jasonbw
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Posts posted by jasonbw
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sounds like one coach is in for a well deserved treat
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Well done to the DeHavens and particularly Austin - old saying: you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink!!!!! I bet he's still smiling !!!!!!
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Nice k's there Johnno... for the other folk that's a decent 20,000 mi a year! Iron Butt award category methinks!
Would be great if you can get some k's riding to one of our schools, you'll get to experiences some decent tech that could well revolutionise your riding, just mention to the minister about how great riding skills can save your bacon
If anyone is wondering how to really do funky chicken, see a great article here: link...
or do a quick search here for the Relax drill. -
G'day Oz, good on you for noticing the problem, a lot of riders have no idea what the bike is doing under them... good signs mate!
It seems a couple of common themes are emerging: One is riding technique changes may help with your handling problem, which we can't really change from here without decent feedback, the other, is tyre pressure which you can easily make changes and try.
So let's go with the tyres. Out here in Oz we recommend, then set the road bike tyres to 30PSI front and rear... on Busa's and 14's we'd give it an extra few PSI. Considering you'd always set the track PSI lower than the road (on license keeping speeds) I'd suggest you give the PSI change a shot but not go quite as low as 30...yet.
Pilot Road 2's are a brilliant tyre, they're not soft in the sidewall so you can run the lower pressures without concern.
Make sense so far?
Starting out does it make sense to go with the three recommendations above of 36PSI?
You can then try the twisties and feel (once warm) how it goes. Then repeat using a figure lower than 36PSI.
Let us know how you get along, you might be in for a big surprise at how well your Kwack handles.
P.s. 36PSI is the pressure when the tyres are cold... i.e. buy or borrow a good brand tyre gauge (don't trust servos!) and check it at home before the ride to know whether you need to add 1,2,3 etc PSI when you get to the air pump.
Cheers
JasonBW
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and the less said about the cricket history against them their OZ fellas the better I think.
Bullet
Oh man that's a good opening, I could have a ball with this but I'm stumped as to anything I can bowl you over with.
P.s. It's Friday over here, bad humour is allowed.
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Heya Ace,
I think it might help to lay down the reason why Stuman's approach hit's it so perfectly. It's a common theme through nearly everyone's replies...
You're sure on the right track for vision, but without RP's, vision will have major barriers - so a quick rundown on the drills highlights the areas of focus:
Out of the 15 CSS drills nearly all require no changes for a new track bar the need to remember to do them,
e.g. Exercising good Throttle Control, Quick Steer, Rider Input, 2 Step. These are just the Level 1 ones.
However, some of the 15 drills do require some attention when getting to a new track:
e.g. Finding and using Turn Points, Ref Points and even a bit of a Changing Lines exercise.
So you could say, if you have the basic skill set working for you then the most efficient way to improve and learn a new track is to give attention to those three drills... which is great since you've done L1 and L2 already.
Make sense? Any other drills that I've missed out?
That'll take you to stuman's 4th point - remember why your there and just have fun - no need for those high expectations, a trackday can be great fun if you let it!
Over here in Aus we provide electrolytes on trackdays in the form of potassium and salt tables, if the day is hot, think Hydration, when wearing a full cow suit you sweat - a LOT more than you'd think... keep drinking and consider foods that provide good potassium and salt, i.e. sultanas, bananas, peanuts and unladen african swallow. Eat like a cat (no big meals that'll make you want to fall asleep) and BRING A CHAIR to sit on to relax!!!!
Enjoy buddy, hope to hear you had a ball!
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Beat me to it Oz, but welcome back Bullet! I know what you mean about life sometimes getting in the way of coaching, I've just finished up with a crazy time at work.... time to press the play button.
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Hey Kelly,
Firstly, congratulations in getting back out onto the track! Sounds like it was a great day overall if you remove the expectations.
All is not lost! As you can already recall the huge wins you had with your riding on the CSS days, this'll go a long way to helping you get back there... so long as your prepared to put some effort into a little exercise.
This'll take a few minutes, find a quiet place at a time that you're not rushed.
Start with Level 1, remember the first drill? When you have the idea/purpose of the drill firm in your head start writing what worked for you and what didn't.
You can go into as little or as much detail as you'd like, you'll know to move to writing about the next drill when you really recall that feeling you got when you achieved the drill's purpose in a corner.
This is putting you back to where you were at on the day, restarting the purpose of the drill and making it real to you as these are your experiences of the drill going right or not.
Do you think that'll assist in getting you back there? Think it would assist you to even do this the day after you do Level 3 ? After it's done it will be a great reminder for future ride days or road rides of the technology that you learnt, and best of all, it's free
If you have trouble remembering the drills or the purpose of the drill we can chime in, but it'll be better for you to attempt to recall them yourself.
