Kevin Kane

Kai; Awesome my friend; which one is going to become your new avitar? Rain

The RC51 has the most compelling sound of any street bike I have heard on the track - and that's coming from a Ducati guy. Rainman

Jude; The School has not done a Canadian Session that I am aware of but Cobie can chime in and correct me if I am wrong on that point. The closest School that you could "get to" by car/truck from Mississauga would probably be at New Jersey Motorsports Complex in Millville, NJ (about 80K south of Philadelphia). If I remember, you're about even distance between Toronto and Buffalo so it will be a long drive but then almost every good track is a long drive for most of us. If you are going to fly to a School then the world is your oyster. VIR, and Barber are the other two in the eastern half of North America but again if you're flying, then you have Miller in Utah, Las Vegas in, well Las Vegas, The Streets of Willow Springs, Sears Point (my personal favorite) or Laguna. Rainman

Well don't call me late for the party but I just re-read this and thought that I would add my 2 cents [albeit late] into this discussion. I know later into this thread there was a sidebar on trail breaking and I won't go into that but I do want to share a tip I did get from a fairly well known motorcyclist/author's book who is a big proponent of trail breaking. Anyway he suggested (I think if was N.I.) to practicing panic braking when you ride. Well I may have taken that advice too much to heart but EVERYTIME I ride my street sport bike I take about 4-5 miles to put some heat into the tires and then manuver onto a very lightly traveled country road with long sightlines and then start braking with two fingers. I start hard braking at 35-40, then at 45, then 50 up until about 75 MPH (always checking my mirrors before each step). It seems to make my track braking easier as well as my street riding as my track bike and street bikes are set up identically; but back to the point. This exercise seems to be some of the best riding advice I was ever able to take away from a how to be a safer street rider book. YRMV. Rain

Sean; In your earlier post you didn't say that you have already taken Level's 1, 2, and 3 so my response before was incorrect (the AMA Expert license along with racing experience is very impressive but doesn't qualify for an exemption. Those facts could however get you a try-out as a School Track Coach). You could take Level IV but I would recommend that you go back and retake Level 1 nontheless. Fourteen years is a long time to even remember our own names and if you are looking to restart your track life Level I is still the place to start even if it is a do-over. YRMV. Rainman

Sean; We all start at Level I with no exception. As for differing levels of experience it is an issue the School manages seamlessly every day of the week. Rainman

I was 11 and my older sister was having a party when one of her guests pulled up our driveway on a Triumph Trophy (Pete, don't even ask - but Keith knows what I'm talking about). Anyway it was loud with gleaming chrome pipes and a gorgeous green and white paint job. It took me about 2 minutes to convince the rider that he HAD to take me for a ride even thought I was in my P.J.'s with a bathrobe on. He smiles and says hop on and I am in heaven! He revs it up and as he is letting out the clutch I feel this firm compression happening around the scruff of my neck and just as the bike pulls out I am dangling from my father's clenched fist. I don't remember what he said to me that night after because I was so mesmerized but what almost happened that all he really accomplished was to GUARANTEE that I would ride on my own as soon as I could... Rainman

Steve; Speaking only for myself - this is an awesome response and the kind of real world information that is only available from someone who is on the inside at this level of racing. I am still trying to get to where I am a minute 15 seconds off a race pace so my tire selection will remain 209GP-A's for the track and Q-2's for the street but some of the more talented Forum regulars will appreciate your post on a deeper level I'm sure. Thanks Steve; Rain

OK Steve; help us understand the distinctions if you will. On TV we are typically told the compounds of the front and rear tires different riders have selected but what are the factors that lead them to make their selections? I think I understand that a harder tire, especially the rear will last longer and provide grip later on at the expense of traction in the earlier laps but I'm not sure. Also, what would lead a rider or his crew chief to say soft v. medium v. hard? Does a rider ever choose a hard compound for a sprint race and is there a circumstance where they would choose a soft compound for an endurance race? Can you elaborate a bit here? TIA; Rainman

