Andy Kang

Thanks everyone for the replies! Now I've definitely got more than enough information to find the right suit for me. My plan now is to try all the brands I can and get the most comfy one that's at the right price. Will share my result when decided!

Jeff: I can totally relate to that feeling of slipping into something you thought that fits a while back but just don't anymore. LOL And I know exactly what you're talking bout with that old Dainese suit of your's. I'm experiencing somewhat a similar situation where I just feel stiff and not flexible enough on the bike. note taken, thanks for the reply. Eirik and Jeff: Paying for the brand is something I was thinking about actually. I've noticed that the big names like Dainese and Alpinestars have a bit more safety and functionality designs to their suits. As to other brands, most of it feels like they're quite similar but just different color patterns and prices. In an event of crashing, have you guys seen or experience(hopefully not) suits ripping or not providing the safety it should?

Hi All, I'm currently wearing a Dainese two piece and looking to invest in a suit. There're SO MANY choices out there and I'm wondering if I can get some thoughts and pointers from you guys. I'm looking to spend $1000~$1500, and hoping to find one that's bang for the buck. Any type of feedback is welcome. --- Andy Kang

Coach, I see, I didn't realize crossing the border would be that big a task! And you're probably right, having a truck load of motorcycles can cause a stir with the customs. I will definitely consider taking a vacation to California or Las Vegas and fit in a schedule for CSS in the future. Sounds like an exciting trip just thinking about it! Now that I've known Victor and the rest of the people at HDMoto a bit more. I'm sure I'm practicing with the right people. I have plans to fit in as many track times as possible from now on. Totally loving riding even more with the right fundamentals. BTW, I didn't know the track was gonna be so much fun and addictive. hahaha.. BR, Andy Kang

I see now. Well, despite this mishap with my bike, I'm still happy I got to experience CSS even if it's on another bike for Level 2. And after the brake was out, it really got me thinking it's actually the throttle and vision techniques that I need to work on. I didn't need to rely on the brakes like I first got on the track. Maybe this was meant to happen? haha just joking. and thanks for the help Coach! By the way, I was wondering if there would be a chance of CSS going to Canada in the future? Though I'm not familiar with the number or quality of tracks back in Canada. But I'm planning to move back to Canada once my kids reaches elementary school. I'm just hoping to get better and maybe one day reach the skill level as you and the other coaches that I've seen. After attending CSS, it really allowed me to think I could have a chance to be good at riding. Best, Andy Kang

Hey there Cryo, glad to see another rider from B.C. on this forum. Where do you live at? I'm from White Rock, but currently living back in Taiwan. Best, Andy Kang

Hi Coach, I didn't touch to see if the brake was hot or not, but noticed the disc was kinda rusted and had yellowish stains. Could that be the signs of the disc or calipers being overheated? I'm very sure that my foot wasn't on the lever unless I needed to use the brake. As to the question, "was it on the whole time?". My feelings were I didn't feel like the brake was on, but I wasn't riding at a higher speed yet to feel a significant drag. Thinking back just now, one thing I forgot to mention was after I came in the guy riding behind me (when all this was happening) said he smelled something burning. That would be the result of accelerating while the calipers were working too? Best, Andy Kang

Hey Coach Cobie, It's no problem at all, ill try to explain as much as possible. A few days before my bike was sent down to PenBay, I went to Nic Lam's (the Bitubo suspension seller you've most likely have met as well) shop aka Race Tech, to get my stock suspensions adjusted. He had found out that my rear brake lever, when pressed on, was oddly loose. I haven't ridden the bike for a couple of weeks since it was raining non-stop. Since my bike was still under warranty, I told him I'll get it bak to Ducati Taipei for a check up. Ok, this next part I'm not quite sure how to explain because I don't know the specific name for parts. So basically the mechanic adjusted the lever by making the lever more sensitive or maybe sticking out more? (He only took a couple minutes with it, very fast adjusting). So the rear brake was feeling tighter like it should and my foot could feel the pressure when pressing down after I left. So i was all set to ride at PenBay. Ok, so on the first session in the morning (after the sighting lap), being on track for the first time and all, I panicked before going into the first corner so i used my brakes. Brakes were feeling awesome and I survived. During the the second corner, the same. During the third corner I couldn't feel any rear brake at all. It was completely gone! But, I managed to make it through the rest of the session unharmed. After I came into the pit zone, I thought to myself I'd just use my front brakes if needed and not worry so much about the bike as I couldn't get it fixed right away anyways. As the morning lessons carried on, I learned that I didn't need any brakes at all and was doing the no-brake drills just fine. What do you think happened Coach? And btw, I don't blame Coach Adam Raffe in any way for finding out but thankful that he was looking out for my safety and all others as well. It was very professional of him to do so. BR, Andy Kang from Taiwan

Carey: Yes, I have to say I've had some mechanical issues as well with my 1198. And I've only bought the bike for less than a year and only put 3000+ kms on it. In fact, a major one happened during the first day of CSS! I'll just skip the details on what and how it happened. In the end the whole rear brake system needed to be replaced! I was so bummed that I wasn't able to use my bike during Level 2, but understood it's for everyone's safety. haha don't we all wish we had a lot of extra cash laying around! But yeah, when I thought about purchasing this 1198 was that I wanted a bike that could not only be ridden on road/track and very importantly be a collection in the long run. Cheers, Andy from Taiwan

I say Yay for this section! I think in order to have good stability on a sports bike, one would probably need to workout or exercise regularly. (At least to me it is.) Andy Kang from Taiwan

