tmckeen
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Posts posted by tmckeen
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Thanks Kai, my tires have enough fresh rubber, having only 4000 odd miles on them. My concern was that the stock IRC tires aren't supposed to be great. Can't do nothing about that now anyways, but will change them before CSS in feb.
I'm not entirely sure about the school over there , but here in the states CSS sells dunlop tires to students and VERY good prices
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Traction pads clearly visible in this shot, taken from the Repsol Team Website
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I think you're overlooking the difference in qualifying times and race times, while the best in the world can clearly ride through insane chatter and other setup issues to put together a single flying lap and push to the very edge in qualifying, it has a much greater impact on their race pace, a ideal setup lets them push much harder over race distance, and I think they are less inclined to ride over the limit when theres actual championship points on the line and not just grid position
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Were you clutching the upshifts just so you could tell the difference between going up and down ?? I notice your downshifts take about half the time of your upshifts and you don't have the massive RPM loss on the engine. The ones under braking at the end sounded good to my untrained ear, you didn't seem to be rushing or braking very hard but still managed 3 downshifts in about 3.5 seconds
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I was super pumped to learn how to write a App for my Ipad for this exact purpose ... until I found out it was gonna cost me 99$ for the privilege of even attempting to do so
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Yes, since '06 the R-6 comes stock with a slipper clutch, I believe it is usually modified to allow more slippage, but as far as I know mine is bone stock
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Clearly a case of a racing series that is all about the rider and not about the equipment.
Hats Off to you Sir !!
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When you have a full traction control system modifying your engine braking and back pressure to achieve the utmost of braking power from the entire machine I think the rules change, you can just mash down gears and let the ECU match the engine speed to get the most engine braking possible. Drawing comparisons from MotoGP and even WSBK on this issue is kind of like apples and oranges due to the million dollar electronics systems they employ. Now some video from BSB this year where they are running without the electronics would be much more pertinent to the discussion, or any other series that runs sans TC.
The two finger method sounds to me like a attempt at the best of both worlds. You're not quite gaining the full advantage of the clutchless shift, but you're eliminating some of the possible risks such as a missed shift or gearbox damage. I can say I had ridden for about 10 years with only the occasional clutchless upshift and never downshifting, with the exception of that one time my clutch cable broke on me in the middle of nowhere. I have recently started using it quite a bit, both on my street FZ-1 and my track R-6, and when I get it right it definitely feels faster, smoother and less involved than using the clutch.
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You can be riding well below the 75% mark and suffer from SR's as a result of a blind corner or something blocking your vision of what lies ahead.
While I agree that more lean angle does not equal more control, more control can definitely equal more lean angle, perhaps that was the gist of his statement
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Are you sure about that? Rolling off the throttle will initially make the bike run wide, right?
I believe a slight roll off of the throttle would result in a slight weight transfer forward, which is effectively the same thing you are achieving with the hook turn technique, shifting weight forward, compressing the fork's which results in a shorter wheelbase, netting you a tighter turning radius or line.
now completely chopping the throttle will probably not get you the same results
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Hi and welcome,
First I would suggest you give yourself a proper introduction to the community up in the "New to the Forum" section.
Secondly I'm curious about what you said here
im trying to get more flow in my bike and want to get good lean angles on the road. more lean = bike is in more controlcould you elaborate on what you mean by "more lean = bike is in more control"
It sounds to me like you problem is you are out riding your vision. You say you're tensing up in the tighter twisty stuff but have no problems relaxing in the long sweeping bends, the long sweeping stuff allows you to see much further up the road, while the twisty stuff limits your vision quite significantly. To counter that problem I would recommend first backing off your pace, slow down and work on the fundamentals, master them and your confidence and speed will increase, also you can try using a more outside line and a later turn point, this will allow you to see more of the turn before committing to it.
and lastly but perhaps most important, get thee to a track, there is nothing like the safe environment of the race track to help sort out your confidence in the twisty stuff, and should that track have top notch professional coaches all the better
Tyler
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What's the benefit of the "2 finger clutch method" ?? I totally get the Clutch vs Clutchless arguments (I'm on the clutchless side of that one FYI) and I understand 2 finger braking so you have two fingers and a thumb to modulate the throttle with, but why 2 finger clutching ??
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I believe they have moved the traction pads from the outside of the tank to the inside of the leathers, the newest version of the AStars leathers have traction pads on the inside of the knees
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I don't want to lead you astray but I think you should practice the "no brakes" drill. Set your entry speed using only the throttle (obviously use the brakes if you must to avoid blowing the corner). This drill helps you develop your sense of speed. As you better understand what speed you want to enter a given corner it then should help you better understand where/when/how much braking must take place.
