hubbard_28

Learning point. What is a quick turn? I've never heard of that. As far as hand positioning, I was taught to adjust my levers so that going into a turn, braking and shifting, my wrists were straight for better control in a turn. I have 0 play in my throttle. It's comfortable for me that way.

I haven't done a new track in some time, but might be able to in February/March. On East I take it real easy on my first 3 laps, and make sure I have my RP's down, then I spend the rest of the day making small tweaks to some corners I don't have down. I'm really bad in the carousel on East, and am constantly working on it and changing my RP's. I need to add one going in because after I hit my entry point, I spend a small bit of time searching for my next RP, and newest one that seems to work. But I'm blind for a while. I don't feel comfortable during that short time and want to improve, but with as many times as I did that track last year, I am going to try to get on some other ones. Firebird has 3 tracks right next to each other.

I'm jealous. I'm still trying to scrape the money together to do Las Vegas in April. Good luck.

Derek, I'll try to come up/find a definition that we can agree upon, and we can change it as necessary. I do siting laps in the morning, but am checking overrun area's, making sure I know where the dirt meets the pavement, and the track condition (rocks, water). I don't have tire warmers, but even on my warm up laps I am working on my RP's. On a new track without anything standardized to begin with, I'm assuming I'd work on my brake points first, entry points, apex's, and progress from there. I constantly work on my RP's, and if it doesn't work after a few sessions, it's time to change it up.

I still don't understand how it's thought that we need RP's to get around a track. I'll try to explain what I think an RP is. When I'm ending a straight, I pay attention to the right side of my vision, and as soon as the tires are out of site, I straighten up, brake, and downshift twice (4th to 2nd). When I get to cone #2, I start releasing my clutch. When I get across the change in pavement I dip the bike. RP's: The tires, cone #2, the change in pavement. I can get around a track without RP's. Maybe the track ending straight ahead, but continuing to the right (a right hand turn) could be considered an RP? Not trying to be a smarta--, but I'm trying to understand how I'm the only one who thinks RP's aren't required to turn a motorcycle. Can anyone else explain what I'm supposed to be referring to if I'm incorrect in my definition of RP's? I don't have TOTW, and I think RP's are covered in it. Does it have a definition that we can go off of for track riding? I'm working the next few days straight, and can't get to a book store. *Side note...... I don't know how on Earth people work 5 days straight. I'm doing 4 and it's killing me. If I go around a track without cones, I will make it around without RP's, by my definition, and will slowly pick them up as I go along.

MotoGP 4 is the greatest racing game ever. I have the PS3, and MotoGP '08 is only a LITTLE better than '07. Capcom really screwed up this franchise.

I've had some financial setbacks, and I'm still trying to get to Vegas for the school in April so I'm cutting back, but I was up to doing 2 trackdays a month. When everyone is enjoying the summer months is when our trackdays are stopped. We get one trackday May through late September, and it's in August. It's too hot. So when I'm having fun in the winter on tracks, it's with the knowledge that I will be doing no riding when everyone else does, so it balances out.

I think a rider needs to have an RP and experience with them before he can start riding off of his RP's. We take our first trips down roads and around tracks without RP's. Track is easier, because there is a good starting point in what has been already established turn points, usually in the form of cones or track markings. You can say that you already HAVE RP's to use, but take away all the cones and rumble strips, and you'll still be able to find something after a few laps, but you can't just start finding points without knowing the turn. Or can you? The reference to being in a dark room brings up a question: if in a completely dark room, are you using RP's or experience to maneuver through the house? Sorry Kevin, but my first couple trips down a road is spent establishing and tweaking RP's. I know how a turn is going to work from experience, but I have no physical reference to speak of. I'm watching the road for bumps and cracks to make sure I can go safely at faster speeds.

OK, let's have a look at this, humor me for moment. Let's imagine a situation with truly no references. Flat piece of asphalt, no markings, skid or oil marks, 50 miles square. One is dropped in the center, say Scottie beamed you there. Would that be a little disorienting? How does one even know he is on a road if there isn't some kind of reference? C He's on asphalt. Kidding. I can still remember my first trackday, and think about it often when I watch the beginners tooling around the track. Granted, if a person rides around the track (I couldn't have told you what an RP was when I first started, and didn't look for points but just rode around the track) and one is shown RP's, the one who has RP's will be faster after just a session. An RP would have to be defined to continue any discussion to clarify whether it's needed or not. I'm starting to read that someone even considers a corner an RP. In big sweeping corners I just get my head into it, and have nothing to focus on. I don't have an RP to speak of. I can't remember where it's at, but somewhere in TOTW 2, I've read that abandoning RP's is done. I can't remember where it's at, so I can't clarify it's meaning, but I couldn't read anything about finding new RP's, just that ditching them is acceptable. A motorcycle can turn without an RP, and it can get around a track without them. I don't even know if I could ride a new track without searching for RP's anymore, but I do know that I ride new roads without knowing RP's, and am able to make it to the end.

