Leftlaner Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 I just wanted to share some thoughts with you. Studying TOTW 1&2, and being a participant of this forum for a couple of months has done miracles to my cornering! Last summer (before I was into CSS and Keith's books) I managed to get down to 5mm of chicken strips on the rear tyre. And believe me, I fought hard for every millimetre of reduced chicken strip! I was wrestling with the bike through every corner, pushing myself onto the very edge of my comfort zone all times. Occasionally I'd scrape the toe of my boot through a roundabout or a sharp turn (I rested my HEELS on the footpegs back then), but I wasn't able to do it consistantly. I wasn't able to chose a line and follow it. At the end of last summer, I started "hanging off" more. Or at least I THOUGHT I was hanging off. Actually it was just my bum that was hanging off, the rest of me (shoulders, head, torso) were still inline with the bike.. Man, I have learnt so much over the last few months. Body position, reference points, standard throttle control, vision, and so on and so forth.. When I first read the TOTW books, I had no idea that these "simple" (but not EASY) techniques would mean a world of difference to my overall cornering skills. And by all means, I am no where near an expert at this point. I reckon I'm slow as a slug compared to many of you guys. BUT looking at where I was 5 months ago, and looking at where I am today - WOW, that is a lot of improvement! Now my BP is much better (not so crossed up anymore). I am concious about being loose on the bars, doing the calf raise to anchor my outer knee against the tank - and I feel much more relaxed and comfortable. I try to find good RP's for every corner. I look and plan further ahead, constantly scanning the environment in front of me, using the 2-step when approaching a turn - I know where I am, how fast I am going, and where I want to go. I generally go deeper into the corner and then flick the bike quicker - this "point and shoot" technique works great compared to fighting and steering the bike throughout the corner like I used to! I am now aware of my strongest SR's and I'm starting to defeat them. So what does all of this mean? What's the point of this post? The point is that I am now closer to my goals (as far as riding skills go) than ever, and I'm improving every time I take the bike out for a spin. I remember one particular corner that I struggled a lot with last year. By the end of the summer, I had pushed myself to enter the corner at about 45mph, and I would exit at about 55mph. Now I'll enter the corner at 55mph without leaving my comfort zone, and I could easily exit the corner at 65mph if I wanted to. Just by applying those "simple" techniques... They really mean a world of difference! Thank you Keith, and thanks to everyone on this forum! You've truely inspired me and helped me to improve my riding skills. I'm looking forward to doing level 1 and 2 next year, more than ever! Keep the rubber side down, Johannes PS. Those chicken strips are gone now.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glamazon Posted September 11, 2008 Report Share Posted September 11, 2008 Congratulations! It's great to hear that your application of the techniques has earned you such positive and noticeable differences in your riding. At which track do you plan to take Levels 1 & 2 next year? Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftlaner Posted September 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Congratulations! It's great to hear that your application of the techniques has earned you such positive and noticeable differences in your riding. At which track do you plan to take Levels 1 & 2 next year? Kristi Still waiting for the 2009 schedule, but it looks like it'll be one of the tracks in Sweden. I live in Norway myself, mind you I've had like 30 minutes of tracktime before, and that was in a CAR, so this will be a whole new experience to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acebobby Posted September 12, 2008 Report Share Posted September 12, 2008 Congratulations! It's great to hear that your application of the techniques has earned you such positive and noticeable differences in your riding. At which track do you plan to take Levels 1 & 2 next year? Kristi Still waiting for the 2009 schedule, but it looks like it'll be one of the tracks in Sweden. I live in Norway myself, mind you I've had like 30 minutes of tracktime before, and that was in a CAR, so this will be a whole new experience to me! You will love getting your bike on the track, you have so much more space to practice your techniques! Do you not have a track near you where you could maybe do a track day before winter kicks in? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leftlaner Posted September 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2008 Congratulations! It's great to hear that your application of the techniques has earned you such positive and noticeable differences in your riding. At which track do you plan to take Levels 1 & 2 next year? Kristi Still waiting for the 2009 schedule, but it looks like it'll be one of the tracks in Sweden. I live in Norway myself, mind you I've had like 30 minutes of tracktime before, and that was in a CAR, so this will be a whole new experience to me! You will love getting your bike on the track, you have so much more space to practice your techniques! Do you not have a track near you where you could maybe do a track day before winter kicks in? Nearest track is about 8 or 9 hours drive from here.. But hopefully we'll get a track closer to here (about 2 hours drive) within 2012. Here's to hoping!! :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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