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I guess I'm still riding mostly on the road. Until a couple of months ago, I hadn't even tried doing a clutchless downshift, but thanks to this forum, I am now able to do a clutchless downshift. On the road, I mainly use the clutch both up and down, but I'm practising doing clutchless shifting for the benefit of the track riding (I've changed the gear lever on the road bike to match the racebike). On the track, I predominantly use clutchless upshifting, but use the clutch when going down. Since I have to be at fair low rpm to make a nice, positive clutchless downshift without gearbox noises, I don't do them much if at all (haven't got the time, you know ;-). Kai

Thanks, I understand that. I realize I didn't explain well why I was disappointed with my first Level 4. Allow me correct that: it had everything to do with myself, and nothing to do with neither coach nor Liaison. Thinking the experience over later, I found that I wasn't very clear on which parts of my riding that I wanted to work on, and why, ahead of time. I was more like "OK, doing a single day when I'm driving all the way from Denmark to Silverstone and back, so why don't I do both Level 3 and 4 while I'm there.", and the results followed (OK, pissing rain didn't help either. But that's just me). I didn't have a plan for the day. Since then, I've taken time to observe and work with my driving, in order to better pinpoint the places where I needed help. And that's what made all the difference. I wonder if other students who did their first Level 4 just the day after another level have observed the same "doldrum"? Best regards, Kai

Just like Hansi, I was at Gelleråsen for CSS classes in the past weekend. I'd like to say a big thanks to JET, Spidey and Nemo, who were my Level 4 Liaisons and coaches (JET and Spidey swapped roles from Friday to Saturday - actually a brilliant idea). We had a very intimate little Level 4 group going with just three students on both Friday and Saturday, so Spidey & JET got to film all three of us in all the sessions. On the first day, we got working on getting rid of my tunnel vision, and getting that drive working right from the lean angle is set, instead of waiting to the apex, and on the second day I was working on body position. Sheesh, that Knee flick is still difficult to get right! My (very) long legs and arms also meant that I had to figure out a way to move my arms when going into and out of the Hook Turn position, as my knee is in the way of my elbow. Before coming the Gelleråsen, I was a little hesitant regarding doing several Level 4 days in a row, since I was a little disappointed from my first Level 4. What made all the difference was that this time around, I was arriving with a clear idea of where and what I wanted to improve. I had mounted my video camera pointing forwards, and it was actually useful from time to time, since the coaches had problems with their GoPro camera, so we actually used my video to review both my lines, but also one of the other students, as I had happened to be just behind him for about a lap, before passing him. All in all a big thumbs up to the entire CSS UK team and the SMC team for organizing the days, and providing the wrangling, cornerworking and other services. Cheers, Kai

Hi Hansi, Yeah, it was really hot over the weekend at Gelleråsen. I was doing two days of Level 4 on Friday & Saturday. Great photos by Gary "picman" as usual. Regards, Kai (the tall dane on a blue R1)

Yes, absolutely correct. Best regards, Kai

Talan, Congrats from Scandinavia too. Just to add to the list of people who has overcome disabilities to ride and race: one of the Swedish racers is a double leg-amputee (just below the knee, I believe). Way to go! Kai

Try a bike with a quick shifter and then we talk. I know that I can do my upshift in my bike without a clutch. but there is a big difference in speed and timing when I used mi quick shift. Also, there is a reason that the quick shifter was invented and at all levels of racing is been used. Cheers to you too. The razor. Hi Razor, I'm probably dense today, but where exactly do you disagree with my post? Best regards, Kai

I have a CBR1000RR with a BAZZAZ sytem (fuel mapping, traction control and quick shifter). I love the quick shifter. It is supposed to be used only for upshifting, you have to use the clutch for downshifting unless you want to time the downshifting with the RPM. Also the shifter works better with high RPM. I do not know about the BMW, but I figure it is the same. I will find out in August went I take my fisrt class and I get to ride the BMW. My two cents. Actually, my 2009 zx6r has no shift assist or quick shifter, nevertheless I can upshift with no clutch. So what will the quick shifter change? A quick-shifter allows you to change gear in about 2 milli-seconds (2/1000 second), that's what it does - it cuts the ignition just enough to do the gear change. A "normal" clutchless shift requires you to slightly close and then reopen the throttle, to take the forces off the clutch gears (this takes maybe 50-100 milliseconds). As discussed earlier at length, you can do clutchless up- and down-shifts without a quick-shifter. Cheers, Kai

Link doesn't work for me. I'm interested in seeing the video There was a http// too much in that link. This should work better: Cheers, Kai

Can you let off the brakes too early? Or do they mean too quickly? The only explanation I can imagine is that they've set up the front end to rebound very quickly, and that would take the weight off the front end, causing the wash-out. Kai