Your words Sir. Yes. And my argument is that you can make it around a track without RP's. Thanks for the help.

You can call whatever you want an RP, but I ride my bike almost daily, and guarantee that I can get to work, which has plenty of turns, without RP's. On the track I took a particular corner without RP's for a long time. I came up with them later, and I was doing that track without RP's for such a long time, and was so inconsistent in that corner that it still makes me nervous, but I still made it without an RP. You just have to look ahead of the bike. Next time you go riding on a highway, the transfers to another highway is usually a long corner. No RP there. Just look ahead of the bike. The faster you go, the farther ahead you look. Call it what you want, but the bike still turns. It can be done on the track as well. Just by keeping your head in a corner the bike will turn.

With my back being out so long I KNOW that I'd have a bad trackday if I went out right now. I'm going to start working out again soon, especially with the possibility that I'm going to do a school this year still exists. If I do get to go I'm going to make the most of it.

Absolutely can. There is no consistency though. It would be a continuous weak corner on the track, and riding at a high percentile pace would be potentially disasterous.

Leaning is something that comes with time and redundance. I focus on holding the bike up and am learning now, after over a year of track riding, to lean the bike farther over. I think I was only shaken one or two times from sliding the bike. It happens a couple times a day on a cold surface until the track warms up.

Welcome. You'll learn some good info on riding here. Glad to have you.

Howdy. You'll have to ease up on the throttle on the straights so the instructors can keep up. Good to have you aboard.

Howdy. Impressive choice for a first superbike. Wow.

Great information. Even if I have a bad RP I can get around a corner consistently, even if it's slower. It took 8 months riding a certain track before I realized I didn't have an RP for one corner. Once I realized this I found an RP, have since tweeked it, and have even found that this is a MUCH faster and shorter corner. And when I have no RP, I am choppy, sloppy, and inconsistent through that particular corner.

Thanks for the great info Stu. I have no mapping or anything done to my bike except setup on the front suspension. I was going to try it out of curiosity, but now I know that there would be minimal difference.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOO!!!!! This was going to be my year. Kawasaki was set to dominate.

We went looking for cars today (mine is on the fritz AGAIN) and my wife had her first ride in below 40 degree weather. I always get it at work about riding in this weather, and my wife can vouch for me now. It's nothing. She did have a 6'2 windscreen, but she was a lot more worried about it than she had to be. I'm just waiting for January 24th for our local racing to resume, and March 1 for Phillip Island. I would LOVE to ride that track..... if they could keep the birds away.

I'd guess it's both. If I kept riding Firebird West all the time, I would get better at that track, but still be limited to the kind of corners that track has. I would be able to learn those corners, and ultimately be improved on similar corners. The one thing I WOULD have is redundance. But by riding East track I learned right handed corners A LOT better. The next time I went I was even better at West track than I was before.

But dont you think that it would be better for you to try and copy the body position of a pro rider closer to the same size as you? Sort of. I don't keep up with the riders stats much. The only rider I know is Mladin, who's in the 6'2 range, and he has pretty sloppy form. I would emulate someones form if I thought it would help, but I just want to learn how to get my body in the best position possible. Watching other riders helps but I, myself, don't want to mimic one certain person. I think the basic form is pretty similar though regardless of the height.

Ditto. I was riding my sportbike wanting to try track riding for over 2 years. One day I just decided to go try it, and I'm so into it now that I study what I can about track riding, and can't wait until my wife graduates so I can spread my wings and travel to different tracks. you are waiting for your wife to graduate???and pay for your track riding expenses i hope..lmao..man youre lucky That sounds good, but not it. She has years..... and years under her belt of college without a degree. Indecisive is the word I choose to use. She's in nursing school, and will be done soon enough. For the time being I'm paying everything, but when there are two nurses in the house, I'll be able to travel to different tracks and ride them.

The riders who I think have great form are about half my size. A local rider at the track here has a very unique style. But again, he's 5'7. Jockeys is what they are.