Kevin Kane
-
Posts
1,066 -
Joined
Posts posted by Kevin Kane
-
-
Check out Will Eikenberry's picture on page 108 of this month's Road Racing World. Will, Stuman and Robbie Dowie took second overall and second in the Heavyweight Superstock Class at the WERA/Dunlop National Endurance Races at Las Vegas in their second-ever WERA National Endurance Series Race.
For those who know the School Staff (or will meet them this season), Will is the Crew Chief for all of the School's bikes and current lap record holder at the Streets of Willow Springs. Stuart Smith, aka Stuman is one of the School's senior Track Coaches involved with both Level IV riders and Class Room Seminars. They both talk the talk and then go out and walk the walk.
Nice going guys!
Kevin
-
No...it is to use NO brakes; but applied with some common sense. If running into another rider or off the track is what will happen if you do not use your brakes, then you use them but beyond that - it is NO brakes.
This drill is at the heart of the School's Cornering Curriculum and is the first drill of every day, regardless of Level. If you want to maximize your School experience, follow their program. BTW, if you don't, you will be called into course control for a "chat".
Kevin
-
Francois,
In a turn, try pushing with your outside leg and your inside arm simultaneously. It is the easiest way to initiate a turn.
Kevin
-
Noob,
I have to agree with JeF4y's opinion; having attended both, there is a significant difference between the two.
CodeRACE is targeted for riders who are already racing or are getting ready to race - it is focused and intense!
TheTwo Day Camp is like attending the individual schools but on steroids.
If you are very proficient in your track skills and want to turn up the wick, then CodeRACE may make sense. If you fit this description than you need not read any further. BTW, in April of '04, when I attended, Roger Lee Hayden was there. In '05, I believe Doug Chandler was there. The pace is VERY fast at CodeRACE.
If you are a student of Keith Code's cornering theories but are still learning how to fully integrate them into your riding, the 2-day camp would be my recommendation. The 2-day camp has a limited enrollment so the Coach/Student ratio is low. There are only two groups so you ride - a lot! You will ride your butt off. You will have video shot of your riding (more than once) so you can actually see what your riding looks like. I guarantee that if you have never seen yourself on video, this will be an eye opening experience. You will still learn the same training tools that are taught in the regular school but at a much more intensive way.
In summary, you're asking for a comparison between apples and oranges - they are both very good - but they are not the same.
Good luck with your choice.
Kevin
-
Looking for a tire choice opinion for the School at Mid-Ohio: Dunlop GP-A's or Michelin Pilot Sports Cup?
TIA,
Kevin
-
Senfro,
I am not the right person to offer technical advice but I will say what I am doing. This is my first season with a slipper clutch and I still blip in case it doesn't slip. Plus, my street bike doesn't have one so it keeps my technique consistent.
Kevin
-
I lowsided for the first time last season exiting a fast left hander on the gas. To this day, I do not "know" what happened. One moment I am looking up the track on the the gas when I hear a very unfamiliar sound. Then I see the bike's gas tank sliding away from me in slow motion and it begins to sink in - I was down! The slow motion experienced immediately became "wow - I can't believe I am sliding this fast and how quickly I am going to get into that grassy area" (earth-sky-earth-sky-earth-sky-earth-sky... then lots of dust - everywhere).
Oh yeah, that strange sound was the plastic fairings grinding away as the bike slid across the track, down an access road and then into the grass with me right behind it.
It was my eight or ninth track day on a set of Michelin Pilot Race tires so it could have been that they were cooked, it could have been a rider mistake like adding lean angle while on the gas or holding on too tight but I dunno...
I post this because I can only offer you some empathy...not an answer.
Good luck in your search.
Kevin
-
Lots of questions here 03. I won't touch the tech or deposit questions you raise, those are for someone from the School to answer but some of them I will try to respond to:
I believe you can register on their web site right now. The next CodeRACE program is in November I think.How long does it usually take to reach code race program?
Four Levels -Four Days. No shortcuts here. I recently spent two days at Pocono and there was a student who attended all four days the School held classes. Four Levels - Four Days.Whats the fastest anyone has moved through all the levels?
