lukem

I have heard this piece of advice a lot, normally geared towards riders new to the track that are using the rear brake without realizing how light the rear wheel gets under hard braking, and thus are in danger of highsiding the bike. Once a rider understands the dynamics of the rear wheel and weight transfer, it certainly seems possible that a rider could use the rear brake judiciously to break the rear tire loose and let it come around, and I have in fact heard of riders that do this - even one that had a hand lever installed to control the rear brake more accurately. A few years ago I went to a race school that uses dirtbikes to each roadracers how to 'back it in' and it was all done with the rear brake. It was enlightening and really a lot of fun. I do not recommend using the rear brake on a sportbike on the track (or backing it in, for that matter) because it is too easy to slide the rear tire and potentially highside, but I imagine there are experienced riders that can and do use the rear brake on the track... so I would not be so bold as to say "never"! I'd agree witrh this! Sliding the rear on a dirtbike at 30mph on mud is easy and great fun. Trying to transfer those new found riding/sliding god skills onto tarmac at 5x the speed is much, much harder! and I use the rear brake on my racebike all the time in the pits going to and from the track!

It's not a race track; it is a road course, like the Isle of Man

What about Pedrosa's crash at Philip Island? Same thing?

Everything...I wish I had learnt to ride at waaaaay earlier age. Way I see it, if my parents has bought me a little trail bike around age 4, you lot would be watching me in Superbikes! Haha. Ok, maybe not. Seriously, though, I feel there is a certain feeling of invincibility that you lose the older you get,

I have pretty much the same setup! 1 book has tech info. All the clearances from my engine (I since I built it!), carb jetting, suspension settings etc. The other has my race timesheets, track maps and riding notes/reference points. I also keep info on tyre pressures, race day weather and temps in here. I'd be lost without either, but both for different reasons Cheers Luke

which do you think is most important? Fastest in the middle of the turn? Or fastest at the end of the next straight? thinking about these points, is it possible to define? Bullet I would think more speed through the turn is most important, you can always brake a little deeper at the end of the next straight instead of relying on how much ground to make up pinning the throttle on the drive out of the corner? I think the other factor would be the layout of the track, if you have really tight turns you can only carry so much speed before running wide or off track so that would make you want to be faster at the end of the next straight. so, if you've a bike at huge lean angles, (I.e carrying maximum speed possible), how much hard gas can you roll on? Given speed carried off a turn is multiplied down the straight, would it be possible exit of a turn is more key for great laptimes than rushing into the turn as hard as possible? What do you think given this information? Given the compromise, which would you trade Bullet Yep, there are a couple of turns on the TT course where after exiting they won't roll off for miles (out of Creg ny Baa or down cronk-y voddy straight for example). I know from my short circuit racing that every extra kph I can carry out of a turn is carried down the straight and always gives me better lap times. I'm talking about a straight less than 1km in length, let alone 3-4 miles!

Haha - sorry dude, that wasn't what I was getting at (I don't buy into that wimpy rider thing either). What I mean is probably best summed up by my old suspension tuner. "Looking at the the tyres as a gauge for riding is as informative as looking at the stain on the bedsheets to find out how good the night before was!" I have pushed the front many times and have still not worn to the edge. Even when I lost the front from leaning to far, have I not worn to them to the edge!

I think looking at chicken strips as a gauge of how much grip you have is a bad idea and will probably end in tears! In all my time riding/racing bikes, I have never worn a front tyre all the way to the edge. I just don't think the profile allows it.

Yep! Not sure what other brands are out there, but I bought Capit which are a fairly renowned Italian make. They have been faultless for the past 3 years, whereas I know other guys using cheaper warmers have had issues with them shorting out or catching fire. Chicken Hawk is another brand which I have heard good things about and they are US made, but I have no personal experience of them.

A tyre warmed by a warmer is still not as hot as one that has been ridden on for a couple of laps. Warmers just avoid having to start on cold tyres. In a 6-8 lap sprint, you can't spend 2 laps warming your tyres. I usually ride the warm up lap fairly fast to keep heat in the tyres as well! I know at my local track we have a lot of faster, hard driving right turns and only 2 slowish left turns. You have to be a little more careful on the lefts and the first one has claimed a lot of scalps of riders on the opening lap. Bottom line is ride to the conditions which doesn't just mean the track/weather, but also your tyre temperature and condition as well. When I was just doing track days without warmers, I'd always take it easier for the first 2-3 laps. Better to be cautious then go home early with a bent bike!

