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Hotfoot

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Posts posted by Hotfoot

  1. I didn't want to use earplugs and fought it for a while - they made me feel claustrophobic and disconnected, like being on cold medicine. Then I bought a new helmet, same brand (Shoei) but better ventilated than my old one. I was astounded at the difference in wind noise, now I HAVE to wear earplugs or the wind noise above about 100mph is actually painful and a big distraction. So, the helmet itself makes a big difference. Recently someone told me that those headsock things you can wear under your helmet reduce wind noise, too, but I haven't tried it.

     

    It took me about three track days to get used to the feeling of wearing the earplugs. I wear them on all superbike trackdays and when driving go-karts (they are very high speed also) but not on my dirt bike or on the street.

     

    I wear cheap throwaways, would like something better - where do you get the custom/reuseable type? Or is there a type of disposables that you like?

  2. Let's say you were to lean a bike over and put it into a 40 foot diameter (or radius) circle turn. In a perfect world and no additional steering changes or pressure on the bars, you roll on the throttle just enough to keep the suspension loaded. Would these things happen:

     

    1. Bike increase this 40 foot diameter circle

    2. Decrease in ground clearance

    3. Increase in lean angle as speed increased

    4. Eventually break tire traction

     

    ?

     

    Number one for sure, number four is unlikely.

     

    Keith

     

    Jaybird asked a follow up question - what exactly is the mechanism the CAUSES the radius of the circle to increase, if the rider does not add any steering input? Intuitively I thought that if you rolled on the throttle (possibly harder than Jaybird was thinking in his quote above) the increased forces would make the bike want to stand up and go wider, but I am told that this is not true, that with no rider input the bike's lean angle will not change when the throttle is rolled on. So, is that correct? And if so, what IS it that makes the bike travel a larger circle, slippage of the tires? Does this depend on bike setup?

  3. If you lean does not change and your speed increases the radius will increase.

    How does the radius increase on a bike leaned to the inside of a turn when no bar input has been applied (assuming the tires are not sliding)?

     

    Here is a quote from Wikipedia that's interesting:

    Because real tires have a finite contact patch with the road surface that can generate a scrub torque, and when in a turn, can experience some side slipping as they roll, they can generate torques about an axis normal to the plane of the contact patch.

     

    One such torque is generated by asymmetries in the side-slip along the length of the contact patch. The resultant force of this side-slip occurs behind the geometric center of the contact patch, a distance described as the pneumatic trail, and so creates a torque on the tire. Since the direction of the side-slip is towards the outside of the turn, the force on the tire is towards the center of the turn. Therefore, this torque tends to turn the front wheel in the direction of the side-slip, away from the direction of the turn, and therefore tends to increase the radius of the turn.

  4. Yes, this IS an academic discussion.

     

    I recall in Twist 1 that it says that a motorcycle in a turn will continue to turn unless the rider's countersteering action stands it up.

     

    OK, I retract my prior statement, as a very knowledgeable friend tells me that rolling on the throttle (even rolling it on a LOT) does NOT, in fact, make the bike stand up, that if the bike is standing up under acceleration it's because the rider is steering it up. So now this question is bugging me, too...

  5. If you lean does not change and your speed increases the radius will increase.

    How does the radius increase on a bike leaned to the inside of a turn when no bar input has been applied (assuming the tires are not sliding)?

     

    It just DOES, dammit. :)

     

    OK, I'll take a stab at this, but I'm fearful it will start one of those scary physics discussions. And before I even start, let me make the point that it's probably not realistic to assume the tires are not sliding - they pretty much always are, to some degree, when you are turning, right...?

     

    I THINK that as you roll on the throttle, you are increasing the force that is making the bike want to go straight (linear momentum?) AND stand up (less lean angle), so unless you actively prevent it from happening, the bike will stand up as you roll on and thus your circle will get bigger. If you roll on AND push on the bar to try to keep your lean angle constant, you will be adding more load on the tires and could lose traction.

