Bpez

I'm faster in the lead. I tend to fixate on the guy in front of me and make mistakes.

Do you wear full length on the bottom half? Yep, full length. Just seem to bind up on the knees. I have an inner liner in the suit which is kind of like mesh and I wear full length UA. Gotta start experimenting. I'm already big on the bike (6'4") and the last thing I need is binding at the knees. OK, if full length on those, then it's down to the suit. As I recall (and looking at your avatar) you have your own suit, maybe some tailoring...? who made it? Yea, exactly what I was thinking. It's a Syed suit custom made in Florida. There's a local girl (LizzyLeather) that a lot of the WERA guys use. Going to talk to her about it.

Do you wear full length on the bottom half? Yep, full length. Just seem to bind up on the knees. I have an inner liner in the suit which is kind of like mesh and I wear full length UA. Gotta start experimenting. I'm already big on the bike (6'4") and the last thing I need is binding at the knees.

For track only riding, it has less seams, less areas that can come apart. I'm more comfortable in one too. One thing that surpirses me is what guys do and don't wear under them. Bare flesh or t-shirts really aren't very good--one sticks to the suit. Inner liners like Kushitani or RS Taiichi (not sure on spelling), or Under Armour, lots of guys like those too. I wear both a full mesh liner on hot days, or top and bottom on cold days. Just this makes riding so much more comfortable! I wear jogging pants and an Under Armour long sleeve top which works great for not sticking to the leathers. Man it sucks to try and get out of them without it now. lol I wear UA underneath, but still have a problem with binding on the knee pads. My pads are foam rubber on the inside and stick to the inner liner. I've been thinking of putting something on the inside of the pads to make 'em slippery. Anyone else have this problem and come up with a good fix?

I've met people that love Calbogie and even go as far as to call it the best track in N. America. I plan on checking it out next season. So based on that, you might be disappointed riding anything else. But all tracks have something different to offer and that's what keeps it interesting.

OMG.....I think I'm going to pop a gasket! Just what the doctor ordered to get us through the winter.

With so much stacked against us, it helps to take whatever precautions you can to minimize getting seriously hurt in an accident. I had a compression fracture of 2 vertebrae....takes a long time to heal. Along with buying the best gear you can afford, you need to get your body in shape. Need to be strong and flexable. I'm working on it. I know I'm in no shape to bounce back quickly from any type of crash. I kinda half fell/jumped out of a deer stand this past Tuesday and am still feeling it. I wear the Knox Aegis back protector and have the Knox chest protector (never used). Feels great and you barely know it's there as far as freedom of movement goes. Syed Custom Suit, Held Phantom gloves, Arai helmet, Sidi boots.

In my opinion....seat time combined with the proper instruction and ongoing criticism to prevent bad habits from overtaking the good habits. You need to keep your head on straight since this sport can hurt you pretty quick. As you get better, you need to keep your emotions under control. Money definitely helps for the best gear and instruction. Where there's a will, there's a way....I know guys who will never spend a dime on instruction. What they don't realize is a couple of school days can easily be worth more than a dozen or more track days.

You're comparing apples to oranges. The forces on the tire are much greater at higher speeds. Too many variables out there too. No 2 turns are exactly the same to say that the same lean angle can work on every turn at any speed. The faster turn will require you to hang off the bike more to keep your CG lower so there's another variable thrown into the mix. Just my opinion. Hopefully others will chime in.

He should get the save of the decade award. good save but look at this! http://videos.streetfire.net/video/BEST-RE...EVER_201595.htm Now that was cool....one in a million chance at best

Will is out of the office right now, and likely for more than a week, but I'll alert him to this. He has a Toy Hauler type trailer, so didn't have to do the insulation, etc., but for sure the E-track. I tihnk he may have put it on the floor too. The chaulks we came up with for the school trailer, that' s a bit involved. One other comment: all the time we see guys tying their forks down too tight. Snug the front end, then a little tigher on the back end, and use 4 tie downs--ALL THE TIME. For years, I only used 2. But, with 2 if 1 brakes/fails in any way--bad deal. With 4 it'll still be in one piece, and likely undamaged. Forks tied down too tight are tough on the springs and seals. CF Yea, I currently use the Baxley Sport chock and canyon dancers. Anyone thinking about a chock should definitely check out Baxley. http://www.baxleycompanies.com/Sportchock.html Awesome for pit use too. I'm itching to try out the strapless stands. They use an axel rod through the rear axel so there's no compression of the suspension and you don't need straps. You can also line the bikes up 6" apart. One of the worse parts of using an enclosed trailer is that you have no idea how the bikes are doing until you open that door. I'll gladly pay for peace of mind knowing that the bikes are solid.

I like the inverter idea for the 12v lighting. Never really gave that much thought. Good stuff! Definitely going with electric brakes. Ford brakes suck so I'll need all the help I can get. Any opinion on V-nose vs flat front? I know it gives more storage. Some say better gas mpg, but I have my doubts that it helps that much.

Here's a good video of when things go bad....watch the save at the 3 min mark and another http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IWphvp26p8&NR=1

Now that's a great picture! You need to turn into the slide and stay on the gas to avoid a high side. The bike naturally does it all on its own. Now if you would chop the throttle or let the rear grip while moving sideways....goodnight Irene.

I'm in the market for an enclosed trailer. Looking at 6x12. Already have the strapless stands http://www.ststands.com/main.cfm that I used for my open trailer. Setting it up for 3 bikes, but will mostly carry 2. Pulling it with a F150 4x4 Supercab. Want to know the lessons learned from you guys. If you were doing it all over again, what would you do the same/different. Ramp vs. barn door Torsion vs. spring Single vs. dual axel Best flooring/wall finishing Trailer brand names Cabinets E trak on the walls You get the idea. I plan on buying new or near new. Chime in with any thoughts/pics or advice.

