2bigalow

Only after all the hard braking is done, does the knee come off the tank.

Really??? Sounds weird to me. Alpinestars makes good equipment. Best advice I can give about gloves is get some that fit well. AGV, Astars, Kushitani, Held all make good gloves.

Setting number 1. On setting number 1, the damper will still damp any violent head shakes that may happen, but still allow the front tire to track the roadway. Ever seen the top guys coming out of the corners on the gas with the front tire nearly sideways even though they are straight up and down? Imaging if that damper was cranked down and didn't allow the tire to return back fast enough.

I should say zero static preload. How so? um dont know. I remember over hearing momentum can be lost trough suspension on little bikes, but I've never ridden one myself (unless you count an ex500). I then saw a preload graph for gps bikes that recommended zero static preload at the rear. ??? I thought that was odd and have alway wondered why. My post was more of a question than a statement. Maybe it has to do with being able to change directions quickly without the suspension grabing all the energy. Yes / No?

I've heard this too, but I think this applies to 125's and 250's since the bikes are so light. If memory serving me correctly Keith rode 250's in AMA. He could answer the question for sure. Actually, although one of them was a 250 national champion, both the guys who told me about it were superbike racers at the time and were discussing superbikes from the late 80's and early 90's. In any case, I'm not sure why a GP bike being lighter would have any bearing on it. And being that the technique is all about keeping the rear wheel in contact with the pavement under *heavy braking*, in my opinion, a GP bike probably wouldn't benefit much from it. I believe the lack of preload on the rear spring (125 and 250) was to maintain momentum and not lose it through suspension. ???

Cool. Welcome to a life long addition. If you're in decent shape and getting extremly tired, jut relax. I know saying relax, is a well "duh" statement, but you may be trying too hard. Ever notice you turn your fastest lap times at the end of the day when your so tired your just cruisin'?

Front and rear suspension could definitly play a role in the rear fishtailing, but what are you doing on the bars? Are you bracing yourself on them? Are you making a steering imput? What are you doing with your legs?

I've heard this too, but I think this applies to 125's and 250's since the bikes are so light. If memory serving me correctly Keith rode 250's in AMA. He could answer the question for sure.

Hey Tweek, You are on the right track as far as quick turing the bike and turning in a bit later. Those two items are part of less lean angle, but throttle control and geometry also come into play. Level three touches on moving around on the bike without upsetting the chassis , while manipulating the geometery of the bike to change your line. IE turn tighter. I think you'll really enjoy level 3 and will have several ahha! moments since you are already thinking about this.

Very interesting post. My mind is swimming in cricles taking in all the ideas. I am no physist, but I know one thing for sure. ALL students I have personally trained and most students I have seen others train go FASTER without trail braking. Now, the Top TOP TOP guys may be able to eek out that last fraction of a second or 100s of a second by trail braking and acutally go faster in the corners, but the average student, or really fast student / racer / ama back marker depend on the brakes WAY too much. I'm not say trail braking doesnt work. It does and has a place in certain corners. IE decreasing radius, double apex, passing ect... But most riders brake too much into a corner. I certainly do, and was proven that fact by a before and after lap season. Even when I was in denial and said I wasn't braking too much. I was. Trailbraking on top of that!!! To further my point check out Keith's artical about his down hill coasting races. Now, lets say a mathmatician prooves that in fact trail braking does provide extra friction and the TOP motorbikers are utilizing this traction, it's probably safe to say all the points brought up in this thread have some validity, BUT they are on a huge sliding scale. No pun intended. And it would be mind boggling to calculate. May be it's an artistic feel or gift that top guys have. That may be the best indicator something else is going on. Then again, the arguement of trailbraking has been around so long, maybe it just another style of riding and both work. Each in a different way. IE Advatages gained doing one style cancels out the negative of the other and visa versa? Of course on the super human level that MotoGP WSBK AMA ride at. ???

One other thing. Have you checked your tire pressure lately? Sometimes the obvious can be overlooked. Like why the bike wont start...then someone flips the kill switch

Hey Squirrel, A numberof factors could be causing the problem. Being that we teach riding techniques, I would suspect you are counter steering subconsiously while leaned over, but you seem to be sure that your not. That being said, next time out riding, trying leaning into a right hand corner and let go of the left bar to see where the bike goes. You may be fighting your right hand by playing out a back and forth battle with your left hand. Then consiously think about what the right hand is doing. You should be looking for a light touch with only enough pressure to turn the throttle. Do this after you've lean the bike to an acceptable lean angle for the corner at hand. See where the bike goes. Onto the tires. Tires can make a huge difference in feel. 3300 miles on a sportmax is just about the time for a replacement. As posted earlier, flat spots can affect the handling of the bike quite a bit. To give you an example, I was riding a school bike at Willow springs and kept complaining about the handling to Will (School Mechanic and ubber fast rider) He made a few adjustments, but the bike still rode like (insert proper adjective). The next morning we replaced tires on all the coaches bikes. During the first turn in of the first lap the bike turned in so fast I nearly fell over. The handling problem went away. We then compared the profile of the worn tire (way worn) to the new tire and the comparison was soooooo obvious. The right side of the tire was nearly flat. Now the suspension side of it. Racer has given you very solid advice about suspension adjustment. As far at the preload, crank it down. You are a big dude and really need to get the bike's geometry correct. The adjustments are there, so use 'em. If you can afford minor suspension upgrades, by all means do it. Just up grade your stock stuff. Rear shock spring and revalve / service cost maybe 200.00-300.00. Fork springs with install are slightly less. I would try to correct the problem that order. Cheers, JR.

