racer

OK, I had some difficulty performing the eye dominance test to begin with. I assumed that I would be right eye dominant by the way I tend to use my right eye when there is a choice. However, it would seem that my eyesight is neither left nor right dominant. (Must be all that Buddhist stuff I studied in my youth, haha.) In any case, after thinking about it, all the turns I ever had trouble with were left turns. Oddly enough, since the prevailing theory in our sport is that conditioning due to street riding, that is the type of turns riders encounter most frequently at intersections, tends to determine a rider's "turn dominance". Though I can't currently remember which way the theory goes. I think it's that right turns (when riding the right side of the public road) tend to be more difficult because riders are forced into a slower speed, less stable, tighter, faster flick in that right turn. And I thought that meant that we learned to be more comfortable in left turns. Wider radiused, able to see through, ride faster, less lean angle = more confidence and that it is all psycho/physiological conditioning. However, upon reflection, this wouldn't seem to be the case for me. To be fair, I also rode racetracks for over ten years and stopped riding on the street altogether in the middle of that time period. (Race tracks tending to be clockwise with more right turns.) And, being 42, I might well need glasses, though it hasn't become an issue, yet. Regardless, I find the subject fascinating. Put me down for: ND/RT (right handed)

James, IMO, the best example or easiest to see the total package is the 4th Rossi photo (shot from behind). The 3rd one just before it is pretty good to get an idea of head postion being down low, hence, the body parallel from the side view as well as coronal or above view.

Some car racers bend the pedals around to make the heel/toe technique a little easier.

Whether on the seat or hanging off, centerline of the body... the head, the back, the spine, the butt in line and parallel with the bike.

I agree. It is logical to learn to match revs for downshifting before adding the front brake at the same time. I learned to match revs driving stick shift cars and trucks. So, learning to do it on a motorcycle was a no brainer for me. Adding the front brake was just a matter of practice. I found it challenging at first, but, I was able to work it out with practice. Same as heel/toe in a car. Practice. It's a good feeling when I accomplish something that "just seems way too hard".

So only 2 seconds off the 600 with the pro...who crashed. Pretty impressive.

Just to clarify, I didn't mean I had issues with front traction when running stock springs only on bumpy tracks. What I meant was that I tried running stock springs once because the track I was racing on was bumpy and I thought it might help. What I found, however, was that bumpy or smooth, I had major lack of traction at the front end. It was a very fast flowing track. And the front wouldn't hold a line anywhere. So, that's why I ask.

I've heard of pushing on the ground with a knee to push it back up when losing the front. Is this a common or frequent problem for you? Are you riding on the racetrack? Are you running stock springs? Old or street rubber? You might try a different body position to change weight distribution. Although pushing the front a bit was "normal" under racing conditions I didn't find this to be a common problem for me except under slippery or off camber conditions or trying to run softer fork springs on bumpy track, or injudicious use of throttle... One other thought, if this is happening a lot... is this happening when you first apply throttle? Do you find the transition from off throttle to cracked on a bit to be an abrupt change? A sudden increase from a poorly tuned or dirty carb or especially older style injection systems will make that transition difficult to be smooth...but I'm reaching here. Otherwise, you better slow down.

Wow. 1000 vs 600. Only 4 seconds off. Sounds impressive. Were there any other 600's in the race? Ain't that adrenalin COOL? Pain? What pain?

Seriously, at that level, it IS quite possible that the chatter you encounter is simply inherent to some feature at Willow. If everyone else you talk to....who is riding at your level...says, "Um, nope. No chatter here", I'd consider that it's simply a fact of life. I mean....it doesn't seem to be keeping you off the bloody podium there mate now does it? Another test would be to ride other tracks and see if it happens there. Or get more specific as to what corners it is happening in and see if there isn't some way to ride around it. Good luck! That being said...didn't Willie the superbike school mechanic win the championship there year before last? He'd be the source to consult on this issue. Why don't you send a PM or email from this site by accessing his username? Of course, he was riding a ZX6 if memory serves...

