Jasonzilla

I haven't ridden in either one, and I'm just sayin'. I WILL be at Vegas, and I'm signing autographs.

We have a 'tard rider. I'm doing the two day. I'm staying until the second also (need one night of gambling), but I'm staying in a hotel, probably downtown.

Have you done anything with the foot pegs? I had a track day last Saturday and I'm scraping the feeler pegs more often although it doesn't spook me and make me want to stand the bike up and go wide. Two options- take them off (cheap) or get other rear sets (expensive). You could also working on getting more off the bike. Learn the limit with your knee once you're all the way over.

Thanks Cobie. I'm excited about meeting new people at the school. I'm calling dibs on a coach that will bust my hump about what I'm doing, and will give me a little push. I'm stubborn once I've made something habit. And my wife is getting tired of it. I referred to her as Mrs. Twenty Seven Days this morning.

I'm hoping to have two days of riding scrutinized anyways. Don't let me down.

Thanks. Preorder complete.

Here are the photos. Not having any drive, I worked on BP, and now know I need more work. If I have the cash, I'll try to work in another one, so I can focus on it more. And I'll have my bike fixed by then. In the shop now. I think I'm getting over pretty good, but not consistently getting down far enough, and I suck at getting the bike over. I also need to get my body more over farther than the bikes mid-line. In this one, I need to get my body over more. I also have a continuous problem with keeping my wrists straight. It's hard to see, but I kept my hips open throughout the day. It's a huge difference for my vision. This is going into a corner. I have my outside arm on the tank, but I normally didn't have it relaxed enough to have it on the tank. I did have pressure off the bars (I'm a push the bars kinda guy) but my outside arm didn't always hit the tank. Again, not far enough down on the tank, and despite what the pic shows, I was really fast through here. It's coming off a SHORT straight out of a really fast right hander. I'm better through this corner than any of the others on the three Firebird tracks, and it shows that I need to get my body over just a little more. No matter how I felt during the day, this shows that I really need to keep working. I'm on the gas real well, but I need to get my body off more. This is an increasing radius, and I never stayed on the gas enough to keep my lean. The guy behind me does, and it answered the question of "how do these guys get the drive to pass me so fast?" I get passed like I'm standing still coming out of here, and this question answers it for me. OK, here's the deal on this one. I knew the photographer is in this corner, and I'm getting around the track before he leaves. I wanted to get WAY over, but I went into the turn too fast, and obviously kept the bike on two wheels, but I ran a little wide, and was focused more on staying on the track than leaning off the bike.

Thanks. One thing I'm going to get when I get a house is a lift of some sort. Even not knowing how to work on bikes, I can let people use it, and learn from them. Long way off though.

Howdy. 33 days and I'm in Vegas to take levels 1 and 2. I'm psyched. Glad to hear you had a good time, and hope to see you on the forum.

Howdy. Good to have you.

Howdy Kat. I'm not sure how much a local school would help. I've looked into some around here, and they're geared toward beginner and superstreet riders. I'm sure you'll learn some, but if I have any money to put towards a school, I'd prefer one recognized and attended by some of the better riders in the world. If I didn't have the money to travel and pay so much for school, I would definitely take a local school.

No need for the book on this one. I've read this a few times, as I've fallen in love with this technique. Weight is on the outside. I feel like I have more control over the bike, and it gives me a feeling of comfort. I'm still building on it, but it's such a good feeling.

It sounds good, but how much will actually get posted? There are plenty of places for us to post it now. I'm all in, and will jump into any conversation that I know even a little about. If we could get some tire manufacturers in on it (as Greg posted), a rep from a few places who could check the site periodically, it would be fantastic.

Thanks Cobie. I'm dying to see some of this stuff on video.

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This is some of the best advice you'll ever get. Start with A Twist Of The Wrist before you get the second book. I'd suggest finding a big parking lot on a Sunday morning, and doing a couple hours of practice drills and investigating what you've learned. If you lived in Arizona, I'd offer to help. Learn about leaning, countersteering, looking into the corner, etc. Watch racing, and put together what is going on compared to what is in the book. You'll learn a lot. Really. Apexing, accelerating, body position, it will all help. You'll see the best riders in the world putting into practice a lot of what you'll read in the books. Keep in mind to give a little time to practicing what you've learned in MSF. Those are the basics of what will help you on the street. It will change some as you progress (rear brake? Psh) but the very basics will stay the same. I have drills for my wife that I can give you. They're nothing like you'll learn from the school, but they'll help a little. Even the dumbest question will be answered and broken down on this site. The people on here who post have your best interest in mind. Read some of my older posts for example (under hubbard_28), and you'll read some pretty dumb stuff. I've learned so much on this site. You will NEVER get too advanced to come onto this site and ask questions, that much I'll guarantee. Someone will know the answer to any question you'll have. You've entered the world that is both fantastic and dangerous at the same time. Pay attention to the basics. Learn how to do it right, and you'll have the time of your life. Do it wrong and you're almost guaranteed to pay a hefty price.

.....

