Stewal
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Posts posted by Stewal
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To all of your questions, i'd have to bluntly answer...you should have seen it coming/not put yourself in the scenario. In my opinion the best road safety tool isn't your brakes or reaction time, its your anticipation. Being able to spot the aggressive drivers, think 2 or 3 steps ahead of them and recognize that there may be a way to avoid the split-second decision all together is better than having to react to a situation.
I hope i'm not overly blunt with my answer to the point that you feel offended. I think you have a VERY useful question, but i also think some motorcyclists(and drivers in general) tend to "cop-out" on the excuse that "the car just pulled out in front of me", and want 6 figure settlements because they weren't observing what was really going on.
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Here is a question i've been wondering...
How much gas is in the fuel line from pump to nozzle? Is it worth paying 10-20c more per gal trying to get 2-3gal of high octane if half of it is 85oct thats in the line?
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Sounds like an awesome idea Cobie!
I think it would be great to have a sep Training/Prep section with info from your doc friend pinned as different topics like hydration and physical training.
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I'll toss some predictions out there...
Rossi: Retirement I think he hangs it up. But, i don't think its his call. I don't think Jeremy Burgess is happy at Ducati either and didn't really want to go in the first place. He wanted to retire back when Rossi moved to Yamaha and i don't see Burgess wanting to make another move. It all comes down to whether Rossi is wiling to race with someone else and he has said many times he won't do it. I could be wrong because it seems like he REALLY wants keep racing(even with the CRTs).
Spies: WSBK I'm not sure where he would land in WSBK, or if there are any seats for him, but i think he'll be racing somewhere that is not Yamaha MotoGP.
Dovi: Spies seat at Yamaha
Crutchlow: Stays with Tech3 - he can't be dumb enough to go to Ducati!
MotoGP: CRTs really are the end, I think prototypes are dropped by 2014. Cutting all electronics is not an option, but I def think that to save the prototypes they would need to limit them electronically. This doesn't really solve the cost problem however. And, with how well the CRT system is working in Moto2 and 3 i can see it spreading to GP soon. I won't be too upset with it and the top riders will still be able to prove that they get the wins not the bikes.
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My question is: When leaned in a corner, looking through the corner, my helmet seems to get in the way of spotting my exit on longer corners. So, is it alright to turn my shoulders a little to the inside in order to look farther into the corner as long as it doesn't result in any input on the bars?(I'm 6'3" so i have some reach to spare) Or do i have to keep them square to the bars/bike?
I'm a little confused by your description the the "fix" vs the problem, but allow me to make a separate suggestion:
Put a bit of foam in the top of your helmet so it doesn't limit your vision.
See this thread started by Cobie back in October 2010: Helmet and vision.
Kai
Thanks Kai, thats exactly the issue i'm having. Turning the shoulders was my fix and i wasn't sure if it would be a proper body position. I also have a shoei so clearly its a recurring issue. I may have bought something else if i had realized it was a problem...I guess maybe i'll go with Arai next time.
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My question is: When leaned in a corner, looking through the corner, my helmet seems to get in the way of spotting my exit on longer corners. So, is it alright to turn my shoulders a little to the inside in order to look farther into the corner as long as it doesn't result in any input on the bars?(I'm 6'3" so i have some reach to spare) Or do i have to keep them square to the bars/bike?
This scenario arose because I took level 1 at NJMP a few weeks ago and since then have been thinking back through each corner i was having any trouble with and making sure i fixed the issues completely. One corner i struggled with throughout the day was the carousel. I just didn't feel like i was able to go as fast as i could have. My coach and locked it down to not looking and following through with the corner since the entry point for the next turn is quite far to the left and you cant run out your exit to the carousel. In the last 2 sessions i did much better with keeping my vision on the left edge of the track and staying in the corner a little longer and was comfortable going a little faster. I was still having a little trouble seeing though, due to my upper helmet padding being in the way when i turned my head all the way. The back was pushing on my leathers and likewise, the front was being pushed down into my field of vision.
