spthomas

Since we getting all sorts of eye-opening info on this new section of the forum, I wanted to mention something else that was at one point news to me. I had read somewhere that using those pencil-shaped tire gages like they give you free when you buy tires for your car aren't very accurate. So I bought one of those round-gage dial pressure gages, which appears to be better. I just got to thinking about Dunlop Steve's comments about tire pressure and thought it's important to be reading accurately. Are there any certain makes/models of gages that are recommended to be used (or avoided)?

The ability to focus on what you're doing is paramount, so I do things to help my mind not get distracted. The basic idea is to have routines and plans for everything surrounding the riding. For track days I use a checklist of things to do and bring that I've developed over time to make sure I don't forget something in the excitement and rush of getting to tech inspection etc. That makes one less thing to lose sleep over the night before, besides excitement. I suppose if you have a closed trailer where you store everything that makes it easier, but I have an open trailer I tow, so I have to make sure I pack everything. Depending on the temperature, I make sure I bring enough to drink and eat, especially carbs for the day, as I don't want the mind to fade! Outside of the track day, I like to read and study as much as I can about riding and racing. I also keep my fitness up and make sure between leg workouts and cycling I'm in good condition.

Switching front to rear is probably unsafe

I was thinking the tires forum and all the discussions over the past few weeks was really a great Christmas present! Seriously, I've learned a lot by looking at the discussions and questions various people have raised, as well as from answer to my own questions I've posted. Things I've learned that I didn't know: the progression of tires models (q2, DP211GPA etc.); the good write up about pressure off the warmers; what's important and what' not, like not to focus on temp; size of tire for my 600!; track tires pressure vs street tire pressure; awareness that tire manufacturers design tires to work a certain way- don't just use the pressure on the label on the chain guard; relative unimportance of heat cycles. It's all much more clear to me now. I like knowing what I'm doing! It's great having an authority like Steve who has the inside scoop on how the tires really work, otherwise we're only left with paddock talk and hearsay, which can be dangerous.

Hmmm... this is an interesting consideration I hadn't thought of- being able to change them would allow me to use track tires on the track (D211GPA's) and street tires for the street (Q2's). Do people who have one bike for street and track do this often?

Sorry, here's the link. I talked to the guys selling it and they said for sportbikes, the basic classic model is all you need. My last track day I saw a guy using one and asked him about it and he seemed happy with it (it was his buddy's)- he had one good comment too- it comes in a floor-mount or a trailer hitch model. His friend bought the trailer hitch model, and then made a receiver mounted to his garage wall at home so he could use the same model at home or at the track.

Another question related to tires- getting them changed. It seems a couple of options exist that I've seen: - have the place where you buy the tires from change them. No tools or stands needed but it's probably the most expensive option - have a trackside vendor do it for you. Less expensive. - Put your bike on stands, take the wheels of and go and have someone do it. - Get one of the tire changing fixture gadgets and do it all yourself. Some initial investment required, but then you (and all your friends) can change whenever you need. I saw a demo of one of those "no-mar" tire changers by a vendor at Moto GP and it seemed like a nice way to go. Any reasons not to start doing this yourself?

First, Tom, welcome to the forum! You've asked a really good question! Steve, I'm in a similar situation with Tom except I have a CBR600, and the original tire sizes are 120/70R17 and 180/55R17, the same as Tom's Kawasaki. I currently have Qualifiers and you mentioned in another post a few weeks ago of trying Q2's next. Unlike the race tire, the Q2 is made in a 180/55 size, but it sounds like I should still use the 190/55- is that right?

This is a great question I've been wondering about too; I'm interested in what people think. I would initially say it would only matter for racers really wringing the most out of the bike, but I think Cobie said the crash rate at the schools were down 60%(?) with the BMW bike, so I'm curious as to just what aspect is the reason behind the decreased crashing. Q2? ABS? Traction control? People petrified by the power of the bike so they're just more careful!? Part of me thinks it's cheating a bit to rely on it and not learn good throttle control, but I haven't highsided either.

I would doubt much heat is going to transfer through the chain all the way into the tire, but we'll see what Steve thinks. But one thing related I wondered about was- why not have the exhaust blow directly on the tire? That would heat it up in a hurry! (I suspect the fumes will not do nice things to the rubber.)

Certainly you want to use the recommended tire pressure that is in the owners manual for your bike. There is a reason for that recommendation. Thanks for this information- I had wondered about that too. The higher pressure I imagine would keep the wear in the center of the tire and less spread out. It seems one of the features of the Q2's was the long-wearing compound on the center, so a too-low street pressure would spread the wear beyond the center zone, right?

Steve, first this has been really enlightening, thanks for taking the time to do all this explaining! I'm not Josh but I have the same questions. I have an '02 Honda CBR600F4i which I ride on the track and street. I have been using the Sportmax Qualifiers, which are due to be replaced and I was looking at going to the Q2's next because that seemed to be a good track and street tire and the successor to the Qualifier. My track times are 20 sec off the local track record (set by DiSalvo), just getting moved from beginner to intermediate. I also have a question about warmers- I don't have any but want to get some; I see some models with various of temp setting capabilities and simpler one with one temp setting. Is there any real reason to have multiple settings- is this a case of simpler is better?

