hubbard_28

I think I have a solution. A sandwich. You can do one of two things with it: eat it, or jam (or some styrofoam) between your butt and the back of the seat. You need more weight on the front. I can't speak on the suspension. I'll be learning that after I attend CSS in October.

Great posts Harnois. I enjoyed them.

I found out on my wife's EX-650 that the bars are in the way. I still love the shape of the tank, and think I can melt into it better than my bike, except for those handlebars. I've put a lower one on, but it's still not the same as clip-ons.

Howdy Sof. I've been in love with track since my first time out. I listened to some of the more advanced riders talk, and learned from further investigation into what they were talking about that I'll never know everything about track riding and sportbikes. That further deepened my love for it. I'm in a profession where it's literally impossible to know everything about it, and my mind requires lots of stimulation, so I need a hobby that requires the same. I found it in motorcycles. Between the mechanical aspect and riding aspect, I'll never know everything, and if I sit here and get tired of studying medicine, I can always turn to motorcycles and riding.

Good write-up. I know that I'm not going to be pulled into the pits and told I'm doing great in the first place, but if something like that does happen and there is nothing constructive on top of it, I'm swingin'.

Howdy. I'm guessing you're doing the two day later in November. I'm doing Oct/Nov. Good luck. Hope to see you on the forum.

Howdy. Glad to have you. Also glad to hear so many people had such amazing experiences. I was at the races Sunday and saw a guy with a CSS shirt, and asked him what he thought about it. He was excited just to be able to share his experience. His eyes were wide open, and he didn't even stop to take a breath. That's including him telling me he didn't get much trackday the second day because of rain. I can't wait for the end of October.

The answer about your query regarding BP and the fast guys is simple: it's not the BP that's making them faster, but their experience. They've learned more than just BP during their time on the track, and you're seeing the results of that. I usually have pretty good BP, and some people who pass me do so with their heads where the outside mirror would be they're so crossed up, or they're not really crouched down. There are some BP positions that change the bikes functionality, and it takes adjustment on your managing the bike to get used to it. With time you'll become more comfortable at leaning and cornering, and you'll have worked on your BP so that you're at their level. Just try to mimic what they do slowly and you'll get the hang of it, and when it comes time for you to make some bigger adjustments, you'll be able to do it without much thought. Take a few riders for example. Haga will never get all the way down to the tank. He just doesn't. Mladin and Hodgson have almost the same BP, and it's horrible as far as professional riding goes. You can put Larry Pegram in that group as well. Spies and Lascourz get all the way down like you're probably talking about, and they're both doing great, but who's to say they wouldn't do as well if they were sitting up more. I saw Aquino race out at Firebird Raceway in Phoenix, and he had good BP, but he didn't look anything like Josh Herrin, as he does now. I'm guessing same coach. It's only advice, but I'd recommend making small adjustments to BP and focusing on those drills. I've spent lots of time focusing on BP, and yesterday watched a friend who put his focus on riding race in the amateur group. He was mixing it up with the advanced riders, and will be an advanced racer next season. And his BP sucks.

So after a long summer off, it's FINALLY cool enough for trackdays to start back up. I'm riding next weekend, and besides MORE changes to my BP (I'm infatuated with BP), I'm also working on looking into the turn before I lean in. My question is: do I do this as a smooth transition, or do most of you pick a point and snap your heads? On the street, I've found that looking smoothly just before turning is better, but what I learn on this forum usually pays off in the long run.

Great points Kevin. I've known a few people who've gone on the track with no rear brake, and these points never occurred to any of us. Something I'll know from now on. And Hodgson was MOVING. Fastest part of that track, and he decides to do cross country.

That's just awesome. Congratulations. Maybe I should get some people with money to watch me ride at the track. At the very least they'll pitch some money to help.

If your current riding position is your avatar, you're going to need much more work than BP to get faster, and more to concern yourself with to help the bike perform better. The knee dragging will come. Keep working on getting your BP down, and it will all fall into place.

