warregl

Well said csmith. I might add that production bikes are made with cost considerations as much as (if not more than) performance considerations, for instance my stock S1000RR had Brembo brake calipers but a Nissin master cylinder (I corrected that – an upgrade I would not have done for the street). So while manufacturing dollars spent squeezing out additional horsepower or torque may add to a retail price, many consumers of a street bike do not need (nor would want to pay for) SBK-spec suspension internals in their street bike. But if you are riding that bike on the track you just might end up getting fast enough that those factory internals don’t meet your performance needs as csmith pointed out. To me, suspension work is the dark arts of motorcycle performance. I would recommend some reading like Andrew Trevitt’s book “Sportbike Suspension Tuning” or maybe Race Tech’s Suspension Bible by Lee Parks (haven’t read this one but it was recommended to me so YMMV).

Awesome! And as his dad you get to bang the drum all you like. We like the beat around here

I'll be at VIR with CSS on 5/12. Let me know if you and Nick are going to be there. I would love to say hi. Best, Carey

Received my issue late last week and went straight to that artical after reading your post Tyler. Very nice article indeed. I cant wait to hear about Nicks successes this year. I sure wish I had started doing this at his age. I'd still be slow...but I would have had a lot more fun memories!

Welcome to the forum Chris. Tell us more about your riding. What do you want to work on? Are you interested in track riding as well or are you primarily focused on street riding? Best, Carey BTW...Loved the video with the monkeys. You should have turned them loose on the red vw driver.

That 70's hair should not come back in style? Cool pix Eirik.

Great video Fossil. You have to love making the factory guy stand up and take notice I love the Thuxtons. I've been thinking about one for a street bike since the BMW is almost a dedicated track bike these days.

That's what I've been hearing. I got away with it for a while but my pace has picked up enough that all the coaches I have ridden with have said something about it. Time to suck it up and spend some money. Not that I'm opposed to that. I just want to be sure I'm spending it in the right place. It's going to take a few weeks to get it torn down, shipped out and then reassembled but I'll let you all know how it goes. Thanks for the input!

Oopfh. Looks like the camera survived the fall so that's plus I had a rider loose a slider in front of me at VIR a couple of years ago. It hit me in the foot and I thought it was broken. Just a big bruise thanks to the Sidis but it sure hurt like hell.

How many of you have had suspension work done to your bike and if so what have you done? I'm a big guy, about 250 and I ride a 2010 S1000rr. Even with all the preload cranked into the springs I still have 42 mm of sag in the front. Add to that the fact that I bottomed out my front end at VIR last season I decided to have my suspension worked on. I've decided on springs and valve work and I also think I'm going to have the rear done since I'm doing it. What have you done to your suspension and how has it worked out for you?

That does make it a difficult trip. I can say that I wish I had taken the class much earlier. If you can ever make the trip it is well worth the effort. And they make it easy to just show up and ride if you have to fly.

Mackyo123, If I were to venture a guess, I would say that you have a combination of several things: cold weather reducing tire grip, painted crosswalk reducing surface grip (they are notoriously slippery), add to that abrupt braking and you may have simply exceed the available traction. It’s also possible that the abrupt braking caused unwanted rider input into the steering, again something that is made more impactful by the reduced traction. Those are just my thoughts. I hope the accident wasn’t too damaging to you or you Triumph.

Certainly will once I ride with NESBA. STT is a great org as well but I'm looking to explore some other groups and NESBA seems like a good one to find out more about. I did a shared event with Team ProMotion and STT at VIR last year and really enjoyed riding with the STT coaches. They were a good group and encouraged us to come down to Barber for one of their events.

Welcome to the forum Ryan. I know what you mean when you say you wish you had discovered Keith's teachings sooner. I too wasted far too many years thinking I knew how to ride a morotcycle! Are you planning on attending the school anytime soon? Not only is it a great education but Keith is often there (he was my level 4 classroom coach last year) so you can study under the guru in person (and he loves to talk riding with his students before, during, and after the school!) And great pic by the way. Love that bike

I havent set any dates yet either but I ususally ride with NESBA and Team ProMotion at: VIR, NCBIKE, and occasionally Summit Point. And I'm planning on another level 4 with CSS at VIR in May. I'll post up firm dates when I schedule them. And I would be interested to hear your thoughts on NESBA compared to STT when you get to ride them with them.

