Pepsi Drinker

The rain groove theory looks like the correct explanation to me. Do you remember ever locking up the front? Isn't that tire worn out anyways?

I too was at VIR Monday and Tuesday. I had Gerry on Monday and Mikey on Tuesday. I only wish I had more money, I could have stayed Wed & Thurs. Worth every penny and the 2800 miles of driving to and from, although my car may disagree- towing the enclosed trailer with 2 motorcycles inside.

Speaking of rusty, I go to VIR in a little over a month and I haven't even gotten to ride my bike yet this year. Actually the last time I rode was November 3rd. 5+ months of snow, salt and cold. Rain, sleet and snow for a few more days. We have only seen a couple days with highs in the 50's all year and the forecast doesn't look like it'll get much better for atleast another week. The increased idle speed I implemented when I raced and after several corners thought it was great and I always keep throttle cable free lay to nearly zero.

I like many different bikes for different reasons but when it comes time for me to spend my money I generally look at inline 4 cylinders.

Are the parking lots cleaner in your area? 35* or even 40* is easily achievable at sub 20 mph in a parking lot. Atleast then you have less risk of injury to yourself if you do fall while approaching and pushing beyond your personal limits

I signed up for the 2 back to back 1 day camps at VIR solely based on my personal available funds. If I had more available funds I definately would have done the 2 day camp and used the schools bike and gotten the more track time and more available specialty bikes etc, although I still would have brought my own for some riding in the area after or before the school dates. It is always nice to ride new or different areas of the country IMO. Considering school crash rates have dropped significantly since going to the S1000RR and its electronics package, I would say many may well be far better off on the schools bike than their own.

Kind of on topic to Eiriks questions, but on a personal level, as in it only involves me personally. When I raced in the late 80's on 70 rwhp 600cc bikes. with biased ply tires 110 front and 140 rear 410# race ready bike weight skinny 37mm fork tubes and non existant damping not so rigid of frame etc... Well then I could run right about 1:52 with occassional low 1;51 high 1:50's (depending on draft) The most recent time being on a 600cc race bike on the same track was 2002 or 2003 on a 00 ZX6R that had RWHP of 95 Radial tires with 120 front and 180 rear 385# race ready weight better stiffer 43mm forks with damping rigid frame etc... Well I still only ran 1:50 regularly with an occasssional 1:48/1:49 (when in the draft) So even with nearly 30% more power, better brakes and suspension, better tires and less weight with a bike 12 years newer, I personally didn't drop much in lap times, atleast not as much as I would have thought the better bike would have gained. It isn't really the comparison you asked for, but... I can add that a 250 ninja that I raced from 89-2003 This was the exact same bike, set up the same all those years. My lap times barely changed for all those years and then after a 8 year break of not riding it all I went out cold and rode it on a familar track and turned lap times 8 seconds off of what I did when I was 45# lighter and actually raced regularly. I can jokinglyblame the low hp and my extra weight for the slower lap times, but I no doubt lost some of my skills in that 8 year absence from racing so only part of the slower times were due to the weight increase. I am interested to know and perhaps someday I will, if and how much difference in lap times it would make for an average or otherwise rider to go from a non TC/ABS bike to the same model with TC/ABS on the same track. I can see how these aids would help CSS students have fewer crashes and get closer to the edge of traction limits etc with lessor consequence. So from a teaching aspect these aids can be great, but what about from a skilled racer going with and without? That intrigues me.

Easiest one for me to think of, as I no doubt have more than one. Too stiff of arms. Until the pace gets to near race speeds (on the track of course) I find myself sitting up more and elbows just about locked. So I constantly find myself on nearly all my street rides having to think about relaxing my arms multiple times a day. I know this stems mostly from "street lazy" since there is not any big consequences at the moderate speeds of "pace" riding on the street, but it has grown to be more habit than occassional incident. One I need to start breaking and getting back to better form. 4 trackday events in May including 2 days with CSS. 3 routed "spirited" rides of 450 miles, 520 miles and 585 miles in May also. Well that will give me plenty of opportunity to concentrate on that and other areas that I no doubt will be made more aware of at VIR Hopefully by June I will have that under control again plus 1 or 2 other areas. We have had snow for the last 8 days straight. Seemingly like spring will not arrive soon enough for me. I did go out and ride in the 17* weather anyways, albeit only about 9 miles. And here is another one from 2011 when we were pounded with nearly double our average snowfall. It hit 31* that Feb day and hadn't snowed in about 5 days so I went out and rode some 180 miles that day. Who says Minnesotans aren't die hard motorcyclists...lol~ It mostly stems from riding withdrawal ?

