Wippersnapper

Thanks man, I'm working on the financials right now.

Yeah only 20 or so guys actually make a living off of it in the world right? I'm working on it and if I fail I will have to get a day job but the love for the sport will always be there.

I have been riding for a while and want to start racing on the track. I am not sure that since this is not about racing that has happened that it is alowed in thise article but believe me it is heavily concerned with it. Many great formula one drivers have said that when they are having a good day or "going fast" (relative to other drivers) that they do notexperience things in real time. They are downshifing, stearing, and accelrating before, in, and through the corner before they ever even get there so that when they do it has already been done and they are through the corner. Sounds weird but I think that if you concentrate on something hard enough before you do it, it makes it a lot easier. So I ask, what is the proper technique for your feet going through a corner. I see a lot of the MotoGP riders repositioning their feet so that the front part of their foot is resting on the peg. I tried this a while ago and almost got my knee down on a bike I never thought possible. This works, but do many people use it? My second question is that when you are going into right, hand corners and you use this sometime there has to be a transition from being able to reach the brake to not. This must happen before the apex so that you can take advantage of being able to reach the ground easier. I also see that in many right hand corners the riders have a few fingers on the clutch. Could this be because they can not use the rear brake and disengage the engine slightly resulting in the same output that tapping the rear a little bit would do? If you look for this is is rare to see them fingering the clutch out of lefties. I have been studying these things so closely because one I think a lot can be learned from someone that is better than you (at anything) and two I can't find an article that talks about the finer points. I have attached some pictures where you can see evidence of all of this (repositioned feet, fingers on clutch, etc...)

Sevral good points. I was just saying what you noted later, when the foot is stuck out in motogp it sin't going to help the slide rather than balance and is probably a panic reaction or for readjusting the boot. Like you mentioned the slides on street bikes are done with feet on pegs (98% of the time). Level 3 and 4 of the CSS school? That's great I am saving up for the two day at laguna. I think it would be wonderful to be humbled a bit when times are compared to professional racers on an internationaly raced track. 50th, birthday? How long have you been riding? I am 17 and am trying to get started racing, just a money issue right now, as most things are... Good luck with whatever part of motorcycleing hobby/career you decided to persue.

I agree with you completely. Not to rain on any parades but can anyone recomend another good forum for racing motorcycles and/or getting started? I know this one is supposed to focus moreso on CSS so I was looking for another one to participate in also. Racer, That's a great description. I can't wait until I can get out on the track and to a school day so I can try being the best that I can be for a day with no worries of buses, tractors, gravel, oil, no runoff, etc... Oldfart, I agree with you completely. Not to rain on any parades but can anyone recomend another good forum for racing motorcycles and/or getting started? I know this one is supposed to focus moreso on CSS so I was looking for another one to participate in also. I have riden a hayabusa (suzuki equiv) and it is so amazing to roll on at 4k rpm have the wheel lifet at about 6.5k and carry it until 10.5 or so. It's so much fun to ride but there is a lot of room for error with that much power.

Ok I understand that it is different. I have seen videos of Hayden riding a supermoto motorcycle 9dirtbike with slicks) and the people he was racing with stuck out their foot to balance while sliding in a corner and he just leaned off the bike. I believe what you are referring to (the leg out pre-corner) sometimes is for balance yes but rarely. Whatch when they slide it big-time. They don't remove any body part from the bike because that is a loss of ability to control the bike. When they sick out their foot it is always the left one, it is to move the boot from below the shifter to on top so that once out of the corner they can shift. This is done because the boot is stiff and unlike riding on a road bike you sometimes cannon just roate your ankle to reposition your foot. I agree with you though. Dirt racing is for experience in throttle control and practice controling slides.

Yeah from my dirt track riding of a 125 and 250 I have plenty of experience with the power peaks. That is the best part about two strokes. I got to take out my dads RZ500 (two stroke street bike, gp replica) and that was really cool. I actually prefer sliding that because it is a lot easier to control and is shorter (only happens in the powerband). The length is nice but usually all you want is a little step-out for turning purposes. My tread is pretty much brand new, I had to get a new set of tires for the rainy season up here. The bike is so much more fun to ride in the wet than the car is you know what I mean. Yeah if I make it, just hit me up, that would be no problem lol.