Thank you guys for the warm welcome! ktk_ace: Did you attend the 2 day CSS as well? I usually just ride on the Taipei~Yi-Lan route(Bei-Yi) and normally during day-time. Carey: If I were to point one thing out on how it made the biggest impact on me, I'd have to say it's the 2/3 step drill. Basically just knowing where to look for reference made a lot of difference for me. I've never been on a track before or have had any similar training. During the first day, I'd have to say I was running all over the place. I thought to myself, "As long as I'm making the corners safely, it must've been a good run". When I thought about the reference points and finally was getting the hang of it, it made every corner looks like it had a fixed route. With the reminder or knowledge of 2/3 step, I was more able to connect the dots to keep the line. The thing I want to work on the most is the smoothness of connecting all the skills together. Basically that means EVERYTHING. hahaha! From body positioning, counter-steering, visual skills, etc. Just everything that speaks good cornering, I gotta work it! Thank you for the complement. I love both Ducati and BMW, but what truly won over my heart about the 1198 was knowing all the essence of Ducati were on it. The dry clutch, the frame, and the exhaust position. That made me felt like I wasn't only riding a fast bike, but a part of history also. Never ridden a S1000RR before, so I can't really compare these two. All I know is I plan to ride my Ducati as long as I can. Cheers,, Andy

Coach Cobie My name is Andy Kang and I was one of the students. I have to say that I had the time of my life attending the two days of CSS. Unfortunetly I didnt get a chance to be your student, maybe next year? haha I posted in the other thread about my experience so ill just keep it short here. Just want to say thank you again for coming to Taiwan and I can't wait for you and all the coaches to do it again next year! I couldn't agree more, Victor, Gina and the rest of HDMoto did an awesome job. If it wasn't for them, I don't think we will ever get to experience CSS in Taiwan. Definitely TWO thumbs up!! See you soon coach! Andy Kang

Hey Everyone! My name is Andy Kang. I attended CSS Levels 1 and 2 on Dec. 4~5th here in Taiwan. I just discovered this forum and thought I'd introduce myself considering I might be the first and only Taiwanese CSS student to post here. I'm having trouble editing my profile information due to website having error issues so I guess I'll tell a tiny bit of myself here. I'm a Taiwanese/Canadian who now lives in Taiwan for about 10 years now. I've started riding as a regular hobby about a couple years ago. First on a BMW R1200GS last year, then switched to a Ducati 1198 just this February. After the 2 days of CSS I've had, I feel so fired up about riding and wanting to know more and more skills and techniques. And what better place to learn from than here right?! Andy Kang

Hi y'all. My name is Andy Kang, new to the forum still, and was one of the students who attended this Taiwan CSS. I'm one of the only few who knows English (I'm Taiwanese/Canadian, but living in Taiwan for 10 years now), so I've decided to share a little of my thoughts and experience about these 2 days. I don't think many students will post to this thread due to, well, not knowing how to type in English. So here we go. To start off, I gotta say the 2 days course in Taiwan was the best experience I've ever had on a motorcycle. It was as exciting and fun as I've seen on youtube and some forums. I was so excited that the event itself was actually happening, I couldn't even sleep well on the night before. I couldn't believe 5 months of waiting was finally coming to an end. The first day pretty much started off with everyone getting settled with their bikes and gears, then signing in with the organizer, HDmoto(Our local organizer lead by Victor Chen and his team). When I got settled down and was waiting for the next instruction, I saw coach Stephanie Redman and went up to say Hi. I didn't know who she was in the beginning as I didn't know much of any coaches beforehand. She was extremely nice and we chatted for a few minutes. I have to say that I never thought she was a coach, not to mention MY coach for Level 2 and was ONLY 23 y/o. After we were called to the classroom where all the introduction and greetings were made. We were on to the first in-class lesson. On the get go, coach Steve Brouggy was asking serious questions and using jokes to lighten up the mood at the same time. I think everyone in the room with coach Steve Brouggy will think of him as a professional lecturer and a super hilarious guy. Then we moved on the to on-track session where we tried what coach Brouggy taught in the classroom. My Level 1 coach was Neil Chappell (Chappy). We didn't get to chat much in the beginning as we were just about to get on to the track for the first sighting lap. Later on in the day as we progress through the curriculum, I found coach Chappy very professional in the way that he gave me very clear signals as to what to do and clear signs of encouragement when the skill was executed the right way. And, when we got to the discussion part where we got off the track, he would point out corners where I could do better at. I loved the way that when he asked me questions, he wouldn't just give me an answer right away. I'd have to use my knowledge learned from coach Brouggy and common-sense to figure out the answer myself. Every discussion with coach Chappy made sense and I felt like I was beginning to know what riding "safe" really means. On the second day, my Level 2 coach was Stephanie Redman. I found her leading and teaching techniques were much like coach Chappy's and was able to spot my weaknesses sessions after sessions. That was where I felt a lot more comfortable through turns and really had a sense that I was going through the corners correctly and most importantly I was on the line. The discussions with her after each session really gave me more knowledge on the physical aspect. I can say that through some tight turns, I no longer feel terrified of going in with more speed and faster counter-steer action. Alright, I think that pretty much sums it up! Now, I just want to say thanks to HDMoto (Victor Chen, Gina Chen and the rest of the crew) for letting almost 60 students have an never-done-before-Taiwan experience of CSS. I believe with most of us including me would think the event was well worth it and would return for advanced levels next year. And ofcourse, thank you to all the coaches for coming to Taiwan and letting Taiwan be the first CSS branch in Asia. Although I didn't have a chance to know coaches other than Steve Brouggy, Neil Chappell and Stephanie Redman. I hope to get to know the rest of the team if there's a chance of CSS returning again next year. Andy Kang *Please excuse me for not having any profile info as I'm having trouble editing info (site having error signs).