chocadile

I'm an addict. I spend all my money on getting to the track. I too go out to the garage just look at my bikes. My parents DVR box is filled with WSB and MotoGP races. Speis in Assen greatest pass I've ever seen I can't seem to stay off MC related websites. Missing a school day to do CSS at VIR on monday. Plan on doing atleast 2 or 3 more trackdays before the end of the season. Fossil maybe we can meet on monday and have the very first Trackaholics anonymous meeting. It'll be a safe environment and no one will judge you for your addiction. LOL

I was wondering if the school mech. will be able to mount a set of tires for me on location? I will be getting tires last minute and I'm not sure if I'll have time to get them mounted locally.

The SV650 is the route I'm planning on taking. Like many have said they can be found for cheap, and already prepped for the track. One thing that I've been told is that because of the lack of power with the SV you learn to carry more cornerspeed to make up for the lack of power. Forces you to work harder to go fast, can't rely on the throttle. For racing the SV is going to be easier on tires, chanis, sprockets, ect. They are very popular bikes so parts are easy to find. I can't wait to get my hands on one. Do some resaerch in what classes you can compete in as well as what mods are allowed to the bikes, this should help focus and narrow down exactly what your looking for in a track/race bike.. Good luck on your search.

What a world of difference. With my heels bing locked onto the bike I feel much much more comfortable. I feel solid on the bike and no problems of feet slipping off the pegs. I was able to put almost no weight on the handle bars. It even feels more natural, not sure why I wasn't doing this before. Thanks again for the helpful advice. Bullet what's a proper beer? I hope nothing served at room temp. Never understood that. Ice cold is much more refeshing. All joking aside Calsberg was one of my favorites while I was visiting. Even found a beer with my last name on it(McEwans). I would love to go back to the UK to do some trackdays. Cadwell is a track I've wanted to ride ever since seeing the mountain for the first time. Donnington is another that I would like to ride reminds me of Laguna as both follow the natural flow of the land, and both are world class tracks.

Bullet - Locking onto the bike is something that I have been trying to get figured out for sometme. I did the lean bike last year but it was abbreviated because it was time to head back out to our next session. After reading your response along with fossilfuel's I think I'm having a mini breaktrough. Fossilfuel - I would like to buy you a beer. Between this thread and the other you've helped a ton. I've had more than a few light bulbs go off in my head. When reading your explanation it really helped my visualize what I should be doing, or what I'm not doing. Thank you. I have been concentrating on the knee locking onto the tank. I noticed that when I got my knee in what felt like a comfortable position while hanging off that my outside foot would slip right off. (practicing this in the garage on stands PitBull FTW ) For the most part I would keep my feet parallel to the bike, not using my heels or pointing my toes. So yes I would say that foot position for me is critical to being locked onto the bike. I'm going to do some more stactic drills tonight and play around with getting my feet locked in along with my knee and see if this helps me. I'll let you know how it works, thanks again Bullet and Fossil.

After reading a post from dbtripple, I figured that I'd post a question that I've had for a while. After watching this vid with Nick Ienatsch and Ken Hill . Nick said he spent a lot of time with Ken getting his foot position correct and once Ken had it correct that it made a world of difference. My question, what is proper foot position? The whole video they don't show one clip of where his feet are. Can someone shed some light on this for me?

briang - You make a really good point about the differences between riding on the street and track. I've never thought about it like that(survival vs. outright performance) in respect to BP. The part of the bike I'm trying to align with is my head over my inside handle bar. When I'm on the track I'm trying to get lower on the bike and as the days go on I feel more and more relaxed and familiar with it. Fossil - this is what I'm trying to accomplish. I just need to focus on it and practice it. I need to feel comfortable in this position. There was one thing I noticed while out riding this weekend. When I started to get my upper body off to the inside, bending my inside elbow and kinda pulling my upper body to the inside. I say kinda pull because I'm not putting any input into the bars but really just bending my elbow. This felt really good to me and put my upperbody in the proper position, or what felt like the proper position. Ace - thanks for the great idea. I will try it out and that should help me. One thing I noticed while doing trackdays this year is, that what i think my BP looks like and what my BP actually is are two completey different things. So the more RPs I have to check off like a list, the more I can correct. So now I have 3 Rps to let me know if my BP is correct. My head over my inside hand. Head next to and even with or below the windscreen, and my nips over the filler cap. I can't wait to learn what a hook turn is and how it's done. I'm really pumped for level 3 and just to ride VIR again, what a great track. Thanks again guys everyone has been really helpful.

