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Hotfoot

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  2. Wished-for bike?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    22 minutes ago, Jaybird180 said:

    If you came across something suitable for your needs, are you considering a purchase? 

    No, not really. I have found my own solutions, and I don't need another bike. I have a Moriwaki MD250H race bike (around 190 lbs, seat under under 29") and I also have a SuperSingle race bike (a converted YZ450F) that is around 240 lbs- it's tall, but very light and an excellent race bike and track day weapon. Neither are remotely close to street legal, but I do I have a street legal YSR50 which is the absolutely most awesome bike ever for someone my size. :) Yeah, it's a little slow but you sure FEEL like you are going fast....

    If I was really in the market I would probably give the Grom a serious look. WERA racers have a created a race class for those, sounds like a hoot. 

    The other bike I keep looking at is the Zero electric dual sport. I want one, but it is expensive (and tall and heavy too, unfortunately), but I like the idea of an all-electric, very quiet trail bike. No more old-fuel issues, clogged jets, etc., no oil changes, almost no maintenance at all, and tons of torque.

  3. Wished-for bike?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    I had high hopes when the KTM 390 was announced, but the seat height is 830 mm, that is over 32", even taller than a typical 1000cc bike! What were they thinking? Even the Ninja 300 has a seat height of nearly 31", and it weighs 362 lbs dry, not far off from the weight of an S1000rr (about 10% difference), and the R3 is similar in weight and seat height.

    The manufacturers seem to be competing to make an inexpensive and slightly more powerful bike (compared to the venerable Ninja 250) but they are not making it friendly for small riders - they aren't reducing weight much and seat height is going UP not down, nor are they putting in suspension and brake components comparable to what is going on the 600s, and upgrading those smaller bikes is difficult - and pointless, since you are still stuck with a relatively tall, heavy, underpowered bike - so you are basically forced into a 600 if you want a decent ride.

    Lowering bikes always SOUNDS easy - especially when a sales person says it - but in my experience it is actually a real hassle, you are monkeying with the geometry and/or cutting down the seat and most dealerships don't know how to do it, they tell you to take it to an auto upholstery shop, or if you are lucky they offer to put in a lowering linkage - but they can't tell you how that will affect the handling, and if you are short and FEMALE, they might even tell you the handling "won't matter" and that "you'll never know the difference".

    It seems to me that the manufacturers need to take a look at their 450cc class dual-sport bikes and use one of those as a basis for a 450cc road bike that is in the 320lb range. The frames are lightweight and the engines are powerful, if they would just drop the ride height/ground clearance and put on a fairing and a low seat (29.5"), they'd probably have something I'd want to buy. :) 

  4. Wished-for bike?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    What bike do you wish was made and available where you live? Or which old model that used to exist do you wish was available again now?

    Mine is a lightweight sport bike (300 lbs or less) with a LOW seat height (like 29"), with a 400-600cc engine, with middle to high-end adjustable suspension components, good brakes, and good handling. Something like the older Ninja 250s seat height but more power and better components.

    Also a really good lightweight dual-sport bike with a 350-450cc engine and a short seat height and adjustable suspension. All the current 450s are too tall and heavy, and the 200-250s are totally entry level with non-adjustable suspension and very limited upgrade capability.

     

  5. Body Protection Recommendation

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Raider said:

    I too have a forcefield back protector, but have little to no protection in the chest. I see the MotoGP guys slipping in some kind of one-piece loose chest protector inot their leathers before zipping up. Any ideas who makes such a product? The forcefield shirt seems a little overkill and bulky when my leathers already have elbow and shoulder protection.

    Alpinestars, Spidi, and Dainese make them, maybe other manufacturers as well. Revzill is a good site for stuff like that and they often have helpful reviews too.

    https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle-chest-protectors

     

  6. How Agressive Can The Throttle Be Rolled On?

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    2 hours ago, Jaybird180 said:

    So if Throttle Control Rule #1 were to be updated for the modern era, would it say that 'it should be rolled on to the limits of rear traction as moderated by TC'?

    You'd have to add the caveat "...but only if you think your throttle control is smarter than you."  :)

    Personally I still like to have the control to choose my own acceleration (riding at the limit of traction is not always the ideal scene) and besides, you still need to know how to ride if your electronics fail, right? Or if your buddy offers you a chance to ride on a cool vintage bike, or a kick-ass 2 stroke GP bike.

