Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I have got a Fireblade 2008 and found the bike can do a lot more than I am capable of. I have booked myself to do all 4 levels of the school and perhaps one level 4 more. I have ordered twist of the wrist books with an intention to read them and prepare a bit in advance. Can anybody give me a further advice how to make the most from the school please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I have got a Fireblade 2008 and found the bike can do a lot more than I am capable of. I have booked myself to do all 4 levels of the school and perhaps one level 4 more. I have ordered twist of the wrist books with an intention to read them and prepare a bit in advance. Can anybody give me a further advice how to make the most from the school please? Blackadder; First of all; welcome to the Forum! Love to help with some advice. Starting with the Twist books is probably the best way to get prepared mentally and then being in pretty good physical shape always is a big plus. Are you taking the four levels on consecutive days or spread out over the season? Also, do your plans include any two day camps? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 First of all; welcome to the Forum! Love to help with some advice. Starting with the Twist books is probably the best way to get prepared mentally and then being in pretty good physical shape always is a big plus. Are you taking the four levels on consecutive days or spread out over the season? Also, do your plans include any two day camps? Kevin Thank you very much Kevin. I got these dates at Silverstone: 23rd+24th April, 28th+29th May and possibly 7th at Rockingham for another level 4 - it depends on what your instructors will tell me after completing the 4th level at Silverstone. I will arrive at the places in the evenings before and stay there in the bed&breakfasts nearby to avoid too much travelling hence I should not be tired. I am very fit - I do a lot of exercise, perhaps too much two and half hours of swimming and gym per day five to six times a week and on day off about 21 miles on my mountain bike, mainly off road riding (I know, fitness freak ). I also commute on the bike to work - I do about 88 miles per day, half of it is in London. So, what else can I do please? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 First of all; welcome to the Forum! Love to help with some advice. Starting with the Twist books is probably the best way to get prepared mentally and then being in pretty good physical shape always is a big plus. Are you taking the four levels on consecutive days or spread out over the season? Also, do your plans include any two day camps? Kevin I am very fit - I do a lot of exercise, perhaps too much two and half hours of swimming and gym per day five to six times a week and on day off about 21 miles on my mountain bike, mainly off road riding...So, what else can I do please? I would double my swimming to five hours a day and ride maybe thirty...just kidding. You're more than ready physically. Taking a pair of consecutive days as you describe is ideal IMHO because the drills are progressive; riding on the same track makes it all flow more easily, especially on the second day because you are already familar with the track. I would never personally recommend more than two consecutive days (although your training regime would probably make you the exception) because of not only fatigue but sensory overload as well. There are five separate drills each day so by the end of the second day, you are processing a lot of new information. Running at speed is also tiring, even for an athlete like yourself so you have selected an ideal format to attend (again IMHO). Scheduling your pair of dates a month or so apart is also ideal because you can practice your Level I & II skills during your down time so they will be second nature when you show up for Level's III & IV. Good Luck and please let us know how it goes. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I would double my swimming to five hours a day and ride maybe thirty...just kidding. I would like to , but I also have to go to work and got a family You're more than ready physically. Taking a pair of consecutive days as you describe is ideal IMHO because the drills are progressive;riding on the same track makes it all flow more easily, especially on the second day because you are already familar with the track. I would never personally recommend more than two consecutive days (although your training regime would probably make you the exception) because of not only fatigue but sensory overload as well. There are five separate drills each day so by the end of the second day, you are processing a lot of new information. Running at speed is also tiring, even for an athlete like yourself so you have selected an ideal format to attend (again IMHO). Scheduling your pair of dates a month or so apart is also ideal because you can practice your Level I & II skills during your down time so they will be second nature when you show up for Level's III & IV. Good Luck and please let us know how it goes. Kevin Thank you, I shall let you know how I will be getting on with the school. Is it good idea to do level 4 twice? What exactly is in the level 4? Somewhere I read a description that the level 4 is focused on perfecting skills gained in the first three levels thus I thought it would be a good way to learn as much as possible from the school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Is it good idea to do level 4 twice? What exactly is in the level 4? Somewhere I read a description that the level 4 is focused on perfecting skills gained in the first three levels thus I thought it would be a good way to learn as much as possible from the school. Blackadder; I have taken Level IV more times that I can count... Level IV does allow you to participate in developing the days drills after submitting a questionaire beforehand. It is reviewed by the School and is then discussed with the Student by the Level IV laison to develop an approach for honing the skills the student thinks need more work. Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acebobby Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi blackadder, first of all welcome to the forum! I like the 2008 fireblade, I had one out on a demo ride when my 600rr was in for a service and all I could say about it was WOW! I will be at Rockingham for both dates this year, 6th and 7th of july doing levels 2 and 3! The twist books are great, its also worth reading over the stuff in Keiths corner on this forum, alot of interesting, helpfull articles in there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I have got a Fireblade 2008 and found the bike can do a lot more than I am capable of. I have booked myself to do all 4 levels of the school and perhaps one level 4 more. I have ordered twist of the wrist books with an intention to read them and prepare a bit in advance. Can anybody give me a further advice how to make the most from the school please? Hi Blackadder, You have been welcomed already, but I'll 2nd that. The Twist of the Wrist books are great prep for the schools, particularly Twist 2. Reading the books and working on the stuff in them, then following up with the schools is an excellent plan. Your training program sounds impressive, conditioning shouldn't be an issue. One thing you can do is as you go through the books, if you have any questions (or simply realizations), then post them. Best, Cobie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Blackadder;I have taken Level IV more times that I can count... Level IV does allow you to participate in developing the days drills after submitting a questionaire beforehand. It is reviewed by the School and is then discussed with the Student by the Level IV laison to develop an approach for honing the skills the student thinks need more work. Kevin Thank you very much for the explanation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi blackadder, first of all welcome to the forum! I like the 2008 fireblade, I had one out on a demo ride when my 600rr was in for a service and all I could say about it was WOW! I will be at Rockingham for both dates this year, 6th and 7th of july doing levels 2 and 3! The twist books are great, its also worth reading over the stuff in Keiths corner on this forum, alot of interesting, helpfull articles in there! Thanks Acebobby, the fireblade is very capable indeed, after I had test ridden her I did not want anything else Mine got some tweaks (full yoshimura, power commander, bmc air filter) giving her about 10bhp more and loosing about 5 kg of the weight. I look forward to see you at Rockingham. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackadder Posted March 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 Hi Blackadder, You have been welcomed already, but I'll 2nd that. The Twist of the Wrist books are great prep for the schools, particularly Twist 2. Reading the books and working on the stuff in them, then following up with the schools is an excellent plan. Your training program sounds impressive, conditioning shouldn't be an issue. One thing you can do is as you go through the books, if you have any questions (or simply realizations), then post them. Best, Cobie Thank you very much Cobie, I will ask questions when I will have some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted March 10, 2009 Report Share Posted March 10, 2009 I think participating in this forum adds a tremendous amount of value. I went riding this weekend and something finally "clicked" in my head....and whaddya know, IT WORKS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Kane Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 ...and something finally "clicked" in my head....and whaddya know, IT WORKS! JB; What works? Kevin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 JB;What works? Kevin On recommendation by Cobie, I took another look at Chap 22 of T2. I let it marinate for a week or so. Then as I was finishing my 2nd full reading of T2, when I finished 20-23 it made sense and I thought I'd try it while driving my car (the 2 step). Then this weekend (Indian Summer) I did some 2-up riding and worked more on the 2 step and found it odd at first, and then helpful. It became necessary to flick quicker and observe TC Rule #1 as I could now feel the rear grab the pavement. Distractions seemed to fade into the background and I could focus better on the exit. It just clicked...s'all I can say. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough solo time to confirm as the sun was going down, I was getting tired, etc. etc. PLUS the bike was handling waaaaaaay too fast after 2-up all day (I don't remember it handling like this). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cobie Fair Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 On recommendation by Cobie, I took another look at Chap 22 of T2. I let it marinate for a week or so. Then as I was finishing my 2nd full reading of T2, when I finished 20-23 it made sense and I thought I'd try it while driving my car (the 2 step). Then this weekend (Indian Summer) I did some 2-up riding and worked more on the 2 step and found it odd at first, and then helpful. It became necessary to flick quicker and observe TC Rule #1 as I could now feel the rear grab the pavement. Distractions seemed to fade into the background and I could focus better on the exit. It just clicked...s'all I can say. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough solo time to confirm as the sun was going down, I was getting tired, etc. etc. PLUS the bike was handling waaaaaaay too fast after 2-up all day (I don't remember it handling like this). JB, Cool! The 2-step sounds pretty simple (is in concept for sure), but there are some variables: when before the turn does the person look and also where? I didn't find I nailed it in a day! CF Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaybird180 Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 On recommendation by Cobie, I took another look at Chap 22 of T2. I let it marinate for a week or so. Then as I was finishing my 2nd full reading of T2, when I finished 20-23 it made sense and I thought I'd try it while driving my car (the 2 step). Then this weekend (Indian Summer) I did some 2-up riding and worked more on the 2 step and found it odd at first, and then helpful. It became necessary to flick quicker and observe TC Rule #1 as I could now feel the rear grab the pavement. Distractions seemed to fade into the background and I could focus better on the exit. It just clicked...s'all I can say. Unfortunately, I didn't get enough solo time to confirm as the sun was going down, I was getting tired, etc. etc. PLUS the bike was handling waaaaaaay too fast after 2-up all day (I don't remember it handling like this). JB, Cool! The 2-step sounds pretty simple (is in concept for sure), but there are some variables: when before the turn does the person look and also where? I didn't find I nailed it in a day! CF I didn't nail it in a day either. I went through a process. While it was working I began to again have those feelings of satisfaction that I remember (...and this one time, at band camp....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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