Jaybird180

At Miller, during the race practice...the top riders in the 1000cc class ran 1:48's. The top riders in the 600cc class ran 1:52's. Why? It's a question of skill. MOST riders who are middle to fast club-level will do faster times on a 600 versus 1000. Only a small percentage of riders can exploit the power advantage that the extra 400cc provides. I'd imagine AMA top 15 or WSB/WSS level riders would be able to exploit that. For example, take (what's his name....the guy who won Daytona Superbike a few years back....he got paralyzed...rode for M4 Emgo Suzuki...???)...anyhow one year he rode a 750 against a field of 1000's. If you look at his times, he was very competitive even with the HP disadvantage. Vincent Haskovic

Good Answer

I haven't seen the race yet, but I've read similar opinions on other sites. I've long thought that Hacking has a disregard for safety and a blame everyone else attitude. Guess that suspension wasn't enough.

...and yet no one has picked up on this clue...

How does NJMP compare to ViR? I'm within a few hours of both.

Didn't that require the rider to push a thumb button on the left clip-on when they passed start/finish? That never made much sense to me.

Temps there are insane. YOU CAN HAVE IT!!! I'll visit ya, but that's about it (LOL). I'm surprised that you have time or inclination to look at your speedo. Do you find that it hinders you from developing and refining your own sense of speed?

It's a Go Pro Hero camera. They're like $200. I know I'm doing it for fun, but the reason it's so fun is that there are always things to learn, and even though I'm learning, I'm not improving. I still love it, but I need things to work on, to keep me excited about it. I'm not even worried that much about how far off the times I am (although my goal is to be withn 10 seconds). But my arm is still sore from pushing on the bars from 5/3. I hold my lines, take the proper lines, and people in the intermediate group get past me just fine, but I felt I was doing so poorly I almost went down the superstreet class. It's just that 6 months ago I was running those same times. I love riding and want to be able to do it properly, but am stalled (I'm still trying to save up for Oct 31st 2 day in Vegas). I know I can do better laptimes and not increase my risk of wrecking (although I know it's inherent). That's why I'm on this site. To learn what I can. I posted all the above info because maybe someone can give me input that will "click." I also love to teach, and am good at translating what I know so that people can pick it up. My goal is to be an instructor. Whether it's for the beginner group, a local track school, or something bigger. I'm 38 years old, and my body is shot, so that door is going to slam shut sooner rather than later. After a days riding I could probably get a good beginner group rider to be faster than me, and that says something about my knowledge..... and ability. And Jay, it's Firebird West. I know you had punctuation in there, but it seemed like one long breath (LOL).

Have someone watch you from behind to verify your sensations. The inner ear can play tricks on you sometimes.

What track is this?

It is the technique used when exiting certain corners where you push (countersteer) the bike up and away from you while you are still hanging off so you can add more throttle more quickly than you could at the lean angle you pushed the bike up from. I found that I was able to push without countersteering. I'm not sure what would happen applying a steering input to bring the bike vertical. There seems to be a little bit of confusion on this subject! I believe the correct method for the pickup drill is to pull the inside bar while rolling on the throttle. pushing the outside bar would have a similar effect but you would be all out of shape stretched over the bike! Jay, what exactly were you pushing without countersteering? Colin Edwards is an excellent example. I believe I've also seen Jason DiSalvo do it; in a hang-off position you'd push the bike away from you while maintaining your body's position relative to the ground. It looks retarded (esp. on the street), but it works well for getting the drive and keeping the bike on line.

It is the technique used when exiting certain corners where you push (countersteer) the bike up and away from you while you are still hanging off so you can add more throttle more quickly than you could at the lean angle you pushed the bike up from. I found that I was able to push without countersteering. I'm not sure what would happen applying a steering input to bring the bike vertical.

Wow, really? I never would have thought of that. It definitely meets the requirements for small, quiet, portable and inexpensive. I guess I'll have to try it at home and see how high the effort level is - if it's pretty easy, that sounds like a great idea. Thanks! Try and steer clear of the foot operated pumps they sell at auto parts stores. I've destroyed 3 of them in short order and the gauges are worthless. But they're excellent for teaching a teenager the difference between price and cost.

The WERA website has some good gouge on making a bike track-worthy. Thanks Jay, I had a look at the WERA site but could only find safety wirelocking details! As I said I'm not actually building a racebike, so dont need to meet any specific regulations, I'm just basically going to stick a track fairing on my roadbike and turn it into a trackday bike so that I can practice my techniques on track with confidence without having to worry about getting home at the end of the day if the worst happens! It is most likely a simple procedure to remove road bodywork, lights, indicators and mirrors then stick on some track plastics and take it to the track, but I'm just wondering if any others have done this with their bikes, as would be interested in any hints and tips people may have! Sounds like you got it to me....take off all that stuff and insurance too (LOL).