My Pirelli slicks have wear indicators. I am pretty sure all slicks do. As an aside, with proper racing tyres, you have to work them hard to get them into a temperature zone where they will give maximum grip. If you don't ride fast enough then you may find they will over less grip than a tyre designed to work at lower temperatures. That's why racing tyres are generally not recommended for the road - you simply can't work them hard enough! Tyre warmers will just help get the tyre up to temperature from the moment the flag drops (in a race). After a lap or two, the temperature of the tyres will be purely down to your riding. On thing worth mentioning with the Dunlop's (NTEC's) if you are not aware, is they have a very stiff sidewall and as such you need to run the rear at a lower pressure to what you are probably used to. I only did a single testday on my 675 with NTECS and my memory is hazy, but seem to recall running hot pressures of 24 psi in the rear.

1- Yes - On all of my race bikes 2- Original style Stomp grip. Liked it the first time and haven't seen a need to change in the past 4 bikes! Only wish they supplied older bikes as my current bike has to use cut generic pads and they have started to lift a bit where I made the cuts. I also like them because they are clear (unlike techspecs), so keep the look of the original bike (which I think is important in classic/post classic racing) 3- I use them predominately for gripping the tank while braking hard and they work very well. 4- N/A

Start picking the bike into the slide and check the throttle? (i.e don't continue to roll on, but don't roll off either) That or turn on the TC (jk)

I don't disagree with that, but it's not why he crashed. He chops the throttle at the start of the corner, but then starts rolling on and is doing so when the back goes. If you watch the horizon, it continues to tilt right up to when the back lets go. He is doing the classic "rolling on + adding lean angle"

I agree with you on this, hence my comment about "using grip to go as fast as possible around the track". I consider quick-turn to be turning as quickly as you can under ideal conditions. Whenever you cannot use all effort to turn but must hold back because you're braking or the road is slippery, you are no longer quick-turning. Instead, you are modulating. AH! Now this is getting very interesting. That is two riders that feel that "steer as quickly as possible in every turn" does NOT define "quick turn". I took that from Twist II, I feel that it does define it. But, I'm absolutely open to more data, so let's take a look - what other definitions of quick turn can you find? Let's limit the search to Keith's materials, though, since he is the originator of the technique. I think part of the concept is that he actually introduces a different term in the Twist 2 video - "Quick flick" as opposed to quick turn. That doesn't suggest "turning as quickly as you can under ideal conditions", but more the action of flicking the bike from upright onto the desired line. The benefits are then illustrated with the guys on track, using less lean angle, getting on the gas earlier etc. My initial post was more to do with looking at the fastest racers in the world at the moment, whom for me is the pinnacle of the kind of riding I do, and questioning an aspect their riding and why/how it differs from what I have learned from CSS. I was always of the mindset (after completing the school levels) that you break cornering down (in terms of both speed and task) and then slowly build them back up again so that you have a better understanding which is true. However, the faster/more competitive I am, I find that there are aspects that I can't apply the same way I could at slower speeds and in this instance, "quick flicking" the bike was one of them!

Interesting post! I did the opposite and my bikes are getting older! I raced an 06 Triumph Daytona 675 for 2 years and then switched to an '89 Honda VFR400R for the past 1.5 years. Power-wise, it has gone from about ~100bhp to ~60bhp and weight from about 175kg to 160kg. Few things I noticed initially:- Lower top speed meant that I could brake later into a turn, despite the brake/suspension technology being that much older. Also interestingly, my mid-corner speed is up in almost every single corner (datalogged) at my regular track. I think this is me altering my lines to hold onto to as much speed as possible through the corner-> exit as I just don't have the same power. However, my best laptime on the 400 is still about 4 secs slower than the 675, which is mainly down to the 3 straights on that circuit and that is purely down to power. On the logged graph where the Honda top speed plateau's, the Triumph keeps on accelerating. I have to say though that I am enjoying riding the smaller bike much more. I'm more competitive and feel like I am riding the bike closer to it's limit than the 675.

