Eskimo
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Posts posted by Eskimo
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This may seem like a slightly goofy question, but I am curious - what sort of motorcycle seat do you prefer, and why? Do you like a seat that has some cushion, or one that is thin and lightweight? Do you like the seat to be very grippy to improve your lock-on, or slippery so you can easily move from side to side? Have you added a "stop" in the back to support you during acceleration? Made any other modifications for comfort or security? Do you use a stock seat or a race seat?
Let's hear about your seat setup, for whatever types of riding you do!
My old trackbike has a superbike tail with just some 1/8" foam on it. I never realized how much information it transmits about what the back of the bike is doing until I rode a friend's R6 with a supersport tail (that uses the stock seat). I wasn't pushing it to where the back end was breaking loose, but I never had a good "Feel" for what the rear of the machine was doing.
Now that I own a R6 as well, I'm trying to find a superbike tail for it (it came with Sharkskinz bodywork, but a supersport tail), but may end up taking apart the stock seat, stripping the foam out, and putting a thin bit of foam on it, to get that feel back.
I had never used StompGrip until after taking CSS and experiencing the advantage, and wow.. I can't even ride my streetbike spiritedly without the stuff now! Because of it, I don't feel the seat should be grippy - just enough grip to let your butt stay planted with the one cheek on, but not so much that it grabs your leathers during transitions.
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Being a Tirumph, they're in the transmission case all the time anyway..
Seriously though, watching what people do with racing machines (of 2 or 4 wheels) and applying that to a machine you don't want to tear down on a routine basis isn't a good idea.
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When i get into a full tuck, my vision is obscured by my helmet.I use my left hand to push my helmet up a bit so as to be able to see ahead.I have a scorpion exo 700 helmet in the correct size.
I hear racers put some extra padding on top to deal with this problem.What do you guys do....do you face the same problem and how do you deal with this?
Thanks
If you really do have an exo-700, that sucker is due for replacement - it's been out of production for years and years! That said, I've owned a exo-700, 750, and now a EXO-R2000. The 700 and 750 were basically the same for the eyeport, and yes, I put some padding at the forehead to lift the front of the helmet up for visibility on the track. The eyeport on the R2000 is bigger though, and you may not need anything. (It also flows more air to keep you cooler!)
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When tired, not using reference points is a good one, I feel there is something more common though. If you're not holding on with your core/legs, what does a rider have to hang on with?
Lemme ask you this. On those long sweepers, bowl corners and other hairpins, feeling idle with nothing to do for a few moments? Would adding a few more reference points to help stay on line give you the confidence to keep a steady throttle roll? And speaking of lines... What is the #1 reason for throttle issues mid corner? If you're not hitting your reference points how do you know you're on a good line? There are many lines through a corner, the good ones follow rule #1. Yep, easy to lose sight of things near the end of the race, especially while focusing extra attention on the rider ahead, setting up the next pass... all while tired.
Oh yeah, duhh.. hanging on with my hands instead of keeping a light grip (which also can affect how smoothly I roll onto the throttle)
I'm probably going against the teachings when I say this, but in the long bowls, when I'm doing it "right" (and by that I mean, nailed my points, and I'm carrying as much speed as I think both tires will hold), I *think* that if I was able to roll onto the throttle, then I was going too slow into the corner to begin with? I have added another 2 RP's in T9, (much like you said) to know that I'm on the right line.
Am I that incorrect in thinking that (only in long corners), if I could be rolling on the throttle, then I'm going too slow, because I have no more lean to give, and have to stay on this particular line for another xx feet until I can begin the exit to the corner? I get the idea that in most corners, once you're done turning the bike, you should be starting your roll.. But... are you saying that I may be turning in too early, thereby shedding speed to get on the line I *think* is the correct one and carrying that speed (say, 50) around, when in fact, the fastest way though the corner might be making a bigger arc out of it, coming in faster, and only getting down to that 50mph speed for the split second between finishing the turn and exiting the turn? Dang.. if that's what you were getting at, I think the light bulb just clicked on. I hope it is, because I'm dying to try that out!
