rchase
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Posts posted by rchase
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Neat feature. According to the article it only works in sport or rain and it depends on information out of the DDC system so it will be HP4 only.
Hopefully in the future when DDC becomes available on the S1000RR we will get this feature.
What's interesting is the availability of this feature does point out some of the chinks in the armor of the ABS system that I never thought about. When the bike is in a corner the standard response of the ABS system is not optimal and lockups are probably still possible. In a "committed" corner ABS is sort of irrelevant anyway because just the roll off alone will crash you when the weight transfer shifts back and overloads the available traction in the front.
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So I decided the factory pressure was too "twitchy" for my taste.
I dropped the pressure to 33 front and 32 rear and that seemed to work well. I might play around with raising it one or two more PSI but that pressure seemed to work pretty well for the street. In my "unscientific" ride I also noticed a reduced slip rate on my datalogger comparing the two pressures. The factory pressure riding was actually less aggressive than the 33/32 riding and it still had a lower slip rate.
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Indeed the BMW has a damper that's hidden under the front bodywork. Mine's set to the factory setting which seems to work fine.
I have never really had a problem with dancing handlebars.
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Thanks for the tips there. I'll take a look at them and perhaps loosen the ones I have up a bit until I "need" the extra dampening.
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EricG,
Very well spoken. This part sort of sparked a bit of thought and made me realize something.
"Managing risk effectively takes skill, acquired with experience, based on training, whether formal or not. Managing risk increases enjoyment by decreasing fear. This is gained by being able to assess situations quickly, figure a solution and its expected outcome, and implementing it with as little drama as possible."
I scrolled up and read what I wrote about embracing risk before attending CSS at Barber Motorsports Park this last time and realized something. Normally I think about the risk involved and there's a moment of apprehension that I have always had every time I'm about to head out onto the track. By embracing and accepting the risk I was able to take my brand new BMW S1000RR to out on track and not once did I have that feeling of apprehension. I think there's more to this embracing risk thing than meets the eye.
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EricG,
Thanks for sharing the explanation.
If you think about it the quick turn does exactly what you were trying to accomplish in the steering drill only at higher speed so your logic was not completely flawed. I'm glad you were able to get it sorted out though with the steering drill and the quick turn. I bet you are probably great at quick flicking the bike now without making it unstable at all.
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Thanks for the tip! I tend to leave them alone unless they are too stiff.
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Hans. Wish you luck on the track day in October. Before I went to the school I found Keith's books and DVD's very helpful. Every time I read them or watch them I pick up something I did not notice the last time. Nothing however can compare to the the school's coaching. Quite amazing really the massive improvement I experience every single time I go.
Brakes can make a pretty decent improvement in a bike. I had "prehistoric" brakes on my 1989 Yamaha FZR400. Some EBC rotors and pads fixed that problem pretty quickly and gave me great stopping power and confidence to trust my brakes.
Something I'll share that's worked well for me. I have a notebook that I write stuff down in. It's really helpful for me to write down my weak points and take notes on a track map. It's an idea I stole from Keith's book from the section of having "a riding plan".
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3 of my bikes have them. I have only adjusted one of them that was set too heavy. Does anybody have any tips and tricks setting one of these for a base setting?
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Some guys are really comfortable with riding in the wet but most are not!
There's a guy that rides with my track day group that loves rain so much and is so fast in the rain that his nickname is "The Moisture Missile".
I was once afraid of the rain as well. Whenever the pavement is wet I am still amazed at the traction that's available. Turning a disadvantage into an advantage is just a case of thinking about it differently.
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Good luck on the race Yellow Duck. I know you have concerns but I'm sure you will do just fine in the wet!
I checked out your blog and saw that poor crashed GSXR and remembered that you are racing a Sport Classic. That's awesome!!!
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I am getting a bit stressed about the prospect of having to make the call as to which tires to use, given that it will take me at least 45 minutes to do the wheel swap if necessary (10 different fasteners to safety wire!). Hopefully I have help.
Not sure if you already have these on your bike or if they are kosher with your tech guidelines but I figured I would share just in case. These save massive time with safety wire. Instead of cutting and rewiring you just unclip and reclip.
http://www.kurveygirl.com/shop/index.php?cPath=276
I don't race so this might be a "stupid idea" but have you considered going with a good pair of tires like a Q3? Tires like that would eliminate the need to do a change at all. While there is some grip loss both in the dry and in the wet you eliminate some of the drawbacks of having to swap between tires and the "gotchas" of what if it rains and then stops raining and dries out and you start burning up your rain tires. You might not be able to win with tires like that on but if your strategy is a points battle that might be an option to at least think about.
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Flip this on it's head, instead of shooting for a lap time goal, shoot for a skill goal and the lap time will drop as it tags along for the skill improvement ride.
Can't agree with you more on this. Get all the skills mastered and a faster lap "just happens".
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One other thing. How accurate is the braking indicator on the video? Take a look at 2:22 on the video when you were going wide in the corner? Was that an error with the braking indicator or were you really braking?
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Great video. Love the overlay and the track looks like a LOT of fun.