JasonBW
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I really enjoy hearing of stories like this, it's even better when it's first hand, coming from the rider who made it through!
Why? Sure, this goes to show the work Keith started back in the 60's is helping people today, but what really gets me stoked is it also shows that everyday mortals such as you and I can decide to apply this technology with great effect, giving us a greater level of control.
Eirik, I'm sure you can appreciate staying relaxed on the bars allowed the motorcycle the greatest potential for traction, the roll-off does put more weight on the front which can promote further sliding but was this done after you had front traction again? The important point was you showed control over your relaxed posture. That's a huge win!
You then wisely slowed your motorcycle down in the narrow band of cleaner pavement in preparation for the slippery stuff, which in turn allowed you to hit it with less lean, and it worked a treat.
Reverse the situation, say instead of relaxing you went rock solid tight, I'd suggest today's post from you would be worded quite differently. Way to go Eirik! Learning the technology is a great thing, being able to apply it when you really need it - it's a whole new level since your winning the war against your survival reactions. Which can be a great personal challenge for anyone!
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after a couple of minutes of riding i found out that my front brake lever can be squeezed to a point where it stops (before i was thinking it could touch my fingers if squeezed more). Guess what, i intentionally did a stoppie.
Well done Amid!!! You're braking harder now! Want to know why? Just as Rocketpunch stated in the 2nd post, Think about prior to the stompgrip when you were braking - since you had no grip onto the tank would it be fair to say a lot of the braking weight of your upper body went through your arms into the bike? Now with the grip you have on the tank using the stompgrip - the weight is being transferred into the tank... way closer to the bikes centre of mass.
Noticed yet with this new technique how your front suspension is not as loaded under braking... giving it free range to soak up bumps and ruts, handling better?
Now the hard part is just to remember to squeeze those knees in together whenever you have decent braking to do, and enjoy the benefits of a better handling bike
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The Hereticialness of the video aside
there's a reason why that motorcycle is still being steered into the corners with the weight shift alone, it's called countersteering.As OzFireblade said, this is explained nicely in TOTW2 DVD, however if you don't have access to that DVD then read on.
So where is the steering input is coming from if the rider isn't touching the bars? Have you got a pushbike? (simply since this demonstration on a pushbike can be done quite easily and safely in a parking lot). You can discover this countersteering for yourself just as Keith did in the video - Tape an arrow to the top of the steering head on your bicycle, have it pointing the same way as the front wheel (i.e. with the front wheel pointing straight ahead your arrow will be pointing straight ahead also).
Go for a ride, reach a speed that the bike is quite stable, this will require something above a decent running pace, now for the purpose of making this countersteering input obvious lean to one side or the other quite quickly to get your weight across.
Note the VERY initial movement of your arrow... is it pointing into the turn, or away from the turn?
On the demonstration Keith uses a motorcycle, you see from the camera angle pointing straight down onto the top triple clamp that the arrow initially moves away from the turn, exactly the same direction as the steering would have moved if the rider had countersteered using the bars! The weight shift has caused the countersteer!
However, the big question about body steering; is it efficient? If that rider took his machine to some left/right transitions at speed I wouldn't like to watch the outcome.
So here's the question, would you prefer to use a shift of some of your body weight to the outside of a motorcycle in order to get a bit of countersteering out of it, or would you prefer an accurate, efficient, stable, powerful way of steering your motorcycle using an exact amount of pressure that you choose onto the bars?
P.s. Crash you're on the right track - the banking would assist in the weight shifting.
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Hi Ace, there's a couple of different suggestions I would give, but they'll depend on what you use the bike for.
For street riding, stock clipon's *usually* offer good levels of comfort when in a sit-up prone riding style that is typical in a street environment.
For track riding, you're often either more tucked than street riding, which means the stock clip-on's may not provide you as great a level of comfort as adjustable clip-on's can provide.
Before deciding, put some thought to this; is comfort really that important? On a track, where the speed (and stakes) are high, a comfortable position on your bike may mean the difference between being able to apply the most fundamental control inputs versus being clumsy with the controls.... good consistent clean control inputs versus erratic variable control inputs.
Take Throttle Control for example, if you were reaching too far forward to the bars you may find you're gripping the bars tighter than you'd like, would this make applying the Throttle Control rule more difficult?
Comfort is one of the most important factors to consider when riding any motorcycle! Is it critical? Maybe not! this depends if you're going for a ride to buy milk or to win a race, but positive benefits are there for the gain for all sorts of riding if you provide a bit of time to investigate whether your bike is actually comfortable for you just like you're doing in your initial post! Great stuff!
