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Dylan Code

Superbike School Riding Coach
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Everything posted by Dylan Code

  1. Timing the brake release with the turn-in is easier than many might expect. To start, enter a corner at a slower-than-usual pace, brake lighter than usual (because you are going slower), and release the brake as you bend the bike in. If you turn in slowly, you can release the brake slowly. If you turn in quickly, you must release the brake quickly. Some quotes from Twist II: “Of course, you can’t quicken the steering if you’re still hard on the brakes.” P. 75 “Radial tire technology allows for steeper lean angles while braking. So, while maximum straight-line forces are pretty much the same, the technique of carrying some braking down deeper into the turns entrance has been improved and you find many riders using it.” P. 103 “Turning the bike with too much brake; one of the more common causes of crashes.” P. 103
  2. Skimming through this thread. How about some quotes regarding trail braking from Keith Code. Probably the most fascinating thing about the subject of trail braking is that it is a very old subject that has been written about by Keith 32 (thirty-two) years ago. In fact he was the first to ever describe the technique for motorcycles in A Twist of The Wrist Volume 1, though he described the technique without calling it trail braking. Here are few quotes. I have more if anyone wants. "You back out of the brakes just as the turn takes over the job of compressing the suspension." “Your target, or sub-product for any turn in which you brake and turn in succession, is timing the braking, steering and throttle so that fork and shock extension are kept as even as possible.” I also have quotes about quick turning that will settle some confusions, but in actuality these type of confusions seem to stem from someone hearing another person "pick apart" some riding tech that they themselves don't understand. I may be smelling a little bit of this. And to give a hint to anyone who needs it, if you are going to talk about steering rate, please consider all the attendant factors such as: speed, radius, lean angle, throttle timing and amount, camber, and desired outcome for a particular corner (e.g. hard drive out, set up for another corner that is faster/slower/same speed, etc.).
  3. Dylan here. No one really knows why most prefer turning in a particular direction but it's my guess that is may be related to which eye is dominant. Aside from that, one way to assist in the corners is to turn your head in further--riders tend to not turn their heads into the turn direction they don't like. Also they tend to get tense. So two things you can do is remember to turn your head in, and apply the "relax" drill. DC
  4. My only comment is this: go to schools that spend their time teaching techniques, not telling you how bad their competitors are.
  5. I mentioned it to Whitney at the office again. If there is any chance, we will get you in.
  6. I've seen a number of riders with the problem including one of our coaches, Lyle. It appears to be caused by pressure on the front of the lower leg (shin) as you already know. I'm thinking that a thin soccer-style shin guard may solve it, and possibly putting the leathers outside the boots instead of tucked in. A different brand/fit of boots would be something to look into. Essentially you don't want any focused points of pressure along the shin as I understand it. I've seen about 8 people with the problem in the last 5 years. Dylan
  7. So there are a bunch of different Facebook pages associated with the Superbike School, particularly the foreign branches. The official USA branch facebook page is here: https://www.facebook.com/californiasuperbikeschool
  8. I was often asked what the chances were to have an Indian world champion eventually and obviously there is only one per class per year. Each world champion in the last few decades, with just a very few exceptions, started riding at a very young age and had 100% dedication in both money and time from the family as well as racing very frequently the whole way up, in competitive envornments. That's why Spain breeds so many good riders--it's part of the culture, many places to race for all ages, plus fierce competition driving each rider to be better and an ever ascending bar. It's not unlike the dedication and sacrifices made by families of Olympic athletes.
  9. The skill levels around the world from country to country are very similar amongst riders. If I had to split hairs, I would say the Indians were better than the average, and very good students.
  10. That was a very nice looking--and sounding bike!
  11. Here's a video from our schools in India this January.
  12. Jeff Ward (godfather of Supermoto in the USA) told me that riders are backing it in less and trying to keep their wheels in line. The older 250cc GP style had much less backing in and when these riders graduated to the premier MotoGP class, they took that "wheels in-line" style with them and did quite well. Riders such as Dani, Casey and Lorenzo. We see some riders backing it in and others not. From this we can presume that it may suit certain bike setups, rider styles, and corner types. The supermoto footage tells quite a bit on its own.
  13. Here's a picture of a rider accelerating. We can see his forks extended. You can look at the rear and draw your own conclusions. This Ducati has about 260 rear wheel horsepower.
  14. This is a video that gives a different look at the California Superbike School from a coach's perspective.
  15. Attached are 4 photos showing the progression of 16 year old Theta Eikenberry, daughter of the school's mechanic. She took four days of schools spread over a number of months, but with no street riding in-between.
  16. I checked. I don't have that one. Here's a link to the Tech Spec site which should help: http://techspec-usa.com/products.php?cPath=289_294&osCsid=7c381e23527549e4a02a481e3e9e2cb3
  17. Give me the year of your VFR. I may have a set for you. Dylan
  18. Here's a new video just put together for us by a student named Peter.
  19. The point that Steve is making does make sense on its own. But it's the fact that one doubts that a dragster with much smaller contact patches will grip the same as with very large tires. In other words there is truth in the laws he's presenting--they are laws actually, no way around them. I think an engineer's look at the other important factors, or other laws that also relate to this subject is needed. I'm not an engineer so not of much use here, but I'm wondering if the lateral load on the contact patch vs downward gravitational load vs size of contact patch vs friction all interact in a way that would make more sense to the layman. I'd like to learn something here but I'm not all the way there. Imparting truth is one thing, getting someone to personally reconcile (shed incorrect fixed ideas) and understand it is another.
  20. That's a very good question and I'd like to see if anyone with an engineering background can chime in and provide technical insight to this topic.
  21. I think I'm going to mount a pair of 125GP tires on an S1000RR and see how that grip is... If it's better, I'm going for a pair of 10-speed wheels and tires after that. It that's even better, next I'm putting an S1000 engine in a 10-speed bicycle.
  22. I remember going there about 16 years ago. Flat track, medium speed with a front straight that was a decent length. There was one long decreasing radius corner I remember after the straight. The track has a decent flow to it as I recall; more of a momentum track as opposed to a point and shoot horsepower track. Not what I would call a technical track however somewhat visually challenging due to being so flat.
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