ikonoklass
-
Posts
23 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Posts posted by ikonoklass
-
-
Newton's Third Law.
-
Vision does appear to be the key issue. Everything flows from being able to "see your line" with the 3-step!
-
I agree that the "active" vs. "passive" designations are complete rubbish. But semantics aside, I sometimes feel that steering with both hands--at least for me--helps me avoid fighting between hands more than just using the inside hand. If that's truly the case, is there any other reason not to do it?
-
Someone over at Advrider.com called countersteering with one arm "passive" countersteering and claimed that steering with both arms is "active" counter steering. Is there a reason this technique isn't taught? Thanks!
-
ikonoklass,
My post of a month ago was addressed to everyone in the thread.* It was not my intention to single you out nor to accuse or imply that you had not read the material in question. Nonetheless, my apologies for including your name in the address and for any insult you may have taken from it.
Aside, since you know "what it is", perhaps you will be kind enough to enlighten the other members who don't.
Cheers,
racer
* et al. is a commonly used abbreviation for the Latin phrase et alii meaning: "and others".
LOL No worries. I'm afraid the project I'm working on has made me a little testy.
-
@ Jaybird, ikonoklass, et al:
Here is the link to purchase the Twist of the Wrist books, video/DVD's and CD's right here on this website:
https://secure.echoalley.com/superbikeschool/store/
It is understandable that not everyone can afford the time and money to attend a superbike school session; but, anyone can afford $20 and there is no excuse for not taking some responsibility for your own riding education.
Just imagine how cool it would be if everyone here already had a handle on the basic fundamental concepts presented in the books so we could all engage in really interesting, meaningful and valuable discussions together about how to apply them, instead of long term members asking the same old questions because we haven't even made the effort to read the books.
C'mon guys. This is getting boring. It's not my job to read the Twist of the Wrist books for you. Demonstrate that you are serious about learning to ride and order the Twist of the Wrist books so we can move this game to the next level and have some real fun here!
/rant
Sincerely,
racer
PS - To anyone who intends to take the school: I cannot emphasize this enough... you will benefit at least ten times more from the experience (and return on your investment!) if you have already read the books before you show up to ride! Now stop procrastinating, click on the bloody link and order your school books and DVD's!
Do it now! There is no other time!
Actually, I own and have read (multiple times) TotW I&II, as well as many other books on the topic of riding technique. I asked whether it was taught in Level III, not what it was. You ignorant buffoon.
-
Is this technique taught at school, or has it been subsumed by another technique? Thanks in advance. As much as I savor every minute of summer, I can't wait until November for Levels III and IV!! Yee haa!!
-
I'm taking levels 3 and 4 in November. Which video would you recommend if I want to work on my body positioning between now and then? Thanks.
-
lol
now hold on there stu...shouldn't that extra 10% be considered for a donation to a need based student aid fund for those who cannot afford to take a school?
like me?
Man, you guys are bad at math ... If I already paid $2,250 for a 10% improvement in ability, then surely I must owe an additional $2,250 if I improved by 20%! Either way, it was money well-spent!
-
Keith said something like, "You will have gotten your money's worth from this class if your riding ability improves by 10 percent." So if my riding improved by 20 percent, does that mean I still owe you guys money? : )
-
Hey ikonoklass,
Specifically speaking...why would you need to pressure the bar to keep the bike upright during the process of adjusting your body position prior to the turn point?
racer
I haven't done Level III yet, so I'm no expert, but it seems to me that moving one's body off the center line toward the inside of the corner involves holding onto the bars and that unwanted, extraneous bar inputs could cause the bike to begin turning in before the turn point. Perhaps if you're able to get off the bike using your core muscles without any kind of bar pressure, this wouldn't happen, and the bike would merely lean toward the inside of the curve, without actually turning.
-
Whenever possible, if you get the body in position, one major action is out of the way. There is quite a bit to moving in series of turns, so let's just look at one turn, with ample room before. Can you move, and then do all the other business from the hung off position--brake, downshift, etc. For sure! You can see this often with the top riders.
This can take a little getting used to, but for sure less work right during that busy time of turn entry.
CF
So Cobie, specifically, you're ok with pressuring the outside bar to keep the bike upright during this process?
-
hi everyone. im mike, i attended the december classes at infineon (im the guy who dumped it before turn 3 and trashed the bike)
i love the '06 model 636/6rr. i was thinking about getting the zx10 but i think im a little too throttle happy for a liter bike still. just curious of your thoughts on how the new ninjas compare to the old ones. im looking to get another bike pretty soon.
I did I & II in Las Vegas two weeks ago. I could not believe how powerful those 600s were.
-
Lee Parks, who gives props to Keith all the time, recommends the following in his book: In approaching a turn, begin hanging off and weighting the inside peg prior to your turn point. Now, if you're going into a left-hander, put a little pressure on the right grip, to counterbalance your body mass, which is already hanging off the left side. This keeps the bike upright until you reach the turning point, at which you push left to initiate your turn. I've not seen this in ToTW2. Is this a bad technique?
-
This could turn out to be snake oil, but if the claims are true, this could be the biggest handling innovation since swingarm suspension.