So, not many students or at least non-coaches has chipped into Cobie's thread, so let's try it this way. Which track is your favourite track for coaching/honing you skills? - and why? And which one do you like the best, overall - and why? I've been to two tracks with CSS so far: Gelleråsen in Sweden and Silverstone South (before they changed the track). I found Silverstone South to be quite open and of a "gas it" track rather than technical, whereas Gelleråsen is the opposite: lots of turns leading from one to the other, with much less straights. Of the other tracks I've visited, I probably like Ring Knutstorp the best - lots of elevation changes and different types of turn ... and, hey, it' damn close to my home Some call it "The Nurburgring of Sweden", and I can relate to that. Speaking of the Nordschliefe, it's awesome and fearsomely dangerous. I don't consider it to be a real track, although I find it fascinating - officially it's a one-way, toll-collect, no-speed-limit highway. Speak up! Kai

I find the rear brake quite handy .... but mostly on the road. Why is the rear brake handy? Using the rear brake doesn't change the weight distribution as much as when using the front brake Using the rear brake doesn't affect the steering geometry as much as using the front brake It's much easier to just ease off a bit of speed than when using the front brake (useful when you're getting a whee bit too close for comfort to the guy in front, you just want to back off a bit, not brake hard) Applying the rear brake a split second before the front brake will make the rear of the bike quat a bit, lowering the centre of gravity, allowing you to brake harder before the rear end comes up (this is primarily for emergency braking on the road, where you want to come to a halt as quickly as possible - something you very very rarely need on the track) If you get hit by a car from the rear, when you're stationary, using the rear brake will reduce the risk of the bike getting thrown around the steering head pivot point (hard to describe, but easy to demonstrate: sit on your bike and apply the front brake alone - have a friend push the bike from behind. Now try the same with just the rear brake applied. Huge difference in how the bike reacts). Except for #5, the rear brake is just a "helper", not the primary brake. Kai

Don't we all have that fear? That's part of why I ride on the track - to challenge that fear in a safe and fun environment. I think of - and explain it - in this way: Basically, we are all working with two sets of limits: the physical (hard) limits of the bike & the road, and the mental (soft) limits in our mind. To most of us, the mental limit comes much before the physical limit. If you're at your own mental limit of, say, lean-angle, pushing that handlebar more to lean over the bike more will take quite an effort, since you're convinced that you're going to crash. Unfortunately, pushing violently through this "fear barrier" will often make you end up on the road, rubber side up, since the Survival Reactions from your Reptilian Brain makes you do the wrong actions. But you can challenge and move your mental limits by experiencing that your mental limit is bogus - and while that experience is usually learned first hand, it can also coming from watching other people ride: About 8 years ago, I was regularly doing trackdays at the same track with a couple of friends. Generally our pace were very similar, but in a particular 270 degree (the Carousel of Anderstorp) I could ride a bit faster than them and I got held up by them in that turn. In the paddock I mentioned to them that they could go quicker than the current pace, one of them immediately shot back "well why don't you just pass us then". Sure enough, I passed them both on consecutive laps on the outside in that particular turn in the next session. That had an immediate effect: next session they had increased their speed in the very same turn! Basically, I was moving their mental frame or limit for them: since we could all go at the same speed everywhere else, they surely could ride just as fast in that turn as I did .... and I had just proven to them that we could safely move our mental limit closer to the the physical limit. Now, I would argue that the "if he can ride that fast, then I can do that too" approach should be applied very judiciously, but then again, maybe that's why I'm not riding in MotoGP Now, off to bed and up in the morning for a 4 x 20min practice session at Sturup Raceway. Kai

I think it's an excellent idea! for many tracks, it will force you to learn dealing with decreasing-radius turns. I take that the road-worthiness test of the A* outfit was done at a different venue, since Miller was a Crash-Free Zone? Kai

Amid, In short, what Level 1 does is to tear down the most fundamental of your "riding habits" (however ill-gotten) and replace them the technology that makes you stable and safe: good throttle control, how and where to pick your turn points, how and why to do a quick turn, reducing or avoiding unwanted steering input, and finally putting it all together into the Two Step technique. I may not sound as much, but properly executed it can make a huge difference over your the feel of being in control of the bike and the turns. The coaches would probably emphasize or word it different, I'm sure Cheers, Kai (did L1-4 last year, looking forward to 2 days of L4 coming up in 2 weeks time)

Like hotfoot, I have hesitated to reply because I couldn't narrow it precisely so far. The best label I can put on it is "Quality of Life" - I don't ride for the adrenaline rush: last time I got a major adrenaline rush on a bike, it cost be a nearly totaled bike and 30% of my vision on my left eye, so I make a darn good point out of not repeating this. I continue to ride, for my perceived Quality of Life from biking much outweighs the Risk of Major Injury (most non-bikers clearly don't get this part). I ride because ... it's fun, it makes me feel alive, the experience of the beauty of the scenery around me (especially while touring the three-digit "Riksveier" in Norway) and smells, the feeling of being aggression and control on the track (as well as the smug smile of achievement I get from passing someone, even though it's not a race). It's my personal time-out where I don't have to think of anything else than the road ahead and the control of the bike. Big thumbs up to that! Even though I have neither kids nor wife, I know the importance of taking out time to rejuvenate myself: by being and doing more for myself, I can be more for the people around me. Cheers, Kai

