rchase
-
Posts
1,117 -
Joined
-
Last visited
-
Days Won
12
Posts posted by rchase
-
-
Fear. Doubt and Uncertainty. Also politely known as FUD when people use it to derail concepts in a conversation.
When I'm stressed or uptight my riding suffers immensely. I'm less relaxed and on edge and don't trust the bike when it's 110% capable of what I want it to do. My visual skills are often the first thing to go. Followed by being tense and not moving around as much as I should on the bike. I have to say this is probably my biggest #1 problem and what causes me HUGE issues.
For me the things that cause my stress are being rushed or riding around people I don't trust. I recently had a rider go off the track in my line of sight. I was taking it easy and riding well within my skill set. I noticed on my video though that after I saw them go off I slowed down. The accident did not distract me but it "got inside my head".
I have had a few tips given to me that I will share that have helped me GREATLY with being stressed out or anxious.
1. Go out late. I don't even pull my warmers off until I hear last call and I take my sweet time getting ready to go out. This eliminates a lot of stress. I KNOW i'm going to be late getting out and it no longer is something to worry about.
2. Breathe and remind yourself to be calm.
3. Eliminate as many things that you have to think about out on track. I found that using tire warmers eliminated the uncertainty I always had about tire temp and tire pressure freeing my mind not to think about "being careful with the bike" until the tires were up to temp.
So lets turn this around. Hotfoot. How do you deal with distractions and stress at the track that can negatively affect your riding? I would love to add some extra things to my list that will allow me to relax, observe and ride without the stress.
-
Understand about the distance. Roebling is a really fun track. I was not so sure about it the first time I saw the map but there's a nice mix of corners and a nice long straight that you can really stretch the legs of an RR on.
Nate does all sorts of events for BMW dealerships. Keep your eyes peeled as he frequently gets all over the country.
-
I was concerned that it would change the perspective of the exit of the museum corner but they put a lot of thought into the placement and construction. Low solid bridges with supports close to the edge of the track always seem to "pinch" the space visually for me. This one has the supports behind the barriers on each side. Since you can see mostly though the structure it's like it's not even there.
-
That's one sinister corner. Someone put that extra little bend at the end just for laughs.
-
Construction on it is finished. Here's what it looks like coming out of the Museum corner.
-
Just wanted to let people know about the 2015 Double R fest. It's being held this June 20th through the 21st at Roebling Road Raceway in Savannah GA. Lots of information about the new 2015 Double R with demo's and presentations done by Nate Kern the BMW factory test rider and Double R Ambassador. Dinner on Saturday prepared by Chef Duane Nutter.
The event is open to any make or model of bike. Sign up's are somewhat limited to provide a nice open and fun track. If you are interested in more information feel free to PM me directly. Sign up link is http://kern.mycustomevent.com
I'll be there having a great time on both days.
-
I went without riding for 3 months. It took me a bit to dig myself back out of the "hole" from not being on the track. Just take your time. Relax. Forget all about the idea of "going fast" and just focus on "doing it right". The speed comes back by itself.
-
Some great comments. I forgot to subscribe to the thread so I am just seeing these.
Did DTC completely save the day? No. I'm pretty convinced though it did play a part in making the situation less dramatic. If you look at the orange line (grip position) and the blue line (actual throttle) the shock of the impact caused me to make an unintentional throttle input.
Did my CSS training help me? Absolutely. I saw the paver and had just enough time to decide on doing something stupid which would have made the situation much worse. I remained calm and just let the bike do it's thing.
The reason I shared this was in my curiosity of looking at the data I was absolutely surprised at how quickly DTC got involved in the mode the bike was set to (Race mode). Within milliseconds it reacted to the traction issue. Way faster than I did. If you look at the orange (grip position) and blue (actual throttle) I reacted well after DTC already had. Part of that of course was the shock of the impact and the sudden pain I was in from smashing my gentlemans area onto the unforgiving BMW race seat. OUCH!
I learned a lot from this situation. Faster riding gives you less visual information and a lot less reaction time when you do finally identify an issue. DTC gets involved way faster than a human being can. Last but not least when it really matters the training that you get at CSS is a lifesaver.
-
Technically the wheel does not lock in mid air. It just stops or slows in its rotation and there's a massive speed mismatch when it lands which overwhelms the contact patch. The results of course are still the same. Lots of smoke and excitement.
-
Hey. Welcome to the forum! First post and already asking great questions.
A tire has a finite amount of traction. When a tire is turning the motorcycle it has cornering forces on it and the contact patch shrinks due to the tire profile. Adding the additional forces of braking to the cornering forces on top of a smaller contact patch can make the front tire lose traction in certain situations.
Here's an article about trail braking that might be helpful for some further understanding there.
-
No problem. Let us know if you have any other questions.
BTW welcome to the forum! Tons of other useful information around here contributed by students and coaches of the school.
-
Yesterday I went for an errand and took the expressway. In my path was a large concrete paver stone that got dropped off a landscape truck. There was not a lot I could really do to avoid the paver and I hit it head on at full speed. The bike was launched into the air instantly and both wheels left the ground. The bike landed with very little drama and I pulled over to assess the damage. None really. I was expecting a flat front tire at least or a bent wheel. With some more riding I discovered I had lost a wheel weight and my belly pan got some scratches on it from the paver. One tough machine!
I pulled the data off the bike just to see what I could see and was pretty amazed to see how DTC had stepped in instantly to deal with the situation. You can see in this image DTC the purple line coming in and dealing with the Aqua line the slip rate. Both are off the scale. The green line is the engine RPM which went up because the rear tire completely lost it's contact with the ground.
