Hotfoot
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Posts posted by Hotfoot
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Yes, I plan to get them through CSS. My 1986 school qualifies me, but I am taking May 11-12th 2 day at VIR with my son to celebrate 30th CSS anniversary (plus get him good coaching so he also learns right).
That's fantastic, I love to see father-son students come to school together. 30 year CSS anniversary, that is so cool! Where did you do your 1986 school?
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For a 2-day camp, there are two groups of students - while one group is on track, the other is in the classroom, and it rotates back and forth like that all day.
Each coach has only two students in each group. Coaches do not select students, they are assigned prior to the school by CSS staff; and if there are special requests those are taken into consideration and accommodated wherever possible. Every coach is trained to coach every level, and often coach a mix of levels on any given day. First time students are asked to fill out a survey about their riding experience and that can be helpful with the assignment process. Repeat students sometimes request a particular coach and those requests are honored whenever possible.
Are you thinking of doing a 2 day camp? They are really fun, lots of ride time and personal attention.
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Hottie;
I was trying to watch the Daytona 200 Saturday (on fanschoice I think) and the streaming froze at lap 23 or so. I tried rebooting a couple of times and finally just turned it off. I was happy to read at Road Racing World.com who won - but I won't spoil it for anyone who has this copied to view later.
Kevin
OMG isn't that infuriating? And of course you don't know if it will come back so you just keep waiting, or checking back in, and there really isn't any other place to look for info, except maybe at live timing for laptimes and position, but THAT'S a far cry from watching the action... ugh.
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I contacted Dunlop concerning my 2015 GSX-R1000 as a number of magazines recommened the 190/55x17 over the stock 190/50x17 as they said it noticeably improved the 1000's turning as well as better side grip.
I expected a reply of stay with stock but they endorsed the 190/55 as an excellect choice for my GSXR. As I am just about ready for new tires I am highly considering the Dunlop Q3 with the 190/55 rear.
My guess is some bikes react better to the higher profile than others.
I'm sure you will find it MUCH MUCH easier to find the 190/55 than the 50s. The school has great prices on Q3s for students. I am REALLY impressed with the Q3s, I love the handling and the grip is tremendous and they seem to last a long time. I'd almost always choose the Q3 over anything else - including racing slicks - for anything short of all-out sprint races.
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BeIN Sports should be on Dish too.
www.fanschoice.tv was broadcasting most MotoAmerica races last year. I don't even begin to understand how it is possible to put together an effort like MotoAmerica without insuring the races have free TV broadcasting first.
Yeah, right there with you on that. I'm sure they are trying; I really hope they get something put together soon!
Were you able to successfully watch races on the fanschoice website? I tried watching some streaming video of Joe Roberts' races last year but found it difficult to locate the schedule and when there were delays it got really confusing because there were no updates to tell you what was happening.
I'd really like to find a good way to know the MotoAmerica broadcasting schedule and links for where & when to watch.
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Johnno down under - I'm wondering where you saw or read about the hip flick technique? I'd like to take a look at it and see if it comes across unclear on the point of staying on the seat, but not being firmly planted on it when you are trying to move; maybe the info could be made more clear.
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You mentioned trail braking "eating up the front tire." Certainly that can happen; is that something you are running into?
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Anybody going to the 2016 BMW RRFest in Fontana at Auto Club Speedway on April 24th? I've gone the last few years and it has been fun.
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OK, help me out here. It seems to have gotten a lot more difficult to watch racing, especially MotoAmerica. How are you doing it? Are you streaming it from somewhere, and if so, is it working well? Post up links and instructions, please, if you can!
Or, do you have cable/satellite channels that are showing MotoGP and other events? Which networks and what cable/satellite provider? Did you have to get a special package to get the right channel(s)?
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Whew! That is a lot of questions and might be more info than can easily be communicated here, but I'll take a shot at it and maybe you can ask follow up questions as needed.
Trail braking (as you describe it above, meaning carrying some braking through your turn-in and towards the apex) does have the effects you describe above and is most appropriately used when carrying speed INTO the turn is more important than maximizing speed on the EXIT, such as: a wide-entry and/or decreasing radius corner at the end of a fast straight, OR a situation where you want a pass another rider on the entry, or you want to enter a turn on the inside to "close the door" to prevent another rider from passing YOU on entry.
Conversely, what you describe as "finish braking on straight" is very useful where EXIT speed is most important, such as the last turn before coming onto a straight, or possibly in a qualifying situation where you want to achieve a best-possible laptime by getting on the gas as quickly as possible in every turn; generally it is easier to 'make up time' on the throttle with more acceleration than it is to try to lower laptimes via harder and later braking. Plus it is a much safer approach, since it can be relatively easy to crash when trying to trail brake up to the limits of traction; for one thing, it fires off a lot of SRs that can result in errors that can lead to a crash (tightening up on the bars, using a little too much brake pressure, etc.)
