warregl

I have the AStars Supertech which has the inner boot and I have been a big fan (even tested them in anger and they held up well). I switched from a pair of the Sidi Vertigo Air and while I liked them in general, i had an interesting problem develop. The inside ankle armor plate on the Sidi developed a split in the stiching and the heel gaurd on my bike would get caught on that when cornering. First time it happened it almost caused me to go down. I had them repaired twice but it kept reoccoring. The AStars have a smooth inner surface (since the armor is on the inner boot) and its even surfaced for smooth contact with the bike. They are not as quick to don and doff but for track boots I dont mind that.

Welcome Josh! Tell us more about you and your bike. I went through some issue with bike setup and recently had my suspension resprung and the valves done. It has made a massive difference. And which east coast tracks have you ridden with CSS on?

And speaking of Rossi, I loved his quote: "This is my 300th GP, so I'm in the middle of my career, another 300 before the end!" Love him or hate him, he's entertaining.

Welcome to the forum rosok! I know what you mean about the houses. I grew up quail hunting in Florida. Now when I visit I see nothing but houses where we used to field trial. {sigh} Its great to hear you got back on the track, and on an 86 VFR 750 no less! I wanted on of those badly when they came out. Sadly I was a broke student and couldnt afford one. You should post up a few pictures if you have any. Best, Carey

While watching a rider who one day may be mentioned in the same breath as Ago and Vale is literally history in the making, it can get a bit boring watching him clear off into the distance like everyone else is running on 3 cylinders. It was really exciting watching him fight it out last weekend. Now if Rossi can continue his improvement maybe we can see a few 3 way battles. Wouldn’t that be a treat...

I have had an R6 and I currently track an S1000RR. I purposly went with the BMW after riding it with CSS. I thought the combination of TC, ABS, and the multiple riding modes made it the perfect bike to grow with my abilty and add a safety factor to track riding. It is a fantastic track machine and I think the fact that CSS believes they are a great training tool is a big plus for the S1000RR. As for spring rates, it is sprung for approximately a 165lb rider so as your pace increases you will want to consider suspension work (but then that would be the case with any production bike unless you are built like their prototype rider). It is a more expensive bike to repair however. All that German performance comes at a premium...

Its hard to argue with that statement. Roadracing World even did a nice write up on BSB (last year I believe). And considering all the challenges the AMA series has undergone I can only be envious of you being so close! So how was the opening round?

I went with the Carbone Lorraines frankly because they were recommended by the guys at Sportbiketrackgear.com for the s1000rr. I replaced a set of EBCs but it is hard to compare them because I also upgraded to the Brembo RCS MC pretty much at the same time. I did have one track day on the new MC with EBCs before swapping but its probably unfair to compare the last day of one to the first day on the other. That said I have been happy with the CLs. They bite well and are not so agressive that turn 1 scare me . I also use the Motul RBF 600 fluid but I honestly couldn't tell the difference on that and regular DOT.

It's a habit I got into early on. Maybe it had something to do with the little GP bikes I rode when I was a pesky teenager. Have a look at this picture of Marc Marquez and tell me what you see there. This is an interesting observation to me as well. I have very wide feet (3E) and tend to rotate my toes out when I turn in. Unless I have the rearset peg in the crook of my toes I end up dragging my toe slider. And when I do have my foot that far back I dont feel properly connected to the bike. I may have to experiment with alternate foot positioning at my next level 4. Dylan - if you're at VIR in May I may try to corner you to discuss it. Best, Carey

Welcome to the forum dkk. Tell us more your riding, are you a track day junkie looking to get faster or a street rider looking to get safer on the road? Are there any particulate areas of your riding that you are currently focused on? Best, Carey

If I were you I would ask the coaches you worked with in level 1 & 2. You can PM Cobie and ask if they are comfortable with you emailng them directly. In my experience, the coaches have been very open to sharing some additional feedback following working with a student. I havent worked with Chris but I have had James as a coach and I'd be surprised if he wouldnt be able to tell you if you were right for Code RACE. Best, Carey

Last year Cobie mentioned they had been working with Stomp Grip on the more aggressive pads for the school and that if they were a success they might be made available to the general public. You should PM him and let him know you liked them. I'm sure he will let them know.

Awesome post Jason. I cant imagine dealing with PTSD but I do know that the feeling of everything else dropping away is one of the things I love about the track. As for winning races...well...when people hear that I track ride they ask if I'm fast. I tell them the truth "Not really, but I'm faster than those who dont do it at all". Nice work sir.

