warregl

I was probably assuming too much with this statement and should have said "could" instead of "would" since as Slobdog pointed out biker B might be applying progressive braking and not over-stressing his traction. Would this be an example of proper trail braking maybe? We didn't cover this in CSS but I understand it is an accepted practice by some riders. But to Crash's initial question, if biker A is at proper entry speed should he be "off" the throttle? I read it to mean that by "off the throttle" he meant closing it rather than maintaining it.

If I understand you question correctly then to my understanding of throttle control from level 1, the answer is no. You set your entry speed, go neutral on the throttle, quick turn, and then begin to steadily roll on the throttle maintaining the 40% front to 60% rear weight distribution and keep the suspension in the "sweet spot". It would appear to me that in your example biker B would have an unsettled suspension and would be loading the front tire and demanding more traction from the front contact patch than is completely necessary. If I am mis-understanding or mis-representing the lesson on throttle control please correct me. I am not by any means an expert and am posting as much to clarify my understanding as Crash's!

That is a great shot Red!

Being Casey Stoner. They don't call him an Alien for nothing . All kidding aside, that picture is of a world champion. In his world, some of the rules (and coaching) that apply to mere mortals are bent, broken, or just plain ignored. Jason addressed some of this in an earlier post: Now if your question is more along the lines of why it works for him...maybe Jason or Cobie will chime in again...

My list is a bit more modest. Aside from the assortment of dirt bikes I had growing up, it consists of: Kawasaki 600R Suzuki GSX-R750 Yamaha R6 Currently I ride a BMW K1200R and I'm considering adding a dedicated track bike. Thanks to my first 2 levels with CSS, I've got "S1000RR" on the brain but that is probably not in the cards this year.

I'm curious if any one is familiar with the product this video (or any like it): I've not looked into adding video to my equipment but the gyro does provide a cool visual (albeit not as useful as all the info on that SmaryCam).

It amazes me, they are living personification of being "in-tune" with their machines. I know that's why they are where they are but it's amazing non the less, probably more so since I know how bloody hard it is for my uncoordinated carcass. And you are dead on about their conditioning, they are serious athletes, anyone who doubts that just needs to spend a day at the track!

I'm an old Florida boy myself so warm weather is my preferred clime. Probably the only thing I don't really like about Virginia is January and February so I was most pleased when the weather took an unexpected up turn this past weekend. It made it all the way up to 54! And we had rain Friday night so most of the sand and salt was washed off of the roads. I took full advantage of this unseasonable weather and reacquainted my posterior with the saddle. It wasn't "70 degrees" good but at least I wasn't numb when I finally hit the garage. You SoCal folks think happy thoughts about us poor shlubs back east would you please? And Jason, all I can say is hydrate well!

Thanks Jason, I'm sure I will. Since finishing Level 2 last year I've really felt the missing skills that I hope to learn in 3 & 4. The old adage is true - the more you learn, the more you realize you need to learn. Cheers, Carey

Cobie (or should I just start calling you Jester?), I guess I didn't have such an "ah ha" moment after all. I do have tank pads (Tec Spec's) and they do help tremendously (at least when I'm wearing leathers) however what I'm experiencing is this, when I shift my weight to the inside I load up the inside peg, even if I feel like I have my outside foot/knee planted. I do notice the stress I place on my inside leg and I have to tighten my core to prevent transferring stress to the bars. But when I try to weight the outside peg I just end up crossed up. Once I weight the outside peg and shift to the inside should I focus on moving my upper body down and to the inside while my lower body stays planted on the outside? I realize I will get this sorted out in Level 3 and I signed up for the two day camp in May at VIR today (please tell Whitney I said thanks again) but it is driving me crazy. I'm sure it is much simpler than I am making it but I missing something somewhere. Remember, a teacher is only as good as his dullest student so I could make you a superstar if you can just sort me out! Thanks, Carey

If we are going with the Top Gun theme would that make Cobie "Jester"?

Pete, Is it wrong for me to really not like you right now? Please understand my animosity is probably driven by the fact that I am staring out of my office taking in a wonderful view of the office buildings right next to me. Not to mention it's somewhere just south of freezing here, and the last time I rode my motorcycle I spent all afternoon surfing the sand that DOT has so kindly coated the roads with in a futile attempt to battle the ice. Of course, I suppose I should be happy I'm not further north this week though, those folks are getting hammered . All kidding aside I hope you had a good trip. It doesn't sound like it was a rough assignment. And I saw some of the pictures of the India trip, I'll bet that was a blast. I have to admit, you all have a good thing going here. Best, Carey

Jason, Great explanation! I have to admit that this is something I'm struggling to work out myself. I completed Level 2 last August and the last thing we did was the lean bike. Coach Lonnie said I was doing it right but with only about 5 minutes I didn't really get to define what "doing it right" meant, it felt good but I cant seem to replicate that feeling on my bike. When I'm on my bike now I feel that I'm putting too much weight on my inside peg, I'm literally carrying most of my body weight on it and it sounds like I'm doing too much work for too little result! Would I be correct in saying that "weighting the outside peg" properly means using the outside peg to plant your leg so you can anchor your knee into the tank NOT carrying the majority of my body weight like I'm incorrectly doing now with the inside peg? I realize that doing this with a coach is critical and I am planning on doing levels 3 & 4 in May but I think I may have had an "ah ha!" moment there and I need to know if I'm finally getting it. Many thanks for your guidance. Best, Carey

Hi Richard, That looks like an interesting book. Have you read it? Any opinions? I'm not sure if there have been any threads about good motorcycling books (Yes search in my friend – I'll look after this post. If not maybe we should start one. This time of year I'm looking for anything to get my two-wheeled fix. Ride safe, Carey BTW - "Some people hear Tiny Tim singing when they go under, and some others hear the song of the Sausage Creature". That man could sure turn a phrase...