DTC turned a dramatic situation into a not so dramatic one. I'll never know the outcome if I did not have a DTC equipped bike but it could have been a much different situation. I know one thing for sure. Dealing with the shock of the impact and flying through the air and landing I did not have time at all to react. DTC reacted within milliseconds.
-
Sure you do, then you can start renting them out to people like me
Now that's an idea. I would need a bigger trailer and a mechanic and lots of insurance. Eh. That sounds like a lot of work.
Having an extra is always nice for loaning out to friends. Also useful for creating new RR owners.
-
That's true too. I'm actually quite surprised at the number of things that are backwards compatible with the new bike.
I'm trying very hard to stay away from the 2015's. I know I'll want one. I don't need 3 RR's.
-
That's the best way of course. Those forged wheels are quite amazing. Not as light as the ones I have on my "old" RR but still amazing.
I think you probably made the best decision. If you did not have a huge investment in the one you had the geometry changes in the new chassis alone is worth the price of admission.
-
That's awesome!!! That of course is the best color. What options did you get?
-
If you can find one that works with your bike and is within the budget you have setup get a datalogger of some kind. Being able to see corner speeds + lean angle + traction is great for understanding how much faster you can really go.
-
I don't have the MotoD timer myself but I do have a number of their products such as stands, warmers, and other accessories. They make some really great stuff. Don't let the value price fool you.
Perhaps I'm a bit odd but my bikes are equipped with all of the BMW data collection stuff. I have their lap timers and dataloggers. I tend not to look at that data while I'm at the track unless I'm working on something specific. The data and lap times are useful after the fact of course but I like to focus on the riding itself rather than racing against the clock.
-
Hey there and welcome to the forum!
Lots of great information to be found here. Lots of fellow students like us and coaches ready to help you with questions.
-
In the aftermarket there's the GS911 but it's more of a service tool for resetting service indicators and doing other service tasks.
http://www.hardracing.com/GS911.htm
As for tuning there's a HUGE market of companies that offer various aftermarket tunes for the BMW's. I won't even go into those. Keep in mind though not all of them tune the TC and ABS settings on the bike. Increasing the power output without adjusting the TC will either have the bike fighting itself or you on your own with no TC. Neither of those seem optimal to me. The BMW S1000RR forums are loaded with information on these aftermarket providers.
I have the BMW Datalogger for both of my bikes and the Race Calibration KIt on one of them. I so far have resisted the urge to tinker as someone before me did better tinkering than I did so I have not even loaded the software for the Calibration Kit on my computer. I have used the Datalogger extensively and am learning more and more every day about my riding as a result.
The Datalogger can tell you literally everything that you want to know on the bike from lean angle, throttle position, TC intervention, brake pressure you name it and there's probably a channel for it already recording. It's a bit like drinking through the fire hose at first because there is just SO MUCH information. The software is straight out of WSBK and MotoGP so there's a bit of a learning curve. It's worth every penny in my opinion.
The Race Calibration kit gives you an amazing amount of control over the bike. You can tune literally any parameter you want to an amazing level of granularity. Want the TC to leave you alone on the exit of a corner in 3rd gear at X rpm? You can do it. It's a "nerd knob" extravaganza. The Race Calibration Kit does require the Race ECU which transforms the bike completely. TC and ABS settings as well as power delivery are oriented for track use rather than rider safety.
Here's a video that has information on the Datalogger, Race ECU and Race Calibration kit for the S1000RR.
-
Depends on where you race and what your goals are. ARHMA has provisions for the 1199 to go racing even though it's a 1200cc and is not exactly "historic". I'm sure there's some unlimited classes that you can squeeze it in through the cracks in the regulations in other club racing orgs. I have skimmed over a few of the rule books for fun but soon my eyes glaze over and I realize I have more important things to be doing.
-
Yeah. I'm not feeling the wire wheels either. They look nice for sure but the prospect of them being heavier and weaker does not lend them well to the type of riding I enjoy the most. Give me Forged Aluminum Wheels or even Carbon ones any day. The MV Agusta Dragster has both trellis frame and wire wheels. They look nice but...
There's a whole lot of charm to be enjoyed which is why I put up with single digit MPG's when I tow. Then again towing most enclosed trailers you aren't going to break the MPG record unless you have something like a diesel. It goes back into reasonable double digit MPG's when I detach the trailer. Thank goodness.
-
I used to have a very similar opinion on ABS and TC. Then one day I realized I'm only human. When I get tired I make mistakes. Those mistakes could be a pesky orange light on my dash or a an agricultural experience sliding on my backside at the edge of the track. Most of the times the electronics minds it's own business. When you make a mistake it steps in, does what it can and goes away again. Having that safety net is one more thing not renting space in my head out there on the track.
I'll completely agree with you on the car thing. Another story entirely of course but cars have slowly increased in price and lowered in quality and performance over the years. It's not all bad news though. A friend of mine has a diesel SUV that gets simply amazing mileage towing his trailer to the track. My big V8 powered Land Rover on the other hand is getting single digit MPG's towing mine.
-
Not to derail the topic. But.......
What technologies do you see coming in 2015 and beyond that will change the way's that we relate to our motorcycles? Advanced ABS, Traction control and Active Suspension technologies are common place now. What do you see beyond those? I see those systems becoming a LOT more refined and advanced. I also see riders being given more data about how the bike and they are performing. What kind of stuff do you see or what would you like to see in the future?
Looking Ahead
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
That's easy to solve. At the school they tape over the speedometer. I have seen riders who tape over most of the Tach as well except where it's at the highest point in the rev band.
The instruments don't bother me much. I occasionally will refer to the tach but other than that my eyes are straight ahead unless i'm stressed. I catch myself making occasional scans to the speed at that point. Perhaps I should follow my own advice.