The Best Thing You Learned At The School

[stuman]

Ok for those that have attended the Superbike School.

 

 

What was the best thing you learned? What really made things click for you?

 

Only one thing

[dbtriple]

Hey Stuman,

 

for me the best thing which made so much else that I had learned click in was the hook turn. It gave me the tools to tighten the line in an easy way, which then allowed me to relax so much more, encouraged me to concentrate on my turn points and crack the throttle on, since I no longer was concerned about running wide so much! This applies to both track and road riding.

 

That's the brief version anyway.

 

db

[ozfireblade]

Hey Stuman,

 

It would have to be the two step.. its helped increase my corner speed and left me more confident in general with my track riding. Recently I went to a new track and found I wasn't going to quick I realised I was nervous learning the new track and wasn't doing two step correctly. In the next session I picked up corner speed dramatically, felt instantly confident a group went up and started lapping people.

 

So for me the two step is the best thing I learned.

 

Dylan

[Hotfoot]

Quick turn, for me, because WOW you sure can enter a corner faster if you can quick turn it.

 

And guess what, Stuman, you were my coach - I remember following you through a turn, no brakes, holding my breath, hoping like hell this technique would really work because I was SURE we were going too fast to make the turn. That feels like a hundred years ago, now, because my riding has changed so much since then, but I pick that technique as the best thing for me because it made such a dramatic difference in my confidence.

 

The temptation to add ANOTHER best thing is really strong, though... maybe I'll create a new login so I can talk about another technique that made a world of difference for me!

[Avid Motorcyclist]

For me, it's a toss up between the quick turn and the hook turn. If I have to choose just one then it's definitely the hook turn!

[harnois]

Throttle control. I took the school after 80,000 miles of street riding experience. For all that time I had been going through the turns just holding the throttle steady rather than increasing it mildly throughout the turn. Every time I hit a patch of gravel the front end stepped out and scared the ###### out o' me! Now when I see gravel, I eat it for breakfast, just keep on roll'n it on with confidence and ride right through it, get a little slipity slidy from both wheels and don't even care! Seems like such an obvious thing now, but that just shows how sometimes you just gotta learn from the experience of others rather than figure it out yourself!

[stuman]

Good stuff everyone, keep it comming.

[Jasonzilla]

Easily the two-step. It made me be able to do quick turns. Lots of increased speed, and increased confidence and comfort going in.

[chocadile]

I know others have said it, but I'm goin with the two-step as well. What made it really hit home with my was Keith showing pictures to the class. First pic was of (rider POV) staring at turn in point. Second pic was from the same position but looking into the apex, turns looked night and day difference. This drill helped a lot with my confidence and corner speed.

[acebobby]

Only one thing, thats a tough one so I gave it a bit of thought!

I looked at all the things I learned, all the drills and tried to rate them in some sort of order, not an easy thing to do but when I did this I was left with 2 things that hold all my techniques together, without them I am a mess but since I'm only aloud one the twostep comes out on top, learning that technique was a mega WOW moment for me, who knows where I was looking before I learned that but now its the glue that allows all the other techniques work in harmony for me!

 

Bobby

[khp]

I learned the two-step some ten years ago, and have been using that ever since on the road and track, so going through the drill didn't make that difference to me, although I sure had (and probably still have) some bad habits that need corrections.

 

Instead, I'm going to pick the knee-to-knee, because it gave me something that I couldn't find in TOTW2 or anywhere else. It still feels awkward to keep back from the tank, but I'm practising (but not right now when there's snow everywhere).

 

 

Kai

[stuman]

I really use the Vanishing Point (we now call it the three step) when riding on the street. I would have to say that was biggest thing for me.

[Jaybird180]

A great thread!!!

 

Not to be outdone, I'd have to say the first drill, Throttle Control, because I was forced to work on it regardless of anything else we were focusing on at the time. I found that it affected not only corner stability and exit speed, but also quick turning and proper entry for the tricky, slow parts.

[Cobie Fair]

Wide view technique rocked my world.

 

CF

[comptonchinee]

I have only done Level 1, but so far it is Two-step for me!!! Everything else was really informative and prompted lots of Mmmm-Hmmmms,

 

But the Two-Step for me was AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Of COURSE!!!!

