warregl

You will be fine on a new tire. Take it easy for the first session and it will come in for you. Modern tires scrub in very quickly. I just notice the dates in your post and realized you are (hopefully) at your level 1 class today and have your level 2 tomorrow. Let us know how it goes for you!

Love him or hate him....he's a racer. I think the series is poorer for his departure. But Like ktk_ace said, good for him. I hope he enjoys some time with his family. After the life he's had some stability might just mellow him out a bit

Welcome to the forum Steve! I have to admit to jealousy right off the bat...Philip Island is on my bucket list, what an amazing venue! So are you planing on moving on to L2-4? What areas of your riding are you working on now? Best, Carey

Ok jealous now. After riding the S1000RR for the first time with CSS in 2010 it had been my dream bike. Primarily because it was a powerful machine that would match up, and grow, with my skill level. This summer I finally picked one up and it has not disappointed. If we are simply talking lust, I would have to say the EBR 1190RS. I have no idea how it rides, but the buzz is strong on performance and after what HD did to Buell, I would really like to see EBR successful. Plus it's cool looking.

Hi Dali, Welcome to the forum! Your comment on the Nordschleife about bikes, cars, even busses, being on the track together reminded me of an episode of Top Gear. Sabine Schmitz took a Transit van around the Nurburgring attempting a 10 minutes lap. While she didn't quite get there (missed it by only 8 seconds!), seeing her passing motercycles and Porsches in a diesel van was priceless. Of course I might not think that is I was one of the bikes being passed.... So tell us more about your riding, what do you ride on the track? And what area's of your riding do you want to work on? While I have never attended CSS in the UK (it's an even longer swim from Virginia) we do have some of their coaches active on the forum and they are a right sharp group. I'm sure it would be worth the trip. I didn't start riding the track until after taking CSS (I origiinally just wanted to be a better street rider). Having ridden the track for the last few years it is amazing how many people I see that could benefit from more education on the technology of motorcycle riding. I hope you get a chance to take the school. Either way we are glad to have you as a forum member! Best, Carey

I've had both Pete and Mikey as on track coaches (and Pete as a level 4 classroom coach), several times each actually. They are both fantastic examples of why CSS is successful. Great video. Thanks for posting it up Dylan!

That was worth a chuckle. Our Mr. Code does have a way with words.

Thanks for the update Cobie. Please give our thanks to everyone who helps keep the forum going! Best, Carey

Fun question Hotfoot! Going back to the basics - I wish I had learned about rider inputs earlier. When I took Level 1, my coach pointed out that I was pushing with my outside arm in the corners, countering my counter-steering (thanks Kristi). In all the years I had been riding I never realized I did that. Correcting that was like adding power steering to the bike and it transformed my riding. And I could add to that learning how to lock on to the bike and free up the handlebars for actually steering the bike. It goes to show that just because you have been doing something for years doesn't mean you have been doing it right.

I rewound that crash over and over and I thought the same thing. I was surprised the announcers didnt feel he had just "gotten greedy" with the throttle. I don't want to second guess a pro, but that's what it looked like on the replay. One of the things I love watching is how riders like Stoner pick up the bike on exit. There's a good slo-mo shot of it in this clip:

Hans, Like Kai said, since we aren't familiar with the specific school you are attending, we can't speak to the particulars of the day. That said, you can expect to be nervous, the track can be an intimidating thing to the uninitiated. Hopefully your fears will be unfounded. The track should be a controlled environment where you can work on learning your bike and expanding your capabilities without the hazards of the street. A school environment should be even more supportive of a first time track rider. The best advice I can give you is to ride within yourself. At CSS the philosophy is to ride at about 70% of capability. This frees up enough of your concentration (some of your $10 as Keith put it in TOTW II) to work on your drills and focus on improving fundamentals. If you are riding on the edge of your ability you are inviting SRs and you cannot work on development. Leave the lap records for another day. Go with an open mind, listen and learn (sounds basic but you might be surprised how many riders don't do just that), ride your ride (avoid the "red mist" as Trevor calls it the fever to ride like you are the second coming of Valentino), and have fun. Best, Carey

Great vid. He sure is fun to watch. Next season should be interesting...

