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hubbard_28

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Everything posted by hubbard_28

  1. what I currently do is first brake and before turning in slide my butt to position. I am comfortable doing this. I tried to shift before braking but didnt have the confidence to brake hard in the crossed position. There are other things to work on that will help you improve, but when you shift your butt while you're still in a straight, you're using less attention, so it's just something you'll do. And with all the attention you need going into a corner, this is one less thing to do while preparing to engage it, and you don't want to do it WHILE braking. I saw most Moto GP riders shift their bottoms while still on the throttle, and studied this to see WHY they did it. The above is the explanation I got from a few different sources across the board. You'll live not doing it, but doing it now will help in the long run. I wasn't comfortable doing it at first, but at the end of one trackday I wasn't even thinking about it anymore.
  2. I do know there is a difference in BP. I don't know how big it is though. Looks the same on TV. Pasini, a 250 Moto GP rider, tested the Pramac Ducati this week. The bike had to be changed to accommodate him, but he also needed help with BP, because he said that is completely different as well. I don't know what the differences are, but I can imagine. I don't know how much the actual turning position is different, but I'm sure everything from braking to getting to the lean position, to coming into a more upright position is different in some way. As for your BP, you've got a really good base to work with. You shouldn't have much difficulty fixing the small things. I may be mistake on a few things because of the photos and angles. If I've copied the correct pic, you look nice and tucked in on this photo: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sajiv.selvar...875686495783554 Getting closer to the tank will weigh the bike better, and I'd guess that on a 250, your weight distribution is very important. Just getting closer to the tank would probably make cornering that much better for you. I'll refer to the guy in the blue bike in the next pic for comparison: http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sajiv.selvar...526822247115186 His chest is closer to the tank. Again, I can't tell because it may be the angle, but ultimately he could probably be more over just a little more as well. It's also going to help with getting pressure off the bars for better turning. I'm not sure if you're relaxing your outside arm, but it doesn't look like it from the pics. If you pull to turn or are in a fast corner and need both arms to turn, it's alright. But turning usually takes a slight push on the inside bar. Whichever you do is fine, but you shouldn't have pressure on the bars. Drop/relax your shoulders. Ben "Elbowz" Spies is a unique rider with his arm position. If you're tense on the bars anything from inconsistencies (bumps, elevation changes) in the track, you sliding around on the bike, or mistakes, is going to be transmitted to the steering from your stiff arms. Your body is nice and straight, for the most part while leaned over, and while keeping straight, you could try leaning off the bike more. You seem to have maxed out your cornering clearance. That and/or rearsets. There are some pics that look like you're dragging your foot or some hard parts instead of your knee. Getting off more will give you more lean. In the next pic you are WAY off the tank, but you seem to have more lean angle. http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sajiv.selvar...844857870974066 A more consistent BP will make turning smoother and more consistent as well. One thing that will change will be how far your head is from the ground. It will change your speed, because you'll think your leaning more. I'm guessing you've been doing this for a while, so your eyes and brain are conditioned to angle and distance from the ground. It's something that takes work, but will ultimately pay off. Usually, keeping your head up, body straight, and simply laying your chest on the tank, will help you shift to a more workable position from there. This guy looks like a coach, and his body isn't as straight as yours, but you'll see he's farther down, and farther off the bike, giving him more lean. http://picasaweb.google.co.in/sajiv.selvar...024578602050674 You look good, and more importantly, really comfortable, doing this. So sliding around in the seat shouldn't be too much of a challenge. Your pics are great also. You guys look like you're really enjoying yourselves. Having fun is the most important thing.
  3. This is only my second summer on the site, but I think Cobie, and perhaps more of the instructors, get busy with the school being so active. During the summer here, I can only practice, so not many questions come up, but luckily when our season starts, Cobie is around to help. I've seen more activity this year from the instructors than last, and for that I am grateful. I'm just waiting for that frickin' DVD to come out. I'm sure that will spark a lot of questions from us.
  4. So here is a question for you Hubbard....? Have you found that by opening your hips to the turn, it has helped with anything else as a reciprocal benefit...? Bullet Mostly comfort. It looks to be a big "missing link" to getting to the BP I want. Open the hips, lean forward seems to be working real well. I'm hoping it helps with my pivot steering, as my outside leg seems easier to lock into the tank. I'm also struggling with maintaining speed into a corner, which really adds time to my laptimes, but once I get through the school, I think it will be a big part of what keeps me comfortable while I improve that aspect of my riding. I've been wrapping my body around the tank, and vision may be improved now that I've stopped doing that. I don't have to turn my head and keep it up just to get to neutral, THEN turn my head into the corner. I've been doing it on the street, so it's at a real controlled speed, but I'll be able to tell more Sep 20th when the track opens back up.
  5. While we're in the off season, I commute to work, and work on some weak points on some corners. I have a huge sweeper, and some tight turns leading me the first mile away from my house. I'm working all summer (seemingly endlessly) at getting weight off the bars, keeping speed while going into corners, and my new favorite in BP, OPENING MY HIPS TO THE TURN!! It's a great feeling, and whether it makes me faster or not, I won't know until the tracks open back up, but I feel much more comfortable going into corners.
  6. I've never thought about adjusting rearsets to lock in with my heal. I've been riding with stock pegs, and have to adjust to the bike using the balls of my feet, so I don't know the feeling. I'm going to slowly invest in a track bike when my wife graduates. Maybe turn the Kawi into one. A real mans beer, by the way, is Natural Light. Pay less, drink more.