Fantastic! Make sure you post up and let us know how it goes. Or maybe we will get to read about Nic in RRW some more .

I used to wear Shoei and liked them, they fit my noggin, I liked the way the visor changed, and I didn’t think they were too loud. But I replaced my last one with an Aria Corsair V and I was amazed at the aerodynamic difference. The Arai really seems to cut through the air better. It especially doesn’t seem to catch as much air when I turn my head. And it flows a ridiculous amount of air. That said it is the loudest helmet I have ever ridden in, not a big problem on the track but it's not as street friendly as the Shoei. One helmet I might consider is the carbon fiber KBC. Cobie was riding one last year and really seemed to like it. When he showed me his I was impressed by how light weight it was. And I believe it sells for less than $400.

Hey Brad - Let us know when you make it back to the east coast. It would be great to see you again. Maybe next time we will get to actually ride together. And I share your concern about track day organizations. I think these types of recreational organizations suffer from the difficulties of being just that - recreational. Its got to be a difficult business model when much of your support staff (and sometimes even your management) is part-time or volunteer. Add to that razor thin margins and you have a recipie for disaster. That said, NESBA was a long time operator (I believe I read that they had been around for 17 years?). Their end was a bit shocking. Hopefully the two new organizations (N2 Track Days and Performance Riding Experience) successfully fill the void.

I've done several CSS days in the rain and I agree it is very useful traiing (if not entirely fun). I keep thinking I'm going to buy one of those oversuits for rainy days but since CSS comes out to Virginia in May and August its usually warm enough not to be a big deal (the current never-ending winter not withstanding). However, to answer your question, take something if you can (even if it is Cobie's trash bag chic) since the more comfortable you are the more you will focus on your drills. And anyone laughing at you for being comfortable is clearly not worth considering.

Half credit is dissappointing to say the least. Hopefully your credit card will get you a full refund but if not John Allen posted on PRE's forum that they would be honoring NESBA trackdays for people that couldn't get restitution. No details we provided but it would be worth a shot if you can't get you money from a credit card dispute. I've heard several people say their posts were deleted without comment or explanation in the few weeks between the trouble being discovered and N2 announcing they were buying NESBA. The lack of communication is not encouraging. I understand that there are confidentiality issues in this type of situation but not saying anything to your customer base is going to make earning their trust very difficult.

I think you are spot on there. Personally I was really disappointed with the CBS production last year. I felt it was amateurish and kitschy. Add that to moving from channel with a natural fit and the viewership suffered. I really hope they make it past this rough spot. The racing is a lot of fun to watch.

You might want to check out PRE then. I rode with them (as NESBA south east) at VIR several times and they were well run days. From what I have seen on their forum I believe they will be following the NESBA model. I plan on riding with them (when will depend on their full schedule) so I'll post up how it goes.

I don't know if any of you have been following the events surrounding NESBA (an east coast U.S. trackday provider) over the last few weeks but it appears that the dust is settiling. While I'm not privy to the details of why, the South East Director, John Allen, and one of the Control Riders, Mike Ruhe, have left NESBA started a new track day organization Performance Riding Experience. Following that it has been announced that a new group is taking over the rest of NESBA. Hopefully the two new organizations will be successful and responsible organizations.

I've never been to Sonoma so I cant say but you could call the CSS office, (800) 530-3350. I'm sure they can give you some suggestions.

Hi Nikola Welcome to the forum. As Tyler said there is a ton of information available here on the forum. We are fortunate to have many very experienced riders and CSS coaches to contribute. As a primer, most of us would recomend reading Keith's "Twist of the Wrist II" (you'll see it as TOTWII in many posts) there is also a DVD of the same name. If you havent read/seen them they are a great place to start. To begin with, what area's of your riding do you want to work on first? Are you planning to do track days or are you focusing on street riding? Best, Carey

Nice piece Cobie. Its always fun to listen to Keith talk riding. I cant recall ever hearing anyone else refer to it as "intimate" but that sure is accurate.

Thanks for the tip Tyler (how do you always seem to get your copy of RW before me? ) IT looks like I'll be watching AMA on the iPad this year. And you are right, it sure looks like we are watching the death of motorcycle roadracing in the US, at least in any recognizable form. It's painful to see.