faffi

Why do you want to see riders being lapped

I cannot add much to they way these freaks ride - they are at an unattainable for us mortals. But what I can say is that I hope Spies can mix it up near the front and that Dovi also makes another step this season. Although I'd love to see Rossi take another title (at least) and match (or surpass) Ago's record, what I want more of is real fights for the podium between several riders week in and week out. Who wins means less than having a great show to watch

No and yes. Hence she should not be allowed to operate it Totally agree with you there!

The 1300 is 330 kg with fuel (nearly 730 lbs). I don't know where its CoG sits, but it's far from a Gold Wing - the wide engine dictates a high placement in order to retain a normal (for its day) amount of cornering clearance. A neighbour lost her GSX600F katana 222 kg (490 lbs), a bike that is similar to modern sportsbikes only heavier. It was very easy to get back on its wheels by lifting it only at the handlebars. No need to squat deep to lift with the legs either, the back would easily do most of the work. Standing in sand, however, would no doubt make things harder. Still, you usually see the riders struggling even on firm ground. Rossi, who isn't a muscular guy in any respect of the word, peaks with a heartrate of 125 bpm, usually sitting closer to 100 bpm. So he's working harder than me sitting here and typing, but it doesn't sound like he's exhausting himself in any manner. I do, however, agree with the Japanese system of the rider having to prove able to right his or her own bike - one shouldn't be allowed to ride bikes that are too heavy for you to operate with ease. But this had already moved quite away from the original topic, though

That is true. But when I see riders - who wants to rejoin - almost trying to climb under their bikes and lifting with both arms under the tank and pushing madly with they legs and still sometimes fail to get the bike upright, I wonder what they are up to. It is as simple as grabbing a bar end and lift it up, maybe using the other hand near the seat if you need an extra hand.

Probably the first 500GP world champion that didn't even get close to charging the corners, was Kenny Roberts Sr. from what I can gather. He was (relatively speaking) slow in, but fast out. Sheene, the previous champ, relied mostly on the front and would brake later and accelerate later. Then came Spencer and the beginning of the modern era was born; fast in, fast out, sliding the front going in and the rear going out. This seemingly continued through the 990cc MotoGP period. Now, with the 800s, it seems like the style is again more aimed at high cornering speeds, which will demand gentler braking leading into a corner and smoother acceleration coming out. Most top rank racers are probably entering corners so fast, most of us would scream from terrror inside our helmets if we were riding pillion with them. As Greg pointed out, some riders are just so unbelievably good that they feel relaxed and in control doing things that would fry mere mortal's nerves and cause massive SR. But I doubt any world champion ever got his title from charging the corners on a regular basis - that is, going in too hot and having to wait before getting back on the throttle. It's just that too hot is at an entirely different level to most. Something that is readily apparent when reading TOW2.

It is amazing to see how most top level riders struggle to right their bikes after a fall. I mean, even getting a fallen KZ1300 is easy, and it's at least twice the weight of a MotoGP bike. You would think, with the amount of training these riders make, that they should be able to benchpress the weight of at least a 250GP machine and that getting it back on the wheels would be a one-handed operation.

It is, if I have understood this correctly, from a Japanese training ground where students must display an incredibly degree of bike control before getting their license. They also have to do high speed track riding, off road, trial and show that they are capable of lifting a fallen bike up on its wheels again without assistance. And there are probably good reasons for it, too, LOL http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJowTNP_QVk

No doubt does this demand a lot of balance control, but is this kind of low speed practice beneficial or detrimental if you want to become a fast track rider?

No. Just weird. I think that's enough

I agree. But sometimes, you may not hit the correct search word(s) and still end up bringing up something old.

