Kevin Kane

Mike; Welcome to the Forum! Glad to hear your Level I course was successful and that you're coming back for more training. If you thought that you made improvements last week wait until you leave the School at the end of Level III - you'll be amazed at the progression of your riding. Keep reading the Twist books until then and thanks for sharing your success with all of us on the Forum! Rainman

Ken; Welcome to the Forum; sorry it took a bit of time to get you set up here but welcome regardless. Maryland is close to VIR and reasonably close to NJMP if your looking at future dates. Don't shy away from registering just because a School is full; there are always cancellations. Rainman

B; I'm not sure that what he's after but I LOL'd on this one. Thanks for that. Rain

At the Superbike School at NJMP this week there still was some buzz over the end of SBK Race 2 at Donnington Park and comparisons made to the end of the opening round of MotoGP at Jerez back in 2005. In both races, the winner made an inside move that had big consequences for the race leader. At Donnington the bikes running 1 & 2 prior to the last turn were literally taken out and at Jerez, the rider who was passed was able to recover. Certainly there were further sidebar discussions going back to riders like Spencer and Roberts but it was interesting to hear that there was no consensus on this question - ergo the invitation to include the Forum in the dialogue. Also, I couldn't find any video on the Jerez incident so if any of you can post it along side the Donnington Park conclusion it might help frame the question. The heart of the matter was could the winning bike still have been able to make the last corner at the speed they entered with if there wasn't something there to help hold their line - namely the bike they bumped up against? So for those of you who race or have raced (or just have a strong opinion) what do you think? Was it just racing? is it always just racing? Rainman

Fossil; I couldn't agree with you more. I became a Dunlop guy when another brand let me go without any warning exiting a turn. Since then I have stayed with the GP-A's from the 208 to the current Ntech 211's and can't imagine any reason to switch. I also became a hugh believer in the Q's at Laguna ( the season before you were there) and put them on my street bike. I would have no hesitation putting them on my track bike especially if the conditions were cool or wet. My avitar is from the main straight at Laguna in the rain on Q's. Rainman

...to get their affairs in order? Wow Fossil; excellent dialogue generator; let's see how the Forum responds to this one. Rain

Awesome D; Simply awesome! Rain

TJ: If you haven't ridden in the rain on Q-2's you're in for a big treat; they have amazing grip in the rain. As for full on rains, the track and the continuing conditions need to be pretty wet (from what everyone I have ever spoken to has said) for you to benefit from putting them on. As far as time goes, if you're in the white group you ride first followed by yellow and then green. During these rotations, you will be on track, you will be in a classroom and then you will have free time. Depending on how quickly you can change them, you have the option to do that during your free time. You are paying for their instruction and since probably all of your classmates (and certainly the coaches) will be working under the same conditions, you may miss a great learning If it rains and you are the only one with rain tires on; but that's one person's opinion. Rainman

Hey Hottie; Does this mean you're not on the east coast bus tour this year? Rain

Jeff; I don't know ANYTHING about Totoal Control course so I can't offer an opinion. Regardless, I do recommend the books because if you want to understand what is taught at CSS, you will find much of it in them. Having read them before attending made it much easier for me to comprehend what is taught at the School as the day is broken down to: classroom instruction; followed by your practicing the drill you learned in your briefing but now on the bike on the track and with your track coach's supervision. Then you come in and have a debrief with your coach, get some rest and then you go right back thru the cycle with another briefing and a new drill to practice... The School is without question one of the best places you can go to learn the Art of Cornering; that said, any instruction that makes you a more proficient rider can't hurt. I will offer one bit of caution; be wary of free (and many times unsolicited) advice at track days. DAMHIK! Rainman

