spthomas

I'm sure this can't be the right answer because I've done this, but I've stretched out my right leg (not sure why just that side) for a second or two because it was close to cramping. When this thread first started, that was my initial thought but I figured it was just me not being stretched out well. I don't know what the muscle on the outer side of the leg is called, but sometimes being in the squatted position up on the pegs causes it to get tight. I've ridden for long periods of time on the road with no problem, so if it happens again I'll have to see if it tied to other things like certain body position, locking onto the tank, etc. Yes, I'm enjoying WSBK this year too. Good racing, in hi-def too!

Just adjusting what I have. I'm having no problems whatsoever- it may be just right for me as-is, or I'm not experienced enough to know it could be better or worse. I guess what I'd like to do is at least verify the settings I'm using are optimal to get the best performance from the hardware I have. I'm certainly not looking to spend money on something unless I really really have to! The weak link is still the rider, so my priority is school days and track days.

My frame sliders and bar end pieces arrived today. I put the frame sliders on and they came out pretty nice (2" hole cut with hole saw is in the right place!). For some reason I had noticed my bar end on the left side was missing so I ordered some Vortex delrin parts. These did not really fit right and I had to make some, um, dimensional adjustments. I haven't done the stomp grips; to warm up the tank I wanted to let it sit in the sun but it has been cool so I may wait. I did put Dunlop Qualifiers on, which are now 2 years old and have about 8000 miles. I have a new set sitting in the garage but there may be some life left in the current ones, so I may change them when I start track riding this year. I need to at least measure the sag and get that set right. I'm guessing 30mm as a starting point. I watched Keith's video and it seems pretty straightforward. I don't know that I have a problem with suspension but I've never worked through it with anyone; I am not the bigger guy at 145lbs. I'm not sure who to trust and ask, as it seems there are more negative stories than positive ones.

OK, it's been a few weeks, but I bought the stomp grip pads and the frame sliders are in the mail. Before I go sticking on the stomp grip, I got to wondering about the shape. I bought them already cut out for my bike (02 CBR600F4i) but when I hold them up to the side of the tank, it appears the material will have to stretch some to conform. I wanted to ask before I get half way into installing them- does this stuff stretch, or do you have to make some cuts in it to shape it?

I don't know! I wish I knew better. When I think back on going around the track I just slow down to a speed I feel comfortable with when coming up to the corners. I've scrapped pegs on both sides of my bike but never my knee pucks so my body positioning must not be quite right. I plan on doing level 2 this year so my real hope is someone can help work through this.

Never too old to have fun...welcome to the forum!

I'm perfectly happy not to put on a steering damper; they're not cheap, and I'm not a stunter and if I ever race I would probably get a race bike and keep this one for track/street use. I've not had any apparent suspension issues but maybe I'm not pushing it enough yet, but I am 145lbs so maybe that helps as you say. I do agree rider upgrades are the most important, and if you get a new bike they're transferable! I think of the list, stomp grips would help riding and are pretty inexpensive. Frame sliders don't help riding but can help save money in some circumstances. I do like the bike a lot. It's my first sport bike and it seems pretty friendly and versatile. JB, what color is your bike? I found mine used, it is a bright yellow which I think helps for street conspicuity.

I'm putting this in a new thread. OK, my bike ('02 Honda CBR600 F4i) is completely stock, which doesn't bother me that much- I'm not wanting to spend lots of $ on it, I'd rather spend it on school and track days to make me a better rider because in the end I think that gives more bang (probably a bad word choice) for the buck. What would you folks recommend as additions/corrections; this is my guess but if I'm missing something, say so: - stomp grip? - frame sliders? - steering damper? - rear sets? - bike stands? - suspension parts? I have put Dunlop Qualifiers on it and I'm happy with those. I haven't done any suspension adjustments although I haven't had any problems that I've noticed either. I do ride street and track.

I think a section under Techniques is OK. "Setup and Handling" isn't exactly a technique either. When you create it, I have a question to ask...

I'm OK with that- my bike is bone stock. Outside of putting new Qualifiers on it and changing the oil, I haven't spent any money on the bike, just the rider!

I agree an "equipment" section would fill a gap. People new to the sport have a lot of questions about gear, so it helps to have a place to ask things. New riders sometimes shy away from getting good gear because it is expensive, but spare parts for people are extremely expensive and often not even available!