    Here's a question: what sort of conditions could a novice rider CREATE that would prevent a traction-control enabled bike from performing well?

  7. Pre-viewing a track

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    I have found it useful to watch on-board video and study a track map before going to a new track. Elevation changes and camber changes are very hard to see on video, but just getting some familiarity with which way the track goes and finding some landmarks (buildings, etc.) has really helped me learn a track faster once I get there. I felt it helped me the most with quickly learning the turn numbers (very helpful in communicating with a coach) and with being more prepared for any "gotcha" corners that tighten up a lot, or blind hills, so I had an idea what to expect and would avoid either charging in too fast or being super-tentative because I wasn't sure what was coming.

  10. The fast riders and the fastest riders

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    One thing I will mention - there is limited info available in the video above. You can hear the engine, see the rider's line and observe lean angle, but one thing you CAN'T tell is the relationship between the rider's throttle-hand INPUT and the engine response. So in the video above when you hear the engine rev up, it sounds odd in some places, like it revs up very quickly then flattens out a bit. That could be caused by traction control intervening (if it is present on this bike), by the tire spinning, maybe even by the clutch slipping  - clutches wear out quickly on high horsepower race bikes, race starts are very hard on clutches - it is hard to tell without seeing data that shows throttle input.

    On the Superbike School student videos the camera is positioned so that the rider's hand is visible on screen, so it would become immediately obvious whether the rider's throttle input was smooth and consistent or not, plus the BMWs can tell you the actual difference between throttle INPUT (from the rider) and OUTPUT (after any traction control intervention) and the data logger can show tire slip rate, too, all of which would make it easier to analyze the video.

    • Like 2

  13. The fast riders and the fastest riders

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    12 hours ago, tmckeen said:

    Also its important to remember that some times a point and shoot riding style is faster than a flowing maximum corner speed style, and often times a Racers top priority isn't taking the best line through a corner but making sure they don't get passed.

     

    I think this is where you see a big difference between the big bikes and small bikes - on the smaller displacement machines it is all about carrying corner speed, you see a much higher entry speed and the rider carrying a lot more speed in the corner - that smoother, flowing style.

    I also think club racers on 600/1000cc bikes are inundated with advice to "brake until the apex", so they end up trying to apply that in practically every corner and end up giving up way too much corner speed as a result. Then they feel like they have to get on the gas really hard to try to make it up, or to stay ahead of the guy they see coming up behind or around them. You don't hear a lot of "brake until the apex" advice if you are on a 250. :)

    I am saying "they" because I have seen plenty of others do it, but I certainly have done the same thing myself! It "feels" faster on the 1000cc bike to brake really hard, and gas it really hard, and even with all the training I have I tend to fall into that trap if I am "trying" to go as fast as I can. I got towed around recently by a top pro rider and guess what? Higher entry speeds, higher corner speed, and he was gentler on both the brakes and throttle than I was. Sigh, it was a reminder that just getting on the gas harder is not the solution.

    • Like 1

  15. The fast riders and the fastest riders

    in Cornering and Techniques

    Posted

    Personally I think that rolling on the gas too hard right after the apex is extremely common in club racing, I see it all the time and it is a common cause of crashes, and of riders going a little wide which prevents them from getting the best possible drive out of the corner.

    If a rider is feeling a strong desire to roll on the gas too aggressively or too abruptly, what does that usually tell you about the rider's corner ENTRY speed? Was it too high, too low, or just right?

  23. New Forum Functionality or just new skin

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    Did you try logging out and back in? Mine still shows any topics that have new posts in bold, like it did before. Try logging out and back in first and if that doesn't handle it let me know how exactly you were finding new/unread posts so I can research it.

    There was a required software update for general improved security and functionality, that's why it looks a little different, it was not just a new skin or intended design change.

  25. I Thought I Understood That, Until....

    in School Questions/General Discussion

    Posted

    I was waiting for the sight picture to come into view - the 'waiting' part was the problem, instead of actively observing the changing perspective coming into the corner, I was a bit stuck visually on the apex as I waited to see the right moment to turn. It only happened when I was consciously "trying" to use apex orientation versus doing it automatically or using a chosen turn point reference point. I was trying too hard, too much effort, on a certain corner and couldn't seem to make the technique work there. But with some good coaching - Connor on track and Keith as my L4 consultant -  it got sorted out. :)

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