  6. There are no "nice" hotels in Rosamond :) The Devenshire is the best and it is borderline at best :)

     

    Comfort Inn and Holiday Inn Express in Lancaster are both nice, similar to a Marriott Courtyard. They are 20-30 minutes from the track, and they have continental breakfast available very early. It's worth the extra 10 minutes drive, trust me - the Devonshire is... uh... not as nice as Stu makes it sound. :)

  7. I have a question for the forum on throttle hand position.

    I'm thinking about something and for some reason I don't quite recall how I changed my grip on the throttle to be able to roll full throttle.

     

    I know it sounds silly, but I recall countersteering to max lean and then rotating my hand forward so that I could roll the throttle. I was above mid throttle by the time I reached the apex. Somehow, after coutersteering, I would manipulate my hand to be at a comfortable position so that by the time I would get tucked back in after the exit I was at full throttle. I just for the life of me can't seem to recall at what point in the turn I would do this.

     

    It seemed that I had LOADS of time to make any adjustments I needed to get comfy mid-turn; so much that I discovered that I had my right hand at an awkward angle (but that's unrelated).

     

    If you change your hand position, at what point do you do it? (if you have a stock throttle)

     

    I am seeing a lot of positive reviews here on the quick turn throttle idea - it sounds great to me, too, I don't like how far I have to turn my throttle to get it wide open. However, just to share my experience with it, I put one on my bike, and had a tough time with it. It broke repeatedly, and if I hadn't had access to a really terrific mechanic right at trackside I would have been sidelined on at least two track days. I finally took it off and went back to stock. You can PM me if you want to know WHICH throttle it was, but the manufacturer's name starts with Y. Hopefully mine was an isolated case, but just thought I should share the info - on mine the set screws backed out easily, were very tiny and hard to use, and the metal screw connection in the cable actually snapped in half.

     

    If any of you have another throttle that has worked well for you or you have been very happy with, post the info, I'm interested. I probably won't tackle the homemade PVC solution that I see on some other sites, although if you did it and it works great, I'd be interested to hear that, too.

  8. Jay, your example does not relate well to a corner on a race track. Corners have a beginning and and end, circles do not. I think it is a futile exercise to try to apply a technique that was intended for a corner (throttle control) to a circle.

    There is a school (won't name names) that has it's students tracing circles in a parking lot as a foundation to cornering on a racetrack. I don't know if this is all they teach but I had an extensive discussion with it's founder and noted author (hint, hint). Are you saying that this has no merit?

     

    I agree totally with what Stuman says in his post above. To me, maintaining a constant radius circle is a LOT different from going around a corner; it intuitively makes sense that you cannot increase throttle indefinitely on a fixed circle without eventually reaching the limit of tires and/or available lean angle (unless, of course, you are in one of those cool circle cages where you are making loops without having to lean the bike...). On a racetrack there is an exit to the corner, so you can gauge your roll-on rate to match the corner such that you are WFO as soon as possible to get best exit speed, which is, presumably, the goal. My confusion in your question is I don't quite get what you are trying to find out, or how you wish to apply the information, which makes it a bit harder to answer the question in any helpful way. Is there one particular aspect of this that you are trying to apply on the track?

     

    Regarding using a circle as an exercise, I think it's a great thing to do to really get comfortable with the concepts we are discussing. After all, all you need is a smooth parking lot and you can go out, start on a circle, then roll on a bit, then roll off a bit, and see exactly how the bike reacts - circle gets bigger, circle gets smaller. It's also a good way to get comfortable with being leaned over and a good way to practice body position; you can do it at CSS on the lean bike, too, of course. So, I think it is a very useful learning tool, since being able to isolate the concepts and test them directly, without other distractions, is extremely helpful.

  9. You can call whatever you want an RP, but I ride my bike almost daily, and guarantee that I can get to work, which has plenty of turns, without RP's.

    On the track I took a particular corner without RP's for a long time. I came up with them later, and I was doing that track without RP's for such a long time, and was so inconsistent in that corner that it still makes me nervous, but I still made it without an RP. You just have to look ahead of the bike.

