Cobie Fair
-
Posts
4,179 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
77
Posts posted by Cobie Fair
-
-
Ha, 27 in a 60 year old body...I don't think I made it past about 18 in my emotional development...that or I've been in my mid-life crisis for about 30 years
CF
-
2
-
-
Hi Apollo,
We have some good threads on tires, but I'll take a quick swing at this:
The goal is to discover traction, not assume it--I'm not of the opinion that one should just "trust" the tires--find out how good they are working! This is harder to do on the front, easier to do on the rear. If the morning is cool/cold, (and let's assume no tire warmers) then you have to put heat in the tires, which builds from flexing the carcass, so heat comes from the inside out. So start easy, gradually increase the pace. Straight line accel and braking help a little to flex the carcass, but still needs both sides warmed, which is achieved by cornering and putting them on a load, gradually increasing that load. On a modern Dunlop slick, this can take 3 laps on even just a cool day, maybe more on a cold day, or very first ride. On some very cold days, they won't ever get to temp.
If you have a good lock on the bike with the lower body (arms are not being used to support the body), the front will feel like it's a bowling ball, stiff and slippery, not "hooked up" at all. As it warms, you will feel more resistance, it's "biting" more and will track a tighter line once turned in.
This is a super short comment, we have a lot of good data up here on tires, and cold tires too. Let me know if this helps, or you need any assistance finding more info.
Best,
Cobie
-
1
-
-
Hi Roberts,
We had 6 great days up there...that track is becoming one of the staff favorites!
Start any time with the questions :).
Best,
Cobie
-
The fronts don't get to the edge, on any of the bikes we've had for years. The rear will go all the way, the front always has a "chicken strip". That's a good question though, are there any bikes they do get to the edge, besides full race bikes (WSB or MotoGP).
CF
-
1
-
-
OK pollsters, here is another look at this area, and question for you (and any others that have not chimed in) this could be considered the same question (or similar), but going to ask anyway:
What single skill would you most like to improve in your own riding?
CF
-
Hearing the engine, just to be clear, is that for when to shift?
-
Comfortable for you is a key issue. In this photo, one problem is with the foot on the end of the peg, it reduces ground clearance by a lot, should be up and out of the way, not dragging prematurely.
CF
-
OK, to move on to the next point, and that is one's attention, and where does it get put/get used/consumed.
Keith has covered this well in Twist 1, with his $10 bill analogy.
One thing that surprises me is how few riders new to the track use ear plugs, and for the simple reason of reducing distraction.
What types of things do you guys do/use to have more free attention for riding?
Let's hear 'em.
(Should we do a new thread for this?)
CF
-
I laugh every time I see your avatar...
-
This is great stuff, all of you. I do hope we get a little more on this, either confirmations of the above or any other views (if you haven't yet chimed in, please do).
CF
-
If you ride a street bike, interested in what you think: Of the following skills/abilities (or another not listed) what do you rank as the highest priority as a rider?
- Ability to steer quickly
- Brave
- Visual skill, lack of target fixation
- Quick reflexes
- Physical condition, strength
Interested in all skill levels response to this short survey, so if you ride a motorcycle, you can answer.
Best,
Cobie
-
Haven't ridden one lately, but the older ones (like them overall) seemed a bit top heavy, a factor in steering. I know that was a point the BMW engineers (or so we were told) went to pains to keep low and centralized.
-
Question for you DL: have you found the stock settings to be good overall? Interested to know what bikes you have tried them on.
-
Remind us, what tires, what bike and what city do you live in?...see if we know anyone near you that can help on the suspension (if you don't already have someone).
CF
-
What year is your bike, and to confirm it's a Speed Triple, not the smaller version? If it's the bike I'm thinking off, it's a pretty heavy bike. As I recall when I rode one a while back, it wasn't a heavy steering bike, but it was a heavy-ish bike to start with.
CF
-
We run 31 front, 29 rear on our Q3+.
I'd only go higher on the rear if I had a larger person, or riding 2 up.
I often hear higher pressures for increase life of the tire/mileage, don't think that wise.
After tossing my first bike down the road, partly due to riding the tire way past when I should have, makes one think...what's the smart choice, optimal traction (at least the possibility of it) or a few more miles? I'm somewhat thrifty (or I think so), but that's not a good investment.
CF
-
Hi Pitts,
I follow you on all the points above...it's a big subject (the visual skills, and what cause problems with being able to continually keep them working well for you). I"m just going to touch on this with a few comments.
I'd say one element in keeping one from target fixing, is familiarity with the environment. Is one less likely to have target fixation on a road/track that is known well?
Another will be controlling that environment, at a suitable speed for each person. Some can handle a quicker rate of this than others. Then gradually increasing that speed.
Some just go too fast on the street for what I consider a speed that allows for enough margin for error. I just don't go fast on the street any more (had a few close calls, don't care for that).
Lastly, what condition is the person in physically at that time? Well fed, well rested, not dehydrated, etc., can have a huge effect on a person's mental state. And the mind is a whole other subject!
This are all pretty big stabs at this, so I might just be opening can here :).
Best,
Cobie
-
1
-
-
See you soon Rick!
-
We had an exercise we had run at our military schools:
Rider approaches a set of lights, one set on each side. As he goes through a trip light (while looking ahead at a radar board indicating his speed), one light goes off on one side, and he learns to steer the OPPOSITE direction. This was quite an exercise and would be performed at higher and higher speeds. Riders would make up their minds before they got there and often turn in the wrong direction (towards the light).
This would train them to hold a wide view visually, not pre-decide which way to go, react and also turn quickly. This was the culminating exercise in an intense 2 day program...often took a little while to gradually get riders to do this at higher and higher speeds. Valuable exercise!
CF
-
1
-
1
-
-
Had a question from a student that's racing, about tires and pressures. Ended up exchanging some e-mail with a Dunlop engineer today on that subject. First point was on tire pressures (this might be known, but not sure how well known).
Tire pressures are higher in the wet. So (since this student was not going to be able to get rains for this weekend) for a Q3+ for example, it would be 35 front, 33 rear. In the dry we'd run 31 front, 29 rear.
The engineer recommended rain tires (of course he would, he'd have to fire himself if he didn't). But...a point he made is that for a racer (and he is), a set of rain tires might last a few seasons.
Since I'm inherently thrifty (but also like to have good tires) this seemed worth considering. Maybe you all have already done so :).
CF
-
You won't be unhappy with either. VIR might be one of the staff favorites. NCM is good too, challenging, like it. Both are in excellent condition.
CF
-
Just sent JJ a text..
-
Man, if you like the canyons on that bike, come to the track! Best "canyon" ever :).
Best,
CF
-
Typically about November 10.
Best,
CF
internal foot
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
Good to see!