Kevin Kane

Shaka; I think this topic has "Jumped the Shark". After 6 pages of point - counter point we're back where you started this so it's time to close it out. Kevin Kane One of the Forum Moderator

It would be an interesting exercise to review Lorenzo's record post v. pre traction control. I seem to remember that he used to high side a lot but once he was able to stay in the saddle for the entire race his record improved significantly. I could be wrong...

Suddeeq; Welcome to the Forum. As for the School everyone starts at level I.Rainman

Watching the Races from Jerez on Sunday, there was a slo-mo clip of Marquez's rear tire off the ground while he was leaned into a corner; that image makes this comment make a lot of sense to me.

Wow Lyster, what a loaded first post. The easy answer is attending the California Superbike School will improve your riding skills sets. I say that as I have attended so many Schools over the past 12 years that I can't count them. Along with that I began Corner Working for the School about 6 or 7 years ago where I "watch" students for two sessions and then ride with them for the third before repeating the cycle. Without a doubt, virtually EVERY student makes measurable improvements by the end of the day. I am bi-polar when it comes to motorcycling. I have a pair of Ducati’s one of which is a competition only bike that I have raced a few years ago that I still use on the track. I absolutely love riding it and have been on a 15 to 20 different tracks (many times) since I bought it 8 years ago. I also have an old Triumph Bonneville that I fully restored 15 years ago that I love to ride exactly the way you described in your post. I take it easy, go out into the country and just get lost in the ride. I even changed the gearing on it to reduce the revs when I am on these rides trading off the quick stop light take offs they used to be somewhat famous for back in the day. So IMHO, it would come down to what you want to get out of attending the School. As an aside, don't worry at all about your speed although with your experience you may surprise yourself when you get on a track with a properly prepped full on track bike. I have seen loaded Harleys and Gold Stars at the Schools without a problem as every School at every venue has first timers and multi-timers with measurable variances in abilities; the School manages that disparity EVERYDAY! Others will chime in here and you should get some good advice for you to help make your decision. The fact that you joined us and posted this suggests to me that you may have already decided but what do I know. ; ) Rainman

Oilpatch; I had the same bellypan issue with Sharkskinz. I cut out the area and used modeling clay to make a mold for a sump l fabricated out of fiberglass. Worked like a charm. Rain

Eirik; Our resident video Jedi; how do you find this stuff? BTW, great summary on how to not do this. You can see the rider running out to the white line and the question I have is did he target fix on them or was just going too quick for his personal skill set (sic) and just ran wide inadvertantly cutting these unfortunate riders down.

Kumar; I have attended CSS at Laguna Seca and at Sears Point (Infineon) both in the rain and with clear skies. They will run Laguna in the rain but Sears Point is too slick to ride safely when wet. It's a big disappointment but look at it this way, you live in NoCal, imagine if you flew in from NY and it rained - DAMHIK. Regardless, I think Sears is so much more fun than Laguna, even with the Corkscrew that I would encourage you to keep signing up for that location. Rainman

Brad; I can't speak about WERA but when I started at CCS/LRRS (Loudon NH); to get a Novice Competition License you had to attend the Penguin School the day before to "learn" about flags, protocol and then a half a day of track time with their instructors. Midafternoon the track converted to Race Weekend open practice so you had track time with all of the competitors who were there to race that weekend. This was pretty eye opening because it gave you a keen sense of how much quicker things were going to be on Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, you still didn't have a racing license so you weren't allowed on the track for any of the practice sessions leading up to the first race of the day; The Rookie Race. You had to finish this race upright to qualify for your Novice Competition License. Only then you could grid in any of the other race classes your bike was approved for (supersport, thunder bike, etc.) The Rookie Race was gridded randomly and we were released in three waves to make the dash into T1 a little more tolerable. Hopefully some WERA veteran will chime in here to help you get a lay of the land and whatever you do - Let us know how it goes. We all build on each others experiences here. Good Luck! Rain

anthem; I did that on a School bike (standard shift pattern) at Laguna right on the main straight where Will could hear my "mistake"; I dodged him the rest of the day. Ironicaly I came out of 10 carefully (remembered the pattern going from 2nd to 3rd) but as I accelerated toward the bridge my torso was down on the tank and my foot pushed down to click into what I thought was 4th... Rain

Cobie; On the track I think it becomes more intuitive. You exit a corner and as you accelerate you also lower your torso down as low as you can and begin to upshift. Your foot moves down (as you did with your upper body) on the lever so your moving body parts in the same direction. When you decelerate you may begin to rise up to better see your RP's and having your foot follow in the same direction with your downshifts becomes second nature. At least that's how I see it. Rain

I'm here...and partial ownership is partial ownership. Practically speaking if your married (in NY anyway) you really have partial ownership in your bike with your spouse, whether their name is on the title or not. File for divorce and see what your spouses' attorney says. Rain

You're all set.

Shadow; I'm not sure there is a specific definition (now that I typed that someone will post it for sure) but I believe it to be anything that causes a rider to come off pace prematurely and at times abruptly. Whether it is for a slower rider(s) in a tight section of the track, oil or debris on the surface, an animal (yes, they do sometimes appear at tracks) or a bike malfunction. Technically a red flag causes everyone to check up but not abruptly of course. Rainman

Hottie!!!!! Holy !...you are a cornering monster. What a way to end the season. What was it that Wayne and Garth said; "we're not worthy, we're not worthy..." Rain

Cobie; Dr. Price is all set; I sent you and the good Doctor an e-mail to that effect so we should initiate the dialogue with a strong "Welcome to the Forum, Dr. Price!" It's your stage now Sir... Rainman

Cobie; This is a good topic to explore. As a multiple school student, day two of any School has been a real test of my own stamina. Something I thought was unique to me but as a multi-time worker in the garage with Will however, I saw that I was not alone, especially at every two day camp I have worked. If there are some training techniques we can utilize to better manage our energy, I'm all in on learnig them. Rainman

Sears Point aka Infineon is an amazing track; it has elevation changes and a great flow to it but is usually overshadowed by Laguna Seca. Laguna is fun but Sears is a blast IMHO. Rain

KTK; Close - there was an exceedance that was coupled with the ISP contact person being off line for the duration of the shut down so there was no way to "fix" it until they returned. Kevin Kane

D; AWESOME! Simply Awesome. Thanks for sharing this and congratualtions on your successes. Rain

D; You never disappoint. You go girl! Rain

boroboy; Do I see this image correctly? Are you wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt? Rainman

Cobie; There's a joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall in NY, the punchline is "Practice, Practice, Practice." Malcolm Gladwell wrote about this concept in detail in his book Outliers. He says that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to master a task. His models include The Beatles, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs. Rainman

Yellow; Treat your new slipper clutch like new tires or a cold track; make sure you get a good "feel" for how it functions before you try to load it up. Despite the design, you can still get rear wheel hop with a slipper. DAMHIK. Rain

Rain