    Next time you go riding on a highway, the transfers to another highway is usually a long corner. No RP there. Just look ahead of the bike. The faster you go, the farther ahead you look. Call it what you want, but the bike still turns. It can be done on the track as well. Just by keeping your head in a corner the bike will turn.

     

    OK, let's have a look at this, humor me for moment. Let's imagine a situation with truly no references. Flat piece of asphalt, no markings, skid or oil marks, 50 miles square. One is dropped in the center, say Scottie beamed you there. Would that be a little disorienting?

     

    How does one even know he is on a road if there isn't some kind of reference?

     

    C

    He's on asphalt. Kidding. I can still remember my first trackday, and think about it often when I watch the beginners tooling around the track. Granted, if a person rides around the track (I couldn't have told you what an RP was when I first started, and didn't look for points but just rode around the track) and one is shown RP's, the one who has RP's will be faster after just a session.

    An RP would have to be defined to continue any discussion to clarify whether it's needed or not. I'm starting to read that someone even considers a corner an RP. In big sweeping corners I just get my head into it, and have nothing to focus on. I don't have an RP to speak of.

    I can't remember where it's at, but somewhere in TOTW 2, I've read that abandoning RP's is done. I can't remember where it's at, so I can't clarify it's meaning, but I couldn't read anything about finding new RP's, just that ditching them is acceptable.

    A motorcycle can turn without an RP, and it can get around a track without them. I don't even know if I could ride a new track without searching for RP's anymore, but I do know that I ride new roads without knowing RP's, and am able to make it to the end.

     

    I think there are riders who look for a complete picture as the reference instead of specific individual points; more along the lines of "when I see this picture, I make my turn". Example on a curving freeway ramp with guardrails, you may remember from experience that at a certain place, you are able to see far enough ahead to know whether there are stopped cars, and you know at that point you can roll on the gas. That may seem a lot different from using a little hole in the pavement, but it still works as a reference to define WHERE you are relative to the rest of the world. Another example, you may know you are in the "middle" of your lane. Without the painted lines as a reference, how would you know you were in the middle? The paint becomes a reference. In a broad sense, you can use anything that does the job of telling you where you are, as long as you can see it and it isn't moving around (like another rider). And of course it has to have some meaning to you - like "Oh, there's First National Bank, that means I'm halfway home from work". That's a lot different from turning on a X mark on the track, but to me, it still fits the definition of a reference point.

     

    Personally, I find that as I get to know a track better and better, the specific small reference points become less necessary to me because I now am familiar with a whole picture of the turn and could still make my turn point even if the pavement flaw or skid mark I used to use went away. I think maybe that is what's meant by "abandoning RPs".

     

    Definitely when I am learning a track OR trying to make changes in my riding, very specific reference points are a great confidence tool because I know FOR SURE that I am EXACTLY where I should be, not runnning wide, etc., ESPECIALLY if some of the turns are similar looking.

  10. Hotfoot--what are you talking, who are you kidding. You did CODERACE a few months ago, and haven't you whined about not having enough HP? Or was that another person I'm thinking of? :)

    C

     

    OK, so maybe it IS about being at the front of the race. :)

     

    And YES, I AM still whining about not having enough horsepower, does that ever stop? I saw that other thread about 7lb equalling approx 1 horespower. If race gas gives you, say, 3 extra horsepower, that beats the heck out of losing 21 pounds, I'm changing my New Year's resolution!

     

    And hey, how come no one answered my question about leaded fuel, is it a dumb question? Or is it just that the answers are environmentally irresponsible?

  11. First off, high octane fuel will do NOTHING for performance. High octane fuel is only meant to resist detonation in high compression motors. So unless you have milled your head or have different pistons you actually want to run the lowest octane fuel you can for your bike. Low octane fuel is more volatile and will produce more power. As long as the engine doesn't ping or knock on a lower octane fuel.

     

     

     

    Real race gas is a whole other story. Fuel like VP MR9 or Ultimate 4.2 will produce more power. To get the most out of race fuels like this you should map the bike for it as they tend to make a bike run lean. These fuels produce more power because they are oxygenated, not because of the octane rating.