U Haul. Seriously. Cheap too.

Nice vid. You were drawing some good lines out there. That looks like a really fun track. thanks for the kind words.

Looking over where you are trailbraking, I would have to agree you're over doing it. IE Fontana, the only two areas I trail brake are the double apex turns, although I'm on the gas way before the second apex. If that's you riding that nice R6, you shouldn't need to brake for turn one at Fontana at all. WFO to one down shift will slow you enough for a steering input. So would you want to quick turn the bike in turn one or turn it in slowly while on the brakes (at 130+ MPH during your steering input)?

Vadim, Glad to hear you're OK. A skyride in the horizontal position is never a fun thing. I wasnt on this trip, so I dont have any details on the crash. However, the crew that was at Pocono will be home soon and can probably answer some of those lingering questions. I'm sure Cobie or Keith will be giving you a ring when they get back. Take care JR

LOL with the questions. Actually it's the best way to learn. So... more questions. Since you've been thru level one and two, you know riding is a very mechanical process. You mentioned turning at a specific point and it felt right, but didn't know why. What happens when you turn too early??? What happens when you turn too late??? If you can answers these two questions then you know why it feels right.

Thumbs up!!! on the progress. Although I think Paul may have something to say about who's the "Riding God". FYI that was a jab at both of 'em

Ella, glad to hear you didn't sell your bike! Riding is such a great gift! Obviously you know this base on your email. So,to answer your question about a reference point. A reference point doesnt have to be a visual spot IE a skid mark or surface imperfectoin.. An angle of two points can work, such as a 6' right angle from the edge of an apex to a point on the track. Lets say the only mark on the roadway surface is 6' away from some type of steering input or brake application. Could you make a note of that 6' distance and make that your reference point?

Hey mike, Thanks for posting on the site. Glad to have ya here. I'm not sure about the leathers in the UK. I would assume they do, but you should call them directly to be sure. Maybe Keith or Cobie could answer that if ther're lurking around the site anytime soon or when they get home from the latest road trip to the east.

Congrats on the 8th place in qualifying. That is one hell of an accomplishment! (Jealous) Are you gonna go with the three pit stop strategy? Or the splash and go, ride the tire 'til the only rubber left is on the side walls strategy as in years past. Hahahaha..... Or was that the tire you qualified with on friday???

WOW 7 seconds is HUGE!!! That's bitchen! The secret to getting permission from the wife, is to get her to ride at the school too. Then you'll have Carte Blance! Glad you had a great time.

You've really got me thinkin' now. I would have suggested oil friction on the plates of the clutch, but a dry clutch shouldn't have the same problem...but it does??? I assume there is always some amount of friction being transfered. That being said, I also ride an RT1150 that has a dry clutch and I can create the same clunk as a wet clutch. Although the BMW seems to complain more when NOT blipping the throttle, but I suspect that has more to do with the shaft drive more than the tranny. (that is a whole other thread.) Hehe. Obviously a false neutral is a deafening clunk, while the shifting after coasting is a much quieter clunk. I suspect the quieter clunk is the dogs meshing together after they've been worn IE slightly oval in shape. ??? Could the shift forks be bouncing or moving too???. So now I've gotta question stuck in my craw after your last post. Obviously your knowledge of a manual transmission FAR.............exceeds mine. (I would never even think about rebuilting one without parental supervision) What is it that actually makes the LOUD "clunk" when shifting from a false neutral, and why is you can up shift from a false neutral, but down shifting sounds like a spoon stuck in the garbage disposal??? But, if you pull in the clutch, really bring up the RPM's high and down shift, then feather the clutch out the trans will shift easier??? Mind you not perfect, but better than the silver spoon???. Inquiring minds wanta know???

Yup that was my bad. Nearly all manual transmissions are constant mesh, there for all gears and moving the same speed. Sorry for the confusion and sticking it to your "Craw". . I gotta lay off the grape juice.

Cool on the racing. 50 or not, it still a motorcycle! I dont think cutting grooves will put much heat into the tires. I would contact the rep for the manufacture and explain your situation to them.l I'm sure he or she could point you in the right direction. Be sure to contact the racing represenative. The consumer rep may not be so knowledgable about the concerns of racers.