Cobie Fair

In LA traffic, there is no better way to get around, and I still enjoy it. My rule of thumb is, "What if that car did so and so, do I have an out, do I have an option?" When the answer is "no" I think that the dangerous point has been reached, and I don't do it (with very rare excpetion). And I try and be polite too. I rarely get any dramas from the car guys, and mostly get good manners from them. Hot rides in the canyons, not worth it, unless I'd have some friends and it was just a social event. CF

All of the things that you are talking about are EXACTLY what the school is designed to handle. I guarantee you in one day your riding life will change! Come see us as soon as you can, and it will not matter if you ride your bike or ours. If you want, call me in the office, I'll answer any question you have on this, with any budget or other kind of restraint you have, we'll come up with a solution that will get you started, and in a logical progression. How does that sound? Best, Cobie Fair Chief Instructor 800-530-3350

There is a lot of data on this on a few forums, but the very short answer is, over parking lot speeds of only a few miles an hour, if the direction of the bike needs to be changed, countersteering is how it is done. There is a lot more information on steering in TWIST OF THE WRIST 2, any chance you have that to refer to? best, Cobie

T/hill if fun, I for sure enjoy it. But, most of our students seem to prefer Laguna and also the Streets course. A couple of nice things about the Streets course--you are just about guaranteed a nice weather day. Even when a bit windy on the big track (or in the pits for that matter) it's virtually not a problem out on the track. Also, it's the best lean and slide bike training facility that I think we've every used. Pancake flat, and plenty big enough. Best, CF

John, There are some advantages of riding on new tracks. One is that is really will force you to take your skills and apply them to another area. On top of that, it's only once a year! Come give us a shot, see what you think. We've got a guarantee, how can you loose! Best, Cobie

FF, You might also check with Nottingham, he might be tired of just getting it up at the wheelie school! CF

We need Will to get in on this, he's worked for Dunlop, knows more, but here is a little data: The 208 gp's are made on the race tire assmebly line, it's basically a slick with treads. Ultimately more taction thatn the others. The ZR are production tires, not the same construction, and I think also the 207rr. We don't have many of them here, it was more in Europe. For fast guys, and extended track use, I think the 208gp is the way to go. The 180 is made for a 6 inch rim, so you'll be fine with that (they have been using it for years). Hope this helps a little and I'll nudge Will to check this thread. Cobie

Ballistic, I'd settle for any class, and the premier class at the same time. I'd like to see if it could be done in today's climate. CF

Griz, Well, it's also a good commentary on you, that he was willing to do it to you and trusted you wouldn't do anything silly! CF

FF, (and wife!) I know what you are talking about, really we are into some philosophy of life here. One thing that I've gotten from Keith over the years, is where to put your attention. If it is put on trying to prevent something, one is going to get run over, and this applies to life in general. At the school we never tell people to "be careful" or "don't crash" as this puts their attention on what not to do, as opposed to doing something. 100% my opinion here: From my observation, the people that really go out and attack life, pretty much don't get run over by it. The other factor seems to be how "clean" they are in their dealings with their fellow man. I'm constantly amazed and inspired by a few friends of mine that are really successful in life and how moral and ethical they are in their dealiings with their fellows. They don't copy computer programs or music, they treat others with good manners and courtesy, they don't steal anything, they do not do anytihng they wouldn't tell their wives, etc. And these guys have the most amazing "good luck"! Best, CF

You guys make it worth all the effor! CF

Reverend, I was wondering what courses were offered, and how you had been able to compare them to what is trained in the 4 levels (if you hadn't done them, or been on a track)? Best, CF

Bob, Not sure where you are located, but Will and I have used GP Suspension to for our forks, and the kits worked very well. I don't have his contact data handy, but I'm sure Will does--hey Will, want to post it? Best, CF

Hmmm....I wonder if Stu would have a hard time being a flat tracker

We don't at this point have any "super twins" schools scheduled. But as Will said, anyone can come on any bike to almost any school (2-day camps being the exception. CF

Oh guys, you are not hellping at all. Will's head is going to have to go through the garage door to get in the shop, and he'll have to change helmets

Hey, I was talking with Keith this morning about the Mladin article/interview in CYCLE NEWS. You guys should check out where he says he hardly messes with the bike from track to track! CF

Bones, I don't but maybe they have it on their website? CF

fastfreddie, Looks like you did pretty well this year!