You'll need an answer from the School for that one.has anyone ...ever not been able to come to grasp with the teaching?Does the classroom translate as easy as TOTW2?At School You will quickly see that the learning is more that what's in the book(s). You will start your day in the classroom where Keith himself will give you both an overview and then specific drills that you need to focus on when you hit the track.
At the end of each track session, you will meet with your instructor and get debriefed on what the instructor observed from following you (or leading you) and then you go back into class. Keith will give you more instruction and a new drill that you will couple with the previous drill and the day builds upon itself. It is a very progressive learning cirriculum and one of the chief reasons why it takes at least four days to get through all four levels.
Unless you are a very gifted rider, you will quickly see that despite your best efforts at self translation of Keith's books, attending the School is the fastest way to unlock these published "secrets". If reading it was all it took, we would all be Rossi's
Good Luck!
Kevin
-
Arnb,
I don't know how much carry capacity your bike has but its my guess that you will need more than the bike. You can have a friend bring your excess stuff or you can trailer the bike but you will need stuff. At a bare minimum, you will need gas cans. I typically bring a full tank of gas in my bike plus three 2.5 gallon cans...just to be sure (ran out once at Watkins Glen). If you don't use it all, you pour the reamining gas into your tow vehicle (or follow vehicle)'s gas tank.
You may need some tools - to tighten things, to fix things, to change things. Think about what you may want to adjust and plan accordingly.
I don't know the set up at Blackhawk Farms but regardless, the sun can become an issue. I usually bring a folding chair, sun screen, hat and Gatorade even though the School provides all the water you could want.
You also want to be prepared for rain. I bring an inexpensive rain suit that is purposely oversized so it fits over my leathers - the School does run in the rain and riding in wet leathers can be uncomfortable. Also, if you ride to the track, you will probably wear your leathers on the commute but wearing the suit all day long can be a bit uncomfortable as the day progresses. Some students take off their suits between sessions or at least the tops if they are wearing two piece suits.
Finally, a change of clothes for the trip home is always a more comfortable way to end your day. You will work up a sweat at the School in each of your sessions so after five full track sssions plus off track drills, you will be soaked (gets pretty hot in Chicago by Memorial Day doesn't it?)
Good Luck and have fun!
Kevin
-
I ignored my Pilot Race tires sliding in the corners for three turns before they let me off in turn four. It was my third track session and my fourth lap so they were up to to temperature...they just didn't have any grip left.
Kevin
-
I have to admit that I watched this thing a dozen times, focusing on each individual light before I posted it because I couldn't believe it wasn't a trick. Once I realized it wasn't, my reaction was like yours Fred, what things I am missing when I ride???
Kevin
-
Hey, check this out.
There is a lot to be said for keeping the wide view - now If any of you can open this, check it out!
http:www.michaelbach.de/ot/mot_mib/index.html
Kevin
-
Ichiro;
I'm not affiliated with the School but have been to a number of them so let me offer another student's overview and maybe some answers to your questions.
The School day starts with registration where riders are given their bike number (or assigned school bike) and are placed into one of three group - white, yellow and green. From there (and after some collective breakfast grazing), the Chief Wrangler Judy Code will call all riders to the riders' meeting where Keith will welcome everyone and introduce his team. At the conclusion, Keith sends the Level II, III & IV riders to their respective riders' meetings and he stays with Level I riders for the first of the Level I seminars.
The Level I riders are still in the classroom when the track goes green; the upper Level riders going out in two successive groups. The Level I riders are the third group out and the School maintains that order all day. There is a one hour lunch break at each track but you will get five full sssions in Level's I, II & II (six in Level IV). I have never timed them to be honest but I can say that the track stays hot all day (except at lunch).
The first session is (in my experience) the longest as it includes two sighting laps with an instructor leading the group. These laps are single file with no passing so everyone gets orientated at a very comfortable pace. At the conclusion of the the sighting laps, the group returns to the pit and line up in two rows. While on your bike, your assigned instructor will walk up and introduce him (or her) self to you and tell you where to meet at the end of each session. Course control then verifys that each rider knows their assigned drill before releasing them and then does so with enough of a gap to allow your first lap to be on a relatively clear track.
After each session, you meet with your individual instructor to get feedback on how you did with your assigned drill and then you return to the classroom for more group instruction. This cycle repeats itself four more times with the last classroom session really the day's recap with Keith. You will get five solid track sessions with a progression of drills that will make your last two sessions a real opportunity to put it all together.
