Kevin Kane

Yes Tech Spec - they were easy to apply, could be moved around and looked much better on my bike. I noticed that they work without the "dragon teeth" feel of Stomp Grips. Those actually wore down the leather on my Joe Rocket pants and I could feel the numbs through my knees. Rainman

I'm with Kai in offering my congratulations to you for your decision to jump into the deep end of the pool and for sharing with us your measured approach to racing. Thanks for sharing your experience and kudos on your successes. Rainman

I have a droid so I can't help. Hottie; where are you? Rain

Kai; They are enroute to New Jersey Motorsports Park on the east coast of the US for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday; the end of the eastern schools for 2012. My guess is they're on the road. Rain

I am with Hottie on this. My first low side was on Day 8 of my first set of full on race tires. The sliding I was experiencing on the right side made me falsly think I was finally learning how to control a slide, the slide I experienced on the left side was something I totally missed as the bike was half way across the track before I even knew I was down...YRMV. Rain

Kai; As one of these "guys" I like the fact that I can short shift entering a corner and let the twin's torque carry me out and thru what would have been an awkward shift moment. The best example I can think of is the Bowl (or T-5) at Loudon where you descend downhill into a 180 degree turn and then climb back up the same slope you came down to enter into this 180 corner. Where it gets interesting is a kink as you approach the last quarter of the climb out which is just before the bike typically requires an upshift. If you had downshifted as you entered the Bowl you end up leaned over, up against the rev limiter when you apex the kink. An instructor told me to forgo the downshift at the base of the hill where you enter the bowl and use the twins torque to climb all the way out past the kink. I didn't think it would work but once I tried it I understood better why low end grunt can pay dividends. YRMV. Rain

Last week I watched those as well. It's almost an addiction, once you watch one video then you want to watch the next one and then the next one... Kristie was my coach at Laguna (in the rain) and at NJMP and over time has become a friend. Watching her riding improve after each session with Dave Moss was really impressive; especially how nonchalant she was after getting taken out in the race. She got right back after it once she lined up another bike. Beyond that, watching what Dave Moss did in each video was very informative because the results of his work was immediately available in Kristie's racing and that alone made me a believer.

Could have been me. I'm a big fan of Dave Moss. Brad; Thanks for that tip; I stayed up late last night watching Dave Moss videos with CSS Coach and WERA racer Kristie Martel. Rain

aslcbr600 Check out the rule book for the series you're interested in and decide from there. There's WERA, CCS and a host of other sanctioning bodies who write the rules for their races. I believe that the 675 tripple is allowed in supersport in most but I could be wrong. I also believe the Ducati 848 is allowed as a twin. Rain

If I can add a bit here, it also will matter where you're headed. If your going to Mosport or Shannonville its one thing, if you're going to Calabogie, its altogther another thing. People I know who ride very well say it takes a couple of days to figure out Calabogie. I've been to both the Nelson and Fabi circuits at Shannonville and to Mosport and you can find your way around them fairly easily; Calabogie not so much. Rain

Bloodrun; this is the riddle IMHO. You say you can...and then when you do you are uncomfortable leading to the question - why did you think you could move them up in the first place? Gauging your entry speed is a key part of cornering and it sounds to me like that might be a better place to start. Others far more knowledgeable than me may see this differently. Rain

Eirik; Thanks for putting these up here. Man these really beg the question of riders skill when you consider these guys were riding 500 cc two strokes with a high propensity for high siding without much warning and with tires and suspensions that would be considered dangerous by today's standards. Giving any one of them the same components commonly provided on contemporary street bikes would make them unbeatable back then. Watching MotoGP or even SBK races today it's easy to think that these guys are the best of all time... but when I see these videos from twenty and thirty years ago and compare the lack of 21st century traction control current race bikes have with numerous modes (including anti wheelie) and the "designer" tires made for different tracks each race and then the suspension components available now not to mention ABS and I wonder - how Doohan, Schwantz, Rainey, Roberts, Ago and Mike the Bike would do on a current race grid if time travel could bring them forward. Rain

Carey; Happy Birthday! Rain

D; You always bring IT! Thanks for sharing these adventures with us. Rain

Anthem; Good summary; Laguna Seca sits about 10 miles from Monterey and a little over 12 miles from Salinas. There is a good white linen restaurant called Tarpy's about 6 miles west on Rt. 68 at Canyon Del Ray Blvd. but the best kept secret on the Penninsula is the Montery Fish House located at DelMonte Avenue and Dela Vina Ave just west of the Embassy Suites. If you end up alone - eat at the bar (it is an eating bar - not a drinking bar) and you will have a great meal. Rainman