For what it's worth, I'm on my first pair of track/race gloves, they are REV'IT Jerez and I am very happy with them. While I cannot speak to their crash worthiness, supposedly they are the same gloves Randy De Puniet wears so that was a selling point. That said my main reason for going with them is I have wide hands but short fingers (proportionally). I have tried several brands including AlpineStars, Held, Lee Parks Designs and none of them fit. My first pair of REV'ITs were their Kelvin winter gloves (on a recommendation from a Revzilla rep) and I'm still very happy with them so I gave the Jerez a shot. So far so good. As for sweat treatment, I use an automotive leather conditioner from Zaino but I don't put anwhere near the use on them that the riding coaches do. If you find a good treatment let us know!

As I've posed in other threads, I was out of riding for over 15 years so when I got back on a sportbike at almost 40 years old I noticed the physical demands much more than I ever did in my 20's. That inspired me to get back to the gym but I knew I needed more than the old upper body weight training I used to default to. So I met with a trainer and developed routines that combine aerobics, weights, and core training. It has made a significant improvement not only in my stamina but also in my developing skills as a high performance rider (not that I can call what I do "high performance" but I'm working on it ). Plus I just feel better, at least when I'm not sore from the workout...

Thanks for the feedback guys. I think I'm going to try to fit Cornerspin in before CSS comes back to VIR in May. If I manage to do that I will post a review. And I look forward to seeing what KTM250SX thinks of Colin Edward's school.

I had no idea that happened! I figured you were just tired of dealing with the knuckle-headed noob . All kidding aside, riding down to VIR the day before through the monsoon I was wondering if we were even going to get to ride so the track was definitley wet that day. I'm glad you are ok (well wishes 8 months late but sincere). We were beginning to make progress and I was able to build on that with Josh in Level 2. I told him early on that we had been working on that set of corners and what my issues had been so we focused on that part of the track and I saw real results. Thanks again to both of you. Maybe we can work together again some time. Be safe and I'll see you in May.

No problemo. You might actually be surprised at how good my memory can be -even at the old age of 31. lol. I kind of remember you. Your name rings a bell and I'm getting a picture of what we were trying to get sorted out. Was it body positioning? Hi Pete, You spent the morning helping me with entry points, mainly sorting out corners 3-5 at VIR and you had told me we needed to work on body position but you got pulled to work on something else so I worked with Kristi in the afternoon. I'll say hi when I come down to VIR for levels 3 & 4 in May. Thanks again, it was great working with you. Carey

And yet I'm still trying to figure out where those years went. Granddad always said they come faster and faster... He also said you can grow up just don't grow old

I did not know about this one. Thanks! Have you attended?

Hi Pete, I'm sure you don't remember me but you were my Level I coach at VIR last May (thanks again for making my first track experience fantastic). My first experience with a motorcycle was a 50cc Honda Mini Trail when I was 6. I was hooked instantly, rode the wheels off of it (and several others), much to my mother's dismay. And like yours, she said no street bikes under her roof. So I waited until I was in college (and over 400 miles away so she couldn't beat me) and I got into sportbikes. All was great until I had to sell my bike to make tuition for my senior year. I figured I was graduating and would buy another one soon. Well, life is what happens while you are busy making plans and one day I realized I was going to be 40. I decided that is was well past time to get back in the saddle. I bought a bike, and started trying to learn all the things I didn't learn the first time around (age does bring a modicum of wisdom...just ask Cobie). Ride safe and I'll see you in May at VIR, Carey

Happy New year all. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with the Cornerspin school (billed as roadracing school in the dirt)? I had heard of it when I was looking for a school last year but I decided to take California Superbike School instead (I found CSS to be great, doing levels 1 & 2 last year and I'm planning on levels 3 & 4 when they are back at VIR in May). That said, I was watching the movie "Faster" and they discussed the fact that many of the greats got their start dirt bike racing and many of today's superstars train in the dirt. It made me reconsider Cornerspin. As a bonus Cornerspin runs in the winter so I don't have to wait for warm weather. Anyway I just thought I would ask if anyone had experience (good or bad). Considering how impressed I was with CSS it would be great to know what people who know CSS think of Cornerspin. Many thanks and ride safe.

Now that you brought the question. I have an Alpine star leather Jacket with the elbow, shoulder, back and chest potection. An alpinestar leather track pants with kneed pads shin gards, etc. It does zip together, but it does not zip completely all the way around. There is a gap at front, which is not big. Which begs the question. Do the 2 piece suit has to zip all the way around completely?. My school day is in August 2nd. Thanks for the clarification. Razor, I just completed level 1 at VIR on 5/18 and my two piece Firstgear textile suit passed with the short connection zipper. Cheers, warregl

Razor, For what it's worth, I just did the level 1 class at VIR and I can say while the day is demanding, I wouldn't say it is onerously so. And there were probably 8 to 10 riders there in their late 50's to 60's. As much as you ride I think you will be fine and I think you will really enjoy it. Carey