Jason; This is comparing apples to oranges; you didn't mention a much lower student teacher ratio at the 2-Day camp PLUS at least six if not seven sessions (I have cornered worked at an east coast venue that had seven rotations) so you do receive much more and the cost reflects that benefit. Rainman

"Your Results May Vary"

Cobie; Hell no your not beating a dead horse...tire development is changing so fast that a centralized place where we can compile data and compare notes would be a real boost to the knowledge base here. Rainman

Org; At the risk of raising some ire from the School or others on this Forum I would like to suggest that this is information that will distract you from why you sign up for the Superbike School in the first place - and will really work against you in the long run. The School is Not a race and it is Not a track day so to wonder where you "fit in the group" is to shift the focus from how well you do at School to how well you did verses other students; even then the data used to compare yourself to others will be flawed. To see your own times progress over the course of the day makes all the sense in the world and that's a good thing but how you measure up against other students is not why most riders attend the Superbike School IMHO. Most attend to learn and that involves working on drills that typically should affect a student's speed at different points on the track. The goal is to improve the efficency of each drill on successive laps but that isn't always possible. There is also the "6 foot passing rule" which is rigorously enforced and that no matter how fast you are, at some point on almost every lap you will have to adjust your speed for other students or coaches working with other students and that will affect your lap times in a big big way. YRMV. I would like to hear other Forum members offer their opinions here because I am a lot dumber than I look. Rainman

Klaus; No question that Laguna is the more famous of the two but if you want to focus on technique...the Streets will give you a real work out...or so it seems to me. Rainman

Razor; I know from cornerworking there this past season that the School does bring it to NJMP. They run the off track drills in the paddock beyond the end of the garages. Rainman

D; Congratulations! This is a really great success story my friend. Rain

captmarc; Your prep with Twist DVD is a really good start but don't overlook the two Twist of the Wrist books. There is so much more detail and theory in these two volumns that you should look into getting these as well. If you have watched the DVD yet you'll see that the Twist II book is included in the storyline. Reading them is a great way to endure the next four months of waiting before we can track ride again. FWIW, the Twist I & II are like reference books in that many of us read and reread and then reread them over and over again; there is so much detail that it is hard to absorb it all at once. They are also written in a way that allow you to go back and find one or two items that you need to work on so treat these like you would a good friend - because they will become so for as long as you ride a motorcycle. Learning the line of a track will be part of your experience. Not it a direct way as a coach saying "follow me and I'll show you the line"; it will be a series of of steps that they teach you to help you understand how to find your way around the track in the most efficient way possible. There will be some on track visual aids that only the Superbike School uses (to my knowledge) so you will definitely improve in this area - no question. If your throttle control is decent now it will become even better. Your question on areas to focus on at your upcoming track days is tricky; tricky because you could be reinforcing poor techniques that are either self taugh or the result of a club instructor who may or may not know know what they are talking about - DAMHIK. You may need to unlearn a few things before you can move forward and that is something I know about personally. Regardless, you have made a wise choice to invest in training IMHO because much of what is needed to ride a bike at speed is so counter intuitative that we need to learn techniques to overcome our natural instincts for survival. ...you're right; it is going to be a long winter! Rainman

Whoa!...Kai...nothing of the sort Mate. No apologies necessary and no you haven't come across in any way that needs an explaination. Your posts have been spot on and all I wanted was to counter balance your experience with mine. What makes this Forum work is that we all bring our different perspectives and experiences and toss them out there for new members to consider when they ask us for our input. It's all good isn't it? Rain

