khp

(snip) Awesome, thanks Cobie. Kai (camera loaded and ready to rock :-)

There is a video on youtube where Keith explains the first part of the suspension tuning process, adjusting the spring sag. Ohlins has online guides on how to set up and tune the suspension settings - basically all their manuals for the rear shocks contain a section on suspension setup. http://www.ohlins.com/Checkpoint-Ohlins/Se.../Underrubrik_1/ As Cobie said, start with the preload and then work from there. The exact compression/rebound settings will depend on the road/track condisions, your riding style & weight, and even surface (track) temperature. Regards, Kai

I'll call a fault on that "trivia" - we have a braking force (deaccelleration) measurement box* and we see just under 1.0G on normal asphalt (heck, we just saw a 'Busa do 10.1m/s^2 on average, which is >1.0G this weekend). *) http://www.bikeview.de/ Cool to know. I'm assuming the bigger/longer bikes (Busa, ZX-14) have excellent braking numbers/distances, due to longer wheelbase and weight--any data on that, say compared to a 600? Agree on the longer bikes. We had another instructor do 10.0 on his BMW K1100RS (with the ABS kicking in, not doing him any favours) and I recall having a student last year who did 10.0 too on his ZX-9R, with his GF as pillion. I've done 9.7-9.8 on my 2003 R1, which should be close enough for a 600cc as things go. Cheers, Kai

I'll call a fault on that "trivia" - we have a braking force (deaccelleration) measurement box* and we see just under 1.0G on normal asphalt (heck, we just saw a 'Busa do 10.1m/s^2 on average, which is >1.0G this weekend). *) http://www.bikeview.de/ Cheers, Kai

I finally got the streetbike back on the roads after the winter period, and I played a little with doing clutchless downshifts on it today. I must say that I was surprised to find how easy it was in the taller gears (3->2 could get a bit rough), even here the first day into trying it. Thanks to all for sharing and discussing it, Kai

Greg, I think your observations are quite common. In Denmark/Sweden, we usually have 4 levels called something like Green, Yellow, Red and Black (written in increasing speed). It usually goes like this: Green group: First timers. The riders have a very low speed, but most of them don't have a clue about lines or TC, and they are all over the place. Few accidents - most ppl either run straight into the sandtrap or outbrakes themselves. Yellow group: The "big desperado" group. Most have a couple of trackdays under their belt and/or think they're the next Rossi (they're not). Speed is significantly higher than in Green group and crashes are abundant. Lines and laptimes are wildly erratic. There's a large disparity in laptimes and riding in such a group either requires ignorance, a very high skill level, or nerves of steel. Or all of them. Red group: in this group most riders rides with fairly consistent lines and laptimes (the're still a few oddballs). Crashes happen, but at a fairly low rate. Black group: usually riders who either have a (rookie) racing license or is running at a pace close to that. Lines are very predictable and consistent. More crashes in Red group, since they are here to push their personal limits. But as stuman points out, the particular trackday provider can also make a huge difference. Kai

Can you do it, yep, on both a bike with or without a slipper clutch, though, it's quite a bit trickier than upshifting. How do you do it? Same as an upshift really, slightly lift of the throttle and press or pull up your shift lever (depending on race of road shift). I often use it when I'm going moderately slowly, and briskly, but for full on race speeds, clutch all the way.. I'm a little confused by the description of the throttle action - are you slightly increasing or decreasing the revs, when it's time to do the downshift? My normal action for a clutchless upshift is this: 1) apply pressure on the gear lever to select the next gear up 2) do a short but quick closing of the throttle to take the power off the tranny for a split-second - next gear will engage. Where in the rev-range are you normally when you do a downshift? - you sure need to be far enough away from the rev limiter, for the engine revs not to bounce against it when the lower gear is engaged Kai (gotta do something while I'm waiting for the snow to melt away)

Well, Christmas 2010 came a little late, but still in time for the season - picked up both of my suits today and they look and feel awesome. The photo of the 2-piece road suit is pretty bad due to the reflective material fooling the light sensor on the camera. The yellow 1-piece is of course inspired by the Yamaha Laguna Seca 2005 team colors (a tribute to the "bumblebee" colors used by King Kenny in Ye Olde Days). Woo-hoo! Kai