If this is your first time at a track or at a track School, I will offer that it is very easy to get ahead of yourself; try to focus exclusively on the drills - it will all come to you more smoothly that way.
Kevin
-
Tim,
Maybe you could help clarify a question I have regarding rear tire spin on exits. You write: "How do slide the rear tire? Easy, you apply the throttle coming off the corner until the rear tire starts to spin. Once the tire starts to spin you slowly roll off the throttle".
Where is the point between the rear tire starting to spin and highsiding?
The [very] few times that I have spun the rear was never intentional - it was when I was so focused on getting out of a particular corner as quickly as I could that I was out of it before I realized that it happened.
Kevin
-
There's a great read in this month's (April) issue of Roadracing World magazine "14 Questions for a Speed Guru". It is an interview of Keith Code by John Ulrich and gives some real insight into the history and evolution of the California Superbike School not to mention the level of talent that Keith has taught over the past twenty five years. I can offer first person testimony that when I attended CodeRACE last April, Roger Lee Hayden was there working with Keith just like any other student.
Not coincidentially, Roger Lee went out and finished 9 points behind his brother Tommy for the SuperSport championship.
This is an excellent article for those on this list who are still unsure if this school is the right place to start their formal track training. As a kicker, it includes a group photo of Keith and the School's Riding instructors.
Kevin
-
"I'm curious that you lost the front while accelerating, were you holding the bars a bit tight?"
I can't remember; I don't think so because of the amount of time I had spent working with different coaches about staying loose on the bars along with not stalling on the gas after turn in. Also, if I was holding on too tight, wouldn't I have felt some pull back from the bars once the bike and I started to separate? Like I said, I didn't know I was down until hearing the sound and then saw that the bike was about five feet way from me and sliding away fast. It really felt like someone had pulled the bike out from underneath me.
Maybe it was the fact that I was trying to squeeze an eighth track day out of a set of Michelin Pilot Race H2 tires.
Anyway, thanks Jeff and Jack for the feedback; I will try and pay more attention to how the front "feels" this upcoming season.
Kevin
-
I always appreciate more seasoned riders sharing their experiences especially about subjects that are new to me and harder to comprehend.
To be fair, I am not a racer but I do track ride when I can. Anyway, I lowsided for the first time this past season and I was amazed how fast it happened. One moment I am leaned over accelerating out of turn and then the next thing I realize is that I am sliding across the track following my motorcycle down an access road and then into the grass. The first indication of trouble was the sound...I had never heard that sound before but then I haven't dropped a motorcycle in a very long time. Believe me when I tell you "picking it up" was NEVER an option.
What do you guys do differently from me that you can even be aware of the front wheel sliding so you have the chance to "pick it up"?
Kevin Kane
-
Brett,
If you look on ebay motors - parts and accessories - motorcycles - japanese and type in "Honda front fender" you will find many inexpensive options.
Here is a current ebay listing for a Honda Front Fender with a "Buy it Now" price of $25.00.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAP...4525589265&rd=1
Kevin Kane
-
Hook,
IMHO, take the two-day course now. As a self taught street rider who finally was convinced to go to School (by my insurance agent of all people), I can tell you without hesitation that I wish I had gone to school much sooner than I did. I also wish I had gone to school BEFORE I bought my first sport bike but that's another story for another time.
On the track and the street, I still have to "think" more than most because I am constantly working to overcome the incorrect technique that I learned on the street and to focus on structured and progressive training I received in School. Track riding is so-o-o much more intense that street riding that I still waste too much of my attention "remembering" the right way to do things and that adds seconds to my lap times.
I would also recommend that you take the time during the off season to read "Twist of the Wrist", vol's I & II to build the academic foundation to your school program. There's a lot to learn and the reading will get you focused on the key aspects of the training so that when you get to school, you can concentrate on applying the theory out on the track.
At the two-day camp, the School bike's are new Kawasaki ZX-6R 636's with Dunlop 208 GP's ...they rock!
Kevin
-
Bigheadj,
The benefit I have received in taking two days in succession (beyond simple continuity of the training) is that on day 2, I feel like I "know" the track. With that familarity, I can concentrate on the next Level of drills with the previous day's training still freshly integrated into my riding vocabulary. The distraction of getting re-orientated to a specific track (or another track when I have taken class at different venues) is not part of the day 2 equation and that is a BIG deal (to me).