  7. Howdy. I'll tell you November 2nd whether or not it makes you a better street rider.
  8. Haven't heard from you in a while Jaybird. Thanks for the article.
  9. I'm not sure there is really a "good crashable" bike. I'd plan more on NOT crashing. An SV will limit you in local racing, both in what race you can enter, and if you're planning on running in the front, being competitive. Other than that, the guy sounds like he's biased toward the GSXR and CBR. Our local fast guy rode a Honda last year, and is on a Yamaha this year. The CBR was an '03, and the Yamaha is an '09 600. Same laptimes. And he's winning. He has a ZX10, a CBR 1000, and a couple GSXR 1000's and 600's behind him. I'm 10 seconds off their race laptimes, and I'm on a completely stock bike ('05 ZX6R). Literally, the only thing I've changed on my bike are my lights (I got the flush mounts for wrecking purposes). I have friends with old and newer bikes who've wrecked, and minor damage was done. I have friends with old and newer bikes who wreck, and have to look for new bikes. I can't remember the year of the Yamaha, but there is one that likes to blow up. I'd stay away from that one. You should probably figure out which category you want to race, and include how many races you want to do in a weekend. With a twin you'll be very limited. A 600 will let you compete in superbike and supersport locally. Don't listen to the saying "you can beat a literbike on a 500 if you're good enough." In racing it's just not going to happen. A twin isn't going to beat a 600 or 1000. What tracks you'll be racing on is also a factor. We have smaller tracks in Phoenix, so the 600's can compete with and win against a 1000. That won't be the case on a bigger track.
  10. I go in paying attention to my BP (I've got a thing with that), my entry speed (always poor), TC, lean, where I'm at, and what I need to do for my exit. I know it's a lot, but it's all going through my head. Don't even get me started with increase/decrease radius.
  11. I go for smooth. I evaluate every corner in my head while I'm going through it, and adjust while I'm in the corner, then it's on to the next. I'm not very fast, but you can pass me anywhere, because I'm going to do the same thing and take the same line every time. Every now and again I try to put the hammer down and set a blazing speed. Everything goes crazy. My times get even slower, and once I was putting so much pressure on the bars, that my left hand was numb for two weeks. I lose everything I work on the rest of the day, and running off isn't anything surprising.
  12. When you're riding on the street, you don't have to get all the way down, but what you can do is make sure that when you're turning that your sternum is to the inside of your gas cap. Since you probably do more street than track, it will quickly become habit. Write it on some tape and put it somewhere on the bike so you can see it constantly. I have something on my bike now that reminds me to loosen my arms while I'm turning.
  13. He also points out a 41 degree lean angle. I don't know where that comes from. Pedrosa leaning off the bike does over 60 degrees. I'm not saying that people take street corners like Pedrosa, I'm saying that there is A LOT he's not taking into account. Raised rearsets, lean of the rider, rear tire spin, etc. It's a VERY generic diagram.
  14. We have a track that gets partially covered with sand occasionally so the dirt riders can have a full track. It's a moderately paced first 3-4 sessions until the line clears out. I can handle some slides, and don't have NEAR the experience Harnois does, so I fall in line with the regulars. You can tell the one's who are pushing it too much without the experience to match because they're the ones who are sliding into the hay bails in the first session. Then there is the problem of dust storms here in the desert, and it will cause crashes. Lots and lots of crashes. Especially with racing because they don't want to lose time. I've made it a habit of doing the siting laps so I can see if the track is smooth, and whether or not half of it was covered in dirt the weekend before. After the summer, when noone is riding the track (it's too hot) it's going to be "glassy." That's when noone has ridden it, and the sand fills in every little crack, and it's almost like riding on ice. Again; you can tell the ones who aren't taking it easy.
  15. There is a lot of interest locally. I'm going to post on some local sites as soon as I hear something here.
  16. Howdy. That is plenty torquey. Good to have you.
  17. Howdy. Please ask questions. We're here to learn from each other.
  18. I don't know how well it works for others, but it's really successful with my wife. Remember that it's not about getting fast, but reenforcing habit. My thought on the block when one starts getting lower, is that you're getting your head closer to the ground than normal, and you're stuck on the limit you've set for yourself, and exceeding that forces you to lock up and conform to a new limit, which is possibly less lean than you're actually used to. I'm still working on that as well, and getting my knee down, which is my measurement of my lean angle, became much less frequent for a while. Good luck.
  19. Howdy. Great to have you. Sounds like you're putting in your hours.
  20. I think everyone's theory is right, and it's a combination of them. New tires, limited choices, advancement in tire technology and the riders trust, traction control; they can all affect that. The riders pin the throttle earlier, and if one thing is not as solid as it should be, the riders are the one's who receive the free flight lessons.
  21. I saw Laguna after I signed up for Vegas. It's still too far for the cash I have, and Vegas is right down the street (5 hours). I'll try doing my next one there.
  22. I'm teaching my wife the basics of track riding, and haven't come across fixing that problem with her yet. She does have a problem locking in, and I started her with a drill to not put pressure on the bars, and have incorporated a locking in aspect. When I'm setting up cones I have her ride around a huge parking lot with her chest on the tank, and keeping her hands loose on the bars. She's just holding them. NO pressure. All her weight is on the tank. She only gives input in the direction she wants to go. It's a slower drill (over 20 mph for counter steering purposes), and to work on locking in, when she is turning, without shifting her BP, she just locks the outside leg in during the turn. She said it's even becoming practice when she's street riding (locking in the leg), she does it so much. It's helping her a lot. I'm a little off when I'm braking because I shift my butt before I start braking, but once I start cornering, I make sure the center of my chest is farther over than my gas tank.
  23. Howdy. Adam said it. I'm doing mine in Vegas. I want to ride a track I see on TV. Like Jerez.
  24. Real smooth. The only thing I can tell from the video is your body is crossed up in the lean, and as you've said, you're not getting close enough to the tank. Lots of riders do that though. Looks real good.
  25. Howdy. Plenty to learn here. You're more than welcome to post questions and give us your input as well.
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