PorradaVFR

In reviewing the photos of me on-track and studying my own positioning on the bike it is clear that my position is far from ideal. Another factor that I've considered is the placement of my pegs - the VFR (while an excellent all-around bike) is by no means a common track tool and the placement of the pegs is lower than on a more racy bike. I look forward to having future track days to work on it...pushing it that hard on the streets is bad mojo.

In reviewing the photos of me on-track and studying my own positioning on the bike it is clear that my position is far from ideal. Another factor that I've considered is the placement of my pegs - the VFR (while an excellent all-around bike) is by no means a common track tool and the placement of the pegs is lower than on a more racy bike. I look forward to having future track days to work on it...pushing it that hard on the streets is bad mojo.

The braking / throttle graphs on the MotoGP telecasts do not come from actual on-bike data acquisition, but rather from the accelerometers in the TV hardware that is on each bike. Therefore the visual representations shown are merely guidance and at best an approximation of the actual input from the riders.

Worn tires have a different profile, different grip characteristics and (if not properly checked) may well have lower pressures to boot. Each time I put on new rubber my bike feels substantially different. My personal take is that once my tires create doubt in my mind as to their predictability I change them. Never quite understood the heroes that ride to the belts or until there is NO tread left....why risk thousands worth of bike and injuries over a couple hundred worth of tire?

I'm just kicking myself for not noticing the recent school @ Laguna...that's up the road from me. Darn my wife for having family visit...I need to learn her some priorities...riding > family.

Racer...um...er...ah....thank you for the suggestions, but I've spent so damn much on my nail polish collection and riding sandals that chopping off my little piggies would be such a WASTE and all. Cobie - thanks for the offer! I'll check the schedule and see about coming by to say hi and getting a little input on my positioning. As you noted - it may well be that I'm carrying the foot in the wrong placement on the peg and I'd be utterly unsurprised if the VFR has lower pegs than ideal. Hope your travels go safely.

Hey there Cobie... If you can see in my avatar photo, my concern is the inside foot dragging. From my layman analysis I'd say my torso is too "on" the bike, leaving my leg in the wrong position (toe-down) leading to the dragging. Since my Level 2 class dodn't use the lean bike *cough* my BP is likely not as it should be...albeit far improved from the L1 days. Can you provide any tips / feedback on BP as shown in the photo? Thanks!

Thanks for the input guys. I'm not riding duck-footed (AFAIK!) as hopefully can be seen in my avatar photo. I did realize after reviewing photos of the track day that I was not getting my torso off the bike as much as I "felt" I was - essentially I was crossing up and hanging plenty of butt off...but leaving my upper body over the tank to a large degree. The bummer is not being able to hit a track day EVERY weekend to work on it. I appreciate the input and welcome more tips. Thanks!

Recently did a track day on my 2004 VFR at Reno-Fernley and while I had a great time (and benefitted greatly from following an instructor around for a few laps) I found that my body positioning is still frustratingly not quite right. Despite consciously working to get low & inside to lower the COG and keep the bike upright I kept dragging my toes. In photos, my knees were consistently about 5" higher than my toes even though I felt like I was in the right position. I'd love to hear tips on practicing body position and the left / right transfer. I know that my mid-corner stability and lines were being negatively impacted by my trying to 'adjust' what never quite felt right. Thanks!

This is me in the Corkscrew at Laguna. The old me would have said "cool!" The CSS me says "body position is off, line is off but a hell of a lot better than earlier in the day!"

I attended Level 2 at Laguna on March 13, 2006. Unlike my experience at Level 1 at Street of Willow Springs in 2005, I left this school with a smile but a sense that I had not gained nearly as much from the day. Specifically, it felt as if the individual sessions and skills overlapped and that I had not learned much beyond what I had already gleaned from TOTW2 and the Level 1 class. No biggie, I figured, the track was a blast, the weather cleared up nicely and hell even the lunch was better. It was a great day of safe and fun riding and that's always a good thing. Surprisingly, my rides since then have actually revealed a few things. One - I find myself regularly focusing on the "wide angle" perspective and benefitting from it. I had always thought (and expressed in the sessions) that this was a habit I already had...but yet I find that my previously unnoticed "tunnel vision" moments are becoming less frequent and more importantly, far shorter. I've also made a point of riding the various lines on some favorite (and "familiar" roads) just as we did on the track. Despite thinking that I knew these roads well, I found some new approaches to some corners and thanks to all debris created by the recent rains I'm less inclined to assume conditions have remained constant since my last ride. Can the class be improved? Of course - that's part of the mentality that I've taken away from the CSS. You can always improve as long as you remain receptive to new knowledge. Thanks Stuman and Cobie...I'll keep presurring the wife for my next CSS budget allowance!