bellevuetlr

when im at a new track. i usually focus on getting on the right line first. I ride in 1 gear all through out and dont even use my brake. Maybe 3-4 laps of this and I start picking up speed. So basically, the first session is focused on learning the track and where the corners lead. Once i get all the lines done, i focus on braking and gearing for the exit. after that its all fun and just trying to improve yourself by challenging yourself to open up the gas earlier and braking later.

i dont see how you can get completely exhausted just by shifting and putting your left foot on the ball when turning left. looking at the track map. it seems like you will have ample time to rest your foot on the straightaways - and you have 4 of them. You should be resting your feet on the ball when youre not cornering or shifting. as far as steering.. what you are doing isnt efficient at all. loosen the damper a little bit.

basically you slip the clutch your self so that the bike wouldnt skip. rev matching is what it is. search on youtube, youll find a video of his left hand showing what he does on downshift. its similar to trail braking except youre doing it on the clutch side. doing that, it frees up my right hand to focus on trail braking only. it helped me because before, i would wait until the bike is upright before i downshifted but now, i can do it even leaned over half way.

just to update you guys.... i made a breakthrough a last weekend.. i no longer blip the throttle. i just downshift using my clutch lever. no slipper clutch either... after reading about jason pridmores downshifting style... i tried it and it worked.. i am now goin faster and smoother into corners.. simply amazing.. also, i found that you can downshift while still partly leaned over going into corners... as long as its done smoothly, the bike doesnt get affected at all. im now able to carry consistent rpms through corner entry and do not loose momentum anymore due to a fugged up blip downshift. here are some photos from monday...

ocassionally i get the problem of stabbing the brake lever while blipping. its very annoying as it makes the bike dive and screws up your speed on entry. anyone here experience this and found a good solution?

chicanes are quite different from faster corners though. what i consider quick turn in is left right left switchbacks. although it may require stronger pressure on the bar at higher speeds, the bike is not turning in as fast. and you cant really compare new riders to racers. thats just not going to work. its obvious that the turnin rate during chicanes are far more aggresive than a faster corner coming from a straighaway.

i feel like im flooding the forum by responding to a lot of threads today. lol.. sorry about that.. anyway.. i recently lost 26 lbs. it took me 5 months to do it. the biggest factor i think is the diet. i used to be a heavy lifter but i decided to just focus on getting lean and not so much bulky.. i still do calisthenics and body weight exercises. what i do more now though is cardio. not just 20 minutes worth but a good 50-60 minutes 3 times a week. it seems to be working a lot. i try to keep my heart rate at or above 160 bpm. i feel so much better now and so much lighter. also do a lot of core work. anyone know who Jason Statham is? i kinda follow his routine. very intense.

ive only used quick steering on switchbacks and 2nd gear corners where i find them more effective.. the faster ones require smooth tip in. ive tried it on faster corners 3rd-5th gear corners as well but i just didnt feel planted. watch plus, you cant really trail brake when you do quick steering and thats the biggest thing for me. and i know this is one thing that Kieth Code doenst really teach? more of a Spencer thing. watch the top racers. as a matter of fact, watch motogp and watch the onboard video that shows rider inputs and what the bike is doing. thats my 2 centavos.

right on point. you want your rpm to work for you. the longer you wait to downshift, you loose a lot of rpms and momentum. but certainly you dont want to use your engine to do the braking by itself either. with a slipper, you dont have to blip at all.. all you have to do is kick all your downshift while slowing down and then ease of the clutch up til your leaned over. even without a slipper, you can just bang downshifts as well granted you match the revs using your left hand with the speed.

i think the reason why they do it is to confuse us all. i always see him do it during left handers. hes probably just adjusting his toes after down shifting. i see it at slower corners where he downshift pretty late and is somewhat already started his lean. its a mystery i guess. i really dont see it helping him stop the bike any more that just braking and i also dont think it improves stability. but what do i know... he is the Champ.