I ended up with the ContourHD 1080p + a few paraphenalia. I've done a few test videos, but real testing will have to wait until the biking starts - i.e. that the white/brownish slush-ice out on the streets goes away and the temperature goes up with 10 degrees (celcius) or so. Kai

Great race, stu! Is it just me or were you suffering a bit from having less power (or more weight for the same power) than #1 and #3? Kai

teg, I'm not a tire specialist, but the general rule I have been told is that tires should be less than 5 years old when you first mount them and once you start using them, they should be replaced after (max) 2 years. This is due to chemicals that are put into the tire compound (to make the tire more flexible) that tends to evaporate with heat cycles and time. Kai

I have found that covering the front brake with two fingers at all times makes things awkward, especially during roll-ons, so I don't do it (anymore). If I'm braking or I am in a situation when I need extra quick reaction (for emergency braking), I do cover the front brake with two fingers. Hope this helps, Kai

Crash, that's a tricky question. If she is very hesitant at braking and evasive manouvres (basically counter-steering), then I would advice that she starts with a course that focuses on that*, to bring her up a couple of notches. Once she is comfortable with those manouvres, bring her on to CSS. *) You didn't state where you're living, so I can't recommend a course for her. All the best, Kai

Dude that's is ancient history, and there are very few witnesses to this, so did it really happen? The more CF resists, the more it sticks Kai

Actually, I've found that twins have less "flexible" engines than inline-four's. On my old R6, I could effectively use the upper 1/2 of the revs, while on a friends SV650, I needed to be in the top 1/3 to make it go fast (and hence many more gear changes). And enough horsepower Kai

You could've learned that by just by picking up "The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy" by Douglas Adams. Much cheaper that way, and hilarious if you like the British humour Kai

They're MotoGP- and Rossi-nuts already, but yes, regardless of how nuts they are today, they would double and triple that nuts-level if Rossi rode a Ducati, and he won the championship. (hmmm ... that would really put him further deep into the history books - I don't think anyone has won world championships on more than two bike brands).

My guess is that he was just a tad too greedy with the gas, offloading the front too much causing the front end to slide. Kai

Bobby, I dont recall if you did Level 2, but if you did, do you remember the "Change lines" drill? In a situation like this, the "change lines" drill is good for these situations where you cannot hit your "normal" turn point, but you should still be able to hit almost the same line through the corner by turning a little later and quicker (I think - not totally sure about this though), if you're closer to the inside of the turn than you normally would. Say your normal entry into the corner is at the extreme outside of the corner, and you have a good TP and line that obeys the Throttle Control rule. Now, if your new entry is in the middle of the track, you should still be able to hit the same line by intersecting your trajectory and the "good line" and making a Turn point and steering input that makes you hit that line. OK, so it's a bit difficult to explain without a drawing, but I hope you get the gist of my point. Regards, Kai (off to sleep - it's past midnight!)

Doing it in the gravel trap doesn't help either. But grabbing the barend is the way to go, even on sportbikes. Make sure the steering is locked all the way to one side, and see that the front wheel digs into the ground (or gravel). Then lift with your legs and back. Kai

I've stayed away and stepped back thinking about the levelling your eyes points made, while sanding an old race fairing (a very boring task that takes about $0.01 of my attention). And I think you nailed the crux of it there. Leveling your eyes with the horizon is simply a crutch - it can be useful in the beginning when you are crawling, but it should be thrown away when you can walk comfortably, so as not to become a liability when you start running. Kai

I don't think I did that drill. What's the "relax drill" stuman? Kai

Andy Ibbott writes in "Performance Riding Techniques" that basically to become "bike-fit" you need to ride the real bike and goes on to quote a top racer about always ending up being knackered after the first test post-winter (I'm paraphrasing from memory here). But it sure helps having a good cardio-vascular fitness. Kai

You need to sign up to see the big pics, but not the thumbnails. Oh well, we have stuman's pics here

In my personal opinion, you don't need to do the 2-day camp as a starter. Booking just 1 day or 2 days in a row will be an excellent start anyway. Cheers, Kai