#1 reason for throttle issues - being off-line?
To add to the above - if you come in too fast or too slow on the entry, what happens to your throttle control?
Answer short? it goes to ######.
Better answer - when I come in too slow, I usually end up throttling too soon, which can have the tendency to run you wide if I'm able to resist the urge to speed up/slow down/speed up again!
Coming in too fast - Usually, blow the turn in point, or at the least, miss the apex, keeping me off throttle too long, and can sometimes end up off throttle at the apex, which can lead to overloading the front.
Close?
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Now let's think about being tired on lap 9 of a 12 lap sprint or minute 41 during your endurance race. What other common reaction/sr comes and may creep up on a rider as their core get's tired and will it cause slides?
Not using all my reference points.. Bad body position..
By the way, and maybe this is thread-jacking my own thread, but I mentioned a bowl turn because those are the only ones where I feel you really can't follow the textbook "once you open the throttle, smoothly & continuously open it", but have to hold a 'maintenance throttle' because you stay at max lean for a little while. Am I wrong there? (thinking about the lightbulb, t9 at NJMP thunderbolt as an example)
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When I'm doing everything right, this doesn't happen, but during a race, you get a little tired and maybe don't do everything right..maybe chasing down the guy in front of you, so you push a little harder..
you're in a long "bowl" type of corner.. Throttle is good, maybe just a touch of acceleration vs. being neutral, but you're just going a little faster than before, and the front starts to slide. Not crazy, just the front lets you know it's really not happy.
Before CSS, I would have rolled off the throttle, upsetting the chassis at the very least. Now, I pick the bike up just a touch and simultaneously push my upper body further down to try and keep my line.
BUT, is there anything else I should be doing if/when this happens?
This does only seem to happen to be in long corners when I try to increase my pace or realize I slowed down too much going in.
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I discovered the supplements and mix almost by accident at CSS sitting on the table. I wasn't crazy about how the mix tasted, but the salt & potassium "pills" were great and kept me going strong even after my fellow classmate (who does FAR more cardio & weightlifting than I do) was getting worn out. I've since bought a bottle of potassium from the local place, but now that the link was posted here, will have to grab some other products as well.
Great reading in this thread, and much appreciated.
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Great, thanks Steve! I appreciate the info. Hopefully it will be useful for others as well.
Has anyone here gone from a Pirelli to a Dunlop? From what I'm reading, the carcass is far softer on the Pirelli, so I'm wondering if there's a baseline set of suspension adjustments I should try before getting out on track the first time, or anything like that, i.e. go up 1/4 turn on compression, things like that
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I started running the Pirelli Superbike Pro (Trackday slicks) on my '00 Mille late last year at NJMP. I was impressed with the wear, getting 2 track days and 2 days of CSS, both at NJMP, with lots of meat left on them, even on the right side! A bad setup at Pocono the other day, however, shredded the left side of the tire, and I'm left needing new ones. I was talking to one of the coaches, who suggested NTEC slicks.
I was a quick intermediate group rider before CSS, and KNOW I'm faster now, so we'll say quick intermediate / slow advanced. (1:40 at NJMP thunderbolt before CSS). This is a dedicated track bike, I do run warmers, and have a spare set of wheels with tires for rain.
Based on that, I don't see any reason NOT to run the slicks, but what is the recommendation, especially between the 211's or the Medium/medium slick?
Current tires are a 120/70 front and 190/55 rear (Ran both a Michelin Power Pure and the above Pirelli in that size), but I can't go any wider than that because of chain clearance.
Thanks...
Vision Obscured By Helmet While In Full Tuck?
in School Questions/General Discussion
Posted
I've used a folded up blue paper towel (the thick ones they call "shop" towels) for a long time, folded up into a ~1.5" x 3" rectangle. Most of my friends used some medium density foam.
a sponge sounds like an interesting idea to soak up sweat... just make sure you clean it after every weekend!
Hopefully it won't collapse too thin when it's wet though.