Jeff; Welcome to the Forum! ATOTW II video is an excellent start but The TOTW Vols. 1 & 2 are also strong reference books for you to consider as well. Many of us read sections of these over and over, especially where there is one particular area of our riding that we think needs attention. We can go to the chapters of either book to better understand what may be holding us back. As for which level you should start at - it is the most commonly asked question of new members bar none; I think because the School uses a numeric system to identify the Levels. That said it is like secondary school in that everyone starts at Level I. It's not because everyone at level I has the same level of experience and/or skill sets, it's that Level I is the foundation of all that Keith Code and his team teach and it is needed for you to begin to integrate what they have to offer. Level II builds upon that base and continues onward from there. As for why the School isn't coming to NHIS this year, I can't speak for the School but I do know that assembling the schedule every year is a really challenging assignment for the School. The whole year offers venues from Coast to Coast and the travel to all of the different tracks must mesh with open dates at those tracks along with a myriad of other logistical issues. The east coast swings (usually two per year) in particular have to be coordinated pretty tightly. I believe it comes down to available dates within their designated travel time, travel distance between venues, hotel accommodations for the staff among many other things. In the past eleven years I have seen some tracks added and some drop off, some come back and some don't. VIR is the only east coast track I can think of that has been a constant since 2001 when I attended my first School at Watkins Glen. As for which bike - which ever one you feel most comfortable on - either will work just fine. Let us know if you will be at NJMP or VIR this year. Rainman

As a multi time student and a Corner Worker for the past half a dozen years or so I've seen almost everything at the School. Closest to a full dress Harley was a Yamaha Royal Star sans bags (although I think she had them with her in her trailer). Rain

can anyone explain the bold part? JeF4y hasn't been up here for a long time so I don't expect he's going to respond. As for his conclusions; I dunno... Maybe you could frame your question directly and see if there is an answer for you from this august body of Forum regulars. Rainman

Kai & Steve; Thanks for clearing this up. If the new size labeled for both for 600 - 1000 bikes will cover the 190 profile then my question has been answered. Thanks again guys. Rain

I have a set of Chicken Hawk Tire Warmers that are about six years old. They are for a 120/180 set and the rear will not stretch to cover a 190. Now that I use Dunlop 211 GPA's (190) I am looking to replace these. I am puzzled to find some suppliers offering a 180-195 rear which doesn't sound right. Has the technology developed to allow this kind of flexibility? Rainman

Christian; You hit the issue clearly with this thought. There is a WORLD of difference between the two and it will take some time to acclimate - no question. Ducatis in particular are harder to turn and their throttles feel like a rheostat which makes tight corners particularly difficult; with CSS's strong emphasis on throttle control it will seem even harder - until you get it set up the way YOU want it. If you hang in there however you will learn how to use it and then it would be interesting to hear what you think. As for your Level's I & II, using the Schools S1000R is a great idea and it is a much easier bike to ride than a Duc IHMO and I say that owning two. Sears is also an Awsome track (also IMHO) and one you should have a great time if you've never ridden it before. Rainman

Yes...you could say that. Kevin

KTM; So you pick your knee up before the rumble strip at the exit of Moss's too. Rain yep... is that good or bad?... (it hurts if I don't...) The depth of the "teeth" on that inside ruble strip suggested to me that I might not want to touch it with a knee slider...but that's just me. Rain

KTM; So you pick your knee up before the rumble strip at the exit of Moss's too. Rain

OK Steve; I know you have beat this one to death but I still have one more question. Does a Dunlop SportSmart 211 GP-A that is made in the USA incorporate N-Tec construction or was it constructed in a manor similar to the 209 GP? Rainman Steve; Nevermind. I did what I should have done a long ago - I went to your website http://dunlopracing.com/ and found the D211 GP-A SportSmart tire is the same tire designated as the AMA Spec Tire and it is made in the USA utilizating N-Tec construction. Further, I found that the D209 GP-A is also based upon the N-Tec construction and is still available at lease from Race Tire Services in Tennesee. Rainman

Damn Kai, that is an awsome video. Does your mother know you ride like that? BTW, tell us did you catch that guy at the end? You passed everybody else! Rain

OK Steve; I know you have beat this one to death but I still have one more question. Does a Dunlop SportSmart 211 GP-A that is made in the USA incorporate N-Tec construction or was it constructed in a manor similar to the 209 GP? Rainman

Jason; I have spoken to some of the Coaches about this and I understand the logic but there is another element that comes into play for me; I have small hands. When I position my right hand like this my two fingers are off the lever and I don't like that disconnect. On the track I try not to trail brake so it's not an issue there but on the street it is an issue. I can honestly say that I have never felt "cramped" in a right hand turn by my hand position either on the street or the track but appreciate that others may. Rain