When i got back out on my local 2 mile canyon track, i found myself having the same issue on a turn there. Its a long right hand corner (about 120deg) with a slightly downhill, no camber entry and is off camber and uphill mid corner. Now that i'm in the habit of looking farther through the corner i can't see, so i started turning my shoulders a little so that i didn't have to turn my head as much. That eliminated the helmet pushing on the back of my neck and the padding coming down into my vision.
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On the topic of clutchless downshifts: It is my preferred method on my Ducati 848 but i would def do this all the time if your bike has a slipper clutch because it will automatically smooth out your shift.
I have experienced one instance where it can have a negative effect on the trans; occasionally when i hurry my clutchless downshifts i dont push down hard enough/completely on the shift lever. This causes the transmission to exit the the higher gear but not engage the lower gear (a false neutral). That in itself doesn't harm anything but when putting the bike back into gear (always upshift in this situation if it ever happens to you!!) the engagement is VERY abrupt. Abrupt in that the actual gear engagement is alot more harsh than normal. Similar to when initially shifting into 1st after starting up a bike. I'm not sure if this is doing much harm and i haven't experienced any ill effects yet but it seems like it could harm the gear you're upshifting into by chipping off at the gear teeth. I've checked and the oil level is good and all i've noticed for the cause is that i don't give it a solid enough push on the lever.
Has anyone else had a situation similar to this?
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Moving the brake point later can work (especially for racing) but it's a steep gradient, and can fire off a lot of SRs, including target locking on the turn point... and what does THAT do to your sense of speed?
Cobie's recommendation to me some time ago was to move the braking RELEASE point earlier, instead of moving the brake point later. If you get OFF the brakes a little earlier each lap, that brings your entry speed up. Knowing you COULD stay on the brakes longer (if you really had to) helps avoid panic, and being off the brakes before the turn point helps focus your attention on entry speed instead of on braking. It maks a nice intermediate step between no-brakes and moving the brake point later.
Awesome idea Hotfoot!!...and Cobie. I knew moving the brake point could get you into trouble in a hurry, thats why i was curious if anyone used that method. The Release point completely slipped my mind and is a great fix.
Personally, i found myself going into corners faster during the no brakes drill than if i had started out with brakes. I think it was a combo of where my attention was and being a little over zealous with the throttle and my roll off considering 4th gear doesn't do much slowing. But if i could have used brakes i prob never would have learned to go into turn 1 at NJMP as hard as i did and because of that Turn 1 was my most comfortable and best corner throughout the day.
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Hey Stewal, I touched on that point in my last post just a bit above. I have tried moving the braking point closer to the corner (in an effort to increase corner entry speed) and I found it really difficult. By all means give it a try and see how it works for you, but I would prefer to change as few variables as possible so that it's easier to spread your attention without getting stretched too thin! If you keep the same braking point that's one less thing to worry about, you just don't brake as hard, so you carry more speed towards the corner. If you leave your turn point the same, that's one less variable taken out of the equation as well. That leaves more attention free to deal with the turn rate - which is really the only new thing you have to deal with if you use that method. (The speed is new, but you've already set that, so by the time you reach the turn point your one final variable is turn rate.)
That will take you so far, but you'll get to a certain point where you will need to change your braking and turn points. But I look at those as large changes, not something to be done from lap to lap. For lap to lap changes I focus on faster entry speed and quicker turn rate. But when I do change my braking or turn points I leave them set for a while and the process starts over where my focus shifts back to entry speed & turn rate on a lap by lap basis. I'm sure there are other ways, but that's what I do personally and it's been very effective so far!
Listening to RPM is a good one, something reliable that you can relate to a particular speed. I usually ride in a gear higher to smooth the power delivery, I just hope that my sense of speed doesn't get thrown off kilter when I start using a lower gear!