Is that the one in Utah? I looked into it and couldn't find anything wrong with it. If it is the one in Utah, they have 3 day schools. I think I'd be wanting a lot of class time after the second day.

Really? I just copied this on Youtube, and was going to post it here. I was crying I was laughing so hard. T-rexes. Classic.

I'd say leaning the bike in a corner is one of the more difficult non-panic riding barriers to get past. Especially when we start to improve our BP. You're set at a certain level while you're still more upright, and once you drop your head the ground is RIGHT THERE. I'm still working on it, and know I can get over much more, and will work on it when trackdays start back up next weekend.

Rear brake..... rear brake..... I've heard of it and think I have one on my bike..... Seriously. I'd say rear brake use on a track is more for advanced riders, and you should probably stay off of it until you get better (because there is so much more you can be learning that will benefit you more), if you choose to use it at all. Including commuting, I really can't remember the last time I used my rear brake. It was probably the last time I went off the track and was still on the bike. It will pay off more if you put your attention more on locking into the tank with hard braking instead of using the rear brake.

Howdy. I hope you do spend some time on this site. Great people, and you'll learn a lot. As far as whether the schools really improve your riding, I'll tell you in November. I'l love to live close to a track they instruct at, though. The single day price seems worth it, and I'd love to be able to do level 4 a couple to a few times a year.

Howdy. If you post this question in the Cornering part of CSS forum, I'm sure you'll get plenty of response. We love questions, and you'll learn plenty on this site. The books are the greatest place to start, as Bullet said. Any questions about the book will gladly be clarified on this site as well.

Yes. My pegs are lower than any rearsets would be, but I don't have the money and it's not worth it because I commute most of the time.

It depends on the corner and how I'm doing. Obviously if I'm all the way off the bike and scraping a peg, I've exceeded max lean. I don't get all the way down there very often, so I don't have a set knee position to tell how close I am. And I was joking with the boring comment.

To much lean angle is right about at the same time you fall . HAHA. You've nailed it on the head, Fajita Dave (I want Mexican food every time you're on the site). How comfortable you are leaning off the bike, Apanna, plays a big part. I'm having problems because I can't quick turn the bike or get it into a corner with enough speed, so I can't really get it to go all the way over. It's also the setup. I have stock everything on my bike, so I occasionally scrape the peg, but the bike can do so much more. Other than that, if you have the right tires you can get off the bike and lean until you scrape hard parts. And are you saying this forum is boring, Appanna?

Here's a video from the now defunct Freddy Spencer riding school. Don't worry about what they're talking about, but pay strict attention to their hips. You've improved, and I don't know if it's because of the school that you're so upright, but getting down more while you're going into the turn will really get the bike dip into the corner. You seem to still be twisting at the hips, and you're turning your hips outward. Try getting them even or inward in relation to the bike. I chose the riders because they are sort of exaggerating the lean position, but it's great BP none-the-less. Hope you like AC/DC.

Wow. I had no idea this topic was still going. As Fossil said, you can try getting your head somewhere on the other side of the shield. I put my outside shoulder on the inside part of the tank. I hate it when people say "put your head where your mirrors are/would be." I've rarely ever seen that alone doing the trick. Getting your chest on the tank will get you low enough to start with. I'm going to really work on opening my hips to the turn. I think it'll be a major change in BP, and will really improve my comfort and vision. I'm going to focus on turning my hips into the turn and bending forward. That'll keep everything in line, and the little chance I've had to mess with it, it's feeling real good.

I have near zero idea what you're talking about, so I'm just trying to figure this out. You're talking about lean angle and G-forces, but why isn't speed more of a factor here? If I'm taking a slow (30 mph turn) at 45 degrees, and a medium speed (85 mph turn) at the same lean angle, isn't there going to be a much bigger difference in G's the tire is handling?

Howdy. I like your dedication. I'd like to do the same thing, but will probably end up doing local stuff. I love coaching.