Make attending CSS a prerequisite to getting a driving license ! We would have way better motorcyclists in the world then ! j/k sorta (I am anti more regulation. I am not anti more learning and knowing what you are doing though.)

On the street; I would say turning in too early, especially on left hand turns. It seems apparent to me that many people feel when going right, that the left hand lane (on coming traffic lane) is a safety net, so they are more apt to drive it in a little deeper before turning. On the contrary those same riders seem to be afraid of the shoulder and ditch and thus they start their turn in prematurely on left hand turns. Quite often cutting over the centerline or atleast on top of it and then having to make multiple steering changes throughout the turn. On the track; Charging turns followed by too slow of entry speed.

I imagine my list could be really long. Since when I started riding nearly everything unusual scared me to a death grip. Basically street riding for me now, so I see many different situations and the one that still gets me the most is; Slides or any movement from the tires that I did not expect. Heading through a turn and a wiggle of the bars or tuck of the front as I'd go through even the smallest of sand patch. Even though the event was over before I could even react to it, I would still instinctively shut the throttle and run wide . SR for sure, unfortunately that only made things worse after the fact, running wide. Often times if I saw the sand or gravel late I would grab for the brakes and scrub as much as I could, often more than necessary before turning or trying to ride around it in the other lane. I can't say that unexpected sand patches and a slide make me comfortable still, but they don't give me the same reaction of shutting the throttle they once did and more often than not I simply ride through it, afterwards thinking to myself "I didn't see that, why?". When I do see it ahead of time I pick the cleanest line and stay in my lane and make sure to be smooth and a bit slower.

There are a few riders in my area, one very outspoken one who ran out and bought an S1000RR to "save them". That is exactly the choice of wording used, "save them". They ride super aggressively and in my opinion are extremely reckless and careless and have little skills. They have youtube videos up and you can hear the traction control taking over on most every turn exit and the ABS kicking in on most every turn entry on their rides. This is on street rides! Actual corner speed is so slow that lean angles are hardly ever more than say 25* and line selection, well it waivers back and forth throughout the entire turn with choppy throttle , brake and steering inputs so there is no line selection. One went from a not even being able to see the group on group rides to now leading the way deep into triple digits on every straight away rides. Thus diluting his perception even further that he is safe and fast. Afterall he has a bike that will "save him" and go faster than anything anyone he rides with has. I see some of the same deal with tire selection to some extent to. Everytime a rider has a problem with turning or grip manyy blame the tires as not being good enough and buy something stickier or are seeking validation from others about tire pressures, tire selection, suspension, road conditions etc...without even once considering their riding abilities, or in many cases inabilities. So yes I believe traction aids can be useful, and most everyone would benefit from ABS in true emergency situations but I also feel for some, perhaps many it gives this false sense of the bike will save them from themselves using the technology as a crutch, and perhaps too often it does save them so they fail to learn how to ride properly before relying on the bike. I am not an advocate of the government mandating new laws, but since you already have to go take a written and riding test to drive/ride. Why on earth can't the curriculum be something more extensive and useful? Tiered licensing may well be a good idea. Getting off topic, sorry about that.

