Kevin Kane

Sider, Racer's right: You have just begun to experience what cornering a motorcycle can feel like but it is so-o-o-o easy to develop some really poor riding techniques when you try to teach yourself how to corner simply because the teacher doesn't know anything more than the student. Cornering a motorcycle especially at speed is really a counter-intuitive experience and one of the key reasons that the Superbike School is so successful training riders and racers around the world. They know how to do this in such a way that students become incrementally more proficient as they progress from drill to drill adding new skill sets to their cornering repertoire in each session. Students have experienced track coaches guiding them along (both by leading and following) on the track and when the track riding is combined with the classroom instruction, riders really begin to discover the possibilities... Good luck with your journey... Kevin

Typically, mirrors and turn signals are taped but you may want to remove them just to keep them safe. I broke both of my front turn signals off doing Level I at Watkins Glen a few years ago (hitting cones in the Esses will do it). The School will tape your lights and speedometer and will set your tire pressure. One thing that most tracks want you to do is to flush your cooling system (if you have a water cooled engine) and replace the anti-freeze with a soultion of Water Wetter and water. You can buy Water Wetter at NAPA, Pep Boys, AutoZone, etc. When your finished with School, reverse the process. You'll need reasonably good tread on your tires because you will want all the grip you can afford and fresh tires are cheap insurance and real confidence builders. Good Luck and don't forget to post your story afterward. Kevin

I will be tracking my bike many many times this year and up coming years so maybe I should get used to riding my bike. But, should I get used to using the right techniues on your bike first then worrying about riding my bike... Hope that makes sense lol Thanks Justin Justin, I had the same question after I did the two day camp (Levels II & III) but for Level IV, I switched to riding my bike as I had a bit of trouble adapting what I had learned because I ride a twin and the School bikes are in-line fours with very different performance characteristics. That said, even though a 10R is alot more bike than a 6R, it is still an in-line four so you might want to start making sure you're integrating the drills on the same bike you'll be track riding after you finish School. Kevin

[quote What can I expect with CodeRACE, am I just in over my head along with AMA racers or maybe its more of what i'm looking for. What will I be getting into, do you still think its a bad idea? Am I just too eager to go faster? It all depends...if you want to go faster, I can tell you CodeRACE is very fast. When I attended in 2004, Roger Lee Hayden was there with his crew chief and his factory Zx-6RR. If you can ride with Roger Lee, then CodeRACE would be perfect for you. IMHO, If you want to learn how to go fast, then I would recommend you go to the School. There are many things you need to learn how to do correctly to be fast and consistent and there isn't a short cut that I have found. I simply couldn't get there from here so I went to School. Kevin

Saruji, You write: The four levels of the Superbike School are like secondary school - they are progressive and must be taken in sequence; if you haven't attended yet, everyone starts at Level I. No matter how well you ride, you cannot skip grades. CodeRACE is a stand alone school but if you are just beginning club racing and have only been to 4 or 5 track days, I would recommend getting more track/school/race experience before you take that plunge. I have taken all four levels of the School and attended CodeRACE and I can say with some confidence that you want to be "ready" for CodeRACE before you go there; 5 track days wouldn't seem to be enough experience - IMHO. Kevin

One year at Watkins Glen we had rain and it was suggested that I go to Wal*Mart and buy a cheap set of oversized rain paints and jacket (the kind that come in a small pouch) which cost about 30 bucks...I take them to every event I go to just in case. Good Luck at Pocono Purrs and remember to be as smooth as you can be if it is raining. Kevin

venkat, If you can - do both days back to back. Unless you have ridden Miller many times already (which few have) You will not have to reacclimate to it on Day 2. The other advantage is that Level II training will be fresh in your mind and Level III flows smoothly from it. Kevin

Stuman, You're welcome. BTW, your article generated some pretty good exchanges on the Reduc Forum. Something like 26 responses and almost 500 reads. http://www.reduc.com/bb/index.php I'll see you and the gang next week at Laguna. Kevin