These are, of course, broad generalizations; there are many variations in corner situations (shape of turn, what turns are connected before and after, banking, available traction, etc.), and rider skillset, and quality of equipment (tires, suspension, etc.) that can affect a rider's decisions on what technique to use.
As far as what the school teaches, the "finish braking on the straight" technique you describe would be taught so that ideally, you are tapering off the brake right as you are turning in the bike, so that the front forks stay partially compressed as cornering forces take over for braking forces. That avoids the situation where the brakes are released, allowing the forks to extend, then the bike is turned, compressing them again. We want to time the brake release to 'keep the front down' as the cornering forces come into play.
The steering rule from Twist II is "Steer as quickly as possible in every turn" and directly underneath there is a description of what is meant by "as quickly as possible" and how that is tailored to the turn. Reference Chapter 16 "Steering" for more info.
On a modern sport bike with properly set up suspension in normal working condition and good tires it is unlikely that a rider would turn the bike so hard that it would flex the forks enough to create a see-saw effect, or bottom out the suspension - but Keith does mention in Twist II that it would not be desirable to attempt a quick turn over the top of a big bump, as that could overload the suspension and cause a loss of traction. However, on a very old, heavy bike or one not made for spirited cornering, flexing the forks or even the chassis can happen and it can be an unnerving sensation.
Sliding the front tire in a quick-turn could be possible in low traction conditions like ice, wet pavement, or gravel, if the bike is leaned over too far for the conditions. (I can't think why the wheel would actually LOCK unless you were on the brakes, though.) An aggressive quick turn would not be appropriate in low traction conditions or on a bike with bad tires or suspension problems.
Does that help?
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Also realised that part of my previous "hip flick technique" was as I pivot my knee out, as my inside foot rotates on the ball my heel rides up on the peg mount plate and pushes my knee out and draws my butt even further off the seat.
This amounts to as I feed in more knee I'm levered across the bike. This happens automatically as I adjust my cornering arc to match the road revealed ahead.
My outside foot and knee remain locked in; the outer knee simply becomes locked in slightly tighter.
Riding the windies yesterday I also noticed that I hook turn quite often, doing a head and body nod to close up my arc - but randomly I was also SRing and backing off (albeit gently), trail braking very light post apex. I was also more conscious of how this destabilised the bike vs continuous (from before turn in)and continuing trail braking past the apex (to create a late apex) then on the gas vs turning late and slow, decisive countersteer and early on the gas. The latter is more comfortable except entry has to be much slower than I'm accustomed to. 80% blind corners means allowing for a need to emergency stop at or just past the apex on occasion. Trail braking already has the bike "stabilised in braking mode" but leaves little reserve for leaning in harder if tighter is the better option.
Maintaining a positive chain tension was a good way to keep a good sense of gently rolling on the gas.
Fits and starts evolution of style.
These are excellent observations, and I'm also glad lightening your seat a bit fixed the hip flick issue - I agree, you were 90% there already and just had to make one small change.
Very good understanding of the difference between trail braking in 'on the front wheel' versus being a little slower on entry speed but using a quick turn and getting back on the gas earlier. There are appropriate places for both techniques but I wholeheartedly agree that on blind turns you need to leave a good reserve for braking or corrections to handle the unexpected, and it sounds like you are making good informed decisions on your approach to cornering.
In particular I like that you are reading the material, making a good effort to understand it, and then going out and experimenting with it and observing the results, that's great. It's one thing to read the data but quite another to really do it and observe changes so you fully experience and understand the benefits.
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You can use Murphy's oil soap for cleaning leather. It is very gentle and helps prevent drying out of the leather; it's a lot less drying than plain water. A little goes a long way and it is inexpensive. You still want to use a leather conditioner afterwards.
I've used Murphy's oil soap and Lexol conditioner for years on leather horse tack.
I think the easiest way to maintain motorcycle leathers is to wear a washable underlayer (I like Under Armor) so you don't have to clean them as often.
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I think there is a bit of data missing for you on hip flick: keeping your butt planted firmly down on the seat is NOT part of the drill. When doing hip flick you DO lighten your weight on the seat so that it is easy to slide across.
Many riders try to transition across the seat by bouncing way up off the seat then plopping firmly back down on the other side. This upsets the suspension, the sudden hard pressure when the rider pushes off the peg can wobble the bike, and often the rider is mometarily disconnected from the bike. Hip flick is an exercise to help riders learn to smoothly transition across without bouncing up off the seat or putting unwanted input to the bars.