As a great example of the importance of comfort, take Keith's last coaching trip to MMP with Leon Camier at the WSBK event a month ago, the first thing Keith noticed was a left heel guard missing on Leon's bike, this was causing lock-on issues, when rectified it made an instant positive improvement, read on:
RoadRacing World - Keith and Camier
# Note: I had to look up what dichotomy meant after watching that
I guess it's the 2nd pluralClip-on's provide the rider with more adjustment for vertical height and sweep positions than stock bars do (usually stock bars are locked into positions with a keyway into the top tripleclamp whereas clip-ons aren't).
So Ace, if you're wanting to experiment with different positions then clip-on's may give you a benefit you haven't had before, if racing or riding trackdays they will give you a benefit as khp pointed out of being able to replace the bars very quickly (the correct style clip-on will allow you to change just the bar, eliminating the need to remove the forks).
Let us know how you go with levels of comfort if you do decide to get a set.... even if you don't, hop on your bike and see if your controls can be set in a better position for reach... it usually is a surprise for riders as to how much easier riding is when you do this short self-analysis.
JasonBW
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Welcome to the site Mdavis, you will find some great info here! Pop into Keith's articles for some really great technology on riding... search away through the forum for plenty of food for thought.
Keep in mind some here have attended the courses and will be using terms that you my not be familiar with - or worse, terms that you may think you're familiar with but we use them with a different meaning. So if you come across something that interests you and you'd like info expanded upon then fire away, we're all ears.
If you're hungry for the right advice on riding, then this forum is a banquet!
Cheers
JasonBW
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Heya Tom, this handy feature from timeanddate.com might help you figure out what time call.
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What a cool thread!
Doohan will always be the rider I respect the most. Others may arguably be better riders than he was, most have a better riding style
... but Doohan's mental game made himself look like an insurmountable opponent on track after the departure of the old gang.Even when the newer riders got close (Barros/Criville) they always seemed to only be able to run close to him... rarely dominate him... a sign that he was setting the ultimate benchmark.
Then when they finally did get close, he'd do their head in by swapping to technology that would hurt lessor riders (screamer engines v's bigbang), so they had to play catchup again.
Not just a rider, he was a racer.
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To top it off there is a kicker at the top of the rise just to make things interesting.
Ash, interesting isn't the word mate... when on a certain line your main straightaways 'kicker' gets both front and rear airborne while still leaned over when travelling flat in 5th with a solid concrete wall a few feet to the outside... lap after lap after lap!
I'd suggest something stronger than 'interesting'!!!
I can't wait till September buddy, seeya there!P.s. Should pop this post into the coaches thread here
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Looks like the Aussies are winning with Phillip Island
Phillip Island (PI) is a great track due to it's pure speed, I'd have to say my home track of Eastern Creek is a great coaching track. Very fast and very slow bits, elevation changes, 3 transitions, seams, bumps, hairpins, increasing radius turn over a crest, decreasing radius up hill, high speed blind exit, kerb/berm (T7), great supply of visual markers, and, the all important 'Bridge' (T8 for the locals)... yes it has one, what track is really a racetrack without a bridge? (is it still a bridge if people can't walk across it?).
But the big plus, is that there's a cut-thru that if were watching or waiting we can see two main sections of track that give us more opportunities to view our students. (T4 -T9 for the locals)
Plus... it was on the GP500 calendar... yep, years ago, but it's a nice touch.
We're VERY spoilt here in Aus for having world class tracks so close to us.
P.s. Anyone wanting to see this track, have a look here at the overview or a video of the CSS Aus director (Steve Brouggy) taking us for a lap around the 'creek: Eastern Creek Ride days
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G'day TomQ,
Looks like I beat Steve to your post...
Great move, trackdays are a great way to enjoy your motorcycle without the ever increasing Vic speed police taking your license away.
Steve is the director, however a lot of the info you may be looking for is already available on the easy to read website:
or for our Sydney track:
of course, the superbike school's web page can be found here:
California Superbike School Australia
If you'd like to speak with us, just call us on 1300 793 423, we're happy to answer any questions, or simply reply back.
All the best Tom,
Jason
Hey Cobie...great to be here!
BTW...did I mention we've got an all new fleet of bikes? We've just signed a deal with Suzuki and have a fleet of the all new K7 GSX-R600 all prepped and ready to go. We also have full riding gear with helmets by AGV, boots by Alpinestar, leathers & gloves by RST available for hire at each day.
So, no need to bring anything, just yourselves, and have a great time down under on Phillip Island...arguably the best MotoGP track in the world. OK...so that sounds like a sales speil doesn't it...alright, don't trust me, how about talking to some of the guys who've been out here. Like...Cobie! Also Stuman, Dylan, Stonie and of course His Keith-ness...