     

     

    My ZX10 makes about 5 more HP on race gas then it does on pump gas, but it was mapped for race gas. If you mapped it for each type of fuel the difference would probably be less, maybe 3hp. On a typical race weekend I run pump gas in practice and race fuel durring the race.

     

    The things is on a 600 you MIGHT get 2-3 more hp out of ultimate 4.3 or maybe as much as 5hp out of the more expensive stuff like MR9.

     

    Is 2 hp really going to make a difference? Well, if your racing at the front maybe...

     

    Stu,

     

    This is really helpful, thanks. One point that still confuses me - isn't ultimate 4.3 a leaded race fuel, and is that OK to run in my stock bike? VP Fuel website says 4.2 is a drop in for pump gas (and isn't that all unleaded now?), but I thought running leaded fuel would damage the catalytic converter. Also, with the current available race gas, can it remain in the bike for a week or two or does it gum things up or cause any other problems if it sits in there?

     

    Incidentally, in my case it isn't about needing the extra HP to be at the front of the race - it's about getting that little extra advantage over my riding buddies, on occasions where it's REALLY necessary. :)

     

    Thanks for the info!

  12. Is it possible (even theoretically possible) with modern tires to flick a bike too fast, causing a crash?

     

     

    When I was at the 2 day camp recently Keith said no, you can't flick it in to fast. The mistake he said people make is, they don't stop counter steering soon enough and literally drive themselves into the ground. So it is a steering error not a matter of throwing the bike into the corner to fast.

     

    I was told the same thing at school, but with the caveat "assuming good traction and warm tires." So of course you don't want to try super-aggressive quick turns in the rain or on your first lap out! Presumably a handful of front brake would limit your quick turn, too.

     

    One thing that was a huge "AHA" moment for me about quick turn was when my coach asked me if I was consciously stopping the push on the bars when I reached my desired lean angle. Once I started paying attention to that, my turns got much cleaner and I was able to quick turn with more confidence.

  13. It is actually a threading option and not visible in the profile specifically. Clicking this link should resolve it. The preference is stored in your cookie.

     

    http://forums.superbikeschool.com/index.ph...amp;mode=linear

     

    If you ever get stumped again... add the &mode=linear after the topic number.

     

    ----

     

    I also noticed that the OPTIONS drop-down isn't working. I need to update the forum skin to get that thing working again.

     

    Oh, WONDERFUL, this fixed it for me, THANK YOU, it is SO much faster and easier to navigate this way. Incidentally, this is somethig that just changed on me one day, I never changed any options to make it happen, not sure why it occurred.

     

    Thanks for getting it straightened out, I really appreciate it.

  14. UNITED STATES SUPER BIKE INSURANCE? FOR NY OWNER.? hello i have a x-19 super bike Drivetrain Engine: 4 Stroke 110cc Single Cylinder, Air Cooled Fuel : 91+ Unleaded Gasoline (no oil mixing required) Starter: Electric Key Start w/ Backup Kick Start (MANUAL) Maximum Speed: up to 70+ mph Ignition: CDI, Ultra High Discharge Coil Transmission: 4-Speed Manual w/ Hand Clutch or Automatic Maximum Power: 15.5 hp Brakes: Hydraulic Cross-Drilled Disc Brakes Exhaust: Factory Tuned Dual Exhaust w/ Twin Silencers Dimensions Length: 58" Width: 25" Height: 33" Ground Clearance: 5.5" Dry Weight: 140 lbs. Weight Capacity: 325 lbs. Fuel Tank Capacity: 2.25 Liters Cruising Range: 50 miles per tank Tires: Pneumatic Racing Semi-Slick Tires EPA APPROVED & CERTIFIED - OUR X19-CR SUPER POCKET BIKE IS EPA APPROVED it goes as fast as 70 miles per hour i called my local ny( new york) DVM they said id need a motorcycle license and blah blah. registration and all that that's not the hard part the hard part is the insurance. i called gecko and they said they don't insure super bikes i get all these UK insurance sites for Super Bikes but no USA insurance can someone help me. in finding out the insurance agency that i can get insurance from?