Thanks for the offer, and I'm only able to do the simple stuff. Even if I did try to change them myself, I can only replace what I know is messed up. I don't know what to look for. The mechanic from Adrenaline said the same thing about inspecting it if I did take it apart. When I get a house I'll get a lift, but as it stands I don't even have the tools.

Like they said above: if you're talking about in a straight line, all you do is tuck. I was riding behind a friend down some back roads when I first got my bike, and we were cruising around 140 mph for over 15 minutes. It gave me time to look around. Brian was in front of me, and I noticed that he was really leaning. I was new to sportbikes, and seeing him like that was scary. Of course I still had some time to think, and it hit me that if HE'S leaning like that, I must be leaning like that as well. When I was cruising from Las Vegas to Primm, a town on the southern boarder of Nevada and California, the wind was howling. I was getting beat all over the place, and I tried tucking under my shield, and it helped, but with the way the wind was blowing I was still getting beat around up to a couple feet to the right with any strong gust. I sped up. I know how stupid this all sounds, and it is, but I learned that slowing down made it worse. Speeding up made it so much better. I wasn't feeling anything. Since running at 140 the first time, I couldn't tell, but the speed that made everything feel better was 130 mph. Anything over that kept me from feeling the gusts. Anything under, and I was natures punching bag. I was riding from Vegas to Phoenix, and once I got across the Hoover Damn and out of the mountains, I was being victimized. I cruised all the way to Kingman at 130 mph and only felt the wind when I would slow down when I was going through the cities. If you have a long straight, a strong with, and a good friend, just get in behind him, tuck under the shield and watch. The lean angle he's at is the lean angle you'll be at. Pivot steering isn't going to have anything to do with the conversation of straightline speed and wind. It's a cornering technique. I didn't know what pivot steering was when I was told to put my pressure on the inside peg while cornering. I wasted a day trying this because I didn't know it was preference. We've had this discussion on this board, and there are riders on here who prefer weighting the inside peg, but I'm so locked in on my bike with my outside leg that I could take my inside leg off the peg if I wanted to. You're trying to weigh the inside peg and turn the bike that way as well. I was fighting myself. That, and picking the bike up while I'm pushing on the inside peg just doesn't work well for me.

Man. The stuff you learn on here. Does a couple inches shortened wheelbase make that much of a difference? Could you tell right away, or is that something you're going to have to work on?

Thanks for the post, guys. The more I read the more excited I get. Especially after how well I did on my last trackday on the 20th, I get really confident that I'm doing well, but I know I'm making some big errors, and there's a lot I don't know. I can't wait to get it sorted.