Kai; Having done both at a number of Schools there are pros and cons no matter what choice you make. I have had my track bike break down at three different Schools and only one of the three times I was able to fix in time to finish the day. The first time was simply running out of gas; I never had to think about bring extra fuel because I had never ridden anything but a School bike at the track so that was easy to fix. The other two times the issues were beyond my ability to fix (unexplained oil pressure drop and then a cam timing sensor failure) so I sat out the rest of both days. Now I know a bit more and can actually fix a bit more but I am also more comfortable with the training that I can adapt to ride whatever bike I am on. If I am on the east coast of the US (where I corner work for the School) I ride my own bike and when I am on the west coast for business and can squeeze in a School day I am perfectly comfortable on the School's BMW's and their ZX-6R's before then. I guess my position is that I thnk it makes sense to do both with the emphasis to start at Level's I and II (and maybe III) on a School bike and then start to integrate your own bike into the equation once you have internalized the training more thoroughly. ...anyway some (many) will disagree with me here but that's my 2 cents worth. ; ) Rain

Hey thanks for the reply! I was in the B group at the trackday but when we lined up after lunch i was running late to get to the grid and ended up lining up at the end of the group with the slower guys. The whole morning i was in the front group. Anyway, we get to the last turn coming onto the straight and the guy is front was almost crusing...i tried to avoid him in time but couldn't. The front locked up on the brakes so i let off the brakes immediately but then i was already going into the right side of him. He had his passenger pegs still on the bike and that's why clipped my left leg and i went into him. Basically it was my fault. i didn't realize there would be such a huge difference in speed between the back and the front of the B group. I should have just pulled into hot pit and pulled back out when there was clear track. I also think my throttle was getting a little stuck and needed lube so that could have been part of it. Anway, i learned a lot from it and will not repeat the same mistake. -nick WOW! BTW, I have made the same mistake (not keeping a wide view) and crashed on the brakes trying to avoid a slower rider - but I was entering a low speed chicane at full lean when I had to grab the brake lever...running into somebody close to WFO would be pretty scary and video of AMA guys crashing at the same spot at NJMP were amazing. Rain

Nick; It's a great plan; one that I have followed more than once. Since Level III is all about body position it is good to do it on your own bike because locking in and moving around on it efficently are all part of the program. BTW, how did you suffer a get off on the main straight at T-Bolt - at the kink? Rainman

Bobby; I use Suomy and my current helmet is much tighter than my previous one was but despite the tighter fit, Cobie was still able to put a square piece of foam in the the top and it does offer an improved sightline and the tight fit is not diminished in any way. In theory your concern makes all the sense in the world but in my experience, I am totally confident that I will get all of the protection Suomy offers the next time I bounce my head off the track. DAMHIK! BTW, loved your season wrap up piece. You add a lot to this Forum and I want to encourage you to keep active here. Rain

Hottie; I used the Canyon Dancer tie downs only once on a 3 hour trip to Pocono East. It was cold and rainy April track day and in the first session my throttle stuck WFO approaching the bus stop. I decided once I made it safely off the line that maybe I shouldn't use them anymore. Rainman

JazMan; A couple of comments if I may; Don't worry about looking like a noob; it's not part of their cirriculum. The School is not an ego showcase plus everyone is too busy working on their own drills to even notice. BTW, you'll also be too busy yourself to even think about how you look so drop this from your list of concerns OK? 55 ain't old especially in this game - DAMHIK! Older riders may not make it onto the AMA grid but there are Forum Members who are close to you in age who are doing incredibly well in their regional races. Fossil Fuel - you still out there? If you don't think of yourself as a good rider my bet is that will change and soon. If you rode Harleys for 40 years before hopping on a sportbike three years ago then you saw how light years apart they are from a performance perspective. The first time I rode one it seemed like an alien space craft but I also saw that they require much more precision to work correctly. You will understand that half way through Level I. You actually have to learn how to ride one and those who self teach themselves usually have to go way back before they can advance. Many of the Forum are students, former students, perspective students or just friends. Let us all know how it goes so we can continue to build on the body of knowledge that resides here. We have active membership from all around the world and it will also give you a place where you can continue your learning. Good luck. Rainman

I am sorry for not adding his name: Bob Hartman and he is both a really good photographer and a great guy.