I look forward to posting up on the other areas on this website, once I get through all the Christmas festivities that is, so we'll see you in the new year. Until then...
Good luck with your riding,
Steve
I know that this post is over 3 years old, but wanted to get some more information on doing a trackday or four :-) down under. Steve, are you still the director down there and can you answer some questions I have?
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Gday Reaps,
Level 1 and Level 2 work quite well on consecutive days.
The Thur/Fri of that week are trackdays, have you considered making the most of the trip and honing some of the skills you'll have worked aat during the schools?
Looking forward to seeing you at PI,
Jason
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Excellent youy're found your nirvana Eirik! An extra safety buffer is what the school gave me when I was a student at the schools, I hope you find the same.
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This is a really interesting thread for me Eirik, mainly since your idea of the repetitive nature of a track is keeping you from trying it out.
Say you hop onto a racetrack, after a set number of turns then that is it right? You have essentially now tackled that track at least to some degree! Fact: next lap the corners aren't new or unknown anymore to you! Agreed?
Can I put a new spin on your idea? I completely 'get' the desire for encountering new and unknown bends - the exciting feeling that nothing is stagnant, always finding something new. What if you could transform that boring track, into one that you crave each turn since it holds something different for you, every lap, every turn! Something very personal.... read on..
What if you were suddenly armed with mind blowing new fundametals of riding, techniques that could make you an even better rider, now you just need some location to try these techniques out, practise and develop them, gaining a new level of enjoyment in your riding. Could you use a track to allow you to make these exciting discoveries about your riding? Is the surface the exciting bit? Not now... it's the never ending challenge of developing your new skills! Doesn't really matter if the surface happens to be a road or track in this case does it? In fact, let's say they got your favourite stretch of twisty roads, roadblocked it up to stop any other traffic so you could focus on developing these skills... sounds good? That's a racetrack!
What is even more amazing about this idea, is that unlike so much else in life where understanding brings boredom, motorcycles turn that on it's head, once you start to get the real technology of riding working for you, you're in a never ending challenge of putting these skills to use with never ending rewards for doing so. As Keith says in Twist 2, "The technology of riding opens the doors of discovery instead of closing them".
It is then, when you not only crave each lap, you crave each turn, each detail of the turn that challenges you to put into practise a skill you've learnt.
Can this be done at any pace? Absolutely!!!!! CSS is designed that riders of ANY speed level can master the drills, and since racetracks allow us to ride at our own pace I think you may find it's the ideal environment to breed this desire of exciting internal discoveries.
So, would the constant challenge of developing your own riding at your own pace, potentially change your thoughts on a racetrack's usefullness?
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Oh, I didn't want to imply I could follow him - not by a long way! I think I could be much smoother around my slow lap, though
Eirik, anyone who can ride the Dec to April icy roads of Norway would have to be quite a perfectist with the control inputs
No stress about speed, that line was a general observation. Although I do think I can add to the list of things that made him quite rough.... the thought of an F1 car about to become his pillion at those speeds would be unsettling right?
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Great to hear that clicked Jaybird! Great description of the 'moment'
As we are all different, what worked for me to write down and you to read might still not be so clear to others, so if anyone couldn't quite grasp it the same way then may I encourage you to use this forum; this is life saving technology that Keith's developed so let's do it justice by working together to make sure it's crystal clear.
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t'was a bit messy, but it looked like a road bike so he'd likely be fighting with differences he's not used to such as a road tuned slipper clutch, std brakes, std power, road tyres and potentially road v's race shift issues.
No doubt it was still fast enough to put most riders to shame though
P.s. I got that Madonna reference from the title alone. That might be a bit shameful!
Back Protectors
in School Questions/General Discussion
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Hi Amid,
Good move on investing on a back protector - I (and a number of riders I know) won't ride on the track without one.
Your question on which is better will be best answered by thinking, what is the ultimate goal of a back protector?
If it can do that function in either strap or insert, then either will be fine - the choice would probably come down to comfort. As you're ordering a custom made suit it'll be a hard choice since you can't try them on with this new suit! or can you? Might be a good question to ask the supplier if you can request to try the two types AFTER the suit is made or will the suit be made with the knowledge of what protector type you chose?
for what it's worth, I use a strap type. Mainly since I use it on the road with my 2 piece. Where as the insert one I have isn't as 'portable'. (Dainese BAP3, one with the straps, the other with the straps cut off)
The Tail bone protection sounds good, but I know with the Dainese if it creeps low it can get annoying (if it works its way under your skins/underarmour it's positively annoying! Really good if you could try them both on and get in the ride position to see which is nicest for your body shape.
Thoughts?