The benefit of two successive days is huge but there is a catch...you need to be in good physical shape to maximize the value. If you're not in shape, you will be too fatigued to take advantage of the training mid way through the second day. DAMHIK.
Kevin
-
Stu,
I remember working with you at Watkins Glen last May and our drill was to avoid stalling on the gas through the turns. You were leading me around the Carousel at a pace that was faster than I had ever gone through there before and I remember noticing a rider we passed on the inside who had his titainium knee pucks sparkling all the way around that turn while neither of us had our knees close to the pavement at all. Personally, I would rather trade faster lap times for chicken strips any day of the week but there is a question I would like to pose.
It seems to me that really fast riders have their knees down because their speed is so much higher than someone like mine that they cannot hold the lines they are using without a more aggressive lean angle. While I rarely touch a knee when cornering yet still sometimes pass slower knee dragging riders, I can only assume that the really fast guys who ALWAYS pass me have no choice but to get themselves and their bikes leaned over that far where knee dragging is a by product of cornering and not an end to itself. Am I correct on this assumption?
Kevin
-
I thought I would throw out a topic that I haven't seen on this forum for some time; hopefully, some of the more experienced here will weigh in on this post as it caught me by surprise when I read it.
The current issue of Sport Rider magazine has a section called "Riding Skills" by Andrew Trevitt. This month his column is labeled "Brake Dancing" in which he speaks about using the rear brake in cornering (hope I am not violating any copywrite laws here). He writes:
"When entering a turn, leave the rear brake applied until after the front brake has been released and the bike is leaned over. This will stop the front end from rising the moment after the front brake is let off and before cornering forces act to keep the fork compressed. Once the throttle is cracked open, use the rear brake lightly to modulate your speed if you find yourself going a bit too fast. Closing the throttle will load the front end excessively and cause you to run wide, whereas applying the rear binder will actually tighten your line and pull you to the inside of the corner. Try to avoid using lots of gas and brake; you want just enough throttle to pick the revs up and keep weight off the front tire."
...Well as someone who has gone off more than one track running wide exits this year (Streets of Willow Springs and Beaver Run), this statement caught my attention.
He also says:
"In downhill turns the rear brake can be used to avoid gaining too much speed once the throttle is open-especially in longer sweepers. As in a flat corner, crack the throttle open as soon as possible to unweight the front tire, and carefully utilize the rear brake to keep speed in check. Downhill turns are notorious for loading the front end and causing you to run wide, but keeping the throttle cracked open and carefully applying the rear brake will result in a more even distribution and keeping you online. With some practice and experimentation, using these rear brake techniques will become routine and give you more confidence, smoothness and safety."
...I didn't run wide on any downhills (yet) but the thought of running wide (or washing out the front) entering T's 16/17/17A at VIR South had me holding down my entry speed more than I wanted.
Anyone have any comments on this topic (besides; its your stones, stupid!)?
Kevin Kane
-
This a frequently asked question that gets a number of different responses so I can offer you only my own perspective.
Without any forethought to this question and with real curiousity about riding a 996 on a track, I took level I on my 996. I did a little damage to it at the end of the day when I clipped a couple of cones with my turn signals (both broke off at the stem). The thought of damaging it had never really occured to me before so it made me think that I didn't want to risk any real damage to it at future Schools.
I took levels II & III on the School's ZX-6R's and they are awesome bikes very well prepared with Dunlop 208's that grip like a shark's bite and brakes that will stop you on a dime.
The difference (for me) between riding a lighter, in-line four v. a much heavier L-twin was, however big enought that I decided to throw caution to the wind and took Level IV (multiple times) on my Ducati. But that's just me...If you are going to be wound too tight on your Ducati that it holds you back, I would recommend that you ride the School's Zx-6R.
Kevin
-
With Ivan washing out AMA's final round at VIR this weekend, is the School still on for Monday and Tuesday?
Kevin
Harley On The Track?
in School Questions/General Discussion
Posted
Turfpro,
I have seen both 1200 Sportsters and Dyna-Glides at the Streets of Willow Springs and at Pocono - and they did just fine at both venues.
Kevin