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FieryRobot

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  1. Recommend A Good Tire Pressure Gauge?

    in School Questions/General Discussion

  4. Hello From Ohio - First Css Sonoma Nov 3-4

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Welcome!

     

    I am nervous before every track day I go to (been doing them for about a year now). But once you get onto the asphalt that goes away pretty quickly. You will have a great time, and you will learn a lot. You will without question be a safer, smarter rider at the end of your two days.

     

    In terms of getting the most our of the classes, just listen and ask questions when there is confusion. They will certainly keep you busy at the 2-day camp with lots of track time, each session focusing on a different aspect of riding. And it starts slowly, first with a couple of very slow orientation laps to get you used to the track, etc. When going on those laps, I'd just try to sit back and get a feel for the track. Sonoma is an awesome track, probably my favorite (though I've only been on a few). You will build up speed over the course of the day, and remember that you should only be riding at about 80% of your ability in order to let the drills sink in. Lap times are meaningless, so don't worry about how fast or slow you are going, especially since as you said you're out there to learn how to be safer, not Valentino Rossi.

  8. Are Tire Warmers Effective For Q3 Or Similar Sport Tires?

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    I just found this on the interwebs for the Q3:

     

     

     

    If you are riding on the street, read your owners manual for recommended tire pressures. If you are riding on the race track, a good starting point is 32 front and 32 rear cold. After riding on the track and before you go on the street, let your tires cool, then adjust back to the pressures recommended in your bikes owners manual, Warmers are optional, but if you choose to use them, you can get tire warmer recommendations herehttp://www.dunlopracing.com/Warmers.pdf .

     

    Source is here: http://dunlopracing.com/technical-info/

  12. Are Tire Warmers Effective For Q3 Or Similar Sport Tires?

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    What I know:

     

    1) The sessions start off fairly slow during the school, and yes, the bikes are constantly in motion except for first session of day and first after lunch

    2) Q3s warm up fast. 1 spirited lap is usually all you need. Obviously you need to adjust based on ambient/track temp.

     

    If you use warmers on a cold day it's not going to fix everything obviously because if the track is cold, it's going to cool your tires down too.

  16. Top 10 Excuses For Crashing

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    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!" :-)

     

    But the other week I was putting my bike on my Harbor Freight trailer and I was on a decline (you know where this is going, right?) and I put the kickstand down for a sec. The bike rolled forward I tried to grab it but couldn't muster the strength to stop it. It fell over right onto me and knocked me off the trailer. My legs were actually pinned under it and I was hanging upside down off the side. I had a railing I made that saved my butt here. It held the bike up enough. I was stuck there a bit, but finally managed to unstick my legs and get out and get the bike upright, etc. But it freaked. me. out. So much so that I sold the trailer days later and just got an enclosed trailer. F that! That thing was super rickety anyway. And after telling my wife about how the trailer tried to eat me, the purchase of the enclosed trailer was not questioned O:-)

     

    I only scuffed a fairing a tiny bit, chopped up my grip a bit, and broke one connector. Got lucky there.

  22. How Do You Shift Without Bar Inputs?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    OK. I played around in the garage and I think my pegs are too far back. I'm going to try moving them forward and down. But here's an exercise for everyone. Try this: sit on your bike on your rear stand and get into a 3/4 position. Put your arms forward but do not put them on the bars. Now lift your left foot. Is that easy? If I am fully upright, sure, but while forward, not so much.

  23. How Do You Shift Without Bar Inputs?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    OK, good info, now I have more questions. :)

     

    How long is your commute? Do you have trouble right from the beginning or only later in the ride? Is your commute on streets, stop and go, or mostly high speed highway riding?

     

    If your commute is more than about 15-20 minutes, how do you hold yourself up off the bars? What parts of your body get tired as you ride for longer periods?

     

    Once your foot is set forward enough on the peg to reach the shift lever, can you upshift just by lifting the toe of your boot? Or do you have to move your whole leg? Are your knee and ankle already flexed too far for you to easily lift your toe any higher? If so, there may be an issue with your rearset position, it is definitely possible to get your hip/knee/ankle flexed so much that you cannot lift up your toe enough to shift (or lift your foot up enough to move it forward) without having to move your whole leg.

     

    (If this idea is not clear, try sitting in a chair and extending your leg straight out, and observe how much you can rotate your foot from the ankle in an up and down motion, then tuck your leg under you with the ball of your foot on the ground and your knee fully flexed, and try lifting your foot upward by rotating the ankle - it is much more difficult and you get much less available motion.)

     

    You people and your questions! :-)

     

    My commute is about 15 mins. And I feel this from the get go. Some street, some highway.

     

    When foot is ready to shift, yes, it's just a flick up with the toes. The actual shift action doesn't seem to be an issue, it's only the movement to get my foot into position to shift. I may play in the garage later to really see if I'm lying here or not, but I don't think I am.

  24. How Do You Shift Without Bar Inputs?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    1) Does this happen on upshifts, downshifts, or both? Do you have standard or GP shift?


    I have been paying more attention to upshifts, but I believe both are affected. I am using standard shift.



    2) Do you have trouble while braking, accelerating, or all the time, even when riding at an easy pace? Is the problem worse when upright versus leaned over?


    I'm commuting while I'm noticing this. I think it's accentuated because I am really making a concerted effort to stay off the bars and pay attention to all these things. So I think it probably happens all the time. I think it's probably more of an issue when leaned over. But on my bike I'm leaned over a fair amount.



    3) What kind of bike are you riding, and are the rearsets stock or aftermarket? How flexed is your knee when your feet are on the pegs? Are your pegs directly underneath you, or farther back, behind the vertical line down from your hips?


    S1000RR. I have Attack rear sets. I've tried to set them back a bit as I am taller (6'1") so my legs are always pretty flexed. That was one of the reasons I got the rear sets. If I moved back on the seat to 'fit' better on the bike—without them my feet feel too far forward. It does make the overall feel of the bike much better, but then there's this issue. I believe that when I am sitting back enough they are under me, but now I am starting to wonder if they are just plain placed wrong still. Maybe I should try to see if I can get some pics with my bike on the stand.



    4) How are you using the bars to stabilize yourself when you shift, are you pushing your upper body up and back to allow your foot to move? Or using one bar to twist around to move your leg?


    I think on the way home I noticed myself pushing on the left side more to stabilize myself.



    5) What part of your right leg cramped, when you had that happen?


    Hmm. I can't remember. Damn.



    6) What are your normal grip points on the bike, and which ones do you have to release or change when you move your foot to shift?


    usually both legs right on the tank or frame. I have the extended stomp grips. I have to release the left a bit to move my foot to shift. Today I have been trying to use the right to grip more while doing this, as per the above advice.

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