hi guys... i dont normally post and pretty much just lurk around here. body position and feet position are certainly critical to high performance riding with 2 goals to meet - TRACTION and CLEARANCE. i thought i would put in my two cents about a few things. outside foot position: like how mr cobe stated, it doesnt matter where your outside foot is... some ride on their toes... majority of the "fast" guys on their heel. is there a reason for this? sure. but both could work fine. the other is just more effective. and to prove my point, ill have you do a quick test on your next trackday or maybe on your bike up on a rear stand. first, hangoff and put your outside toes on the peg. locked in? how long do you think you can maintain this position for? say 30 hot laps? maybe? probably but you will be sore because youre calves will be doing all the work. now, hangoff with your outside heel on the peg. this position will put your inside thigh on the tank. with this position, you have a bigger muscle group to hold you up. aha! did something click? besides going fast, racing is also about efficiency and saving energy. it makes sense but it still boils down to rider preference. which peg to weigh? theres another question to be answered here... which peg do i put my weight on? there are a few schools of thought here. fact is, you want that weight down low to free up your arms and your hands for steering. some would say inside foot, some would say outside. all i can say is try them both. really put weight on it... and see what happens. if your pace isnt really that fast, you will probably wouldnt feel a diference but once you up the pace youll definitely get to experience it... fact: feet is for anchoring, hands are for steering. you can certainly effect steering with your feet but not as significant as steering. another fact: if you keep pressure on the inside peg after the apex, it will easily land you on your ass. its just common physics. get your self on a dirt bike and experiment, it will answer a lot of questions that seemed to be misconceived... a lot. Kieth Code talked about weeding out information on totw 2 and also briefly covered anchoring ones self to a bike i think. dont overanalyze and get to the track. also, ive never seen wsbk, motogp, or any racer for that matter that didnt put their inside food up on their toes.

just ride. and do what works for you. this topic has been beaten to a pulp every time. the reason why you see AMA or GP riders get away with a lot of things is because of their tires, skill, and experience they have running those bikes.

do you have any pictures of yourself on a corner? too much lean maybe and not enough weight on the inside? are you shifting really late and not feathering the clutch ? hows your body position? since you said you sit straight up on the bike, do you lean your upper body to the inside or do you push the bike down away from you?

Point taken. I digress.

i doubt you are going at a clip that would require all the other things that the others said. ask your self what your goal is. if you have the money, go take some classes. it would only improve your skill 10x faster like what the others said. theres no better teacher than experience, so i can only tell you to ride more. i think you just need seat time; know your bike and slow down if you feel you are over your head. like what the others said, its a good idea to get a book about riding technique or just browse online. there is tons of information out there. concentrate with looking through turns, braking, throttle control, and body positionting instead of your bikes tires, suspension, and other things- assuming that there are nothing wrong with them. i could ride a beat up bike with ###### pached up tires and not have any problems with it.

i usually experience the same thing entering a corner coming from a long straightway. just like you, i move my weight to the back and grip the tank with my legs and leave my arms loose. you can still grip the tank with your legs while hanging off. when you move your body to the inside, just keep your inside leg attached to the tank until youve scrubbed off enough speed. Then just let your knee drop as you tip in the bike. you could ride like that, or you could adjust your suspension so you can ride the front end and just let the tank support you. charpentier from BSB ss rides just like that. alot of the gp guys from my observation rides the front of their bike usually.

too much weight on the front. is your susp set up to your weight? might want to stiffen it up abit more.

after reading your first statement "While watching motorcycle races the past few months I’ve noticed that when the rider is coming in to a corner and braking hard the rear end looks like it is skating back and forth", i don't think you are talking about backing it in. i think its just rear coming loose caused by too much weight on the front. when backin it in, the rear only goes one way and it is to the outside of the turn. but eventually, the rear tire becoming loose on entry (sliding left to right) will result into what we call backin it in. just wanted to clarify.

If Rossi does it, it must be good.