Thanks to all for the welcome. Bpez- I'll definitely be in touch. I'm fairly new to the area and don't have anybody to ride with. I actually live in Thorndale with a Downingtown post office address. I think I'd fit in with your crew- 41 and just started riding a sport bike. I catch some flack from some of the younger guys I work with, but you're only as old as you feel. Yea, you're right down the road from me. I'm just off Rt 322 about 1 mile from the D-town High School. Right now we do our track days with http://www.teampromotion.com/tpm.php but will ride next year with other groups depending on the schedules. Kevin is right about the best spent money would be on CSS and track days. The formal instruction will payoff 10 fold. I'll be doing level 4 at VIR and NJMP. Right now I'm out in CA on business. Gonna try to hit Laguna and Infineon this spring. You're more than welcome to pit with us or hit it out in the country on the weekends. I'm 40, ex AF so we'll hit it off just fine. Thanks Bpez. As you can probably tell, I've not had any formal training (other than the MSF course), so I'm sure I'll have alot of questions about bike preparation and track protocol. When do plan on your next session? Mike C. col3278@yahoo.com. We're done 'til spring. You can do your first track day with us at Team Promotion. They have an ART basic class that all first time track riders need to take. Bill Sink teaches it. Does a good job teaching you all the basics. Track lines, safety rules, body positioning, etc. It'll get you out there so you get a feel for what track riding is all about. Then you should get into one of the CSS classes. I did level 1&2 back to back the same weekend. Worth every penny. Track riding is a lot of fun on it's own, but once you get taught the proper techniques it all comes together and you really start having a blast out there. I got bumped up to the intermediate group my first track day after CSS. Never asked to be evaluated for the bump. Just doing my thing out there and got noticed by a contol rider who bumped me up. That's what CSS will do for your riding. As far as helping you get started, I'm more than willing to help. Start with buying the best gear you can afford. My wife doesn't question any of the expense. She just asks "Will it make you safer out there?" End of discussion. Now that winter is here, you have some time to get everything ready. Fire away with any questions. You can even use the PM funtion here, but I think everyone gains from questions on the board. It's good to get a broad range of opinions especially when it comes to gear.

Seen him in action. He's all of 80 lbs and fast as ######. No fear at all in that kid. Wish my Dad got me into racing at 6....

If you have never locked the front brake, it would be a good idea to purposely do so in a controlled environment to experience what it feels like when it happens and learn what to do to handle it in an emergency. In fact, the school has a special braking rig bike and standard drill just for this purpose where students learn to gradually ease out of the brake lever to smoothly re-gain traction and allow the wheel to rotate again. Yea, I ugraded my brakes and lines a few weeks ago. Discovered first hand what it's like to lock up the front and do a stoppie....LOL Racer is right. You need to experience it in a controlled environment.

Thanks to all for the welcome. Bpez- I'll definitely be in touch. I'm fairly new to the area and don't have anybody to ride with. I actually live in Thorndale with a Downingtown post office address. I think I'd fit in with your crew- 41 and just started riding a sport bike. I catch some flack from some of the younger guys I work with, but you're only as old as you feel. Yea, you're right down the road from me. I'm just off Rt 322 about 1 mile from the D-town High School. Right now we do our track days with http://www.teampromotion.com/tpm.php but will ride next year with other groups depending on the schedules. Kevin is right about the best spent money would be on CSS and track days. The formal instruction will payoff 10 fold. I'll be doing level 4 at VIR and NJMP. Right now I'm out in CA on business. Gonna try to hit Laguna and Infineon this spring. You're more than welcome to pit with us or hit it out in the country on the weekends. I'm 40, ex AF so we'll hit it off just fine.

If you're interested in track days or just want to get out and ride, look me up in the spring. We have a good crew. Just a bunch of middle aged guys who refuse to admit we're getting old. We're all from Chester County.

Just call the office. They're always happy to help. (800) 530-3350

Found this posted on the WERA forum. I did receive an update today. It appears there is a sliver of hope but realisticly, Andrew will most likely remain a paraplegic for the remainder of his life. From what I hear, the doctors say it is possble he may get some feeling in his lower extremedies but not very likely. I also understand there will be a donation site set up soon. I'll post up the address as soon as it's available. Lord knows Andrews medical bills will most likely exceed a small country's GNP. The accident itself is described as follows: Andrew and his co-writer with SR magizine (Kent Kunitsugu) was riding together with Kent in the lead. They were following a car with a single occupant who it appears met one of his buddies going the opposite direction. The driver waved out the window at his passing friend and imediately pulled to the shoulder of the road and whipped a u-turn. Kent was able to dodge the vehicle but Andrew was hit broadside and ran over by the car. The driver of the vehicle turned out to be a 15 year old male. Yes 15, it's not a typo error. Andrew is busted up pretty badly. He has broken bones in his face as well as back and pelvis damage. He has lots of swelling in his back. The doctors say they expect/hope he gets the feeling back in his legs with time. Warning - this was taken from a web-forum, it is therefore not completely credible: http://www.hayabusa.org/forum/genera...went-down.html

Might be a repost, but I just found this and thought it was pretty good. Many of those techniques should not be used for the street, nor by amateur track goers. I highly recommend not using the rear wheel slide, lol. Also, the narrator is the chief track instructor for California Superbike School in England...right Cobie? http://www.ebike-ridingtips.co.uk/video/me...?file=rossi.flv

I get one step closer to "track only" everyday.

Hate to hear this. He's also the author of Sportbike Suspension Tuning. I wish him the best. http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=34988