Thanks a ton guys all the advice is great. The camera I'm using is a go pro, the quality is awesome, and it's even better before you upload the videos to youtube. Fossil, I like your idea about telling myself that I want to go there or here, it should help me to think more about what I want to do opposed to just relying on muscle memory and making the same mistakes over and over again. Believe me I would love to be carrying more corner speed just need to figure out how. Hubbard, next mod to my bike will be a piece of tape reading "move body to turn!!"

Hubbard - I'm sure it will help. Just practicing being that low on the bike will help me. Majority of my riding is done on the street and I just don't ride like that going down the road. I'm pretty much in an upright seated position while riding and that's what I've been used to. Now getting low on the bike is something that is unfamiliar to me. I know with time it will come. When I first started doing trackdays just tucking in on straights felt very wierd and I am now getting used to that feeling. That is why I think you steering drill will be very helpful to me, just need to find a large empty lot. I also talked with Dylan about this last year and he told me that it will take sometime to get used to seeing the track from this position. Adam - I feel as though I am turning as quick as I can in that section. I know I could do it better or faster but I think my body posistion on the bike is what is hindering my quick turn. When I did my level 1 we did just the plain ole steering drill just turning right to left, and that taught me that when my shoulders and elbows are lower that I have more power and control with my inputs.(also taught me that I was pushing the bike underneath me when I was steering) For some odd reason I'm not doing this all the time on the track. Liike I mentioned earlier I'm still getting used to riding the bike like it is supposed to be ridden, and not street cruising. I will be taking level 3 at VIR on 8/31 so hopefuly I'll get some time to work on these problems with the coaches, can't wait.

Adam I am really looking foward to seeing the CSS crew again in sept. I actually had Cobie as a coach for a day last time I was down there. As far as fixing the turn in point. I think there might be two things I could do. The first would be to wait a little longer to turn in but turn the bike quicker. The second would be to pick a better line. I would need to stay closer to the candy stripes in the exit of the very long lefthander and that would then set me up for a later turn in point where I could carry the same speed and not have to adjust how fast I'm turning the bike. Hubbard that is a drill I'm gonna give a try. Just need to find an empty lot now. I find it very wierd to be so low on the bike. I don't do it on the street and what is comfortable to me is a dirtbike seating position, so this is something I need to get used to, which will probably come with more track time. Thanks again guys your post have really got me thinking.

Thanks for the replies. Adam I've done levels 1 & 2. Hoping to get to level 3 in sept. You're right the video is such a great tool, escpecially when I can have you guys look at it and give me some advice. I need to get one of those tower things you guys have on the camera bike. Hey jody I believe I met you at this day(Roger Lyle 7/16). I was at the other end of the garage, and using Guss's computer all day to review my vids. I was on the black and silver f4i. Hubbard I'm thinking I'm getting crossed up because I'm not properly locked onto the bike and still holding onto the bars too much? What should I do or practice to get rid of this habbit. I need to remind myself to get my body lower on the bike, it must be a comfort thing. Thanks again for the replies keep them coming.

I just recently did a trackday at NJMP thunderbolt and have a video I put together. I would love to here some constructive criticism any advice would be helpful. Vid - I can already identify a couple of problems I'm having. 1. Some corners I feel I am turning in to early. Example the first right in the chicane before the straight. 2. I need to get my upper body closer to the tank. 3. Not getting my body far enough off the bike? Anything else you would like to add please do. I have raw footage of both views I can upload if more of either camera angle is helpful.

I pretty sure the dude infront is Josh Herrin. He's pretty much draggin elbow through most of those corners WOW.

I'm a lurker. I like reading through the posts mostly in the cornering forum to see what barriers people are hitting. And if they are the same as mine i see or read what was used or done to over come them. There are so many people here with so much knowledge I try to absorb as much as i can reading through the posts. I guess if I had some informative to say i would post it. Most of the time somebody has already said what i wanted to.

thanks my conformation paperwork got shuffled around so I figured I'd post.

I'm attending the school at VIR tomorrow and was wondering what time we needed to be at the track?

Great read thanks for sharing. I'm signed up for the 2 day at VIR and can't wait. Now I have an even better idea of what to expect.