Alex Schacht, an up-and-coming 16-year danish rider, as set a new lap record for the 600cc class at the Scandinavian Raceway Anderstorp track, in the beginning of May. Schacht set the new class record - 1:35.60 - on course to winning the second race of the Swedish Championship Round held at Anderstorp, despite visiting the track for the first time that weekend. It is an improvement of approximately 1 second over the old record. Even more stupifying was Schacht's win in the first race - a wet race: he was lapping aproximately 8 seconds faster than the local Swedes, and by the end of the 11-lap race, he was a staggering 1m02s ahead of number two! As a comparison, the ultimate laprecord for motorcycles was set by Wayne Rainey in the final GP500 race held at Anderstorp in 1990, which reads 1:31.107. I saw Schacht race in the end of May at Anderstorp (as part of my own 3-day session there) against other danish riders, and while he was "only" doing 1:36 laps, he was lapping a full second quicker than number two, and three seconds quicker than the winner of the German Yamaha R6-Cup in 2007, Thomas Rebien. If he keeps up like this, we should bee him compete at the world championship level in a couple of years. Report in danish: http://www.mctc.dk/?...5550&pagetype=1

On closer inspection, it seems that both Stoner and Lenz have their "wedding tangle" right up against the tank. Also, they're not hanging very much off the bike.

haha, love it. OK, that was SO internal! Any clues for the uninitiated? Kai

neow's on a 400 (VFR400 as I recall from his first post), so closer to 12K rpm perhaps. I've never raced, but I read that you want to be at max torque, when letting the clutch out. Regards, Kai EDIT: yup, a VFR400.

Ordered! Went to see the trailer on the slednecks site, and found the link in the first posting is no longer valid. I *think* it's suposed to link to this: http://slednecks.mobilerider.com/tv/1613/iframe.php?mid=24990&cid=10614 Regards, Kai

5 wins out of 6 races, that's pretty amazing! Kai

Well, make that one half-day at Sturup on May 23rd, and 3 days at Scandinavian Raceway, Anderstorp on May 28/29/30th. If the weather had played nice this past Friday, I would have nicked a day at Ring Knutstorp, too. Next up is probably ½ day June 4th at Sturup, just to polish up the form before 2 days of CSS and a day of photo-frenzy Next point should be July 30/31+August 1st on Knutstorp - what a perfect way to spend your last three days of vacation :D The Frand Finale is likely to be Augsut 24th .... on Knutstorp, as well. Kai

In my experience, it has to be a fairly steep hill, just to keep the speed up. On my commute I have a road that goes downhill for about 1km, but even if I start out at 60kph and pull in the clutch, the speed will drop to around 50-55kph. I guess this is why you're having the engine in neutral, as it gives less drag from the gearbox. Regards, Kai

After almost 2 months of track-hiatus (since Easter), I was scheduled for three days at the Scandinavian Raceway Anderstorp, in Sweden. It's a big (4020meters), fast track with long sweeping turns, which hosted Formula 1 Grand Prix's in the 1970'ies and GP500 was running there up until 1990. Since the Danish organizers were using local (ie Swedish) hands to handle the marshalling, not all things worked perfectly. Also, it was a rather large trackday, with up to 50 riders in each of four groups - with trackday novices led around the track in the D (slowest) group, and National and International level racers in the A (fastest) group and running Round I & II of a Cup series during the weekend. I participated in the B (second fastest) group, together with two friends. With that many novices, spills were abundant (yellow and red flags being waved quite a bit) and "rather alternative" lines were used. This was truly the havoc that several others have experienced at trackdays around the globe (but quite unlike CSS). In particular, I had a few incidents going from Turn 3 ("Hansen", a left-hander) into Turn 4 ("The Carousel" a 270 degree right-hander) where novices would take then as two independent turns, instead of cutting it short as an S-combination. At a particular incident, I had to slam the brakes so hard I did a sizeable stoppie, in order to avoid getting hit by another driver changing his line from far to right. After that I waited until I could determine what you were going to do and then go around them the on the outside. Last time I was at Anderstorp was in 2008, where I recorded a fastest laptime of 1:54:99. By the end of the first day, I had cut out 2 seconds of that, and continued to cut away another two seconds across the next two days, yielding a 1:50.707 lap in the final session - and I know that there's more to be found there. I had plenty of exercise in using the Pickup Drill and Hook-Turns, as well as working on flushing out old body positioning errors. Pictures taken my one of my friends' GF showed an visible difference in body positioning from the first to the last day! I'm still struggling with selecting good RP and TP's for the big sweepers (Turns 1, 2, 4 and 6) and leaning far enough, but TC and applying enough gas is better much better - so good that I was glad that I used the Pickup Drill, due to the rear tires starting to slide from time to time. The slides weren't very big, but enough for me to notice them and yet not getting into panic mode. I've brought back around 1150 pics and 4.8GB of video, so it'll take some time to sort through the silt for the gold nuggets. The ContourHD camera fell off the bike in the final session and took some damage, but the kind folks at VholdR has promised to send be some spare parts - free of charge! How's that for service? Videos and pictures to follow! Kai