I think I see the problem now. You are obviously riding too fast. You better slow down.

Wow! 125cc to 1000cc. Talk about the extremes. Cool beans on the rebuilds, dude. Lucky you can find stuff on ebay. If you are getting oil smoke out your tailpipe, the rule of thumb...lemme see if I can remember...smoke under deceleration is rings, smoke under acceleration is valve issue...I might have that backwards. I'll have to think it thru and get back to you. Sometimes leaky valve seals will drip into the combustion chamber overnight and give blue smoke cloud out the tail pipe upon cold start in the morning. Good luck.

In a nutshell, the bulk of street riding is done on the crown of the tire. Even if one spends alot of time in the twisty's, unless you are riding ONLY in the twisty's, the percentage of wear will be greater as you move toward the center of the tire. Even a tire with "good" tread to pass state inspection can have horrid riding characteristics. Essentially, the profile "squares off". If you can imagine a cross section view, the smooth rounded transition from straight up to leaned over becomes less smooth or gradual over time. The zone from a little leaned over to alot leaned over becomes an abrupt change. Hence the feeling of falling over. And, IMO, also the sudden shift of stresses to the edge can overcome traction. This is my theory based on experience and observation. So, this is why I ask how worn the tire might be. If there is deeper tread on the side than the crown...maybe you'd feel better on a new set of rubber. BTW...when I used the word "planted" to describe bias ply tires, I mean more solid or connected than the typically "squirmy" feeling of radials fifteen years ago. During the process of leaning over, one lost the feel or sensation of the road and connection while the tire deformed and reshaped to the new lean angle. Sort of a feedback limbo that could be a little scary while flicking into a fast tight corner and not really knowing what the front was gonna do till it did it. It took a little time to get familiar with these "new tech" tires. I imagine that motorcycle radial technology may have progressed since then. I can't be this old. In any case, there is nothing inherently wrong with your bike being OLD-er per se. There are many things that could affect handling that could be cleared up with some typical high mileage maintainance and TLC. Many things, like tires, that will pass a street or even race track inspection can still be worn enuf to need replacing. Steering head bearings, rear monoshock and linkage bearings, swingarm bearings to name a few. Not to mention the more common fork oil and chain/sprockets combo. It's amazing how all these lilttle things will add up to turn a wonderful bike like an Interceptor into a shyte handling machine. Just some thoughts. I don't mean to imply that this is your case, but, I am constantly amazed at the number of riders I meet who don't even think about maintaining their machines beyond an oil change, so, I just thot I'd use your thread here to get on my soapbox about it. Cheers. Something else that just caught my attention as I read your original post again...do you mean to imply that your front tire is a radial and your rear is a bias ply??? Um...I don't know what the gurus might say these days if radial tech has come a long way, but, IN MY OPINON, due to drastically different performance characterics, this would not be desirable. Unmatched tires in any way is never a good idea in my mind. But, someone else may have a different opinion re the bias rear/front radial combo.

During the early 1990's I raced an FZR400 on both radials and bias ply tires. I started with Dunlop Sportmax radials and also ran the Dunlop and Metzler bias ply. Honestly, the bias ply tires felt more "planted" most of time to me. The stiff carcass had way less flex than the radials and I felt the bias ply compounds also had a more predictable or progressive slide than the Sportmax compound. Though the Sportmax's definitely had more overall sticky grip. There was a big difference in the profiles as well. Obviously, the Sportmax had a lower profile with shorter sidewall just being a radial, but the front was sorta squeezed on which gave it a pointier shape if that makes any sense. Although, maybe once the radial settled in so to speak, how can I say, it felt better? I don't know if any of this will be helpful...but to answer your question directly, there is nothing inherently wrong with a bias ply tire for leaning over. There might be other factors contributing to your comfort on your dad's bike like the shape/profile, or the condition of wear. Are your tires worn? In any case, maybe someone else has more specific knowledge of these makes and models or more recent tire tech? Sorry, I'm probabaly confusing you more.

