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fossilfuel

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Everything posted by fossilfuel

  1. You said those magic words...."2007 R6"....
  2. Nathan, Nice going....I hope you find the next three as mind blowing. Level three was what did it for me. You have pretty good form maybe you should try racing...good luck mate!
  3. I think because of the incredible success that Dunlop has brought to racing and street tires, many manufacturers have upped their game in order to get a piece of the pie. The Michelin Power Cup was recommended to me by a friend who loves them. I feel comfortable on Dunlop tires so I'm not switching. Until someone can prove to me that the Michelin's will cut time off my laps, I'm not switching. As Cobie points out, the Dunlop Q2's are a very good street/track tire. I did a CSS at Laguna Seca in 2009, I think. It was 49 degrees with 50 mph wind gusts...no tire warmers on Q2's. I had a blast. I'm sure Cobie remembers. I have video on Vimeo. I will be control riding this weekend for a track organization at NOLA Motorsport Park in New Orleans. I'm not looking to set any record pace In "B" or "I" group so I will be using a set of medium compound bridgestone's. My point is that there are several brands that will work just fine for the kind of riding you want to do. Buy something and try them out, They will work perfectly, I'm sure.
  4. When I described how I apply brake pressure..it's not segmented like I set pressure against the pads then compressing the forks..etc, etc...Its one motion...off the throttle..and squEEEEzzzzz..throttle. Depending on the type of corner the pressure and duration of the squeeze is different but the motion is the same for me. There are other factors such as fork springs, fluid levels, single or double rotors, tire condition, track conditions and as khp mentioned length and trail of the bike....Braking shouldn't be a scary experience. It should be second nature and it pretty much has to be if you want to go fast. It takes practice...the tools you learn in school...and familiarity with the bike you are riding.
  5. There is an art to braking....It's just not squeezing the lever and that's it. For me it's applying enough pressure to set the calipers against the pads, then squeezing the lever to compress the forks with linear pressure. As I do this, the action becomes smooth and I transition the weight to the front. This creates feel and control.It takes your mind off the fear of braking hard. The one aspect that brings this all together is looking through the turn. You can go much faster and brake later when you focus through the turn. Practice, practice, practice.
  6. This was a battle because my line slowed me down more at the apex while his line was a little faster even though I was out braking him. By the time I got to the apex, he was at the apex cutting of my entrance. I either gave it to him or we crashed...simple as that. I had to push really hard and trust the tires.
  7. I edited the story added the rest...enjoy..I can't write or spell!
  8. This will most likely be a "to be continued" story. Barber Motorsport Park was the first race of the season for me. I lost two teeth on third gear a few weeks back at NOLA which caused havoc with the tranny and cases of my CBR1000RR. I was more than a little apprehensive about putting it on the track but I had waited long enough to get the season started. All the usual suspects showed up Friday evening and we commenced putting the canopies together. When we finished, we had 14 motorcycles lined up with chairs and rope lighting to sit around and tell war stories. Saturday morning was time to get teched and get ready for race practice. The forcast for the day was 60% chance of rain. People were anticipating the worst but nothing happened and the rain held off. The race I was waiting on was the Solo, a 16 lap race for pride. The Heavy weight and medium weight Solo for 1000cc and 600cc bikes. going to eat! We practiced with no rain and all of us hoped for good weather for the afternoon races. I put a new Dunlop rear tire on the bike for good traction and went out to take a practice lap. I was through the last corner when the engine died. Coasting through the last corner, I tried to it a couple of times but nothing happened. I cut across to the pit wall and looked down at the engine, there was a lot of gas in the belly pan. We took the bike up to the paddock and found that the fuel line to the injectors had come loose from the pump. By the time we got everything hooked back up the race was done. I had missed the Solo race and probably the only dry of the weekend. I was very glad this didn't happen during the race. It could have caused harm to myself or other riders. My day was done. Saturday evening brought a steady rain that lasted into early Sunday morning. My canopy collapsed under the weight of the water, the second one destroyed in the last couple of weeks. This day would bring new challenges as I've never ridden on rain tires. The track was soaked and slick with drizzling rain falling down with more forecast for the day. I put on rain tires to start the practice sessions. I was in Group 3. A friend and I were in the same class going out. As we waited he turned to me and gave me this advice, "Stay in one gear taller in every turn on the track". I followed that advice as we battled around the track in the rain. We were no more than 0.2 seconds different in our times passing each other back and forth through the session. I was excited and invigorated with this new challenge of riding in the rain. As my race time got closer, the skies started to clear and the sun came out drying the track in places. I had decided earlier that I was going to ride on slicks and had been watching the weather radar on my phone to try and predict when the next round of rain would come. The 5 minute board was posted and last call for the Senior Super Bike Expert race. I entered the track and noticed numerous trails of water on sloping corners and seams placing them in my minds eye so that I could change my line if needed. I got to the grid and waited for the starter to give us the one minute board then the green flag. Everyone funneled into turn one carefully feeling for grip and cognizant of each others speed. I was very comfortable on the slicks and was putting down some respectable lap times. The red flag came out. As I entered the pit lane I noticed that I was fourth overall. A full race restart. This time my start wasn't so great. I had to pass a few riders with the last rider a formidable foe. We battle through some corners where he blocked me going into some apexes. I could out brake him but he had a do or die attitude. I commend him for that. I however wanted to live and fight another day. So I had to make a clean pass and late brake enough to be clear of him at the apex. My strategy was to go into Charlotte's Web hot and hard on the brakes. I came up the hill hard anticipating his move to the right for a wide arch and got on the throttle hard getting even with him at the mid point between the two turns. I waited for him to brake and clear his line before I squeezed on the brake. The rear of the motorcycle came up and started to sway as I cleared him. One thing that helps in this situation as in most is to have a wide view. Don't be so distracted by the entrance of the turn but to look through it. I finished the race accomplishing two goals that I had set for myself....A podium in The WERA Expert Class and a 1:37 lap time at Barber.