It'd be wonderful to meet folks from the board in person! That would be a lot of fun, sort of like a class reunion. I'm planning on going to level 2 this spring, probably VIR.

Thanks for the advice. I think for this year I'm going to focus on getting to at least level 2 class and maybe 3 and doing track days more frequently. With temporary layoff weeks (I work in automotive) and 2 kids in college I may need to wait a bit for this although there are some good potential alternatives out there job-wise. I like watching races on TV but I want to be the guy on the bike, not in the pits, not an owner, etc. I'm a terrible spectator!

I struggle with this. One thing that admittedly puzzles me was several recent comments on other threads about how where you look affects this. I was looking at the school curriculum and noticed that BP is focused on in level 3 and where you look in level 2 (I'm doing level 2 next) and this surprised me. My riding buddy was going to ask Santa for a helmet cam but I don't think that happened- I would think that would help a lot to see what you look like versus what you feel like.

I feel like I'm asking a stupid question, but how does one get into racing? I know there's the obvious answer "be really fast and have lots of money", but for the rest of us, is there some usual path? At this point I like doing track days but at some point I'd like to do more to challenge myself. Here's some of my million questions- how good do you have to be? how do you know when you're ready? can I do it with my street bike or do I have to have something dedicated? does this have to be expensive? is there some entry level class? I've been thinking about it since a remark from last year someone made to me: So, for those who have raced, how did it begin for you?

If Nicky and Casey have a genuine bond and work together like that, then watch out! I've had work situations where I was working on projects with guys who I got along with well and we had complimentary skills- we had enough in common to communicate and understand each other yet enough differences we could bring multiple viewpoints to the situation and with enough respect for each other to listen. Having something like that in a supportive overall environment which it sounds like they have (we weren't that lucky) is simply formidable.

And I would have to agree w/Derek, Kevin and Sleepr...

It's not bad, but a couple of things: - the logo at the top is tall so you have to scroll more just to begin seeing things - with the person's picture at the top rather than side, it makes the page longer - a link at the top of the page to back to the main superbikeschool.com site is no longer there, only goes to the forum. - the blue on blue typing in this input box is hard to read. Yesterday there was a light blue scheme which seemed easier to read.

A buddy of mine had an Arai XL helmet which was noisy. He's a bigger guy at 6'2" and 225lbs, but got measured by the guys at The Service Pavilion who were at an AMA race and they put him in a medium- two sizes smaller, but changed it from the standard 30mm cheekpads to 25mm. (He bought the same model; he had gone down on his XL and wanted to replace it.) Most guys tend to fit the helmet to their face instead of their head. Anyhow, he says the medium is much quieter, so your hunch about size might be right. I find I hear things I need to hear better with earplugs. I just use the foam type which has 33Db reduction. The thing that surprised me was I could hear the engine better with them because the wind noise is gone. I never ride without them and I never listen to music.

They say 50 is the new 30...

This is the way I think about it, just the shape of the track and I envision a line fitted with the edges of the tracks and pavements marks. I don't think of "4 feet from the edge" explicitly, just "here". I'm pretty new to all this but I found this works for me at my level of riding. People are fairly visual thinkers, especially men. The ability of humans to function in space is phenomenal if you think about it- we use reference points all the time, like when typing on the computer for these messages!

Welcome to the forum! I've done some twisty riding before and after I took the level I class and it helped a lot. About a month after the class I went down to the Smokies with some good friends who are experienced riders and I don't think I could have kept up if I hadn't taken the class.

It's on this site too: http://www.superbikeschool.com/multi-media...nery-videos.php

Several people have mentioned that in various ways. I've never ridden a dirt bike in my life. The problem right now is essentially starting another hobby while I've got my 2nd kid starting college.. not good timing!

This gist is that you need a combination of both diet and exercise together. Part of the message is that you need to do resistance training, not just cardio, to lose weight. The idea is that by building muscle, muscle itself raises your metabolism and thus burns fat. An hour of cardio burns energy pretty much just for the period of time you are doing it, while lifting causes you to burn energy for an extended period of time. The other component of the message related to diet is to eat smaller meals throughout the day (5-6 times) rather than the customary 3 meals. The rationale is that you keep your metabolism, blood sugar levels, etc. more even this way.