-
What we have found over the years is that when you get the bike to work well, it really works well over a fairly broad range of riders and skills, and weights. Will has done a pretty good job of figuring that out (our cheif mechanic), and the last few models have had excellent suspension. That being said, if a rider is at one end of the other weight-wise (very heavy or very light) it might not be perfect.
Honestly, I can't remember the last negative comment on the suspension, mostly just guys raving about them and how well they handle.
Cobie
Works for me. Thanks, guys.
-
I'm signed up for a 2-day camp in April. Does the staff adjust the suspension of the bikes to the students, or are they used as-is? Just curious, as every article I read about suspension makes such a big deal out of it. Thanks.
-
Having just finished the 2-day class, I have to say that there is something to these drills that is totally unexpected. I've been riding since the age of 8 - with some years off of course - at 38+ I thought I had a handle on things. No desire to race or even do a track day. Just wanted some advice on my riding, and it was a good excuse to take 2-days off of work. I've read the Twist books etc., but was my mind blown away.
The school breaks down some pretty complex physics concepts into plain english. It also makes you really focus on what you are doing to the bike vs. what the bike needs/wants. It is nice to try and copy what other people aredoing, but unless you know why you are doing it, you can just as easily mess it up.
The entire focus on "stability" and the various rider inputs (that either hurt stability or help it) were just an incredible lesson. What I found changed the most in my riding is that when I hit the point were I was starting to feel uncomfortable (and use to man handle the bike), as long as I focused on doing things to promote "stability" things calmed down. Likewise, when I felt like I could not get it done in an esse turn and forced the bike over, the resultant head shake was not disturbing. I knew exactly why it happened and what caused it. At the end of day 2, I found that moving on the bike was the hardest part, which is why Level 3-4 is in the picture. The morning of Day 2 I was dragging pegs, and so the hanging off started. My lap times proceeded to slow down. My movement on the bike - even though it looked cool - was going more harm than good. The end of Day 2 things got better and I shaved more time off - and felt good doing it. But the dance is not easy. My own physical stamina was my biggest problem. Inner leg and stomach muscles need to be in shape. Every movement matters, which is why I'm now a firm believer in coaching. It can only make be a better (and safer) rider.
As much as I like the books, I have to say there is a HUGE benefit to getting the lectures and riding coaching. Some of the Twist books never made much sense to me, which is not surprising since in retrospect I did not have the ability to recognize the problem, let alone understand how and what the correction was. Talking about some these concepts is OK - but I can't imagine that they will make sense.
I've always had an 1/2-1 inch of unused rubber on my rear tire and just happened to put a new set on my 1200GS right before the 2-day school. I always assumed it was impossible to run the tire to the edge. First ride back, the "chicken strips" were gone. Now I need a ZX-6, a trailer and some time off for a track day.
You sold me. I've got an R1200GS, too, with just about an 1/8 inch of chicken strips left on either side. If I could get rid of that last little bit as easily as you did, it would be money well spent!
-
I'm definitely familiar with page 76 of TotW II, and I've taken it to heart after realizing just how much I was countermanding my own steering inputs without even knowing it. Now my bike's in the shop for routine service, and they're waiting for a part to come in. It's driving me nuts!
-
Now I realize that even the slightest push gets the bike leaning. As to pivot steering, I had read about it in TotW II, but had kind of discarded it, as it seems at odds with other things I've read. For example, Ienatsch talks about weighting the inside peg to initiate a turn. But now that I'm comfortable putting very little weight on the bar, I'm going to experiment with it some more.
-
Interesting! Ienatsch says in his book that if you ask 10 expert riders how to turn, you'll get 10 different responses. I guess he's right. Pushing on the inside bar and not applying any pressure to the outside seems to give me the best balance, but maybe not the most leverage. I think I need to try weighting the peg more. I'm a decent rider for someone who hasn't taken one of Keith's classes (yet), but I need to get more comfortable with pushing the bar harder. It's just a matter of overcoming fear. Thanks for the responses!
-
Folks,
I'm new to this forum, and it looks like a fantastic resource. I've read both ToTW books, plus some others, like Nick Ienatsch's. I live in Denver where hundreds of miles of pristine canyon roads lie only about 20 miles from my door. I have a question based on something I read that Keith wrote. He said that you have to take care when steering that you're not just pushing the bike underneath you. In other words, you must roll when the bike rolls. Sounds obvious, but after I read it, I realized that sometimes I was guilty of pushing the bike around underneath me. I found that pushing on one handlebar causes me to roll very naturally with the bike, whereas pushing on one grip while pulling on the other tends to stabilize me on top of the bike, preventing me from moving with the bike. Thoughts?
Crisis Averted
in Cornering and Techniques
Posted
So this weekend, I re-watched TotW II, as is my custom. You may recall the scene where the narrator explains the safety of riding the proper line, and then it shows a bike evading a cage that is encroaching on the rider's lane.
Well tonight after work, I was riding in the Pleasant Park/Deer Creek Canyon area in Colorado (recently on the news because of forest fire), and sure enough, some jackass comes around a corner COMPLETELY in my lane. Fortunately, my position was correct, and it was a non-issue (other than my thinking murderous thoughts for several minutes).
Thank you, Mr. Code. The value of your instruction is incalculable.