Next time you try hip flick, lighten your weight in the seat enough to allow you to slide quickly and easily across the seat and see if that smoothes things out. It's actually pretty similar to what you described you are already doing that works for you, except that you will add in using your outside knee as a pivot to help you get your hips in position more quickly, which helps a great deal in fast transitions.
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Ha ha, I need some training on tractor maintenance too! I'm getting pretty good with carbs and tuning on the other engines around here (ATV, dirt bikes, etc.) but I don't know much at all about diesel engines. Luckily the tractor is tough as nails and rarely has any problem worse than a low tire.
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The TC is pretty active in Rain mode but in anything above that (Sport, Race) it really isn't noticeable unless you get REALLY aggressive (or abrupt with the throttle) while leaned way over, or have a low-traction situation - in which case it is saving your butt so you appreciate it.
In the latest models the ABS is barely noticeable, unless you really stab at the brake or brake insanely hard. I don't use the rear brake so it might be more likely to kick in if you tried to brake hard with the rear brake. I am astounded how hard you can brake in Race or Slick mode without the ABS kicking in, as long as you have good tire grip.
Overall the electronics are phenomenal, the electronic suspension control is better than I dared to hope!
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Welcome! Congratulations on your coach-training opportunity! The training is tough but it's a fantastic learning experience.
I wish you were closer to So CA, I would LOVE for someone to teach me more about repairing and upgrading my own bikes. I am slowly learning more and more but without expert guidance I always wonder if there is a better way to do things. Every time I watch someone really experienced I learn great stuff about how to work more quickly, safely, and efficiently.
I look forward to meeting you at a school sometime soon!
Laura
PS - RSV4s are awesome, and your project bikes sound great.
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Off -camber turns on the street make me nervous about lean angle, and traction. I try to hang off more to use less lean, but I don't feel very comfortable judging my entry speed for the turn.
On the flip side, I LOVE banked turns! I feel like I have so much traction it gives me a lot of confidence.
What about visual stuff like blind corners, or pavement patches that look like they could be slippery?
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So let's have a little cornering conversation - lurkers and new members, speak up!
Riders at every level of riding have challenges with certain types of corners. What type of corners do YOU struggle with, and what do you find yourself doing, to try to handle it (good solutions or bad ones!)?
Share your challenges, and if you have types of corners you LOVE, share that, too, and tell us why you love them.
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Did they give the reasons why? Now that you have raised the question, I am curious.
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Since sooner or later I will have to buy a one piece riding suit, I was wondering what AGV or Alpinestar suit the CSS school uses? I figured if they are good enough for the school then its good enough for me. Also wondering do they sell suits at the schools? I will be attending the 2 day class at VIR in may.
Call the CSS office for answers to these questions, they will be happy to help you. 800-530-3350. I think the school occasionally sells older used suits as they get new ones in, or the office might have a contact for you to call for a new one.
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Hotfoot. I really appreciate you going to the effort of posting all of that and giving me some things to work on, and of course Ill take all your comments on board and try them next time Im out on track. The best upgrade is always the squishy bit in the middle.
Bouncing on the front end has the forks extending back up in under a second. I would think that its in the ballpark.
I have a GPS receiver working with Racechrono on my phone and I have a camera on the tank which records my speedo, so I can see that Im increasing speed after turning (except for the double apex where the speed drops a little before I start my roll on again). Thats a good point about fast sweeping turns and throttle roll on. I find even rolling on into a the fast sweeper, the speedo still drops slightly before rising. The speed drop is actually more pronounced than indicated on the speedometer due to the smaller radius of the tyre at the edges.
Unfortunately I wont be able to get out again till March. Im eager to incorporate your suggestions and experimenting with reference points and were Im looking, as well as getting onto that throttle nice and early.
Sounds great, let us know how it goes!
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"Have you ever tried riding a circle in a parking lot and using the throttle alone to change the radius of your circle, just to experiment with it?"
Hotfoot. That's a great idea. I'm going to have to try this one myself!
Hotfoot- I'm wondering if you could jump on the steering bike and try this and let us know if throttle alone can change turning radius. I think it would bust a lot of myths related to steering and set us all straight.
Question: Didn't someone use a Radio Controlled toy motorcycle to demonstrate this once? Or did we just "toy" with the idea. I can't really be sure.
Just to make sure there is no confusion on this: I am not saying that the throttle will "stand the bike up" and steer it out. That is NOT the case. I am talking about using the throttle to increase your SPEED. If you are riding a circle and speed up while keeping the exact same lean angle (no steering inputs) the radius of your circle will increase. I won't go into the physics formulas because there are a lot of threads on the forum that already talk about it, but the short version is: if you know the speed and lean angle, you can calculate the radius of the arc the motorcycle will take. In practical terms, you can experiment with this in a turn - if you let off the throttle gradually (not abruptly) and allow the bike to slow down, the arc will naturally tighten as the bike slows; if you give the bike enough throttle to INCREASE your speed the arc will widen, all of this WITHOUT changing your lean angle.
