Jaybird180

Would you like me to correct the spelling? I just discovered this crazy thread, and I want to let you lunatics know I'll be there, too. In fourteen days. Look forward to meeting you. I WAS trying to work, now I have this countdown going on in my head!!! I guess I better go home and start stuffing steel wool into my aftermarket exhaust pipe, Laguna is COMING UP SOON!! Don't forget the ginko and the Echinecea

Hi Danny, I suspect that your issue has nothing to do with traction at all. One of the things about vision skills is that we are learning to look at where we want to go, but part of it is filtering out extraneous information; in your case, the wall. LOL...it's funny looking at my advice to you. Knowing is not the same as KNOWING something. Case in point: this weekend I found myself looking at the stupid berm in T4 at The Streets. (doh)

Moved

I didn't think I preferred one way or the other until I got on the lean bike. I now know where I want to put some focus on that.

Seems that we think alike What's the tax on $8.98?

Yeah, too many have been caught out by a bit of wind there--anyone else coming to Willow, tie the tents down really well (all 4 corners). C What's considered calm winds? <11mph? (LOL)

Let's see what your answer is to this after Sunday CF Why do I have the feeling I'm being setup

Everyone here knows about the $10 concept. We also know that once we get better at an activity, the same activity costs less. If we do something consistently and it begins to cost less how do we know that we are getting better versus getting lazy?

Checking the frame is done either by visually looking for dings or by putting it in a jig and measuring. Most shops don't have the capability and will do the visual method, which you can do yourself. As for forks, if you can put the bike on it's centerstand (Blackbird has one, right?) you can pull the forks yourself as well as checking alignment. But if you don't have the wrenching skills I'd recommend making friends with the shops people and becoming a student. It WILL make you a better rider by understanding the basics of how your machine works. Well I've inspected both the forks and the frame VISUALLY already, and I rolled the inner tubes of the forks on a smooth surface. They are both "damn straight" as far as I can tell, but my eyes aren't able to catch micrometer skewedness.. The service manual says I should measure the tubes using V-blocks, but I don't have that at home so.. Anyway, I'll check the bike and the alignment for straightness and we'll see if we find anything interesting.. The plate glass method is usually good enough. Check your wheels for alignment. Sounds like you know how to turn a wrench to me.

Checking the frame is done either by visually looking for dings or by putting it in a jig and measuring. Most shops don't have the capability and will do the visual method, which you can do yourself. As for forks, if you can put the bike on it's centerstand (Blackbird has one, right?) you can pull the forks yourself as well as checking alignment. But if you don't have the wrenching skills I'd recommend making friends with the shops people and becoming a student. It WILL make you a better rider by understanding the basics of how your machine works.

LOL...I think you got your priorities mixed up LOL

I ALWAYS cover my speedo when on the track. My understanding is that "real" racebikes don't have them anyways, so why do I need one???

Catchy phrase. Keith also said that you can think about your riding when not on the track and work it out with pen and paper. He said "paper is cheaper than tires".

I had a ~35 MPH lowside that tweaked my forks. Couldn't see it until I pulled them from the triple trees.

I think that if you are truly focused on your riding, you won't even be thinking about your gauges. But I also think you should know what your lap times are so you can practice efficiently. I've always covered my speedo on the track. I can only estimate my speeds.

Unplanned slides happen so fast you don't have time to scoot your butt over. Controlled slides mean the rider isn't introducing unwanted chassis balance changes by moving around. He's doing all the work with the right hand and steering (and maybe a little lower body muscle).

Yes, this happens in both left and right turns. The bike has a slight tendency to pull to the left hands-off, but not much. I'm using Michelin Pilot Power 2CT front and Michelin Pilot Road 2 rear... I have PP's also. The front tire is a triangular shape and tends to "fall" when countersteered. First thing though, is to get the left-pull corrected. Check your wheel alignment. You can find lots of information online about how to do that (string method). After you get that sorted then you can test ride from there and report your results. Was the bike dropped? I'm thinking bent forks, given your symptoms, but it's tough to say without more info.

Hey there Murph You'd have to eliminate the possibles to determine. Try allowing someone else to ride your bike who is similar in size, stature and weight and see if they get the same results. Or try riding a different bike. There are cases where geometry is so tweaked up that it will cause handling issues, but I'm leaning more toward unintentional rider input as the likely culprit.

What's an EZ up?

Hi Danny, I suspect that your issue has nothing to do with traction at all. One of the things about vision skills is that we are learning to look at where we want to go, but part of it is filtering out extraneous information; in your case, the wall.

Thanks Domina for helping out. The responsibility of the count down has been taking a toll on me. Not doing Laguna, but I'd like to say... 4 More Days

Standing the bike up requires a steering input.

Have you noticed this behavior on both left and right turns? Does your bike steer straight hands-off? What brand of tires are you wearing?

Stuman, I think this is a good question, however the current discussion group (myself included) may be predisposed to biasing our answers toward the street. I think the skills are complementary but there are many who choose one or the other for various reasons. Personally, I'd give up street riding if it weren't for the camaraderie aspects for I feel safer on the track, but I also feel safer on my streetbike than my super-safety optioned car. I recall reading an interview of Jason DiSalvo who said that he'd never gotten an M endorsement on his driver's license. Someone gave him a bike to ride on the street and he said he promptly returned it, terrified. The other issue is the way in which skill is measured. On the track, its measured by the stopwatch. On the street it measured by TSLI, Time Since Last Incident.

Fire; Since you have experienced a wide gap in the credibility of track side advice, I would recommend that you acquire the two Twist of the Wrist books written by Keith Code, the California Superbike School founder and owner. What most Forum regulars with tell you is that what Keith writes in these two books also serves as the basis of the curriculum used in the four levels of training offered at the School. Many (most) of us re-read these books, especially Twist II over and over again because there is so much information in them that it is easy to miss some of the detail they offer. At a minimum they will provide you a clear filter to review the advice you will begin to receive as you spend more time on the track. Beyond wrenching advice on the motorcycle itself, I will offer that I cannot think of a single piece of advice anyone has offered me at a track day that was worth a damn or wasn't what I had already been taught/learned from these books or the School. YRMV. Good luck and remember this Forum is available to you to fact check the advice you receive once you get there. Kevin What Kevin said in his lucid response what right on point, and I'd like to cosign but I think he's carried the motion on that one. However, I would like to say that many people focus on BP so much that they forget that it is a tool designed to bring about a result. What's tricky about BP though, is that it also comes as a result of getting other things in order. Basically what I'm saying is that (and T1 makes this point) that it boils down to a matter of style and personal preference (choice) and is not a diagnosis of rider skill or ability.