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636rider

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Everything posted by 636rider

  1. Very sad to hear this bad news from Macau GP 3 days ago, and wondering if there was mechanical/electrical failure such as bad electronic damper that would have caused this fatal accident. Seems there was long braking with unexpected line. Appreciate very much for any comment on your observation. www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9CbMwdo0-w
  2. During the crash, it seems your upper body is not hanging off to inside with the bike but crossover to outer side more as you lean more. This may end up bike leaning more into the turn as it progresses (you are pushing the bike more down as you crossover more). In addition, not hanging off properly, you cannot hang loose and then may have put weight on handle bar that makes the bike wobble too. Not sure my observation is accurate and need other riders to confirm, but the next comment cannot be too much off---the crash could have been saved with level 3 skills of body position and hook turn.
  3. Hotfoot and others' suggestions might have solved your problem already. You might want to check your pants too. If it is too loose, it will affect anchoring the tank (tip from Cobie). Hope you are not wearing a size 34 when 30 fits well.
  4. I bet another dollar that you will like the "hook turn" as mentioned by BLSJDS and find it to be more effective than pushing down the inside peg--- assuming the hook turn tried out by yourself is same as instruction from Hotfoot or Cobie.
  5. Wondering if you are told by a CSS instructor, and I bet a dollar on "NO". Eager to find this answer. Thanks.
  6. .. The skills taught at CSS are designed to build upon one another, but I don't think a "mantra" would do the program justice. Many of these techniques must be done at the same time vs one after the other. You might be able to break down each single DRILL or TECHNIQUE into a mantra or 3-4 step process, but not the school's overall program. .. Agree with BLSJDS very much. It was not until level 3 that I could make better use of stuff learned at level 1. For example, Quick-Turn at level 1 was struggling at corners. With level 2, and 3 skills, quick turn may be your way to pass your classmates (at least those who were struggling at corners without level 2 and 3 skills). It seems difficult to determine the best one, or few steps/skills; we need them all. Anyone else find his/her Quick-Turns at level 1 is different from those at later classes- though same concept or drill?
  7. I would say: level 1, level 2, level 3, level 4.........cannot be too far off.
  8. Not sure due to being a right-handed rider. I hang off easier to left as a right-hand person. However, when another student in bike school said not as smooth on right side lean. Keith suggested another way of twisting the throttle for us to try (in his words, like holding a screw driver)and it makes a big difference in leaning. Some how the way of holding the throttle can be different for each side. Interesting to find out whether the left-handed rider will lean easier on the right side. Any left-handed rider to tell us?
  9. Hello Y4C4, There are so many areas for improving cornering and are difficult to fix all at once. As yourself have pointed out, it is easier to solve one at a time. You can develop some basic but important cornering habits when riding upright, such as smooth, continuing steadily throttling or braking, not as a on-off switch. Riding with relaxed arm and with Wide view (no target-fixation)etc. Now when you start the counter steering as first drill in cornering, you may have taken care of 2 or 3 problems without even noticing them. If your arm is not relaxed during counter steering, it will be easier to fix because you can relax but now it is a SR that you need to remember to overcome. Superbike allows you to lock with both legs during riding/braking when upright or one leg with cornering, so that you can relax your arms which is good too. To me, able to quick turn with wide view is the most important skill; but to do this, you will need good 2-step skill too. Reading books alone needs careful understanding. The best advice is still some CSS school time if you can ASAP.
  10. I am a cheap guy, and use tie downs without Canyon Dancer. However, I use it differently. I cut a length of strap only from a tie down (eliminate the metal parts). I wrap the pure strap around the handbar and then attach two ratchets-- one to each end of same strap. I can adjust and balance bike easily from both side with ratchets and not bottoming out the shock. It works fine with me and no metal pieces near the bike to touch the handbar or throttle. Worths trying if you forget your Canyon Dancer.
  11. Crash, You may want to apply lubricant to the clutch cable links and see whether it will help reducing the force for activating clutch. Best may be as Bubba and others have suggested- use clutchless shifting. Try to ask any coach at school or Cobie if he is available to help or demo how. You may like it when you find out how smooth shifting can be even at lean when not using clutch- though should have avoided shifting at this moment.
  12. There are different areas/techniques on body position and are covered in level 3. However, I have asked coach to demonstrate the proper way of one-leg anchoring the bike during level 2, and get something to work on before the level 3. If you have any question related to other levels, I bet you will get an answer as soon as you ask. Cobie has answered and demonstrated my questions on clutchless up or down shifting even they are not in the syllabus.
  13. Pivot steering yeah...but by midcorner I am not expected to do any steering corrections at all...and it is in this phase of the corner that I try weighing the outside peg to prepare for either a chicane or a to pick the bike up...I am not having any issues with being light on the bars (unless when panicking) and I am totally confused whether its even requiered to have some weight on the outside peg when in mid corner. I am aware that I am being repetative but thats because I am constantly struggling with trying to express what my real problem is. I wish I could be more pellucid. TBH why am I bothering ? Someone somehwere told me with excess weight on the inside peg the bike will slide out from underneath you in a corner. I have had a low side which I have not been able to decipher and have begun wondering if this was the cause ? Can this even be the cause ? I am finicky when it comes to buying advices from ppl on the streets. ...To prepare for a chicane, remember this drill?-- Check out which part of leg is applying force. ...To pick up the bike, steering will be more effective than weight on peg [sometimes you may not want to move the upper body during pick up, so that the body is ready for the next turn (same hand turn) too ]. Hope it makes sense.