Can you elaborate more on what change you are seeing? Better? Worse? Just different?

I think this would be great and I agree there's probably a lot better understanding to be had by many people including myself! I was just thinking about this, as there was a recent post where Keith was talking about people using tire warmers and then having the tires actually cool off on the first lap. I was thinking about getting some tire warmers and was looking at different models. One mentioned it had a cover to keep the breeze out and helped get heat into the rim- sounds reasonable, but what does the data say? On the other hand, on a track day, if you can do hard laps from the beginning instead of waiting 1, 2 or 3 laps, you get more "quality" track time instead of spending 20% of your day warming up. So yeah, I'm eager to get good info on all this.

Kai, I agree. I just finished reading Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else by Geoff Colvin, an editor at Fortune magazine a US based business magazine. (This book is listed as a reference at the end of the HBR article.) The gist of the book is similar; the author examines the history behind top performers in a variety of fields including music and sports, not just business. But the idea is the same, that it takes a lot of purposeful and focused practice, not just endless automatic repetition. I've had the good fortune of being able to work closely with a musician who is an international top-elite classical performer and have talked about all this, and she concurs that it takes a lot of practice, but also a desire from within that is compelling. Music practice generally isn't really fun, yet top performers do it because there's a deeper satisfaction. I think all this is generally applicable to any human behavior, whether playing and instrument, golf, or motorcycle riding. It really is important then what CSS does- I think the instruction provides an amplification factor to progress that practicing with track days alone won't provide. You aren't going to make the progress without the coaching, and getting coaching without spending time on the track won't yield as much either. But put the two together, then you've getting somewhere. As the riding season slows down for us northerners, I'd recommend reading the Colvin book mentioned above, it explains a lot.

Lots of good advice from riders here, and a fairly international community too. Welcome to the forum!

I would say it is the direction of the pressure/pulling on the handlebars regardless of where the wheel is pointing. You have to lean to turn, and the lean force is created by the angular momentum of the front wheel. Here is a youtube video showing (at about the 5 sec point) how a wheel leans as soon as the axis it is spinning on is rotated. Try it at home with a bicycle wheel. Also if you look up "countersteering" on youtube there are a number of examples.

I have a pair of Racer High End gloves (Racer is the actual brand name, made in Austria), which I've used for 4 years. I haven't done anything special to take care of them but I'm not riding as often as you guys, although they have seen a lot of hot weather. They fit my hands better than a A* pair of winter gloves I have.

Glad to hear this. On guy I knows is grinding his pucks off, partly because now he can, but I'm thinking every pound you're pushing into the pavement with your knee is a pound the tires aren't pushing down. The way I like to think of it is like those short-track speed skaters you see in the Winter Olympics- they put their hand down when leaning around corners as a position gage rather than a body support. I think.

One vendor selling these had my buddy and I try them on without the cheekpads. They thought, and I agree, people tend to size the helmet to fit their face, not their head. You can different thicknesses of pads. My Profile came with 30mm pads but I went down to 25 then 20mm before it didn't squeeze my cheeks so I can close my teeth without biting the inside of my cheeks. My buddy went down from an XL to a medium size. So maybe the foam works because we're getting helmets too large. Just a thought.

The track is Putnam Park. If you look at the map in the link, you go right to left on the long straight. Turns 1 and 2 are somewhat separate but really 1-4 are all linked. So we are saying more leverage on bars etc. is better because if the bike is more upright for a given radius of turn, you have to turn the front a bit further? I suppose that makes sense.

I did level 2 at VIR last May, but we didn't do the lean bike because of the rain although we sat on a static bike in the barn. (At level 3 can I try it!?) I don't think I'm tight on the bars, but maybe I am at that point since I've scraped a number of times.

I had a track day Saturday and things have progressed but I'm still having trouble in turn 2 which is a 90-degree right turn (turn 1 is a 60-deg right turn and they are connected). The problem I'm struggling with is dragging hard parts on the right side. So I what I was doing was making sure I'm leaning off properly and keeping low- so when I do that I don't drag but I feel like since the bike itself is a bit more upright, the radius of my turn is larger and not as tight. Is that just a mis-perception? I was hitting my apex OK. I know leaning off keeps the bike more upright even though the composite bike+rider lean is the same for a given speed, but the bike's lean angle and thus steering does change. I want/need to faster through that corner but I feel like I'm up against physical limits. (I'm so ready for level 3!)

My 2 cents... - I use Cycle Cinch instead of Canyon Dancer, guys I started with like it better. - for the rachet straps, instead of tying them I just fold the extra length and put a wrap of painter's tape around them to keep them from vibrating in the breeze.

I agree with this. My first track weekend this summer was early on, after I spent a lot of time on the gym, with lots of leg workouts, squats, etc. After the weekend my legs were pretty sore which surprised me. My second track weekend was about 6 weeks later after I had spent a lot of time cycling; in the summer I take a break from the gym and train for triathlons (although I never did one) and thus do more running and cycling. This time my legs were tired but not sore, so I do think the cycling helps a lot.