Call me crazy but I'm not sure how the "No Brakes" drill is going to make you better on the brakes, I don't think the issue (at least not for me) has anything to do with setting entry speed or your overall sense of speed, but instead your sense of deceleration. I think the drills Elrick posted would be most helpful, I'm just not sure where I can find a parking lot I can practice braking from 120 mph in.
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It's kinda early for New Years Resolutions isn't it
I have a few goals for my motorcycling addiction for the coming year,
Number one is to make it out to the track one weekend or 2 days a month every month next year.
Number two is to attend a level 4 school and get some more coaching on my riding, I can't make up my mind where to do it tho, torn between riding somewhere new which would be nice and somewhere familiar which might offer better training.
Number Three is to be fully prepared to give club racing a shot by the 2014 season
And for the skillset I'd most like to improve I would have to say getting better on the brakes, I feel like I'm losing a fair amount of time going slow in sections that I know I can go faster in because I'm unsure if I can scrub enough speed for something a few corners down the line
Tyler
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Theres a number of options down in Lancaster that are quite nice. I've stayed at the Hampton Inn there twice and was pleased both times. I've also stayed at the Devonshire Inn which is just down the road from the track , It's about half the price of the hotels down in Lancaster and it shows, If you end up going the cheap route I recommend you bring your own towels and a extra pillow.
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Hi and welcome to the forums Frippe,
I too would love to attend one of the schools over at the UK branch, but I'm just not sure I could get past the language barrier
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Vans are great for hauling bikes to the track, just got back from 4 days at Willow Springs in mine
I think they have a number of advantages over a truck , the best being improved security and protection from the weather for all your gear, and you can camp in it if you so desire.
You don't need a monster diesel engine unless you're going to be hauling a monstrous toy hauler. Pretty much any cargo van will have enough power to haul a few extra bikes behind it on a small trailer, they are afterall designed to haul cargo.
For loading I just use a ramp and walk it up with the bike assisting me, drop a milk crate next to the ramp to step up into the van as you walk it up the ramp and you're golden
Chocks are great, I prefer the Pit-Bull Trailer Restraint, Its rock solid and IMHO worth the $$
I can't say I've had any real problems hauling my bike in a van, but if you can afford it get something tall enough to stand up in the added luxury and space is pretty nice to have
Tyler
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So it sounds to me like what you're actually asking is not how to increase your lean angle in this one turn, but more how to increase your confidence in all turns. IMO the amount of lean you are carrying in that picture is just fine for street riding, but if you really want to improve your confidence in high lean situations I think you need to spend some time on a track, even if its just a local track day, keep practicing the fundamentals and the confidence will come.
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This is me working on the "Relax Drill" out at Streets over the past weekend
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I think the biggest possible tip one could give for increasing lean angle would be, Attend a CSS school.
I'm curious why you are trying to use more lean angle, proper body position and good technique results in less lean angle for any given radius and speed, so your options to increase it are either to use poor technique, not recommended, or increase your speed and depending on the road you are traversing that might not be the safest of options either and riding at a pace that requires extreme lean angles is best left to the track.
posting the pictures of your riding style along with any of the road or corner you're referring too would make it a little easier to diagnose your question as well.
Tyler
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Hi and welcome to the forums Ty,
It sounds like your no stranger to Keiths teachings or the operation of two wheeled vehicles so you should fit in just fine around here. I browsed some of the pictures you linked and am a little curious exactly what and where this Doc Wong event was. Judging by the pictures, it appeared to be some sort of off track skills day with a few of the custom trainer bikes the school has in a parking lot of some sort. Am I very far off base there??
Tyler
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New to here, keep hearing about TOTWII and read it here, can you tell me what it is cause it sounds interesting.
The acronym TOTWII stands for "Twist Of The Wrist II", Keith Code's second book in the Twist of the Wrist series, available in a number of different formats Here. It's definitely a must read for anyone who wants to learn how to properly turn a motorcycle at any pace, and I think just about everyone on these forums would recommend it with at least 2 thumbs up.
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If I recall correctly, someone on the forum here (was that you, T-McKeen?) mentioned that Crutchlow rides that way simply to overcome setup limitations of the bike. He has said that he is too short to have his outside foot on the 'peg when cornering (since he leans so far off the inside I suppose).
Yes that was something that I had mentioned in another thread I believe, and I have tracked down the source of the information, Per RRW September 2012 Issue Page 39, in the MotoGP notes inset Cal claims the reason he can't touch the outside footpeg at full lean is "My Legs are too short!", they also mention that this was similar to Randy Mamola on the NS500, but that is before my time
Your Desire?
in School Questions/General Discussion
Posted
Sadly My true desire in a street bike doesn't really exist. What I really want is a Multistrada or a FZ-1 with a shaft drive, commuting 500 miles a week and chain drive just don't mix but I'm just not ready to switch to a full on sport tourer
For the track, I really like the RC8