Nice Tyler! How many years of riding is that? Is it daily commuting or do you tour?

Susan, Welcome to the forum! As a track day only rider I have not invested in tire warmers. I've found that using the first few laps of a session to warm my tires also helps me get warmed up. That said if I was going to be racing I would invest in tire warmers. I cant speak to the specifics in the 250 class but its hard to see any disadvantage other than the added cost of the warmers and the hassle of taking them on and off. But if you are going to race you might as well hit the grid as prepared as possible. And I believe in buying used gear if it is in good condition so keep your eyes out for a good used set. I have used the WERA and NESBA forums to buy used gear and had good luck. Just my thoughts. Best, Carey

I would quote JFK: "We do these things not because they are easy but because they are hard". And I think that true road racing demonstrates that difficulty (and the startling consequences of failure) much more clearly than track racing. I'm not saying it's right, wrong, or even sane, but as human beings we are attracted to danger, albeit in varying degrees. And races like the TT allow some to live that danger and many more of us to do so vicariously.

I'm one of the repeat offenders in the level 4 program and a big fan of the program. The ability to drill down into one thing and literally work on it all day with your coach if necessary can be invaluable in refining your riding or just really understanding one of the basics as it relates to your current ability level. The level 4 lets you go back to those skills when your speed increases and you need to up your proficiency at a skill. Additionally the one on one time with the your coach can help you identify areas you weren’t even aware you needed to work on.

Well you know me Cobie. It's not too far from the truth! Hope you are having a good winter. Looking forward to see yall at VIR in May.

Awesome results. Congrats to Nicholas! Are you all planning to return to CSS at VIR?

Great question Hotfoot. I know that I waited a long time before actually doing the school and even then it took a couple of years (and all 4 levels) before I began doing open trackdays. To begin with, it was just a very intimidating concept as a whole. With no friends that did track days it just seemed like there was too much I didn’t know: Where do I start? Which organizations? Which tracks? What are the ground rules (formal and informal)? How good a rider did I need to be? Is my gear good enough? Do I need a sportbike? Will I be accepted as a noob or just ridiculed and shunned? How safe will it bee on track with other amateurs of varying skill levels? CSS addressed all of these concerns as they related to attending the school but I have to admit I was still reticent to do an open track day. I’ll even go so far as to say I still prefer CSS to an open trackday because I am more focused on becoming a better rider than putting in hot laps. And I think that the combination of Trevor’s course control and the experience of the coaches makes it the safest environment for doing what we do. Ultimately it came down to building confidence in myself and educating myself about it that make it an achievable activity (some would say addiction). Best, Carey

Like ScrmnDuc I don't have one all time favorite rider, however I would love to ask Valentino Rossi how much of his success he would attribute to natural ability and how much to hard work, training, study, etc. I think the answer might be insightful if you could get him to be honest and detailed in his answer. Which in and of itself would be decidedly un-Rossi like That said, what I really want to know is not something that could be really learned in a Q&A, and that is just what does it feel like to be that good. Do the greats really enjoy it? Or is the drive to greatness mutually exclusive to the ability to really appreciate the accomplishments? I realize that is something I will never know and it is a question I wonder about when I watch the greats do things mere mortals can only dream about.

Great thread Hotfoot and some great answers. We were just discussing this at the track last weekend. One of the biggest indicators for us was predictability. Some people equate a slower pace with lack of experience but I would argue that a more experienced rider knows his/her pace and is aware of how that pace and their riding will impact those around them. For example a slower rider must be cognizant of their lines and not make unpredictable moves that might throw off a rider running at a less forgiving pace. Conversely a faster rider must also be cognizant of how their riding will affect the slower riders on track, their passing lines, decisions, and behaviors should be respectful of everyone on track with them. In short an experienced rider rides within him/herself and is predictable to those around them.

Glad you made it ok, that looks like a real mess. I've lived in hurricane prone areas for years and I have to admit I stay off of the bike after a storm (the Jeep always seems a safer bet for handing the debris ). But I have to admit the food looks good. Do they make it spicey? I love me some spicey.