[Avid Motorcyclist]

I have only done Level 1, but so far it is Two-step for me!!! Everything else was really informative and prompted lots of Mmmm-Hmmmms,

 

But the Two-Step for me was AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! Of COURSE!!!!

Blast! I forgot about the two step, three step and wide view. Now I'm torn. Not Rip Torn 'cause he tried to rob a bank. But torn just the same. I used the wide view at NJMP Lightning to find a killer RP that aids me in T5- right hand/rising blind apex/drop away corner. NICE!!!

[Derek Sauder]

Gotta go with Cobie and Stuman on wideview and VP. Over all just the importance of visuals. For me everything follows that. I turn much slower when I start losing my visuals!

[stuman]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Relax drill, I've heard a lot of riders get a lot out of that one.

[khp]

I don't think I did that drill. What's the "relax drill" stuman?

 

 

Kai

[acebobby]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Relax drill, I've heard a lot of riders get a lot out of that one.

 

Funny for you to say that as that was my second answer, I got so much out of the relax drill it was unbeleivable.

My instructor at the time Jet, was going nuts trying to get me to relax on the bike and I think at first I was tensing up because I was trying to hard to relax, weird but I eventualy got it and now I have a small procedure I have to put myself through to make sure I dont tense up, including the famous chicken wings!

You said we were only aloud to pick one thing and it messed with my head trying to decide between this or the 2-step, eventualy going with the 2-step!

 

Sorry for breaking the rules of your thread stuman!

 

Bobby

[stuman]

The relax drill was the 4th drill in level one. Other names for it are Rider Input, or Do Nothing. The basic concept is to stay loose on the bars and just go with the bike.

[Cobie Fair]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Relax drill, I've heard a lot of riders get a lot out of that one.

 

Funny for you to say that as that was my second answer, I got so much out of the relax drill it was unbeleivable.

My instructor at the time Jet, was going nuts trying to get me to relax on the bike and I think at first I was tensing up because I was trying to hard to relax, weird but I eventualy got it and now I have a small procedure I have to put myself through to make sure I dont tense up, including the famous chicken wings!

You said we were only aloud to pick one thing and it messed with my head trying to decide between this or the 2-step, eventualy going with the 2-step!

 

Sorry for breaking the rules of your thread stuman!

 

Bobby

 

The forum police won't jail and torture you this time.

 

CF

[CHRISTOS]

Hello guys,

 

I think that the best overall was Throttle Control. It was the one that pushed me the most to "delete" the bad old "cornering" habits, plus gave me more time to think ON the bike than OFF the bike, bounching up and down my suspensions and "feel" the "correct" settings!

Discovery on it's huge benefit of correct application was on my second Level 4 in the RAIN!

 

Wow! All these astonishing bikes/frames/tyres/suspensions, let us make huge mistakes we can get away with, most of the time. (I ride a Ducati 998s).

Then, it becomes our "style" for many-many years.

And finally, here comes CSS! Ctrl+Alt+Delete-press Restart!

 

After restart, some times, i feel very lucky that i have survived some serious "heroisms" back on the old days.

 

Thank you!

[jasonbw]

Top question Stuman!

 

I liken the question to asking a surgeon what is more important: Brain, Heart, Blood, Oxygen....

After dissecting my riding I'm confident I've nailed THE drill that I'd class as the best for my riding.

 

Reference Points.

 

Not only literally would I be lost without them, but like most humans I need goals, RP's give me exact goals, one after the other after the other in a neverending series that join-the-dots for a flow like I've never had before.

[Jasonzilla]

I'm surprised no one mentioned the Relax drill, I've heard a lot of riders get a lot out of that one.

 

Before I even did the school, and I have a few posts here addressing it, I worked on this so much because of how tired my wrists, shoulders, and palms were at the end of my day that I already had it. RP's, TP's, I was set on most of those already. I'm consistently bad at throttle control, and TC rule #1 was CLEAR when I left, but the two step was golden. I was ready to pack it in after the QT drill turned out to be useless at the time. But the two step made so many things make sense.