I'm not an expert (and I'm also not familiar with the specific techniques to riding a 250) but I observed the following.
1. Lots of mid turn steering corrections.
2. Low corner entry speeds due to braking too hard before the corner.
I think the problems that you are having with the steering corrections and the low corner entry speeds are mostly visual related. Looking further into the corner helps with this. Having a defined turn point helps a lot too with making one steering input. Keep in mind that after the turn point the bike continues to decelerate until you get on the gas.
If I had to suggest drills to work on this is what I would suggest.
1. Reference Points
2. Two step
3. Three step
4. Quick Turn
It's not all bad news though. I did observe some pretty decent throttle roll on in a several of the turns. With a little work on some visuals you will be absolutely amazed at how much easier things become. In fact that's some of the same stuff I was working on in Level 4 with CSS at Barber Motorsports park.
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http://wikimapia.org/2188390/Dunlop-Proving-Grounds
Anybody have a tire test track laying around?
As a matter of fact... Dunlop has one near you in Huntsville, AL. Give it a shot.
LOL. Did not realize that was so close.
Probably the "office" of a certain gentleman wearing a blue suit who lapped me so frequently this last CSS at Barber.
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I prefer not to leave my helmet in the sun at all if I can help it.
That photo was taken at Barber. The best place to put your helmet at Barber is in one of the gear lockers in the air conditioning.
Some other things that I have "heard" that's bad perhaps someone can confirm or indicate it's ok.
1. Putting your helmet on top of the gas tank. (gas fumes rise up and deteriorate the foam)
2. Attaching the helmet to the side of the bike and riding (it bounces around and is subjected to repeated shocks)
3. Hanging your helmet on a passengers foot peg close to a hot exhaust (heat)
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I work on a principle of "If in doubt toss it out".
It's expensive sometimes but when I'm having a glorious day riding at the track it's one less thing on my mind. That alone is worth it to me.
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Cobie,
That's why I asked. I absolutely want your opinion biased or not.
I'm hoping to find a "happy medium" for a street pressure on the bike. The problem that I have with the BMW is that it's so tempting to ride all the time and the throttle is like crack for my right wrist. I'm noticing just the slight beginnings of a flat spot developing on the rear tire and left unchecked it will likely fail me on a tech inspection when I head to the track. I suppose I really just need to find some roads with more corners in them and even out the wear a bit and stop marveling at how quickly it builds speed in 1st and 2nd gear.
I agree with you completely on the grip thing. I run track pressures on my MV Agusta F4 on the street as It's not ridden as frequently and tires are a lot cheaper than limited production Italian bodywork. Since there's less mileage and less power and temptation the Michelin Supersports on it are in remarkable condition.
As an experiment I pumped the tire up to the shockingly hard 36.3 psi front and 42.1psi rear in the manual. It's downright twitchy. Still quite ok at that pressure but not a pressure I would want to keep. I have been considering doing a "practical test" to see if I can find a pressure that works well for me. I have the BMW datalogger and it gives a "slip%" reading that could give me an idea of the grip I am getting at various pressures. I would just need to figure out a way to make the test semi repeatable. Anybody have a tire test track laying around?
I may end up just going back to the pressure that worked so well at the school. At the end of the day you are right. Tires are a LOT cheaper than other things that can happen due to a lack of traction at the wrong moment.
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Never been there but wow that track looks awesome!!! Hope you have a blast!
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how u guys uploading pics...trying to load a couple for you csmith.
It's pretty easy. Just upload your photos to an image hosting service. Grab the URL of the photo and then use the image icon in the editor and paste in the link.
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I'm just too serious or too thick, apparently. Or both
It's all good Eirik!
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Would you not say making a habit of riding as fast as you can regardless of the risk involved might be considered a compulsory disorder too?
Totally cracked me up with this comment.
Glad someone got the humor. I was getting a bit worried there.
One of the qualities that I admire about racing is the absolute insanity of it. That outward appearance of insanity is actually major quantities of sanity mixed in with extreme levels of skill.
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Here are my tires from CSS at Barber. Was focused mostly on fixing some problems rather than going super fast.
Bmw Introduces Cornering Abs For Supersport Bikes
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
Imagine this scenario.
You are heading down a steep hill on a narrow wet road in a wide long curve at a somewhat sane road speed. All of a sudden you see a fallen tree blocking the entire road. The curve in the road is sharp enough so standing the bike up is to get on the brakes is is not the best option.
In a situation like that regular ABS might not help you if you had to maintain a bit of lean angle to make the corner. If you were "surprised" by the tree you might make a sudden bad decision. The BMW ABS Pro system would come in handy giving you the confidence that you had predictable ABS response when the bike was cranked over. It gives you the option to be able to slow the bike with confidence and maintain the lean angle until you could come to a complete stop and start breathing again.
It's not a perfect solution for all situations but it's a step in the right direction for sure. While it's a bit of an edge case use I certainly would LOVE to have it on my bike. It's also possible the technology will evolve into a track enabled version. Imagine ABS that's so fine tuned that it's able to save even the most aggressive people from "trailbraking" themselves straight into the gravel. It's just a question of data collection and building the parameters for the electronics and a LOT of testing.