I want to call your attention to a couple of excellent articles in this month's (Mar 06) Road Racing World: "Lookin' for Respect" First Person/Opinion Back to School by Machael Gougis [pg 68] and "Is More Power Better" First Person/Opinion Moving Up from ZX-6R to ZX-10R by Stuman aka Stuart Smith [pg 76]. The first is about a self described frustrated road racer who returned to School when he found he had plateaued after ten years of racing. For those who still wonder "does it make sense to spend the money for School?" read this article. It is a stong, first person endorsement of the benefits that Keith and the School offer riders all over the world. The second is about the real issues involved when a rider decides its time to go in the tall grass where the big dogs go. Upping the ante from a screaming Super Sport class 600 to a track prepped intimidating liter bike. For those on this forum who have had the very good fortune to have Stuman as their track coach at a Superbike School, he brings the same analytical, detailed approach to his writing as he does his coaching. If you are contemplating the jump, here's a really good first person account of what to expect and why it isn't as easy as it might seem. Kevin

Adrian, Check out this link from Motorcyclist. Maybe there will be some ideas here but if nothing else, it illustrates the stature of the RD350 in Yamaha's impressive racing history. Bikes of the 70's Yamaha RD350 Back to the question of modifications, if you are going to continue to use it as you described and if your previous track rides were uncomfortable because you felt cramped, then my earlier advice on leaving it stock remains the same. BTW, I do not find my track bike comfortable - at all. But in that environment, it handles incredibly well and I am never on it for more than 20 to 30 minutes at a time so comfort never is an issue. I would not want to ride it as a comuter/touring bike. Kevin

Adrian, Your post doesn't say if you are going to a track day or a track school but my response will be similar regardless. If the stock set up of your rd350 is how you intend to ride your bike after your track day, then my recommendation would be to leave it alone. If you plan on getting into track riding, however then I would pursue the mods because it will be "easier" if you and your bike are in track trim. The first mod, the one that would be the single biggest mod you can make and the one that will have the greatest return on investment - is training. As a student of multiple Superbike Schools, I can offer the observation that students do not need track ready sport bikes to learn and benefit from attending this school. I have seen bone stock Harleys Davidsons and BMW touring bikes with their bags freshly removed in the paddock more than once and those riders did very well. The key is that the skill sets they were taught were fully transferable to suit their motorcycle of choice. Good luck with your track day. Let us know how it went. Kevin

Cobie writes:"The Superbike School is quite different than CODERACE". Besides being the Head Instructor World Wide for the School, Cobie is also a master of understatement. As a multi-school student who has also attended CodeRACE, I can assure you that Cobie is being generous with that statement. His advice on attending The Superbike School first is right on point. The School has a very well developed and systematic approach to cornering that teaches students how to corner through a progression of drills that build on each other through the three basic levels before you get to fine tune it all in Level IV. Many students also supplement the School training with the Twist of the Wrist books as well as the Soft Science of Road Racing both before and after attending. CodeRACE is a whole 'nuther matter. The drills are more advanced and if you haven't integrated the basics, it is easy to become overwhelmed very quickly. When I attended in April of 2004, we were on the track with the School's top instructors, School Fleet Crew Chief Will Eikenberry (who holds the lap record at the Streets of Willow Springs), Keith Code himself and...Roger Lee Hayden. I had no clue what FAST looked like in person before then; upon my return, two metaphors I used to describe getting passed there were "lightning bolt" and "rifle shot". I can't imagine what it would have been like if I hadn't attended the Superbike School's four levels beforehand...but that also just me. Kevin

That's easy - Turn 6 at Mid Ohio. A blind left hander where you lean it all the way over and drive over the hill trying to line it up properly for the downhill chute to 7. KK

Cobie, In describing Road America, you wrote: and it remimded me of CSS' days at Watkins Glen. Kevin

Cobie, I rode so poorly at VIR N that you could have picked any one of the thirteen corners there because they all stumped me! Kevin

