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CoffeeFirst

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Posts posted by CoffeeFirst

  1. If someone is striving to get "the most" out of their track time I believe being physical fit makes a huge difference.  I define getting "the most" as riding with greater precision, better control of the motorcycle, lower lap times and the physical and mental stamina to comfortably handle all riding sessions on really hot days. Riding a race track well is not easy and can be very physically demanding, just like any sport or physical activity when one is pushing to improve.

    To your question about winter training programs, for me working on fitness has always involved some kind of cardio workout, strength training and a steady regiment of yoga. I find it important to mix up my workouts on each of these three (cardio, strength, yoga) so things don't get stale.  I'll also add that as an older rider coming back from some significant injuries, getting back in shape is not an easy journey but it is more important than ever!  Still have a long way to go to reach my fitness goals. 

  2. Hotfoot, I have experienced the "resisting lean / wanting to stand up" dynamic so understand your comment.  Can you expand on  "vagueness" and "won't quite hold a line"?  How are you defining vagueness?  Does the tire feel like it is sliding? Or is it just not warmed up enough to provide that nice bite on turn in when you execute fast quick turns?

  3. Reading through the marketing fluff Dunlop talks about the tire having increased contact patch over the Q4. From the contact patch curves they posted it looks like it has a larger contact patch when the tire is above a 35% lean angle.  Also looks like they are making them for a broader range of tire sizes.  Should be a fun tire.  Look forward to rolling with a set on track at some point.

  4. Quote
    On 11/10/2022 at 2:44 PM, Cobie Fair said:

    To somewhat over-simplify, the surface looked at closely is quite rough, with small ridges and dips.  A cold tire "skates" over the top of the ridges, and doesn't push into the dips.  

    As described by Cobie above, this process of a tire's rubber meshing into the surface texture of the pavement is referred to as "micro-mechanical grip".  Tires also have "molecular grip" which exist within the chemical makeup of the rubber. Even on perfectly smooth driving surfaces, a tire's vulcanized rubber can still produce grip by being chemically "sticky".  Both concepts are important physics to how our motorcycle tires perform on track. 

  5. Yup, good with the general concept … street tires = lower / broader and slicks = higher / tighter temp ranges.  Plus full carcass temp is what matters.

    Worth noting Dunlop website recommends tire warmers be set to the same temperature range (158-176 F/70-80 C) for Q3+ / Q4 and KR448 / KR451 / KR151 slicks.  Think this simply means for track riding all of these tires optimize their performance in the same general high temp range.  You'll find the recommendations in the footnotes in the tire specifications section.

  6. Always up for more discussion and knowledge about tires and tire management.  

    Worth mentioning CSS has shared some great information on this in the past. I found Keith's  "Traction Science" post and Dylan's comments in the "Contact Patch vs Grip" thread very helpful.

  7. Thanks. That avatar name has been with me a long time … and still holds true. 

    It is a shame Ogura pushed it a bit too much and went down. The upcoming Spain race will be a dog fight now as a result.  Definitely would be great to have a Japanese champ.  As to how many Japanese champs there have been in the past the answer is 3 since 1949: Tetsuya Harada in 1993 (Yamaha), Daijiro Kato in 2001 (Honda) and Hiroshi Aoyama in 2009 (Honda).  Of course this pales in comparison to the 54 won by various Europeans, led most notably by Italy with 25 champs.

  8. Interesting topic.  While riders are individuals they are part of a team and being part of team means not only working to secure a podium or championship for yourself but also the team.  If a rider is so far out of contention for the title then I think team orders are appropriate. But if two riders are truly in contention for the possible title, over whatever number of races remain in the season, then you have to let them race. That said, there should be clear instruction all passing needs to be clean and not risk any DNFs. There were times in the later stages of the race when Bastianini was so close to Bagnaia and sizing him up for possible pass it was nerve racking. Just imagine the reaction if a close or difficult pass had taken them (Pecco in particular) out of the race. The regrets would run deep.

  9. Oz race was fantastic. The tight grouping of the front riders and the amount of, and precision with, passing throughout the race was fabulous. Best race I have seen in long time as well.  Been rooting for Pecco since the beginning of the year.  All of his early season DNFs were concerning but in the second half of the season he has ridden smart, bringing incredible precision and consistency to his laps. He has also kept his adrenaline in check.  One to watch next year will be Enea. Some of his wins and podiums this year were very impressive. Feels like he has a few Championship titles coming his way in the not too distant future. Cheers.  

  10. Cobie, I only watched it once but it looked as if Ogura continued to increase front brake pressure while increasing his lean angle into the corner. This is in contrast to initially braking hard (while more upright) and then truly trailing off the front brake as the bike is leaned over going into the corner.  Tire traction has to be shared by both deceleration (or acceleration) and cornering forces. If a tire's traction is already at its' limit and you add more deceleration and cornering force together you raise the risk of a low side.  Very similar concept to adding additional throttle and lean together.  

    Important to note increasing front brake pressure as a rider goes deeper into the corner also shifts more weight to the front tire than the desired weight distribution between the two tires. Desired weight distribution should approximate the ratio when comparing the front & rear tire contact patches.  Cheers.  