Welcome to the forum Rishi! I'm sorry to hear about your injury but it sounds like you are recovered and back at it. I look forward to reading your posts. And good luck in November. Best, Carey

You could recruit Tyler O'Hara for coaching that drill... http://www.asphaltan...la-xr1200-pass/ I havent seen a move like that in quite a while.

Welcome to the forum Hammer! What brings you to this corner of the internet? Are you a street rider looking to get safer? A track rider looking to drop some lap times? Maybe thinking about racing? Jump in to the boards and let us know what you think. We love new members around here! Best, Carey

You just cant hide "fast" . Thats awesome Fossil. I cant wait to hear about Barber. Best, Carey

Hi Piston, I do not think the offtrack training bikes are available in those situations however I'm not positive. I would suggest you PM Cobie Fair. He is the chief riding coach worldwide. He should be able to answer your question. Best, Carey

Maybe you could get Bullet to tutor you in the Queen's English?

Great question Hotfoot! My personal goals around my riding are to first get more on-track saddle time (not sure I can swing the T-Mc plan of two days a month though!). Over the last few years I have attended more school days than track days so I need to spend more time just working on what I've learned from my CSS coaches. I plan to have specific drills for each track day (my last two track days were working on hitting consistent entry and apex points). Fortunately I have been riding with several other CSS students so we are attempting to keep each other honest on our plans and provide each other some CSS type feedback. The feedback I got from the control riders was "Keep it up!" "You're doing great". These are nice to hear but not exactly constructively critical. And like Tyler I also want to work on braking and setting corner entry speed. Often I am being passed on the brakes as I set up for corner entry only to have the passer carry significantly less corner speed than me. I was then setting them up, passing them on an exit a few turns later only to go through the whole thing again at the end of the next straight. Finally I would like to develop my sense of traction. A wet day back in May at VIR and a slick morning at Summit Point's Jefferson Circuit (sliding at not much over street pace!) gave me a taste of working in limited traction but I want to learn to have a better feeling for what my tires are telling me on a dry track. I can safely say there is no shortage of things I need to work on. But it's like eating the elephant right? One bite at the time...

Kai, I hate to hear you had the off but I'm assuming that since you are making light of it that it wasn't serious (side from the added expense - ouch). And I've been on track with Joe a couple of time at the school and he is one fast youngster (although very polite with us slow old people). I had my S1000 at the track for the first time two weeks ago and I also found the Race mode to be a bit touchie (not to mention I kept kicking in the TC by spinning up the rear on exit - my R-6 didnt do that!). I took that to mean I need to work on my throttle control. The side stand is hopeless and neutral can be a bit...elusive. But she sure is fun. I'm looking forward to hearning more about your experience. Carey

I almost had a similar incident on the street last year. Wet conditions, someone pulled out in front of me, and when I got on the brakes I felt the front let go. Fortunately for me I wasn't carrying that kind of speed and I released the brake quickly enough to recover (physically anyway - the emotional scars are much deeper). I think the braking rig experience was a difference maker. Learning to feel the brakes almost lock up has been one of the most impactful of the off track drills for me.

Welcome Frippe! As you can see we have quite the multinational bunch around here so you will fit right in. Post up some pix if you have any and jump into the conversations, we love a new perspective around here. Congrats on the new addition to the family. Hopefully the little one is letting you get some sleep by now. Ride safe, Carey

+1 on Lizzy. She is very well known and recommended by many. She has worked on my leathers for several years and I have been very happy with her work.

Welcome to the forum Ty! I wasn't familiar with Doc Wong either so I Googled it (how did we live without Google?). I sure like the idea of free rider improvement clinics. And getting to use the CSS off-track bikes had to be a real treat. Good luck at your level 1 class later this month. While you have a better idea what to expect than most people, I'll bet you will still be a bit surprised at how much you enjoy your day. Post up afterward and let us know how it goes. And jump right into the other threads. We love hearing from new members! Ride safe, Carey

Peter, How wide do you need? I wear a double to triple E (depending on the brand of shoe) and I have had good luck with Sidi if I went up a size (46) but currently I have a pair of vented AlpineStars Supertech R's (45) which fit well. The AlpineStars seem to be wider in the toebox. Best, Carey