First, if you're deleting the 250 racing, you're missing out on, not only future MotoGP champions, but GREAT racing. That and World Supersport are my favorites. WSBK is awesome to watch this year also. I've heard it talked about, but don't know what the pickup drill is. Can you explain it? Pickup is a technique used for getting hard drives off corners that lead into a straight. It's covered in Level 2.

That would be an incorrect assumption. What Cobie says about not adding throttle and lean on the same time is based on the fact that as lean angle is increased traction is decreased. There is more to it then that but that is the foundation of his statement. As the bike stands up traction is increased so you can add much more throttle. I think of it this way. The corner is split into three parts: Turn in = off the throttle Mid turn = throttle control, smooth roll on. Drive = as hard on the gas as you can. The sooner you can get the bike picked up the sooner you can get hard on the gas. I'm coming into the throttle as hard as I think the rear tire will stand as soon as I start to stand the bike up, not after it is up. I can see how the pickup drill would be helpful here. Would all types of riders benefit from this type of technique? Only riders I see doing it in MotoGP is Edwards, I'm sure mainly due to his SBK roots. I haven't seen any 125 or 250 guys doing it, but then again I delete that stuff anyhow or watch it only when I'm pheenin'.

The WERA website has some good gouge on making a bike track-worthy.

Awwwww....mang. I wish I could work my schedule to come do Lvl3 on the East Coast. Maybe I'll take another look.

I'm a n00b in this area but I'll offer the best of what I've got as a far as knowledge goes. I doubt tire pressure is set according to rider weight, but suspension springs/ sag is however. Each tire manufacturer is different, which is why they usually have a recommendation to consult your tire distributor/ vendor (them) for advice. Michelins are set different than Pirelli vs Dunlop, etc....(get the picture). Some tire manufacturers recommend cold pressures, some give advice based on hot pressure gain. Generally tires are meant to be operated in a specified temperature range according to the design. Pressure is adjusted to bring the tire into that range based on rider speed across a specific surface, as tracks vary. The pressure setting can also vary with weather. I don't know of many resources on this "spooky" subject, but I've been in touch with Dave Moss, who is working on something to help demystify setting tires. His website is http://www.onthethrottle.tv/ Perhaps someone can be a little more helpful than I.

An enduro is a dirt race in the US. You are doing a road race, endurance? How long? CF Is WERA no longer doing the Enduro series?

Agreed. Active and passive are confusing use of words misapplied. Why not call it something like: half-steer vs full steer? (LOL)

I agree with Hubbard. It is an interesting topic and new from our vantage point. So I'll chip in my $2.00 with these two things: Hopefully I can explain this in a way that makes sense (at least it does in my head). Countersteering induces a instability that forces the bike to roll in the direction opposite the input- The Lean. The trail, as Hotfoot mentioned causes the front wheel, in an attempt to maintain stability, to turn inward thereby turning the motorcycle. I recall as a kid riding my 10 speed bicycle with no hands pedaling and turning with force applied in the direction I wanted to go. Of course, this skill didn't help much when I boarded a 300-some-odd-pound hunk of metal with a roaring powerplant between my legs, but it did rear it's head from time to time. I think we all struggle with it every once in awhile. Hotfoot, where's that RC motorcycle experiment???

Ok, great. We're on the same sheet of music now. Are you able to quantify how quickly you've been able to apply the steering input in the wet? What do you mean when you say "smooth"? I interpret quick turn as an instantaneous intentional input. To say how quickly I apply the steering in the wet, well I can definitely quick turn the bike faster now in the wet than I could 1 year ago in the dry but that doesn't really answer your question, and I'm not sure I can answer it without you seeing me on my bike! When I say smooth I mean exactly that, a QT is an instantaneous, intentional input but that does not mean it has to be done aggressively! I think that relaxing on the bike helps loads too, I had a problem with this at the school and my instructor was always telling me to relax on the bike! Relaxing is part of my plan for a corner now and I feel that I'm able to carry much higher corner speeds when not tensed up! I wish I could answer your question more accurately Jay but its hard for me to say, yeah I can QT a bike this fast in the wet! The other day though me and a friend went a road ride in the mountains, its about a 200 mile round trip up past the ski resorts, no snow at this time of year but it was torrential rain for the first half of the journey! These roads are tight and twisty with pretty much the landscape determining the camber and if you misjudge a corner here, well it would be game over, but what I noticed when it dried up in the afternoon was that I was cornering alot quicker than normal, it felt effortless too, I think what was happening was I was adding speed to the smoothness I had been practicing in the rain! Ace- I think the comparison of your increase in skill is quite enough. If I could QT in the wet a year from now faster than I do in the dry at present, I would be very satisfied with the increased ability.

Ok, great. We're on the same sheet of music now. Are you able to quantify how quickly you've been able to apply the steering input in the wet? What do you mean when you say "smooth"? I interpret quick turn as an instantaneous intentional input.

Sorry I wasn't as clear with my question as I should have been More on this sir, please.