After re-watching the Twist2 DVD the other day and then the Superbikes at Brno, I noticed that they don't turn that quickly. Sure through the esses where there is big change of direction, but in most corners, they take more of a mid line and have lazy-ish steering. Is this because: A- They trail the brakes heavily and a quick-turn might result in a front end slide? B- Protecting their inside line and so have to turn earlier rather than later? C- They are going that much faster that the gyro forces are harder to overcome? I had a race meeting a couple of weeks ago and looking at this in my own riding, I'm finding that I can't quick turn as easily at race pace as I can when I'm practicing and are typically 3-4 secs off the pace. This is really underlined when we go out for the warm up lap, then the first lap after the start. Any thoughts? Cheers Luke

Hey Jason I noticed it the most when gripping the tank under braking to turn in, but I guess if you're locked in then surely you're quads are getting used throughout the corner. Hey Cobie That is a very good point- stretching is one thing that I admit I have overlooked. It is definitely something I am going to be looking into as I think being more flexible will help with a load of situations on the bike.

Cheers for all the replies! Definitely some stuff to look at and some handy info Thanks Luke

Hey Aaron Good to see you on here! If you liked 1+2 then you'll definitely love 3 + 4! I am already trying to figure out how I can fit another level 4 + rideday into the coming months Cheers Luke

Hi all, Just got back from a great Level 3 + 4 up at Hampton Downs NZ and I really noticed how much my legs had taken a pounding over the weekend. Admittedly, the school days do have much more tracktime than an average race weekend, but I think always improving fitness will always benefit you on the bike. I spoke to one of the instructors about when you can do to get more "bike fit" and he said "more time on the bike!" While this is obvious, for those of us who only own a racebike and do around one meeting a month, there just aren't that many opportunities to ride the bike! What I can do a lot more regularly is get down the gym for a mix of cardio/strength exercising so what I am wondering if there is any advice on specific things to concentrate on? Any advice is much appreciated! Cheers Luke

7.) Need to change the front sprocket, so get someone to stand on the rear brake to undo the nut

Plus it puts the ol' crown jewels into a more compromising position!

Hi Darren, That would be great! Really looking forward to the school - see you in September! As for my initial post - I had a bit of an up and down weekend! Test day was dry. I had had some suspension work done (which may also have helped), but I was running times quicker than before and did not feel like I was going to run wide like before. So success! I looked and reviewed my TP's but in the end, only pushed one of them deeper into the corner. I could still work on a quicker turn-in, but one thing I found the biggest gains were just loosening up on the inside bar on corners with heavy braking forces (6th gear to 3rd gear corners) I found that I was holding onto the inside bar (all right handers) to the point where I was preventing the bike from reaching a greater lean angle. Conscious of this, I eased up, use more lean angle and ran a little quicker through the turn. Most important thing though is I really feel like I have something to build upon. That was the up part of the weekend! The down part was the following race day. Now we switch to a different circuit configuration. Unfortunately, this configuration doesn't get used much and so I had only done about 5 laps on it. Throw into the mix that it was raining! I was completely lost. On the circuit extention I had no TP's, brake points - nothing and the first session out was qualifying! With an incredibly wet track and dirtied visor from spray, I found it near impossible to pick and memorise TP's and instead just felt my way by following the rider in front for the majority of corners (some were the same as the regular ciruit). This obviously felt awful! Laptimes were really slow and I ended up missing the first race due to seriously unbalanced rain tyres. Race 2 was pretty much like qualifying, only a few laps longer. I just counted the laps down until I could call it a day. I was so far out of my comfort zone (on the extension part) it wasn't funny. The thing is, given the situation and so little track time, I'm wondering what would have been the best way to deal with it!? Next month we are back running the regular circuit, so It won't be an issue.

Yeah - definitely pop down and say hello. I'll be pitting in on of the older garages on the right as you enter the paddock. Should be a good meeting, though it would be a nice change get a 100% dry day! Not really expecting much from the weekend - I have done all of 5 laps around the long circuit and can just about remember which way it goes! Qualifying should be fun. Thanks Luke