lwarner

As the overtaking rider it was his responsibility to assure your safety. As the owner of his bike it is his responsibility to assure it is mechanically sound. I can't really see any excuse for him to be smashing through that group at that speed, he's lucky he only hit one rider. He should bite the bullet and pay.

Thanks Hubbard, I think we've already swapped posts on another thread!

Welcome to the forum, I'm new here myself. I'm on the West Coast though.

Cold!

I can't comment on motorcycle racing specifically but I have many, many bicycle race starts. I used to get nervous until one day I realized that ANYTHING I could have done to improve my race in any way had already been either done or neglected by the time I was lining up. After that I stopped worrying about things and I am usually very steady at the start of races now. The realization helped me sleep the night before too... I used to stay up with my mind racing until I realized that nothing could help me now except maybe a good nights sleep, LOL. I don't know how I'll react to a motorcycle race though...

Interesting. I believe that I am a safer driver for having ridden a motorcycle but not for the same reasons you mentioned. When I drive, I don't feel the need to have fun or anything. I used to enjoy zipping around but now I just drive like an old lady. I think that I just get all my speed needs fulfilled on the track and when I take to my car on public roads I just can't be bothered to hurry. I compare it to if I eat fillet mignon every night at 6:00, it's 4:30 and I'm hungry but all that's available is a dry chicken breast. Do I eat it because I'm hungry? NO. I will wait an hour and a half because I'm spoiled.

I guess this is a little off topic, but I love those gloves. I thought maybe I'd get a pair but they were over 400 bucks! That's enough for gloves AND new rubber.

To be perfectly honest it did feel like there was a level of stability there that hadn't been there before. I didn't notice anything wrong before I raised the pressure and I'd been running about 30/30, but with the higher pressure it did feel better, I just couldn't really put my finger on it.

Hahah, nice pic, thanks.

On my last track day I was told by the Michelin tire tech that they recommend 36 psi front and rear in my Pilot Powers for the track. I was surprised at how high that was so I talked to him about it and he said that track specific tires are designed to run at a higher temperature and one of the ways they achieve this is to run less pressure. He said that less pressure will raise the temp of the tire. Street/track tires like my Pilot Powers use higher pressure, which lowers their operating temp to the target range for that specific rubber. He said they are designed this way so that you will have decent grip coming out of your driveway and they will be up to temp by the time you hit a fwy on-ramp. He also said that by running something in the range of 30 psi you will be cooking the tire and all that will happen is that it will wear faster, might seem a little "greasy" and you are challenging the integrity of the sidewalls. What do you guys think?

Hi, what do you mean by this? I take it to mean not to slide your arse across the seat too much, to avoid twisting the body. Is this correct? When I did my level 2 we couldn't use the lean bike as it was raining. I've got my level 3 on Monday so maybe it will all become clear. Cheers SA-- Have you seen guys hanging off the bike, lots of lower body off, and then counterleaning with the upper? Even up to and including pro riders? Like this?

Check out this thread HERE, specifically post #14. All I know is what I've read on the forums and it Twist 2 but this did come to mind.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure both of them have those titanium elbow armor that Dainese uses.

The lean angle on this pic is ridiculous. I'm not sure what track this is... Catalunya?, not sure. Any guesses about their corner speed? I was also kind of curious if anybody had a guess as to how many G's they'd have to pull to lean it over that far and pick it right back up. Hahah, it looks like Lorenzo is dragging his whole thigh!

+ 1. I nice comfy car for the ride back and you don't have to worry about transport if your bike is out of commission (knock wood).

Hey all, just thought I'd post up my schedule and see if anybody else was going. I'm going to Streets of Willow on 8/30 with TrackDaz. Also going to Buttonwillow with Hypercycle (running in reverse!) on 9/14. I usually bring a little BBQ and have a "picnic" in the pit. If any LA area riders want to caravan or carpool I am up for it. I usually rent a U-Haul trailer for 14 bucks, it only holds 1 bike but if anybody has a 2 bike trailer or a truck we can carpool, otherwise just caravan it.