Thanks for the feedback Mugget,
I've never tried it but as i was thinking about it, moving the BP and keeping all other variables the same (with the exception being turn rate) seemed a very basic way to increase the entry speed especially if the rider was not good at judging his speed visually.
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Rossi really is just MAGIC!! Now if Ducati would open their ears and do whatever Rossi says to develop this years bike we may see a little of that next year. Although it may still be for 3rd or forth
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I imaging another way would be to change your braking point. Does anyone have an opinion on this technique? It would be similar to increasing your rpm but wouldn't require looking down to see if you're 500rpm higher.
Start out with a braking point that results in a comfortable entry speed (braking point x). Keep the same braking pressure and line as best you can. Remember where BPx is to reference back to it. Make another BP 10yards down the track (BPy). With the same pressure this will result in a faster entry speed. Don't make huge jumps moving your BP and leave a little room at the exit each time so that you don't risk going off track once you find your speed. You would only look for when you just start to run wide. Or also if your SR's start to fire off. If you just run wide using BPy, then moving a few yards sooner should be a good speed for that line.
Any objections or improvements to this method?
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Hey Vorontzov,
This really is a great thread. There is a lot of useful advise for new riders, street or track. I've also been doing the same drills you've mentioned...esp the vision drills since they can be done during slow days at work
The 2 and 3 step can also be done driving a car.That is excellent advise/wisdom about not beating up on yourself. Positive thinking can really make a difference. Thinking back on what I've done right and improved upon most can remind me of how much I've improved from the very little time on the track doing the drills. This in turn makes me want to practice more off the track and see how fast I could go with a little more improvement. It really is a good cycle. The negative mindset however, leads nowhere. Maybe even backwards! Keith mentions a couple time about negative thinking and not getting into that habit. He mentions it in reference to remembering what you do out on the track that may have caused errors, not your errors themselves.
Another piece of advice is to not think too much about your errors while you're out on the track, as this lapse in attention can just cause more errors. Just make a mental note and focus on the current task.
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Great reaction Rainman!! Really impressive!
Now here's the real question in true CSS style
Do you remember what you did that caused the front to wash out?Edit: I ask because i recently did CSS at NJMP(first time there-great track) and know turn 7. It was one of the only turns i had any issues with through the first couple drills. My issue was mainly with not getting a very good drive out. Through the first couple sessions i felt like the corner was over before i had a chance to roll on the throttle and i wasn't able to get a good drive and as a result wasn't able to get around other riders that i knew were slower than me. I'd end up following them all the way to the front straight and it would press me to go into turn 1 harder, which is risky since the first couple sessions in lvl 1 are no brakes. With some coaching help of a better "quick turn" and not cheating in on the turn point i was able to use turn 8 as a good passing point.
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I believe the photographer is Etechphoto.com. I have his card if you need additional info.
Dan
What other info do you have on the photo guy BLSJDS? The website doesn't work. And i found an old thread from on here from 05-07 where the website didn't work.
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I say good for Johnny Rae. Melandri was trying to pull that move on haslam (as melandri had done to like 5 other riders in the 2nd to last corner throughout the race) and just screwed it up. The line was wide open and Rae was able to get there first. Just all the better that he was able to pick up the 7-10 split doing it
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What tires do CSS run on the s1000rr's?
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Do you honestly choose a turn point for every corner on the road? And to you commit to it? I just turn when it feels right, typically as late as possible to give me as much view ahead as possible. I have never thought "that's my turning point". First, there are virtually endless opportunities where you can turn in; slow, fast, late, early, wide, narrow and so forth. Then you need the freedom to adjust if the corner turns out to be different than expected, avoiding bumps and dips and gravel etc.
Personally, I like to keep my options open. After all, it doesn't take long to turn in once you've reached the point in the corner where it feels right.