My weight gain has been a little more progressive it seems. I have gained 45 pounds in 12 years. I used to have quite the bodybuilder type of figure ~ 44 1/2" chest, 27" waist, 18 1/2" biceps and 153 lbs complete with barely showing 6 pack abs. Now I am 44" chest, 32" waist and 16 1/2" biceps and just under 200 lbs. I don't hit the free weights like I used to but I do still use them regularly. I would love to drop back to about 180 lbs and lose everything around the middle. The more rigorously I exercise the hungrier I am, so usually the more I work out the more weight I gain. Plus it does nothing to get rid of the area around my waistline where I want the weight gone. I too tried one of those insanely intense workout videos and did it every morning for about a month then 4-5 days a week for the next 2 months. By week 6 I had gained 6 lbs. By the end of 3 months I had hit a plateau of 4 lbs more than I started at with nothing noticeably different cosmetically. Then lifes circumstances got me off track and I lost that weight and some of the fitness I had gained before getting back into more natural exercise regiment that I have today. I have for about 2 years now walked the dog almost daily. Not just any walking either, 3 miles in under 30 minutes most days and 5 miles in under an hour about 2 days out of the week. I have also been riding my bicycle regularly in good weather and the exercise bike on bad weather days. Typically as fast as I can for about 10 minutes then slow down for a short recovery period before a fast sprint again. On the road the rides are about 30-40 minutes. In the house they last about 20 minutes. Throughout the late fall I go out and cut down trees and haul wood home for firewood. I spend many days, often every day splitting and stacking and moving wood for upto an hour a day most of the winter. I am talking about 4+ cords of firewood a year that is moved atleast 7 times before it is burned. Cut down the tree, load up the logs, unload the logs, stack the logs, hand split the logs, stack the split wood, carry the wood into the garage and restack, then finally burn it. I go ice skate, cross country ski, downhill ski, waterski, canoe and swim regularly. Not everyday, but I am pretty active. In the spring and summer when my work schedule is the busiest I do the least amount of exercise activity and yet I manage to lose about 5-8 lbs every summer only to gain that back plus a few more pounds each winter when I am actually doing more exercise. Besides my Pepsi addiction. Which by the way I have cut down to 2 a day over the past few weeks. I avoid the obvious "junk food" that I know is empty calories ie... chips, fries, ice cream, fast food, dry cereal, fried foods etc... not having eaten the first three items in over a decade. I eat pretty darn healthy in my opinion staying away from most prepared foods and canned foods. I grow my own lettuce, carrots, rasberries, strawberries, green onions, apples and corn. I eat way more chicken than red meat or pork, although I love bacon with my chicken salads or in a burger etc... I keep the local KWIKTRIP in the green on their banana stock eating more than 5 lbs a week of them. I know some want to blame the sugar intake, especially from the Pepsi, but I had quit drinking Pepsi altogether for over a 6 year stretch and still had the same about 4-5 lbs a year weight gain during that time. I had a physical this past summer and at 5'9" and 195# the doctor said I was borderline obese. I really thought she was joking with me at first, sadly she wasn't. Although she did state I was in excellent health with BP of 105/78 and pulse of under 70 bpm etc...you know other than the being borderline obese. I have added a calcium supplement and a little more water to my daily intake. From the hydration thread. Plus plan on ordering soon Dr Prices drink mixes for hydration, perhaps I should look further for answers. One big thing I have noticed over the past say 6 years. My sleep schedule is all screwy, most nights I awake and roll over and move around numerous times, many times laying awake for as much as 30 minutes or more before falling back asleep. I am in bed for about 8 hours but I likely never get more than 6-7 hours of sleep, almost always waking up in the morning not feeling very rested. Perhaps I am sharing far too much information on the internet? I'd love to sleep better and get back to about 180 lbs with a flatter stomach...my vanity revealed

I am late to the party but.... If the tires look good, ie...no cracks between the tread blocks or sidewalls, then they are likely fine. Probably not ideal, but I am confident they would get the job done. From my personal experience file; In late 2011 I took my then 1989 250 Ninja racebike to Road America. It had not been ridden since 2003 and had a set of tires on it with production dates from early 2001 that I already had used for several races in 2003. The tires looked good, ie...no cracks or obvious signs of problems, they were in the shed out of the sun, but saw 100+ temps and sub zero temps while the bike/tires sat for all those years. I took that bike and rode a full day at Road America at "race" speeds. I had some serious apprehensions about how good they would hold up and I did notice in the early laps considerable extra movement of the tires but by sessions end they seemed to have plentiful grip and I managed to run lap times within 8 seconds of what I did when I raced their regularly. My point is, you really don't need the super stickiest newest rubber to ride around a track, any track. However you do need adequate rubber and you need to feel confident in that tires available grip for the speed you ride. If you don't, as Hotfoot stated it could/would be a distraction and that is definately something you don't need while spending most of your $10 worth of attention in other areas of development. That said, if I would have had enough forwarning before that date, I surely would have installed new tires before departing simply for peace of mind more than any other reason. Tires are far cheaper than throwing your bike down the road or "wasting" time and energy worrying about them when you could spend that energy far more productively.

Booked my room at the Lodge. The Villas were not even on the option list so that made the choice easy. They simply had me follow this link for reservations. http://virresort.com/lodging/

Not to split hairs or anything; 2007 and earlier 250 Ninjas had a production top speed of 108 2008 and later it is 98 Now when you set up for racing either can surpass 110 My 250 was actually a 285, web cams, bigger valves, along with a few other goodies. I didn't race a production class with it, or what is now thought of as the 250 "spec" class which locally is only for 2008 and newer models.

