then he killed my engine and zipped away. Where will you guys be coming from? What Level will you be riding? Have you ridden Laguna before, and did you make sure your bike is quiet enough?

Would you like me to correct the spelling? I just discovered this crazy thread, and I want to let you lunatics know I'll be there, too. In fourteen days. Look forward to meeting you. I WAS trying to work, now I have this countdown going on in my head!!! I guess I better go home and start stuffing steel wool into my aftermarket exhaust pipe, Laguna is COMING UP SOON!!

Has this question been answered? Yes, it's covered, right at the start of Level 1 (steering drill) and probably again in Level 3 when working on body position.

What do they call squished old guys, squog, or Geri-squish? Is this totally inappropriate, and I should delete myself? "Slow Learners"

This seems to change often, for me, as I learn more or making changes in my bike or my riding. Lately I have started scraping a peg now and again, which makes me think I am at my lean angle and/or speed limit for that turn - so I try to hang off more, but hit a different limit on being able to lock on properly, without putting pressure on the bars. Or I adjust my suspension to be stiffer - then hit the limit of what I can manage on a different part of the track with the suspension set that way. I think, now, that one thing that limits me is figuring out how to measure the respective gain or loss as I make changes in the bike or my riding - ie, if I slow down the entry to this corner, do I get a better drive, and does that REALLY produce a better result? I look foward to CodeRACE to break this down and measure specific results with specific changes, but I also would love to hear suggestions in this area. Perhaps (if you don't already own one) you're at the level where you may consider getting a laptimer. Some of the fancy GPS units allow you to break down the track into sections. This way you have solid numbers as to gains vs losses. Actually, I did that recently, haven't used it too much yet but I think it will help a lot, I got the Starlane GPS.

Hey Fiji, Welcome to the forum. Just to make sure, out here on the West Coast, do you know what Squid means? Likely you do, but just in case: "Squid" was a term, no idea who first used it, that was a label for punks on RD-350's, riding with a tank top or no shirt, no helmet, shorts, flip flops, and wheelieing from stop light to stop light (or riding nuts in the turns). So someone being a "squid" or doing something "squidly" is doing something and using questionable judgement, shall we say. Not saying that we have never done anything squidly, but we try and keep it in check, and at the track for the most part Glad you are here, keep on posting Best, Cobie This is a bit dark, but since you brought it up, I have been told that the word "squid" came from an emergency room term for the riders you mention above, when they end up in the hospital - short for "squished kid". So, wear your expensive protective gear, and keep it on the track when you can.

I'm definitely nervous on this point; my mid corner traction usually feels great, but at turn-in, it always seems to me like the front tire is either OK, or suddenly gone, with nothing in between. I have had a few front tire slips (but no crashes) on cold tires or over rough pavement and they feel abrupt and sudden with no warning. Is that normal? Someone mentioned sliding the front, and to me this seems nearly impossible, does that indicate a problem with my technique or bike setup? For the rear tire when I drive hard out of a turn, still leaned over some, I sometimes feel the tire squirm around. Is that the step before a smooth controlled slide (have never done one of those on fresh tires) or a warning that I am flirting with a high side? Currently I take it as a warning and don't try to push beyond. I have only felt a smooth, controlled spin of the rear tire on really worn out tires, that was fun and pretty easy to control, but it progressed very smoothly and did not go through that squirm stage.

This seems to change often, for me, as I learn more or making changes in my bike or my riding. Lately I have started scraping a peg now and again, which makes me think I am at my lean angle and/or speed limit for that turn - so I try to hang off more, but hit a different limit on being able to lock on properly, without putting pressure on the bars. Or I adjust my suspension to be stiffer - then hit the limit of what I can manage on a different part of the track with the suspension set that way. I think, now, that one thing that limits me is figuring out how to measure the respective gain or loss as I make changes in the bike or my riding - ie, if I slow down the entry to this corner, do I get a better drive, and does that REALLY produce a better result? I look foward to CodeRACE to break this down and measure specific results with specific changes, but I also would love to hear suggestions in this area.

Great shots! I am looking at the one of Steve - it doesn't even look like his back tire is touching the ground...? Is that an illusion? Or is it hydroplaning?

Wow, thanks for posting those, clearly a picture is worth a thousand words. You sure have made me appreciate living in California!!!!

Nice...and better priced too. Too bad it isn't universal, then I could take it bike-bike as I figured I've got about 1-2 years left on this one before I get the itch for something newer. Hey Hotfoot, want to be the guinea pig? I'm willing to try it, but not for a few months, I don't want to make another change like that until I am sure I have my engine issues sorted out, AND get to RIDE the darn thing a few times. If my wrist starts getting sore again, that will move it up on my priority list. I AM really pleased to see the link, though, it really does look like a nice product. Thanks for the post, sleepr!