Carey; As you know, the first time through will be on the sighting laps; the first time on his own - well you know the first drill. After the first session however, it happens so fast that your though it before you know it and then your busy setting up for Rainey that it isn't until you're exiting Rainey that you can think about it. YRMV. Rain

For any of you in the Pacific Northwest, especially students or perspective students, you should jump on Trevor's invitation. It is a great opportunity to keep in touch with the School as a student or if a perspective student - to see how the School operates before you decide to attend. My bet is that once you see it in operation (and actually participate in the process of insuring the safe and thorough execution of course control) any hesitation you may have had to sign up will evaporate. I've Corner Worked for Trevor in the east for the past six or seven years now and I have also been a member of three different track riding clubs so I have a basis to make this statement: No one runs Course Control as tightly or as safely as Trevor does; nobody's even close. If you have been a Forum member for a while now you would have seen posts about how the School seamlessly manages the disparity in riders' skill levels and experience that occur naturally at everytrack event; well this is how you will see/participate in how it actually happens at every School. Give this opportunity some serious consideration my friends - Rainman

Evans; First off - Welcome to the Forum. It's good that as soon as you joined you jumped in so let's see if we can get you some answers. This is just my story so take it with a grain of salt. I started off with an HJC - liked it, no complaints but it didn't seem to have the features (at the time) that some of the European helmets did. So I bought an AGV - loved it's looks but it was crushing my skull. It was my first realization that the shape of your head had to match the way the helmets are made; my brother-in-law swears by it to this day after I gave it to him. Then I found pure joy in Suomy. I found pure comfort and protection in Suomy crashing in them a number of times, hitting my head/helmet on the track in the process with nary a headache or scratch. Since I subscribe to the one hard hit and you replace it rule, I have owned a number of them since. I'm a big Suomy fan...but others will weigh in I'm sure. As for fit, do what I didn't do and go to a big shop that carries multiple lines and try different ones on. The fit should be snug but not too tight. If you can move your head any amount and the helmet doesn't follow directly, its too big. If there is (are) a pressure point(s) that "hurts" even though it otherwise fits - it will NEVER work for you (see AGV reference). Good luck with your selection. Rainman

Eirik; I liked it better when you posted awesome racing videos...do you have any more of those? Rain

From all accounts it was; the owner also had a Bayless 1098 w/ CF rims with him at NJMP so I assume it was with him in Alabama - nice work if you can get it. Hotfoot posted that she purchased one of the School bikes - rumor has it she had two podiums on the Big Track at Willow on Sunday on it; also nice work if you can get it! Rain

Hottie; I have had enough "close calls" SCUBA diving that I think it is kinda krazy; so did my insurance agent! That said, it isn't as creative as your example so I guess I didn't answer your question correctly. BTW, who thinks up competition events like Combined Driving? Rain

Boy I hope so; Eirik posted the clip from the last three laps at Catalunya from the 2009 race (his last world title) and it reminded me of how much excitement he brought to the series when he was on a competitive bike. It would be great to see him win again.

I found the article and although this section doesn't talk about the torque curve per se, it does describe it's performance. Kevin Ash in the Telegraph writes: "The engine churns slowly before exploding into life, the ride-by-wire throttle response electric and compelling. The sound is unmistakably Ducati twin, but with a more urgent edge and a willingness to rev not seen – or heard – before. With it comes a little less low and mid-range thrust than the 1198, followed by a massive lunge forward as all 192bhp (a 25bhp increase over the 1198) come flooding in. Yet while the Ducati is a fraction more powerful than its rival from BMW, it doesn't have quite the missile thrust at the very top end which so distinguishes the German bike." My vote for the Panigale was on sound alone; as for aesthetics, your choice is hard to argue with but I have always be partial to his 916/996/998 series myself; but then I am a Ducati guy what else can I say. Rainman

Does anyone else marvel at five out of six manufacturers vying for wins at every SBK round? Five of the six manufacturers in the series have been on the podium this year. In alphabetical order they are: Aprilia BMW Ducati Honda Kawasaki If Tom Sykes ever learns how to "save" his tires, he will win for Kawasaki making it five different factories winning races this year. Suzuki appears to be the only manufacturer still trying to find its footing and Yamaha decided not to compete but five out of six manufacturers who commited to SBK putting riders on the box is really impressive to me at least. I can't think of another series that has such keen competition between factories than SBK this year. That said, you can keep MotoGP in 2012. With Lorenzo apparently wanting it more than Stoner and no one else (so far) able to match and maintain their pace, it's a foregone conclusion that it's Lorenzo/Yamaha's to lose in that series, but what do what do the rest of you think? Rainman

...and in America "abs" can also mean your abdominal muscles which is where I found his humor; but that's just me. Rain