     

     

    Whoa, THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN! Is it street legal? If you haven't registered it yet, you might find that to be a challenge - I have a YSR50 that's an import and they wanted some sort of manufacturer stamp on it that says it's rated for "highway use". My frame came from Japan, and didn't say that, so it took some work to get it registered, even though it met all other requirements. I brought a stack of supporting documentation (from 1988, the year of manufacture) and finally got it through.

     

    Regarding insurance, as long as you have a VIN number, I bet you could just pick a bike that is similar in engine displacement size that is street legal and tell them it is "similar" to that. They might just be looking for a classification. I would not call it a superbike (usually 600cc and the rate would be too high, they are high risk) nor would I call it a pocket bike or minibike since those are generally not street legal. Maybe you could classify it as something similar to a 200cc dual sport like the Suzuki DR200, or better yet call it a scooter. If you JUST need insurance, but aren't trying to get it street legal, consider registering it for "off-road" use - it's cheaper and that registration might help you get the insurance. Good luck, and let me know where you got the thing, it looks like a blast.

     

    BTW, if you can't get it registered for the street, look into local go-kart tracks, sometimes they allow mini or pocket bikes to run and it's a great way to play with the bike.

  15. (consider me pestered)

     

    1) There is a lofi version of the forum for search engines and mobile devices.

     

    lofi - http://forums.superbikeschool.com/lofiversion/index.php/

    hifi - http://forums.superbikeschool.com/

     

    2) There is a profile option to change the way the threading happens.

     

    Are we talking about 1 or 2?

     

    2 - I couldn't find a profile option to change it, and also if I use the same login, wouldn't the profile follow the login name, not the PC? On one PC I see within a topic a long list of posts that are all open and readable, but on the other I see only the first post then an outline of titles and have to click each one to open it to read it. This happens on both lo and hi fi version, BTW.

  16. Possibly this topic has already been covered in this forum, but I didn't find it so here goes: What's the deal on race gas? Is it worth anything to use it? I have asked people around the track and gotten such a wide variety of answers that I'm more confused than ever. My bike is stock, and I've been running pump gas unleaded 91 octane. I can buy 100 or even 110 octane unleaded pump gas, but I'm in California so who knows what is added to it. At the track there's a fuel guy that sells mysterious and expensive cans of stuff labeled with numbers and letters. One day he told me I could run leaded race gas and get 2-3 more hp (sorely needed on my bike) but I think he must have thought I had a straight race bike with no emmission control stuff on it; doesn't it do bad things to your catalytic converter to run leaded gas?

     

    Someone else told me that since my Power Commander is mapped for 91 octane, I would get no benefit from higher octane fuel unless I remapped it. Others have suggested that it takes even more modification than that to get the benefit. And I've also heard that race gas simply isn't worth the expense. But, judging by the smell coming from a lot of bikes on the track, a lot of people ARE using it, presumably they have a reason... Can anybody clear this up for me?

  17. Hotfoot and I talked about this, but it's now clearer what (ahem) Hotfoot is looking for.

     

    There's a lo-fi and a "hi-fi" version of the forum. My Hi-fi is set to multi-threaded and I would also like to change the format of the forum to be like my other forums. I haven't found any other setting either.

     

    Kevin?

     

     

    I still haven't got this figured out, still looking for the answer. Per Stuman I checked my browser on both PCs - I am using Internet Explorer 7 on both of them, so don't think that's the problem, and it appears to me that all settings are the same on both computers. I don't notice any differences on any other sites. It is SO much nicer to be able to just scroll down and read the posts one after the other and not have to click back and forth to open each one. Since Jaybird sees it as multithreaded on his PC, now I'm wondering how many others see it that way and don't know it can be viewed differently.

     

    Kevin, any ideas? Who else can I ask?

  18. So what does it take?

     

    Like to hear what you guys think on this (especially the newer members and lurkers too).

     

    Best,

    CF

     

    Let's see, the tire guy says I need race tires and tire warmers. The suspension guy says I need an Ohlins suspension. The fuel guy says I need race gas, my mechanic says I need more horsepower, my riding buddies say I need more track time, and I think I need more school days.