Yes, I agree. I would not recommend rearsets as the first solution. More as the last resort or next step after you have a good grip on body position and might still be touching pegs.

I'm no suspendsion guru, but since noone else has picked this up, I'll give my two cents. Reading through your post my gut instinct said "needs more compression damping". Which your final statements would seem to confirm. So, you seem to be going in the right direction. Since you have run out of adjustment, can you "revalve" the compression damping for a higher range so to speak? There are also different "speeds" of damping, high speed, low speed which I believe refer to the speed of the fork travel, not road speed. A suspension expert familiar with your make and model AND Willow Springs Raceway would be best. (I've never ridden there...can you believe that? There's a track I haven't ridden. Hmmm...a reason to live.) Forks are especially tricky what with being able to adjust the volume of compressible air by changing oil level. (I assume you aren't reusing old fork oil.) I've never found a reason to alter recommended fork oil level myself. But I've also never ridden Willow. That being said, in several years of racing, I have learned that sometimes a certain amount of chatter is to be expected. Though from your description, it sounds unusually bad. I would ask a few more questions: Though your post didn't specify fork springs, I get the idea that you have tried different springs in the forks. Kawasaki or a suspension expert should be able to recommend exactly the correct spring rates for your model and weight. Forgive me if I underestimate your experience and knowledge, but, for everyone: As a general rule for tuning ANYTHING: Make ONE adjustment at a time. If you change a bunch of stuff at once, you will end up chasing your tail. I only offer this because you mentioned many changes you have made. Though you didn't say you made them all at one, it's just the only other thing I can think of to offer as advice. Good luck. I've seen suspenson guys on here in the past. Perhaps if youcall the school hey can recommend someone as their "home" track is Willow, I believe.

I agree with Kevin that a single static photo is not much to go on to analyze a dynamic process. (How's that for sciencey sounding words, haha). I recommend attending a Keith Code school for some really awesome coaching. In fact, since you've already had some track riding experience, I would strongly recommend a school session with Keith. Based on my own experience, it is my opinion that at this point your money will be better spent at a Keith Code school as you will learn far more much faster than you will ever learn by attending more track days without proper training. (Shameless, yet, unsolicited plug.) I also agree with Kevin that your body position looks a bit "crossed-up". (I'll save the CoG discussion for a dedicated thread.) I will add this: Most race bikes I have ever known have what are commonly referred to as "rear sets". That is footpegs that are set higher and further back. Some foot pegs on street bikes are simply too low for fast riding on the racetrack. I am not up on the current aftermarket kit availability for your make/model but a little bit of research will almost certainly reveal some options there.

Learning to match engine revs before adding the front brake is a good idea, but, the complete skill is operating the front brake lever while you are "blipping" the throttle to match revs for downshifting. The goal being to keep the brake pressure even while "blipping" the throttle. Back in the stone age when I attended Keith's school, he had a bike outfitted with a special pressure gauge to help teach (and test) riders to keep the braking pressure even using just one or two fingers on the brake lever while operating the twist grip for the throttle "blip". It is not that difficult to master if you practice it. The trick is allowing your fingers to slide backward and forward over the brake lever and maintaining even pressure while "blipping" the throttle with your thumb and ring/pinky fingers. You can begin practicing with the motor turned off just to get the feel of it. I began by just using my middle finger on the brake lever allowing my index finger to remain on the throttle. Eventually, I was able to use index and middle fingers on the brake for heavy braking and even use only the index on the brake while "blipping" the throttle. The school probably teaches using two fingers on the brake as standard.

Don't know how long you've been wearing the cast, but, when I came back from a shattered left wrist joint, I wore a brace given me by the ortho. Sort of a stretchy ace bandage thing wrapped and held by velcro with a stiff yet bendable blade of metal inside from the arm to the palm to support the wrist joint mostly under braking. After a while I just wore it for psychological support and potential crash protection. It was a fairly simple off the shelf item. There were more elaborate braces but that one fit under my leathers. Other than that, I stuck to my physio and lots of ibuprofen after races. Kudos on the comeback. That's the sign of a real racer. Good luck w/ your race this weekend.