Moss's Corner at Mosport - a very tight pair of right handers after a fast uphill approach exiting to a quick kink left onto the fastest sixth gear straight I have ever ridden including Thunder Alley at Mid Ohio or the main straight at VIR North . The layout doesn't allow you (well, me at least) to take the two rights as a single sweeper as the second right closes too quickly plus getting the second piece correctly is everything for setting up the left kink and the hard drive uphill into the straight. Kevin

Wayne, I have observed that some instructors do not hang off as much but I believe it is because they are not going at a pace where they "need" to hang off more. Where you or I may believe we are going fast and just barely keeping it on the track, they are typically not working up a sweat to keep up with us (well at least me). If you have the opportunity to see them light it up like I did at CodeRACE two years ago - you will see that they all can and DO hang off at those speeds. ...my 2 cents. Kevin

Do you know yet if the March '06 dates at Laguna Seca will be affected by this repaving job? http://www.roadracingworld.com/news/article/?article=24728 TIA, Kevin

Hey check this out. The January issue of Road Racing World has a great article (Women at Speed! pg. 86-89) written by CSS Coach Misti Hurst about her experience racing in the final round of the Women's Cup, the Pro Honda Oils sponsored all women's racing series in Canada. Misti, congratulations! Kevin Kane

Superdave, I am just curious, where did you learn this technique?

Mark, My mistake, I thought that you had started this thread. Kevin

Mark, Some other comments to offer. Your first post said that "you have been riding a cruiser for a few weeks on the street. Never really been on a sports bike" and your last post closes with "Do you think a 6'5 250lb guy can fit on one of those ZX-6Rs?" Well the transition from a crusier to a sports bike will be a new experience for you as the riding position of the ZX-6R is aggessively forward compared to the Praying Mantis style of crusiers but you also say that you have limited riding experience so your crusier riding style should not be burned too deeply into your psyche - you'll adapt. As for your size, well you might find it a tighter fit than some but Michael Jordan is also a sportsbike rider/racing team owner and he's bigger than you are. Once again - you'll adapt. Your most telling comment IMHO was your statement "I'm still a little skittish about my riding ability after that mess" I'll offer that you echo all of us after we endure a get off. If you didn't think about it - how it happened? - why it happened? - so you can apply that knowledge to avoid it in the future, you would do better to just park your bike. The fact that you understand what happened and why it happened will allow you to "file it" and leave it behind you sooner rather than later. To quote Martha - That' s a good thing. Kevin

Mark, It is a school...don't worry about the Coaches. They all know how to do their jobs which includes evaluating their students and then guiding them accordingly. You have made a very wise choice to get professional training after just 600 miles of riding and one get off...but to answer your questions, I offer the following. Are you going to be in over my head? - Absolutely NOT! Do they teach fundamentals (hand signals, track etiquette etc.)? Absolutely! (BTW, there is only one hand signal you use on the track). Are you going to be a slug on the track, holding everyone up? - My suggestion is don't even think about that. Remember, you are going to a School that utilizes time tested theory in a very well developed curriculum. They have successfully taught thousands of riders and races for more than twenty years so learning all that you can possibly learn should be your primary focus. ...but to specifically answer that question - more experienced riders know how to go around less experienced riders so nobody "holds" anybody else up. Good luck. Kevin

Hammer, If your going to do a two day camp anyway - you might want to consider combining Levels II & III in the two day camp and leave your level IV commitment until you have finished the core curriculum (Levels I, II & III). I found that the Level II & III drills flowed together much more seamlessly when done on consecutive days and I was able to apply the techniques more progressively; the other reason for utilizing the two day camp for Levels II & III is track time. You get one more track sessions (6 v. 5) over the regular School plus the sessions are longer (2 groups v. 3) so you get far more attention learning these drills. The kicker has to be that the two day camp includes multiple video sessions; now you get to see first hand how you look applying these skills. The final reason is as I suggested above. Any subsequent school(s) you attend for Level IV allows you to focus on areas that you want to address (or re-address); Level IV is where you fine tune any or all of what you learned in the three previous levels. I did Levels II & III in the two day camp and it was da bomb! Good Luck, Kevin

Pick it up by counter steering it into the turn.