    Dave

     

     

  11. Now I understand.  

    When my corners get sloppy (i.e., entry speed off, missed apex / line, gripping bars too tight, overly aggressive throttle roll-on, etc.) 9 times out of 10 my vision practices are to blame.  When I get back to good wide view transitions my sense of space opens up, and when I execute good 2-step/3-step my eyes get back to moving smoothly along my reference points and intended line … and then my control actions get back to being smooth as well.  

    As to drills that train the brain and wrist to roll smoothly, this is where we need HotFoot or Cobie to chime in. I'm sure CSS has some very specific drills for this. For me, it has just been a lot of repeated practice corner after corner, and at about 75% pace.  As soon as I'm chasing speed I find it hard to concentrate on what my wrist is doing.

  12. I should add, it is possible to have a line that doesn't require steering corrections but does force one have to wait before rolling-on.  Good "quick turn" technique allows the use of later turn points. Later turn points (but not too late) provide the straightest line / arc through a corner, with the least amount of lean angle and an earlier opportunity to roll-on the throttle.

    The beauty of less lean angle is you have more available traction to up your cornering speed (which will then use that available lean angle / traction you've created). 

  13. Got it.  So if steering corrections aren't creeping in then it sounds like you're pretty happy with your turn points and lines on those corners. Can I assume this?

    When it happens do you find yourself dissatisfied with your entry speed right from the very start of your turn point?  Or, do you think you may scrub off too much pace with trail braking?  Or, are you happy with both?

  14. Still needs to be even, smooth and constant even when rolling on late.  Hard to do, I know.  

    But let's start with this question.  If you think back to corners where you've rolled on late, do you remember having to make a steering correction(s) at any point while going into, through or exiting the corner?

  15. Gravisman, your prior comment about this occurring in some corners and not all, and primarily when you feel your speed is too low in a corner, suggests to me it may not be a physical issue with grip or brake lever positions. Further evidence of this would be if you find yourself happy with your grip, brake lever position, and throttle control when rolling-on in corners that go well.

    This may simply come back to just practicing and mastering "an even, smooth and consistent roll-on throughout the remainder of the corner".  My understanding is executing an "even, smooth and consistent roll-on" should happen in every corner, regardless of whether pace is just right or too slow. That said, this doesn't mean the throttle roll-on is always executed at the same "rate".  If a corner has played out too slow then the roll-on may happen at a faster rate (so more quickly), but should still be even, smooth and constant. A nice way to tell if your rate of roll-on is good for the corner you are in is if it happens in good synchronization with the rate at which you bring the bike up.  So faster pickup, faster rate of roll-on. Slower pickup, slower rate of roll-on … but always even, smooth and constant. 

    But I really want to hear what HotFoot has to say …

  16. The second video also gives you a great view of the M1000RR's display which is set to Race Track mode so you see exactly what is happening with his RPMs and braking deceleration levels. The throttle control and trail braking is impressive, as is the amount of time he spends living at 11,000+ RPMs. Also seems like there is not a single moment of coasting - he's either on the throttle or on the brakes. Good stuff. 

  17. Okay, I could use a sanity check. I caught this video of Troy Corser ripping around Hockenheimring on the new M 1000RR.  At various points in the video it sounds like his tires are squealing (and not just a little but a lot) from braking and corning forces taking his traction to the limit.  Is this what I'm hearing or is it something else?  I first hear it at 4:37. Also hear it at 6:05, 6:56, 7:09, 7:35, 7:53 and 8:16.  The clip is from the camera mount on the back of the bike facing forward. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU6PSQrH5vQ

    You also hear it in the footage from the front mounted camera (which also happens to provide a good look at his riding line and throttle / braking / turn in reference points). 

     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Lwxr_KpDxc

    So is it tire squeal or am I delusional?

    Dave

  18. Couldn't get the above video to play so here is a link to it on YouTube:  Rea 1 Lap 6 Places Magny-Cours 2018

    There is also a brief WSBK video of Rea bolting from 8th to 1st in five corners at the TT Assen circuit last April.  His move from 8th to 3rd by the first corner is very impressive. This Assen video allows you to see him in context of the pack. What strikes me about his riding are three things: he is incredibly smooth, precise and takes racing lines that do an excellent job of setting up his passes. Here is the link:  Rea 8th to 1st Dutch Round

    I searched for video footage of the 1977 AMA Grand National Championship round at Sears Point where Kenny Robert's famously went from last to first in four laps. I could not find it, but I did find a wonderful video of the 1979 Silverstone round showing highlights of Robert's battle with Barry Sheene. As you would imagine the video quality is poor given the era but the racing is marvelous nonetheless. It is six minutes in length. Enjoy. 1979 Silverstone - Kenny Roberts versus Barry Sheene

    As to Jaybird 180's questions … 

    "Is this possible with consumer level tires?" Consumer tires is a broad term. There are lots of track tires the average consumer can purchase include race slicks. But if by "consumer level" you mean typical street tires then no, not compared to track focused tires. 

    "Is there some type of electronic gadgetry at play here?" Absolutely. WSBK and MotoGP bikes use sensors, software and ECUs to the fullest advantage possible. But great riding and winning still comes down to the skills of the racer.

    "Or maybe I can get on the gas harder on corner exits?" Speaking for myself - almost always! 

    Dave

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