rchase
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Posts posted by rchase
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I have read at 155mph we are traveling faster than we can actually process information (hence the 155 limiters on many European cars).
I'm not sure I believe that, for one I have defiantly met people who were unable to process information traveling at 25 mph, and pilots seem perfectly capable of processing information at considerably faster speeds than 155, so I don't think the actual speed has anything to do with it. I think you just have to adjust your frame of reference depending on the speed, for example a 3 second following distance varies from 220 feet at 50 Mph to 660 feet at 150.
I would agree that at those kinds of speed we are unable to process all the superfluous information around us, which could help enable the zen like focus that you describe
Tyler
Tyler I agree with you on this. I'm sure there have been studies but those all depend on your control group. If you were to compare the reflexes of your average F15 pilot and the average person you would find massive differences.
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It's taken me a bit of time to be able to process this but I wanted to share my experience and perhaps get some insight from other riders.
Heading down the straight at Roebling Road at 150+mph I experienced a rather interesting alteration of my perception. The sides of the track were there but weren't in focus. The bike at full throttle near redline was still there but suddenly was quieter than normal. The wind blast no longer bothered me. Quite honestly it was like a moment of zen. On the brakes closing on my turn point "reality" snapped back and I was back to my normal self.
Has anyone else experienced this? I have read at 155mph we are traveling faster than we can actually process information (hence the 155 limiters on many European cars). My fastest speed was around 154mph so I was 1mph under this the whole time.
At those high 155+ speeds how do the really talented riders cope with that? Is it just a lot of advanced planning at those speeds? I have noticed many of the IOMTT riders actually turn their bikes well before you can see the corners in videos.
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WIth the pace of a school there would not really be enough time for the warmers to actually work. The bikes are on the track most of the day with perhaps 5-10 minutes of downtime between sessions if you were lucky. Factor in the time to get them on the stands and the warmers would not have any time to get the tire up to temp before the next round of students were ready to head out on track. Those BMW's and the on track coaches have a very busy day.
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The BMW 2d system provides both a front and rear brake pressure indication in a percentage. There's actually so many data points that sometimes it's confusing. For example there are 3 speed channels (GPS, Front wheel sensor, Rear wheel sensor). You can get Lean angle via the DTC sensor or via GPS as well. What's interesting to look at is the %control throttle vs %bike throttle vs RPM in the various modes as well. I find myself swimming in data and I'm having to decide what the important stuff is. As well I have drawn some incorrect conclusions based on the data. I saw the DTC system engaging the last time I was at the track and concluded that I must have been running out of traction. Talking to someone more knowledgeable and I figured out that I was tripping the lean angle sensor in sport mode. It's a learning curve but the information is quite valuable. Combined with video footage you can really retrace your steps and figure out exactly what's going on.
If you are a suspension person there's an add on to the datalogger that can tell you the exact travel of the forks and rear shock using strain gauges.
I'm going to be diving more into the data analysis here soon. I'll share anything interesting that I discover. The big thing so far that I have discovered is how much faster I could have gone.
The logger is also useful for keeping track of your ex racer mechanic. Here's my mechanic Opie Caylor taking my S1000RR for a spin in race mode. 18% slip rate. I think he was having a lot of fun. The aqua line is slip. My highest ever slip rate was 8% at the track.
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Well. The good thing though is you can always improve your fitness. That's something I'm working on myself. All those skinny people are begging to be passed.
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I have to agree with you on the fitness thing. A heavy fit rider does not spend as much attention or energy to get themselves positioned for the turn. A heavy unfit rider spends more attention and energy getting their body into position. It's a cascading problem too. The more tired they get the more attention it takes.
Ask me how I know.
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Hugh,
I'm glad to hear that you are back doing what you love so much and your injury has not hurt your riding.
On the public speaking thing. Turn that disadvantage into an advantage. You have one heck of a story that you can tell that will break the ice in the right situation.
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My friend uses hers on track days without much worry but racing is an entirely different story. It's economies of scale really. Most of the really high end bikes never get used in the way they were designed. My MV Agusta F4 has been on the track once in it's life and only for 2 sessions for that exact reason. It's too expensive to fix if you drop it.