Let's say a top racer tells us his bike is "perfect". To me that indicates that the bike is predictable at the pace he needs to ride at to win. What I wonder is; can this bike become "unrideable" if the competition catches up and our rider is forced to push harder, or could you have a bike that you could push right off its tyres without it turning nasty? Meaning that the package isn't competitive anymore, but not because it doesn't handle well, just because the total package (engine, tyres, chassis) has developed and set new standards. Or put slightly different; when a bike goes from "good" to "bad" is it likely to be because it is pushed harder, or because a new engine and/or tyres etc places stresses on the chassis that it wasn't designed for? Yes, I know I ask a lot of weird questions

Since I'm new to this forum, there will of course always be the risk of me re-introducing topics, for which I am sorry. When that happens, you people have several options: 1) Tell me about it 2) Play(?) ignorant and join the discussion 3) Tell me to pee off until I've done me homework 4) Ignore me I may be hurt by a few of those options, but I'm a sucker for punishment

You are my hero - thanks I thought I had looked everywhere, but obviously hadn't. Thanks again

I'm trying to show you what I mean, then, in hope it will trigger a useful response The image below shows you how my page appears when I open a topic or click on the orange little square that should - and have - shown the new messages under a topic. Also, whenever I opened up any topic, all messages were open below and could be read sort of like a book - no need to click on the link for each message. This is how it looks, and it seriously annoys me and I would be very grateful to get it fixed and returned to normal

Having worked out for 30 years, reading volumes on nutrition and several types of workouts, I wasn't looking for general fitness information. I try to stay in reasonable shape (power lifting 3x week + 3x cardio/week) - primarily due to vanity However, I was interested in how the instructors stay in shape, if they do something that keeps them in top form. Or if they rely on lots of riding? What are the demands for you to stay in shape, considering you probably do many long days in the saddle during classes? For instance, I did a search and found one article by you, stuman, where you mentioned having cycled 5x per week leading up to a 200 miler, I believe? Have you continued this practice, or are you into something else these days?

Didn't quite know where to put this, but all of a sudden I no longer see all the messages when I open up a topic (or click to see the latest message), but a string with links to previous messages in the topic. I do not recall having messed about with any settings, but I probably have. Despite having a look, I failed to find a way to get it back to how it was under My Controls, so if anybody could point me in the right direction, I'd be grateful.

Really? I was merely trying to give an example why I think it's a healthy idea to keep your eyes level with the horizon, particularly during street riding, where the environment can change dramatically at any time A race track is usually a much more controlled environment and has other requirements.

Take it as a sign that you have reached perfection Since you no doubt would have left me well behind, I really shouldn't comment. But ignoring that, perhaps you could have gotten closer to the apex a few times. I also believe that the tyre would withstand more acceleration earlier on exiting the corners. However, be very careful not to listen to me - hope instead that somebody with actual knowledge chime in

I wonder what you do to keep yourself fit? Amongst racers, your hear everything from them just riding to stay fit to very rigorous workout regimes. Do you do anything particular besides riding around race tracks?

Another first for me

There was nothing new in that video that I haven't already read on these pages, as far as I could determine

Very well written report

Since I started this, and so on 1: I do not for a moment believe you need to hold your head level with the horizon to know where you are going or properly observe where you are heading. 2: If you turn your yead "up the road" you will also typically get the head a bit more aligned with the horizon more often than not compared to just staring straight ahead, so this is win-win (see further ahead and get a more level view). 3: The only reason I advocate keeping your eyes resonably in line with the horizon is so that in a case of emergency, your brain doesn't have to contend with two horizons and try to make up which is the real one and which is the made one. Hence you are likely to react quicker and also more likely to do the right thing since there is one thing less to confuse you or demand brain power. The importance of the latter will vary between individuals, but I do not believe anybody is totally oblivious to it. Try to run through a forest where you constantly have to avoid branches and where the ground is really rough and with lots of hills etc. while keeping your head cocked sideways. I doubt many will find it natural. I also believe you are more likely to fall or twist your ankle

It will slide, which will reduce drive and at worst lead to a highsider, I presume. I like how we are moving towards different bikes needing different ways to be ridden (I cannot answer how compliant the bike is, but my guess is not very, especially when leaned over. Which will further reduce grip if the road isn't prefectly smooth. )