Great thread! I had seen sportbikes as a kid and like most kids I was fascinated. When I was about 20 my buddy got a gsxr600 and let me ride it, that was how I learned to ride. Unfortunately his 600 got stolen... he used the insurance money to buy a 750 though, and I rode that too. When I was 24 (2004) I got a cbr600 and Cobie gave me a few pointers in the parking lot at the Rose Bowl... not cornering pointers, more like "how to avoid doing anything really stupid" type pointers. Anyway, they must've served me well 'cause I never got in trouble on that bike even though I rode the canyons and commuted for years on it. Eventually the allure of the track was too much to ignore and I got some sharkskinz and rearsets on craigslist for cheap and I haven't bothered to make my bike street legal since. I miss it for commuting but to be honest the canyons have really lost their appeal after riding the track.

I have Michelin Pilot Powers on my 600rr and the Michelin tech at the track had me run 36 psi front and rear! I was a bit surprised at that and I spoke with him for a bit about the tires... he said that the compound is designed to run at a different temperature from other tires (like the Power One that someone else mentioned) and by running less pressure you are challenging the sidewall integrity as it's not rigid enough to run at a "softer" pressure. Also, and more importantly, at lower pressure you are actually cooking the tire. By adding a few lbs to my tires I noticed a drastic decrease in wear, no difference in traction and a stability that I hadn't realized I had been missing.

Thanks guys, lot's of really great answers and information here!

Yeah, very aware that you all use the Dunlops. They have a great reputation. I was just curious WHICH Dunlops you use, meaning do you use something similar to the Pilot Powers (track/street) or do you use a more dedicated track tire, or slick or something? Anyways, of course I'd still be interested in which Dunlops you use with the school but I think I got my answer on the Pilot Powers that are currently on my bike: they will be fine. Having said all that I DO want to get some Dunlop track tires in the near future.

Hahah, "consider"... I've been obsessing about doing all the schools for quite a while, I'll just have to save up the $ first.

Thanks Hubbard! That's exactly the kind of response I was looking for, and I kind of figured that if the day ever comes that I can fully realize the potential of these tires someone will give me tires for free, hahah.

I am not a pro but my theory is that you don't understand it because it's not really true. I don't understand it either... of course it seems possible that SOME racers would "psyche" themselves out but I suspect that most of them are just in the moment, concentrating on what they are doing and what is coming up... certainly not analyzing a corner they took 30 seconds ago. I agree with most other posters that when a racer slows down he/she is probably tired. It may feel like they are going just as fast or faster to them, it's just that they already spent their 10 bucks so everything seems to be happening REALLY fast and as a result they slow down. I also think that with regards to the book he is writing, the market has been cornered. If you didn't find the concept he is talking about in Twist of the Wrist there's probably a good reason, LOL! Well, that's my $.02. Take it with a grain of salt.

Thanks Harnois, and I even agree with what you are saying about playing "devil's advocate". I don't know of any pro MTB racers who have NEVER crashed but I know of many (the best of them) who have never really injured themselves and who push the envelope right up to the edge ALL THE TIME and always seem to pull it off. I really like a quote from The Doctor, the Tornado and the Kentucky Kid where Colin Edwards says "I've never really been a crasher".

Hey all, I have a track day planned for the 30th at big Willow, and while I am there I'm also going to do the "New Racer School" that the Willow Springs Motorcycle Club requires for participation in WSMC events. My question for everyone is this: will my current tires be sufficient? They are in great shape, certainly not worn out but they are just regular Michelin Pilot Powers (link HERE) and although I think they'll be fine for me I was wondering what kind of tires (besides Dunlop) the CSS uses on their bikes for the schools, and if anybody thinks I will NEED to have a track specific tire (like Power Ones of BT003 or the Dunlop equivalent)? Anyways, I guess that's it. This question is officially open to the Cornering Forum Brain Trust!