It started Saturday night. My notebook that has all my RP's, sectional times and "tricks of the track" is GONE. With as much time and energy as I've put into it, I searched high and low without a positive outcome. And I went on very little sleep. I don't usually sleep well, and Saturday night was no exception. I found out that those "energy drinks" are fantastic. Never tried them before, but if I ever go without sleep, will buy them again without hesitation. I went with a couple goals. More lean and better BP. I wanted to get my times down to at least 1:13 from 1:16 (we'll get to that later). I was thinking about going down to Superstreet so I could relax and focus on what I planned to do, but decided to remain in Intermediate because odds are I'd never be able to get a good time in with so many people in my way. In my first session, I found out how expensive maintenance can get. I was coming out of the last corner leading onto the straight, and hit it in second gear. When my RPM's got up, it felt like the chain was slipping on the sprocket. I just changed my rear sprocket and chain, and hadn't had it re-tightened since I had it put on, so I wrote it off as that being the problem. After the straight (I started off on warm tires) I focused on my new favorite thing to recommend riders work on: open your hips into the turn. Fantastic. I can't tell you how great it is. It helps lock your outside leg in, opens the visual field, and helps manage lean angle better altogether. I can't say enough about that simple change in BP, and could start a post dedicated to this alone. I also worked on relaxing my arms more, which would pay off later. After going through the turns, it's back on the straight. I watched the tach, and at 13,000, felt that slippage again. And again. Only in second gear, and at 13,000. I started straight to thinking it's something in the transmission. Over and over. Same with the second session. When I came off after the second session, I went to Adrenaline to have them look at it. I told them what happened, and a good friend of mine who races for them said "it's your shift fork. It always happens on ZX6R's." The mechanic said the chain was way too lose, and that's probably it. The chain was tightened and I was back to my pit. I kept thinking it's too consistent to be the chain though. Second session, getting through the corners, and still loving the change in BP. I was also working on looking into the corner just before dipping the bike. My speed increased going in, and that is what affected my lean. Better lean and open my hips. Magnificent. Then on to the straight. 13,000 RPM's. Nothing. It was the chain. Problem solved for $7. Back to the corners. I didn't have enough RP's, and was cursing the lost notebook. I was working on tightening my apex in a couple corners, and it made the following corners much faster. Back on the straight, and slippage. And again, and again. Same thing. There are two straights to get good drive on, and I wasn't doing so well as a result of the slippage, and it's at a slight lean. I'd hate to see what happens if it slips with lean. It slipped at about 13,000, and then jumped to redline because of the steady acceleration. Don't want that with lean. I came off the track and spoke with the mechanic, and he said "sounds like something in the transmission. Maybe it IS the shift fork." F--- F--- F---!!!!! Cost to repair? At least $1,000. $1,400 at the most. I have an extended warranty, and that might cover it. We'll see. "Can I ride the rest of the day with it?" "Yes. It will be fine." "That's all I need to know." What it changed was my drive. I was upshifting to third at around 9,000, so I got nothing from second or most of third gear. It's a 115-120 mph straight, but I was hitting maybe 104 mph. For those of you who are going to ask, YES I looked at the speedo. I wanted to see how bad I was being affected by this. There is a small straight leading into a fast right hander that I have a wicked line through that gets me through another medium speed corner just after that. It would turn out to be even faster with my new "look before you hit your turn point" technique I was learning. I wasn't pushing because as soon as I get my RPM's up (just past that slip point), I dip into the corner. So I was getting passed on the small straight. Then once I'm in the corner, I had to slow down for riders who'd just passed me on the small straight. That being said, I wouldn't have gotten an accurate laptime to gage improvement, so I didn't bother. But my third session would be shortened anyway. I'm on maybe my fifth or sixth lap, and a Duc gets under me going into a right hander after a straight/corner section. Another result of my lack of drive. We made the right (no one takes it very fast because of the chewed pavement) and go into an increased radius left; I hit my apex, started pushing outward and he loses the front. I'm guessing he isn't familiar with it being an increased radius turn, because he was keeping it tight. That means he's sliding into my line. I thought that I'd be able to get tighter, but quickly realized that's not going to happen, so I picked up the bike and hit the brakes. Small off track excursion. I let a couple of bikes pass before getting back on the track, including a naked R6, and catch him pretty easily, because we went through the fast right to medium speed left corners I mentioned earlier. That put us to a sharp left onto the straight. I'm guessing that he doesn't know the saying "take the slow corners slow," because he runs wide and off the track. He pops right back on, and luckily I didn't have any drive, because he comes back on right in front of me. I let up on the gas, putting me farther down on RPM's and he takes off. Crisis #2 averted. I've made it around the track, and after the previously stated increase radius turn, is a double apex corner. I'm braking, and about to hit my turn point, and someone comes under me again. I'm cool with that so I start my lean. I'm on the outside, but I'll get inside in just..... a..... he picks the bike up. We both go wide, REALLY wide, but luckily that section has a lot of pavement. We get back into the lean, but as soon as you're done with that left, there is a sharp right that I LOVE. After that is the pit exit, and that's where I went. All this happened in a single lap and a turn, and I'm not pushing it. Session over. A couple of sessions later, I was at the end of the straight and someone comes whipping by me. He's too hot, and I know it as soon as he enters my site. I knew I was good, but guess I was looking at him, because I started running wide also. Pressure on the bars, and it's a newly designed, poorly done, bumpy corner. The front end started sliding while I'm trying to dip, and I remember to let the pressure off the bars. I wouldn't have wrecked, but I would have gone off the track with him, but from taking the pressure off the bars and getting on the gas a little, I dipped right in and got through it just fine. The rest of the day was great besides the lack of drive. I got so much done, and everything I tried proved to be an improvement over what I was previously doing. After doing this track I've had such sore arms and shoulders from the pressure I put on the bars. I've ended my day twice with a numb left hand that lasted a week from pushing on the bars and putting so much pressure on the bars. This time: my thighs are killing me. Next time I'm on the track? Two day in Vegas October 31st. I'll post some pics when they're up.

The way I see it Sof, is third times a charm or strike three. She's the greatest though. Anyone who puts up with me has to be patient and tolerant. I'm doing my trackday in Vegas Oct 31-Nov 1. I'm bringing my wife, but I'm also bringing her mom to keep her company. I'll have the car during the day, and she's going to do the strip. We LOVE Las Vegas, and I took an extra day off of work so I can hang out Sunday night instead of rushing home. I'm a HUGE football fan (although since my love for racing has grown, I don't get fully into it until the end of the racing season, and there was a commercial with Ricky Williams where he called someone chumpzilla. I started putting -zilla at the end of everything, and started using Jasonzilla for my username..... except for this site. For some ungodly reason I used hubbard_28. I've tried e-mailing the moderator without response. Kevin directed me to them after e-mailing them, but alas, nothing. And I was thinking of typing "bump" on here 597 more times to get my number of posts back up.

Dani Pedrosa uses foam at the back of the seat to push him forward on the bike, I also saw quite a few girls using it at the nurburgring earlier this month! That's where I got the idea. I was thinking he needs more weight on the front if he's working the corners well, and the front end in coming up when he's accelerating. I can't figure out how a front end adjustment would change things. If anything, maybe softening up the rear?

The good news is that if this one doesn't work out I got a cool new last name out of it. And that means you guys need to post more stuff so I can reply. I'm guessing, though that with a trackday and CSS coming up, I'll be back to cornering master in no time.