     

    So, it looks like to me what it takes is... MONEY!! :)

  19. I have a forum question. This is posted in the wrong area, but I posted it in the "new user" area weeks ago and no one answered, so I'm putting it HERE where all the action is!

     

    I have 2 PCs, and on one of them the forum displays as a sequential list of messages, so once I enter a topic I can just scroll down and read the posts one after the other. On the other PC, when I open a topic, I can only see the original post, then all replies appear in an outline format below, arranged in what I guess you'd call a multi-threaded format, arranged in chains of replies. On that PC, I have to click on the post I want to read to open it, then scroll down and click on the next one to open that, etc. I find that format much slower and harder to use; how can I change that? I have looked through lots of settings but just couldn't find it. Anybody know?

  20. Oh, these are both excellent answers!! I guess natural talent has its limits. OK, I am re-inspired to keep working on my riding, thank you both. :)

     

    So Hotfoot, how is your riding doing these days, want to share?

     

    CF

     

    Oh, and just in case you don't remember me, I was the one on the GREEN bike, it had some numbers on the front... and I was going REALLY FAST. :)

  21. Oh, these are both excellent answers!! I guess natural talent has its limits. OK, I am re-inspired to keep working on my riding, thank you both. :)

     

    So Hotfoot, how is your riding doing these days, want to share?

     

    CF

     

    I am a legend in my own mind. :)

    I'm sure with about 20 more hp I'd be kicking butt and taking names...

     

    OK, seriously, I have been working hard at it and my last two school days were full of huge breakthroughs, I simply can't say enough great things about CSS. For the first time ever I feel like my BIKE is holding me back, which is a point I never thought I'd reach. I wouldn't be anywhere near this confidence level without all the great coaching - Keith's books are fantastic and I refer to them all the time, but nothing compares to actually attending a school, it's amazing how much can be gained in a single day.

     

    But... you were there... how do YOU think my riding is doing these days? <asked with fear and trembling!>

  22. You asked if V nose is better - I have a V nose horse trailer and a standard enclosed motorcycle trailer. The V nose trailer seems to me to haul a little steadier, and although I haven't checked for differences in gas mileage, it certainly FEELS as though it has less wind resistance, when accelerating hard or in windy conditions. The V nose would give you some storage area in front of the bikes (presumably) but it is a weird-shaped area which might make it challenging to use. But honestly I wouldn't go far out of my way to get one style or the other.

     

    I'd definitely get the ramp, make sure it is easy to lift, and interior lights, and dual-axle, and interior height tall enough for you to stand up comfortably. Get, or add, lots of places to tie down STUFF, I have folding rings in the floor and on the walls, but E trak is probably better. Make sure you have a roof vent. Windows are great for light and ventilation but may pose a security risk, since someone can peek in and see there are bikes in there. Make sure whatever chocks you use hold the front tire snug, so the wheel can't turn left or right, it makes a really big difference in how tight you have to tie down the bike.

     

    One thing I DON'T like about my current setup - my bike chocks are at the very front (built into the floor, which is nice) and I have no room up there for cabinets. As a result, the bikes have to go in FIRST and come out LAST, and that's a pain because when you arrive at the track it would be nice to pull the bikes out for tech right away, and unload the rest later. Also when we get home, EVERYTHING has to come out to get the bikes unloaded, so we can't leave the trailer partially packed. It would be better to have SOME room in front of the bikes for cabinets and storage, although I think you do want the bikes in front of the axles for better weight distribution and trailer handling.

     

    A side door is really nice for quick tie-down checks or to get to easier access to stuff in the front of the trailer, and for ventilation. Something I WISH I had was folding racks to hold gas cans - anybody know a source for that? I want them to fold against the wall when not in use.

     

    Good luck in your search.

  23. Hotfoot, I'd rather be skilled then brave anyday. But I think perisitence is the key to success in everything in life.

    I'll second that. Persistence triumphs when talent gets lazy.

     

    Oh, these are both excellent answers!! I guess natural talent has its limits. OK, I am re-inspired to keep working on my riding, thank you both. :)

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