^ Thank you for the information. I called the track (VIR) today and left a message about availabilty of staying at the track. I'll let you know once I know something, I just used the word "villas" because that was what stuck in my head from looking at the track. I am not particular at which one of the loacations I stay at, but given your description perhaps the villas will be out. Thanks again, and I am looking forward to meeting everyone.

When I raced a 250 ninja I could "only" reach about 110 on the front straight (long uphill) of Road America but could reach 128 coming down the hill into turn 5. I didn't have that problem on 600cc bikes though, both directions the speeds were the same. Perhaps I shouldn't have paid attention, but sometimes I felt I was simply camping on the straights and had time for a glance. To some extent I used that speed as some indication of how well I was getting off the last turn. At BIR, I would also be 128 coming into turn 1 and keep it pinned all the way through and slowly lose speed the entire time. I don't remember the number but I seem to think I exited about 10 mph slower. Again, I didn't have that issue with the 600's.

I have found bicycle riding has helped.

I did get a few of my questions answered when my registration packet arrived today... It doesn't specifically the track accomodations as being available, but does list a half dozen local hotel/motels in Danville...

I'm thinking you are correct! So which came first, the Kawa or the Mustang? We'll look for you. Who do you normally ride VIR with? The bike came first. I will be bringing the red 600 though. Sadly the 250 in the pic is/was not mine. But it sure made for a convincing color match photo. I am hoping to bring a friend with, but thus far they have not committed

Thank you. I will likely be in the "gotta have it green" Mustang with one of the trailers in tow. You won't be able to miss it....lol

Well..... Lithium grease is what the chain is packaged with. I generally clean off as much as I can before installing it on the bike, then whatever remains will fling off on the first ride. This is just for "O" or "x" ring type of chain. As you can see by the diagram the center roller rides on a center bushing. There is no seal between these, so there is no lube permanently installed either (unlike where you view the center bushing to the center pin which is permanently sealed in lube via the "o" or "x" ring) Likewise the center roller runs across your sprockets. If you feel metal to metal contact is what is best for your chain, then don't lube it. However if you feel metal to metal contact isn't what is best for your chain, then do lube it. I did an experiment once; I installed a new set of chain and sprockets and never once lubed the chain and went out and did my normal riding. That chain lasted less than 13,000 miles and I could lift it off the 3 o'clock position of the rear sprocket (with my 1.25" slack as required) The next set of chain and sprockets, same brand and same bike, ridden essentially the same way lasted a little over 18,000 miles. The difference was I lubed that chain everytime the rollers started to look shiny, which occassionally was every gas stop if it rained or many gravel roads but in "good" weather I could sometimes go 500 miles without lubing it... I did also clean it once or twice, since the lube does attract some dust and dirt on the sideplates and near the "o","x" rings. So you can imagine what direction I go. As far as what lube, well anything is better than nothing IMO, but I like Motul the best if you get it on hot and let the chain cool and sit for 12+ hours its tackiness goes away and it sticks really well. The 12+ hours sitting, that is simply so all the propellants can evaporate off. I often find myself lubing it at a gas stop where I ride away almost immediately and perhaps 1/2 of the lube stays on the chain, the rest is on my rim, swingarm, bodywork, license plate sprocket carrier and inside the c/s sprocket cover amongst other places, but my carry can of lube is something significantly cheaper and smaller.

Heading from MN to VIR for CSS... I am very excited. Having never been to VIR, I am a bit in the dark as to how my 2 days will go. I plan to arrive Sunday late afternoon or early evening. It is a 1070 mile drive. Accomodations (are the Villas open, to be able to simply stay at the track the entire time?) Food (what is avaialable at the track or close by) etc... Feel free to treat me like I know absolutely nothing about how this will go. Riding my own bike at the school so, I plan to ride straight to the Knoxville area Tuesday night after school, spend the night there then ride all the next day (making a 400~500 mile route soon, any top pick roads not to be missed) then I will head back for home on Thursday. Should be a very fun and educational 5 day trip. Albeit very exhuasting too. Spring cannot come soon enough ! Forecasters tell us it won't even get above 0 this weekend or much of next week, yuk!

Some of those cars had their windshield wipers going. You also could see some fo them were all wet. Of course some shots showed the sun shining too. It looks like (wrist angle) he starts turning on the power just before the back tire lets go. Not enough available traction for how he was riding.