That's a great outlook towards riding. Self improvement of skill. I know what you mean. I live outside of town and have to comute into town, the best part of the ride is the first 6 miles or so... before you get on the freeway or in town. ZX14? That's a pretty large bike for not having ridden for a while. WelL I guess you have been riding again since 99 which is longer than I have been riding but still, that's the mothership of bikes. How do you like it?

Not to start any riffs but I am a Rossi fan. I think he is the best one out there but all of them are far far above us all. I wish to ride in 125, 250, or even the motogp class one day. Anyways I was inquireing about the dirt because I noticed that a lot of the riders in the past and present have a large amount of dirt track experience (Mamola, McDuin, Hayden, etc...) and I was thinking that perhaps background in that is vital to becomeing an excellent rider. I even think that supermoto experience would help because you are sliding the rear and practicing throttle control. I slide/spin the rear of my bike in the rain but would love to do it in the dry, except it is a few horsepower shy if you know what I mean. Thanks for the info.

Oh I know what you mean. Even though somtimes you realize that riding on the road is cheating death I feel more comfortable and able on the bike than in a car. I actually get more nervous on the freeway in a car, I hate driving on it... haha good stuff

Well if a baby is born and is completly isolated from everything it will have a hard time jumping on a motorcyle and being excellent yes... Wether you call it naturally gifted or fast at learning there are some poeple that can practice less and learn more. These people usually aren't excellent at everthing, so what do you call it when it is extremly easy for them to progress through the ranks at something? I call it talent.

Ok thanks. Yes I have a road bike as well and prefer to ride that but I like to play around in the dirt because it doesn't hurt as much to fall off (at least I think, I have not fallen on pavement yet). I read everything you said and was trying to think about it and realized that it is more of a reaction. At first I didn't think I was doing it right on the dirt (it is more or less the same process). Leaned over, start the slide pick up hte bike a bit while spining the wheel and when it is dry getting the oh so loved leaned over whelie. I only listed the hip input because I noticed that when really on the edge of traction, really really on the eadge, a little twist of the hips (reposisitoning of body weight) will cause it to slide. I will try to play more with the other techniques, thanks for the input.

I was riding my dirtbike today (I know, some will say dirtbikes are Satan for riding style on a road bike but I say there are certain aspects that can positively transfer) and it was wet outside, my favorite time to ride. Where I ride there is grass and pretty much grass only. So I was riding my two-stroke leaned over in a corner and was playing with sliding the rear to stear the bike when I noticed a few things that I wanted to share here. Is there a proper was to start the slide? There seemed to be many when the bike was so close to the eadge of traction. I practiced a few: putting a quick little imput throught the handlebars turning into the corner, resulting in moving the rear suddenly and starting the slide bilp the throttle and back off using less to maintain sliding/grip throw the throttle open pretty agresively and go through the corner completly crossed up come on the powerband while accelerating fast and the most interesting one but duh, hip input. I could move or twist my hips to start the slide also. Is there a proper way and the advantages of that?

This is an article in which I want to encourage people to share stories, feelings, experiences that defines why they ride a motorcycle. Mine: When I ride I feel at home, almost as if it is my one and only home, never able to be my compete self elsewhere. From the moment I put my helmet on I can feel the change. I stand straighter, sudenly am alert of everything, then mount the bike. That's when the fun starts. This is why I ride.

I will keep this short because these replies tend to overlap one another in the advice that they give. I ride my dirtbike for a two reasons. One, because it is fun and two, because it helps develop a better sense of throttle control. Today, I rode in my backyard. My course only has a few turns and is on a grassy slope. It was wet today so throttle control was key. I was riding a 125cc two stroke so same power/on concern. The fastest corner out there is a slightly off camber left hander. I can hit it in 3rd gear and just blip into the power bnad before I have to let off but that was whiping the back end out each time. So what I did was keep it in the power band in second and while leanded over I was already in the powerband and could stear the back with slight variations in throttle input rather than these huge slides. This way ended up being faster in the end. Basically, be gentle with the throttle and be in the pb if you can during the begining of the turn. ~Wip