  14. Hello Kelly, I guess the personal limit is also related to the skill. It may be also preferable to spend the money on another level of school instead of more track days, since there are some techniques to learn at level 3 that can save some problems at track too. I find one skill will help to develop the other. For example, without wide view, quick turn alone will not make one able to use higher entry speed easily. Level 3 will help to use less bike lean. When knowing no need to lean the bike that much, there is more confidence in quick turn too. When one can quick turn better, guess what: he/she can turn later (minimize running wide), use less bike lean or higher entry speed. In addition, knowing the hook-turn technique from level 3 will also allow trying higher entry speed. Enjoy your time to practice for improvement!
  15. TH; If you took all four levels then you need to dig deep to recall what you learned in level III. There you learned how to lock in your OUTSIDE knee against the tank and then you drop your torso down to the inside of the turn with your inside elbow pointed as straight down as you could point it. To do that the majority of your weight is on your outside leg as that's where you have your leverage to manuver your torso because that portion of your body stays static until you have picked up the pike on your drive out (or your transition to turning the other way). As you described in your first post, you place a good deal of your weight on the inside such that your inside calf touches your inside thigh as you "squatted" on the inside peg. I have seen that technique used many times but I don't know how you unload that inside peg when it transitions to an outside peg without upsetting the stability of the bike. Others here will disagree with me but that's what I took from Level III. Rain Agree with Kevin 100% that most the "weight" is on outside peg. The fact of putting the weight on outside peg is not for adding weight on the bike through the outside peg, but as the means to apply outside knee force on the tank to anchor the bike with the help of the outside peg. This allows a relax grip at handle bar and efficient counter-steering with inner arm. Imagine pushing the handle bar with inner arm while pushing the outside foot only (with no "weight" on inner peg), which is very effective for steering input.
  16. Thats spooky stuff, that doing things but you dont know it, got that little tune from the twilight zone stuck in my head now! Really though, I remember speaking to a guy and he told me there's 2 types of counter steering, he called it passive counter steering and active counter steering. Passive being the people that dont know there doing it and active being well us really or the people who use it to set there bikes direction intentionally. As for that little no hands video, things like that dont impress me one bit, we all know it can be done and as mentioned earlier is easily do able on a bicycle, if the guy could direct the bike with precision then It be different! Bobby Agree with you. The no-hands-video-steering is not the "precise efficient steering" as defined by Keith.
  17. It seems 1) is reasonable. Due to sudden "increasing" of centripetal force, there is additional forward component of the centripetal force, so that the front tire needs to fight the original centripetal force plus this new slightly forward component---the tire keeps on rolling, but also slipping to side-forward until down too.
  18. R Sole, This makes sense to me too.
  19. Without Tank Pad, you will miss a lot of fun. I believe it should be the first upgrade to bike if not the slider. I have tried the old school bikes but (by mistake?) I use eGrip because it is relatively clear and not hiding the graphics on the tank. It is silicone rubber and so even it is smoother (good for jean or bare skin), still has very good grip; but silicone is not as durable as other pads when rubbed by leather. ( I shall avoid graphics in next bike; but if there is graphics to show, I shall use eGrip again ). EGrip offers free sample kit too.
  20. I ride to work because I want to make going-to-work fun! Cannot find a better motivation to leave home in the morning.
  21. Looks like talking about Keith's article on "The Barriers to Improvement": Quote: [ Good Starts Take starts for example. You try to get a good launch and the right hand is too nervous on the throttle; your attention is fixed on it and the start is bogged. Putting all of ones attention onto the throttle and resisting the impact it "might" have leaves no attention free to look after the clutch. Done properly, we bring the clutch out to just before engagement and pin the throttle, leaving all of our attention free to use the clutch and correctly meter the power to get the launch; no bog, no wheelie.]
  22. Hi Oz, If you have time, why not also consider flying or driving north too (6 hr) to visit San Francisco, then take school at Sears Point. And see how good you will match Ben Spies's AMA Superbike qualifying record of 1:35.893 track record there. Hopefully your family will not complain seeing the Golden Gate Bridge after your bike school.
  23. I try to say the pant will fit snugly so that your leg will not move relatively to the pant as the pant grips the tank-- similar to when your thigh touches the tank with bare skin.
  24. Hello Troy, Have you tried a pair of tight-fit leather pant (your leg won't shift inside), with Tech Spec or similar on the tank, and use your knee to grip the tank, (or one leg to anchor the tank)? Using the knee to anchor will help no-load at handle bar.
  25. /quote] ---- I presume you have a 636? Yes, I still have the 06 636 and use regular Rotella oil since first oil change.
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