If the original poster has some more specific questions about DDC I know someone I could ask who is an expert on the subject.
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That's awesome Eirik. You are not alone. I'm also experiencing some light bulb moments myself these days. I have a feeling that they won't be stopping anytime soon.
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DDC is an interesting system. The sag is adjusted manually as ktk_ace mentioned but everything else is adjusted by the bike 100x a second while you are out on track. I have never ridden one but I have loaded one in my trailer for a friend. You could feel DDC doing it's thing amazingly absorbing the bumps on the ramp up into the trailer. The bike also has the ability where you can make adjustments to the suspension via the electronic display for preference and fine tuning. For people who want more information and adjustment potential the datalogger and race calibration kit also have access to the DDC system.
When I first read about DDC I thought it might be limited and proprietary and something that eventually as my speed came up might be a limiting factor. As I have learned more about the system now I want it on my bike. Because it adapts in real time you have a much better adjustment for each corner of the track rather than making compromises setting manual suspension for the entire track.
As ktk_ace mentioned you do have to adapt to the system. I have read about riders who thought the system was a bit spooky because of how well it did it's adjustments. Eventually they adapted and learned to trust the system. I can't find the original article where the rider mentioned having to adjust to it but here's a review that gives a bit of track experience with the HP4.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/motorcycle_manufacturers/bmw/9548951/BMW-HP4-review.html
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Neat. It's nice to know that EVERYONE is adapting.
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Very interesting article. For those of us (myself included) who tend to over think things it's a great read.
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Hmmm. I'll need it this Monday but I may take you up on that offer afterwards.
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Never noticed this but it's a "professional digital tire pressure gauge". Must be accurate right?
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It's a Cycle Gear house brand that I got on sale. Stockton Tool Company. I seriously doubt it's upgradable like that.
I'm going to see if I can get someone to check it against a known good gauge on Monday. Might take a bit of doing but I think it would be worthwhile.
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Yeah. That would be quite cool. I might have to setup a camera on the bike to look at my eyes sometime to get an idea of where my eyes are going. Not very exciting footage but lots of learning could be done from that. Thanks for that idea.
My theory on the RPM dip is me shifting into my "hold on this is going to be a wild ride" position behind the screen as I rocketed down the straight at 150+. I thought I was doing that smoothly while still rolling into the gas but the data does not really show that. This is exactly the kind of information that's useful out of a data logger.
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LOL. Those are good csmith12.
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So I was going through some of my data from a track day and saw this. I was eager and greedy with the throttle to get it pinned on the straight and sport mode decided to override that decision and do a slower roll on. The orange line is the rider requested throttle and the blue line is the actual throttle the bike used and the green line is the RPM. Information like this is very cool to see.
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Hotfoot,
Thanks for that suggestion. A lot more cost effective of a plan too. I was looking at $100+ motion pro gauges earlier today. Luckily for me none of them were available for immediate shipment.
I'm heading to Atlanta Motorsports Park this coming Monday so I'll see if there's a tire vendor that can tell me how "off" the one I have is.
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Oh. I'm definitely over thinking things. I tend to do that by default.
On the over thinking front though I think I may want to invest in a calibrated tire gauge so I know for sure I'm running the right pressure. The one I'm using is a Cycle Gear digital cheapie. It could be off and that in itself could be part of the problem.
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Also. Depending on the track I have heard people use the term "Gravel Trap Exploring" which is a hoot as well.
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I've had a few 'offroad' experiences. Mostly coming in too hot to a corner and saying "heck with it" and going straight off. One time my friend was behind me and asked if I was chasing squirrels. I clearly explained, "I was exploring alternate lines!" :-)
The most amusing I have heard for running off the track was "Having an Agricultural Experience".
"Exploring alternate lines" is pretty awesome though.
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Yeah. I'm with you there. I bought an old R6 track bike. The owner was apologetic about the rashes and bruises it had from it's life at the track.
I of course did not let on that in my mind I was thinking "This is perfect. I don't have to worry about dropping this one".
High Speed Perception Alteration
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
It really was a very cool experience. I never felt rushed at all I just became aware that at those speeds things were VERY different. The BMW at full throttle is almost like having warp drive.