This wasn't really a story. A few years ago, there was an interview with King Kenny. The cover of Cycle News had him fully sideways in the dirt. The bike--a V-MAX!

I think it was '89 that I started doing some instructing, even though I worked at the school in '83. I need to get JungleJim to teach me how to drive a car!

2-day schools have been our most popular--you get it all, and more attention to boot. I often recommend doing 2 days (whethere a 2-day camp, or two of the one day schools back - to - back) the first time you come to us. After that, do them however you like! Best, Cobie

Dear Paroxysm Our normal answer in the office to this is, is the rider still concerned about the control actions of the bike? Letting out the clutch, shifting, etc. If not, you can come. We had a student at yesterday's school--he had ridden a total of 2 HOURS before coming to the school! We were all pretty impressed with him, and he had a great day, learned a lot. His view was--why learn a lot of bad habits and practice those, and have to un-learn them? Best, Cobie

John, I've talked with a lot of students about this, I'll go over what we have covered in the past. For a few students riding their own seems to allow them to spend more attention on their riding, and in the end it's best for them to do so. For some, they are so worried about their own bike, they never fully relax and enjoy the riding/school. On the other hand, I've had many students that had never ridden a properly set up bike, and have been amazed at what they got out of one that had been set up correctly. Occasionally I'll ride student's bikes and sometimes I get off the thing amazed at how they could ride the thing at any kind of decent pace at all! In fact, it's pretty rare that I get on a student's bike, and have it work anywhere near as well as ours. From the training standpoint, this is an issue, as riders often have confidence problems, and don't know that it isn't them, it's their bike! In addition to that, how often do you get to ride another person's bike on the track, that is in virtually perfect shape, and you don't have to worry about riding it hard--as hard as you want. There are a few other minor reasons: one is mechanical. If ANYTHING goes wrong with your own bike (though not likely, it does happen), you could be out of luck. With a school bike, we have tons of spare parts (and spare bikes) so this is not an issue. Another is the hassle of transporting your own, having enough fuel, or riding the thing home when you are really tired. Finally, seeing an instructor on the exact same bike, you know it is down to rider, and not equipment, and that can be a factor in training too. This got longer than I thought, hope it answered your questions! Don't hesitate to pm me if you have anything else you'd like to ask. Best, Cobie

One of my guys sent this to me, and it was cool enough to post! Best, CF ..., I dropped 3 seconds off my best Aprilia RS 250 lap times at the Big Track (Willow Springs) over last weekends races. After talking with (instructors) James, Stuman and Will and having them thrash me because I was way too slow, I decided to twist the throttle a little while in the corners and increase my entry speed a little. I think my biggest fear is wrecking a school bike or when I was racing a 750, crashing that. Last weekend, I was on my 250, but cornering as fast or faster than I ever did on my 750 and never seemed to have the same fear. If the wind had not been blowing so hard, I may have dropped another second or two. My goal is to get my Aprilia down into the 33's. I am going to end up racing Sunday at Streets with CCS. I think I can do 33's with my Aprilia on that track since horsepower is not the key. Anyway, I have a whole new desire to get faster and race more. The heck with insurance companies. Thanks again for doing what you do. Being an instructor is better than I thought it would be. When people ask me what I do for a living, my first thought is to tell them I am a Superbike instructor instead of a professional land surveyor. There are about 3000 professional land surveyors in California. I am not sure, but I think there are only 150 or so Superbike instructors in the world. Both of which I am very proud of. (There are only about 100 instructors currently--CF) See you at Laguna, Jaime