Reminder: it takes a certain amount of throttle just to overcome the forces of turning. If you are "flat" on the throttle (holding it steady instead of rolling it on) in a corner, you are slowing down. It can be surprising how much of a roll-on it takes (especially in a high speed sweeper) to actually INCREASE speed.
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Hotfoot, yeah you go where you look but I'm not really correcting my line. I wouldn't call it a a steering input. I'm having to provide constant pressure (pull on the inside bar - so in effect trying to stand the bike up, not counter steer into the kerb) when I'm tracking my line through long corners and even when rolling on. Left and right turns are the same. It's not lots of pressure....just a little. If I let go, then the bike feels like it'll basically ride off it's wheels.
Lnewqban. I have ridden bikes that need a constant push on the inside bar to stay in a lean and only become neutral with an aggressive hang of position, even at low lean angles and speeds. As I understand it....and I don't really understand it a lot. It has lots to do with the geometry...specifically trail.
Roddy, I don't want to overstress this point, because it may indeed be a tires or geometry issue, but let me just say this - it is REALLY REALLY common for riders to have a very slight pressure on one bar and NOT have ANY IDEA that they are doing it, and it has the EXACT effect you are describing - the bike either inexplicably runs wide or 'falls in' to the inside. The rider is COMPLETELY sure they are loose on the bars. BUT, when they change where they look, the problem disappears and THAT is when there is recognition that there was some slight, unconscious pressure on the bars. It is a simple thing to test, just try changing your reference points so that you are not focusing on the inside of the track. A great test would be to ride 2 laps looking to the OUTSIDE (ride at a moderate pace since you are changing things around) then try 2 laps looking to your old reference points, then maybe try two laps looking more mid-track, and just check to see if anything changes in the bike's handling. I don't want to force this on you but it DOES sound a lot like a vision problem and that is a much easier thing to test than playing around with geometry or tires! (BTW another thing that causes the bike to steer too tightly to the inside is "looking through the corner". If a rider's sight line is TOO far ahead in a corner, and crosses over the curb or dirt of the inside of the track, that sight line will cause the rider to unintentionally ride the bike too far to the inside - another thing to look out for.)
The next thing I'd check are your front suspension settings - if your compression damping setting is really low (soft) and rebound damping is really high, you could be compressing your forks on turn entry but maybe they aren't rebounding quickly enough on turn exit. Good throttle control extends the forks back into the mid-range, but if the rebound damping is way too high, they may not be able to extend quickly enough as you roll on.
Regarding throttle control, do you have any electronics that can measure your speed or acceleration? If the bike is still slowing down at the point that it feels like it falling into the inside, that is a clear indicator that you are not giving it enough throttle to keep it on a consistent line - fi you are still slowing down, your arc will naturally tighten. Have you tried entering the corner at a lower speed, so you can give it more throttle without worrying about losing the rear? Did the bike stay on your chosen line when you did that? Do you think that as you are riding the trouble corners now, that your are giving it enough throttle to achieve the ideal 40/60 weight distribution recommended in Twist of the Wrist II?
FYI, I am not saying there couldn't be a problem with the bike's setup, because there could be. But checking the basics of rider control is easy and doesn't cost anything except track time; chasing a setup problem that turns out to be a rider problem can cost a fortune. You asked a really smart question, in your original post, it's a wise move looking at technique first.
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If you are looking at the inside edge of the track, it is REALLY EASY to unconsciously steer the bike to the inside, which would make you have to pull on the inside bar to correct. You could try changing your reference points so you are looking more to the outside and see if the bike stops falling inside.
Are your problem turns left handers? Could you be pulling slightly on the right bar when you are rolling on the gas?
Track Gloves
in School Questions/General Discussion
Posted
I have been very happy with AlpineStars that I've used for coaching and racing. Admittedly, being female with small hands, the choices of gloves available to fit me is limited, but I have used some other brands and been happiest with the AlpineStars. I am also happy to support them because they are one of the few manufacturers to make full-protection road racing gloves for women. Mine have lasted for YEARS. I crash tested one pair and they held up beautifully, not so much as a scratch or bruise on my hands, and I still wear that pair.
I have also heard that Held gloves are extremely well-made and comfortable; I'd be tempted to try them but can never find them for sale anywhere where I can try them on, and I just don't want to order gloves online without trying them first; being comfortable and being able to move my hands properly is important so I really want them to fit. If they are even a little bit too big they fold under my palm on the throttle hand and create blisters, that's the biggest problem I had with brands other than the AlpineStars.
I think the AlpineStars sell a lot more gloves by making them available to try on in so many more retail shops.