  9. "The thing that will determine whether the off track bikes (brake bike, lean bike, etc.) can be used, is whether there is a safe and usable area to run them" You might be able to squeeze them in the paddock area....LOL! You'll see.
  10. Kai, I agree with you completely. A new rider might not even realize there are corner workers on the track. There is just so much to process. Fortunately, the newbies are protected by riding coaches and control riders for the most part. It's when we start to work on things on our own, when we decide to ride a new track, sign up in a faster group that we should try to be more aware. I think that we should remind ourselves and other riders of the hazards that are out there...when you see a new rider or someone new to the track, a friendly reminder of barriers and short runoff, off camber turns and blind corners or a quick look at their equipment might save someones life or prevent a serious injury.
  11. A rider was killed during a track day at Barber yesterday. I can't think of a better way to honor him than to remind fellow track riders to know the track you are going to ride. I don't know all the circumstances of his death but do know from a fellow rider where it happened, between turn 16 and 17 down the short chute before the front straight. I think it is important to use the sighting lap for just that. Many times we get so caught up in riding, the first time at a track, the first time at a school, or just so excited to be on our bike we forget certain aspects of a track that could hurt us or save us from injury. There are places that are safe to pass and places that call for patience. We should be aware of where we are and where our fellow riders want to be. As a drill, take your favorite track and analyze what would happen if someone were to come over into your line and force you off the track in every corner and every straight. Would you reconsider where you would overtake?
  12. The 6680 rears are sweet and last multiple track days but the 7704's are worth another 0.5 seconds a lap. I used nothing but the British made N-Tec slicks until I tried the N-TEC USA made 125/80/17 front and the 200/55/17 rear. I love the feel on my 1000 and can put more throttle on earlier. I use the medium compounds front and rear.
  13. I miss my old friend...It has been a long time.
  14. Hey Buddy. You already have some very nice upgrades (Ohlins). Get a pipe, Bazazz or dynojet ECM with quick shifter and block off the PAIR system on the engine. You can buy the plates on line or make them yourself. good luck.
  15. Stevo, We used these tires on our bone stock (except slip on) R6 at Road A for the endurance championship. We came in third. I have ridden on these tires at Jennings JP in 40 - 45 degree temperatures and at NOLA Motorsport park in 40 degree temperatures. They are the real deal....GET THEM.
  16. I hate that stuff too! I use a petroleum based degreaser to get that stuff off with, wipe it down with a clean rag then re-apply the lubricant you normally use. I like WD-40 but decided to use a manufacturers formulated lubricant, I have a Honda so use Honda's non wax chain lube. When applying make sure you apply in a fashion that gets lubricant to the o-rings. The o-rings keep dust and dirt off of the wear surfaces of the chain. It is my opinion that the wax actually helps dirt and particulate adhere to the chain because it is so sticky but that lubricant probably has a long shelf life and keeps the chain lubricated much longer than an oil.
  17. Hotfoot, I don't think your issue was tire...I ran at NOLA in February in the low 40's on NTEC slicks on a green track with no issues, in January at Jennings GP in the low 40's with no issues. I think it was suspension. It could be that your forks react more to the extreme in temperature because of fork oil level and or viscosity and rebound or compression settings. It probably wouldn't hurt to re-evaluate your fork level and oil viscosity, Rebound and damping. Check and see who is more long winded, me or Steve? LOL!
  18. Have you noticed that there is not a duplicate smiley face on this page
  19. Try replacing that fear with losing a chain at 180 mph....you will worry a lot less.
  20. I weight the outside peg on corner exit to try to get the bike upright faster and get on the throttle faster.
  21. Class of '93 Fossil. I'm guessing your allegiancies fall to that other school, possibly along the banks of the Black Warrior River? And all this time you seemed like such a rational individual.... At least we can agree on which conference plays the best football. Road Atlanta is on the bucket list, although "scare the ---- out of you" is a concerning description! Hotfoot - Thanks for the input. I spent some quiet time last night trying to visualize my laps at VIR as accurately as possible and looking for area's to improve. I think I have at least a starting point for my discussions with my coach, then we can go from there. Thanks again guys! Every once in a while, I come across a likeable Auburn fan. Good luck on your school at VIR. Just a recap of a few suggestions I have. If you want to be a good rider you have to practice. If you are not riding the track visualization helps. The more you have ridden the track the better the visualization. There are just a few tenants to good riding but you need to be good at them....good throttle control, good consistent brake pressure, good position, good vision and or awareness of reference points and brake markers. There are things that they, coaches and fast riders can't give you....trust in your machine, confidence in your ability, and the courage to push yourself. I know you will become a good rider...there is nothing like being one of those guys....War Eagle!
  22. Warregl, Are you an Auburn Tiger fan? And I was just beginning to like you! Dude...you have got to do the Road Atlanta school..get your plans in order and go to that one. To be able to concentrate on what you need to do as a rider while doing this circuit would definitely be a confidence booster for anyone. It will scare the ---- out of you!
  23. Kevin Kane "Jasonzilla, where are you when we need you?" Kevin, I thought my advice was at least 50% effort.....LOL! Warregl let me know which school you got attend. I might show up for a refresher.
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