Actually Eirik, it sounds to me like you pick a turn point and do the Two-Step and just dont realize it. I don't consider picking an entry point in step 1 a final/perfect turn point, at least not on the street. If it was then there wouldn't be any need for step 2. Its picking a point based on the info you have about the corner when you are lets say 50ft out. Then you move on to Step 2 of moving your vision and concentration further into the corner instead of at the entry so that you can gather the info needed to adjust your turn rate, lean, speed and even entry point. That way by the time you're 10ft from the corner you know where, how, and how fast your line will be. Would you rather adjust for the unexpected gravel, oil, etc. before you turn in or as you're leaning the bike over?
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that two step is exactly what is needed when riding unfamiliar roads.
Agree completely!! If there is anywhere that looking as far ahead of you into the turn as possible is useful its unfamiliar turns. Assuming your goal Dae is to make it through the turn, and not see how far into the moor you can make it, you have to select a turn point eventually(step one). The sooner the better! The second step of looking into the turn is to decide where you should go and is a tool to gather valuable and needed info for selecting the required speed, quickness of turn, lean angle for your turn point...as mugget said
By using the two step and looking ahead into the turn you will be able to find out how quickly to turn and how far to lean it over, simply because you know where you're going.
If you're realizing afterward that you were going way slower than you needed, maybe you're distracted as Hotfoot stated and are turning in too early? Before you have the info that would tell you that you could go faster. Possibly SR 3? 4? 5? 6? 7? All of these seem like they could apply. Which do you think fit best? As stated in Twist II "Knowing where you're going also gives a better picture of the turn and allows you to set the speed more accurately for the turn-entry point."
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I just want to say the Level 1 was eye opening,the things I learned are really going to help me build a strong foundation in my riding.I've been attending track days since last year about 6 in total so far.I still ride in Novice group but I have a track day next week and I think Im going to see if I could get evaluated so I can get bumped up.I gained so much confidence its unbelievable!I have to thank coach Mike for working with me he was super cool.Im going back for Level 2 in September.
By the way I'm trying to find out who the photog was at the 5/21 NJMP school so I can try and see my pictures.Hey trackjunkie77,
I was at NJMP on sun, sounds like you had as much fun as i did. Did the weather hold out for you all on Monday?
Big thanks to all of you at CSS for making it an awesome first time ever trackday!! The Level 1 drills went great and the little tweeks by my riding coach (Lyle) really made a difference. The s1000's are a great bike (once i figured out that i just had to ask to get the bike out of rain mode and into sport for a little better weight transfer.) and being able to use them really makes the day worry free. Having never been to a track before i was a little nervous if my pace would be really slow, but i think i was decent. I was able to go pretty quick in several corners and made good improvement on the ones i was struggling with. My confidence is def at an all time high and i'll def be booking for lvl 2 later this summer or next spring.
I'd also like the info for the pic guy if he keeps the photos. I'd def purchase a couple pics b/c it turns out that my dad is nowhere near the "artist" he claims to be
Alex
The 2 and 3 step can also be done driving a car.
Do you remember what you did that caused the front to wash out?
Highway Riding - Tips?
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
Hey Stroker,
I watched the video and i still have to say working on your anticipation would be the most helpful. You already know that EVERYONE drives like that (cutting people off to cross traffic and make u-turns) so you should def be able to anticipate most of these situations fairly easily when coming up on openings in dividers like the one in the video and seeing people ahead doing it. Yeah, not all of the situations are perfect, but its a start.
My biggest tip would be to think about how you drive. All those people in cars and on scooters aren't going to drive much different than you would in their situation. A couple tips: mainly pay attention to the motorists to the sides and in front. Maybe riding so that the motorists to the sides are directly beside you would prevent them from being able to turn in front of you. Also, it may sound like the opposite of what you want to do but, maybe speeding up would actually help your situation. It may give you a little more control of the traffic flow around you. I realize that the highways here prob have a different traffic situation than there but i find that if i am stagnant in traffic, other motorists are more likely to forget i'm there.