boredcol

Well I think i am pretty smooth and it don't scare me, in fact i quite like it gives me a bit of a buzz, its just that it seemed to me quite impossible the speed he came past me whilst I was full on the brakes. He might well have had top quality all singing all dancing brakes, how much difference they make, i don't know, but the impression I got was that I must surely be able to brake harder than I am. How can you find the limit without eating asphalt ?

Hi All At my local track there is a 180 degree tight 1st gear bend. On approaching this bend from a long straight it is hard on the brakes to get the speed right down. When I have been HARD on the brakes to get my speed down, I have been passed by an instructor who it seemed to me was still on the gas. HOW could he do this, I know that he will be going round the bend faster than me, but it is a very tight 180 deg, so surely the difference in speed can not be so great. I have no idea how he could bring the speed down so quick. The only conclusion I can arrive at is that I can squeeze the brakes a damn sight harder than I imagine, but it already feels to me that I am at max squeeze, any more and I'll be doing a stoppie. Any thoughts?

Hi FLHX I would recommend you go for it for sure. I read the books and watched the DVD and they helped me for sure, but going to the School made me improve another notch again. I am now much faster than my friends, but that ain't really important, what is, is that I can now ride at the speeds my friend do, and I am soooo inside my comfort zone. It has made me so much smoother, i think the only times I touch the brakes on a ride out is when I want to come to a stop. Maybe over the years I'll recoup my school fees in not buying brake pads

Cheers for the link, it certainly explains it better than I can Mick Doohan started at 9 Troy Bayliss was motocrossing and dirt track when he was 6 Biaggi is the latest starter I can find, started riding at 17 and racing at 18 Not much hope for me at 44 Ah well, thats wasted a few hours of worktime

Yes, i can see that, but surely if it was 'natural talent' there would be some guys who get into bikes into their early twenties say, discover they have this 'natural talent' and take the world by storm. But it isn't like that, it always seems to be the guys who have grown up with it. As Casey Stoner said 'I was always poor on the brakes and spent a lot of hours in practice to improve, now i'm very confident on the brakes' So it wasn't his talent that made him improve but hard work, persistence and practice. We could probably go round in circles with this but still, it keeps the grey matter working

Hmmm But is there such a thing as 'natural talent'. Rossi started racing bikes at 5 !!! Spies at 5 Stoner at 4 !!!!!! Pedrosa at 4 Lorenzo at 3 !!!!!!! So is it a natural talent, or just a skill learnt by growing up with bikes and the right opportunity ? + hard work etc I'm at work with a lot of time on my hands, so just thinking of things

Hi Are the top guys Moto GP/WSBK etc more talented than the rest of us, or is it just down to practice practice practice ? Was reading an article the other day about how they are testing the new 1000's for next year and the one rider (can't remember who it was) had just done over 350 laps of testing at the weekend. Jeez, I'll probably never do that many laps of a track in my lifetime. Its not fair. I know there is a book about that so calls dispels the myth of talent and says its all down to aptitude/attitude/hard work & heaps of practice. Any thoughts ??

"Don't wait for your ship to come in....swim out and meet the bloody thing." Barry Sheene RIP 1950-2003

Yep, thats exactly what i'm doing. Trouble is I am fully aware of it but somehow need to get myself down to 85% so I have got time to get my RP's sorted and 2 step etc. I think I need a mental trick to keep me at 85%, so that I have time to do all that I should be doing, I don't know, maybe i'll think of Vanessa Feltz before I go out on track, there again i'll probably crash

Yep, i was missing apexes, or sometimes had to scrub off that much speed, I ended up hitting the apexes way too slow due to spending $9.90 of my $10 dollars on braking. I know its wrong, but just can't help myself. I just gun it to the max laughin to myself in my helmet. I enjoy it, that is my problem. Need to find a mental trick to wind things back so i'm at 85% or so.

Hi All How can I stop myself charging the turns? I attended levels 1 & 2 last year and all the info is still pretty much in my head as I took a lot of notes :-) I finally booked a trackday last month but was constantly charging the turns The trouble is i really do enjoy the full throttle/full braking and so end up doing it, as thats kind of why I go to the track, so that I can let rip, even though I know its not the fastest way. I will be going to Donington very soon and hope to be better. How can I get past the red mist so that I can start to apply the techniques ?? Any tricks to help me focus would be greatly appreciated. Ta Colin

Hi Bullet Unfortunately due to the delays with the volcano i'm still stuck on the rig and with the backlog of helicopters i have no chance of making it for Thursday I have been in contact with Lynn in your office and she has moved my date to June which isgood news, a weight of my mind. Meanwhile i'll get busy with the twists and the DVD See you in June Colin

Hi Guys Yea, got both the books and the DVD out with me so I could gen up. Will get me head stuck back into the books then Cheers Colin

Hi Bullet Another question :-) Is there anything I can practice prior to the school, i.e. go out for a ride out only using 4th gear? or is it best to wait, as I do not want to be learning wrong techniques. Am sure you'll be pleased to know that I have signed up for the Level 2 in June as well, basically due to this forum, as have been really impressed with the support from you guys and if thats what its like even before the the course. I cant wait Just hope I can get on my bike soon, i'm stuck on a oil rig at the moment due to a puff of smoke from iceland. If it carries on for a week i'll be scuppered

hi djm Just to let you know I am attending on the 22nd and feel exactly like you, so you aint alone, and i'm 42 !! Colin