For technical difficulty: I always found riding off the edge of the Earth and around the outside of a basketball in Turn 3 clockwise at Grattan to be a challenge. Totally blind sudden steep drop-off the horizon into an off-camber down hill left and continuing back up again. All negative camber. Hard to describe. And this was the old smooth and narrow surface before repaving. I used to describe Grattan to my friends who hadn't seen it as Mid-Ohio turned upside down and inside out by the devil.

Yeah... I was kinda hesitant to post it because of the potential for a perceived conflict of interest. But, with all my mental meanderings here, it felt so good that somebody agreed with me on the physics that I couldn't help myself. The little guy inside my head was jumping up and down shouting, "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it..." I guess it's been around for a while then if it's out on DVD? I'm always the last to find out. Glad I didn't see it before I began my "odyssey". That would have ruined everyhing. Thanks Sanfret.

I recently caught Nick Ienatsch hosting an episode about motorcycles on either Discovery or Science Channel I think. I recommend it if it comes around again. Nothing really about riding techniques but entertaining nonetheless. I especially enjoyed the way he explained how and why motorcycles work the way they do. Yessir, I enjoyed that alot.

Bridgehampton - Turn 2: End of the front straight, flat out, pinned WFO under the bridge, thru kink, down the hill, thru 2 at the bottom and all the way to turn three. (But only on a smallbore.) Slightest off-track excursion onto the beach = broken bones. Kinda like coming onto the front straight at Road Atlanta. A good bit faster and imagine no curb and the immediate runoff three inches beyond the edge of the track being deep sand. Always gave me butterflies. Brutal cornerworker training, what with bones sticking thru leathers and exploded bodywork/machine clean up after every crash. It was so normal that I never saw a race stopped for an ambulance on track until I left the northeast.

Hey Orion, Yes. More detail. That's exactly what I was going to ask for. And, still... You are still describing the circumstances and your actions in very general terms. I can make some general statements, but, anything more would require many assumptions on my part. And, honestly, I can't say anything at this point that isn't already covered in TOTW. For your own benefit, I would recommend writing out on paper a very specific and detailed description of THE corner you are having difficulty with. Include all aspects including radius change, elevation change, fall line, camber relative to the inside of the corner or lack thereof, etc. I would recommend parking your bike and walking back and forth through this particular corner. Draw a picture. Or two. Or three. Draw your current line with reference points and actions. Draw a plan of what you think you should be doing. Brake points, turn points, line targets, eye targets, etc., etc., etc.... Get to know the corner. Make friends with it. Don't be a stranger to it and don't let it be a stranger to you. Read Keith's articles on this site. That being said... Yes, gravity will accelerate a bike going downhill. I agree that your throttle should be at least neutral. If not slightly cracked on to maintain your line. Try this at a speed well within your comfort zone (ie NOT dragging the rear brake). Keep riding thru the corner with proper form, doing the right thing, and when you can go thru consistently maintaining proper form (ie smoothly adding throttle, not rolling off or dragging the rear brake) over and over again, then try adding a little more speed each time. Getting in and freaking out and dragging the rear brake and running wide and going for the spare pair of underwear isn't going to improve anything, it will only reinforce your fear. Get a copy of Twist of the Wrist and check out a school ASAP. Cheers.

I would certainly want to be riding SOMETHING on a regular basis before attending a school session. Showing up to ride a school "cold" doesn't sound like a good idea to me. Too much time and attention would be spent just getting comfortable riding again. Not only will it keep you "fresh", but, riding something/anything will give you more data from which to make future decisions about what sort of bike is right for you. It doesn't have to be "THE" bike, just a bike for now. I've never owned or ridden the SV650, but, I think that model is a good choice for broad usage. Sporty and fun...so I'm told. I know they motor my FZR400 at the track. In any case, you can always sell it and buy something different. Or keep it and get something different.