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Coasting Into Corners....


Sperofarm

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OK, stick to the basics, its safe and proven. But often once understood, advanced and fancy techniques become part of the basics. Saying that, I can't race for ######, but I am learning. One thing my coach has mentioned (but not coached me on) is that some guys are holding the the clutch in while braking and changing down for the corner much later. The theory is more mid corner speed, and better feel from the brakes with less chance of rear chatter during braking. What do you think? This is not what I do, but I am doing alot of things that I never used to do and I am going faster than ever (which is still pretty slow!).

 

P.S. You have a great site and it is handy to be able to ask dumb questions without seeing anyone roll their eyes or muffle their chuckles.

Thanks.

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I'm not 100% sure what you mean by "some guys are holding the clutch in while braking and changing down for the corner much later" so I'll answer a couple different ways.

 

1) If you mean they are holding the clutch in the whole time they are braking, downshifting and then letting the clutch out slowly just before the corner... Then I think this would require a lot of attention on how you release the clutch and would be very difficult to do smoothly. You would have to pay a lot of attention on the clutch and I would think other aspects of you corner entry would suffer.

 

2) If you mean they are blipping while downshifting but just holding their downshifts until later in the corner entry, then I think this would be a good idea. It would allow less engine braking and make for a smooth corner entry. You wouldn't have to put as much attention on the clutch and you can release it quickly when you blip.

 

Keith wrote a good post on braking and downshifting ... http://www.superbikeschool.com/bbs/index.p...t=ST&f=11&t=258

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  • 2 weeks later...

1) If you mean they are holding the clutch in the whole time they are braking, downshifting and then letting the clutch out slowly just before the corner... Then I think this would require a lot of attention on how you release the clutch and would be very difficult to do smoothly. You would have to pay a lot of attention on the clutch and I would think other aspects of you corner entry would suffer.

 

Thats the one. I guess it mayhave become less neccasary with slipper clutches and cush drives making things abit smoother in recent years. I have, by accident done it and found it wasn't too bad. I had changed my shift to race shift and had made an error while shifting, resulting in me coasting into the corner while I got the gear right, I didn't seem to find it any slower going into the corner but my drive out was late on, and I guess thats what racing is about - get on that gas early!

 

thanks for you comments, sorry about my spelling...

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I saw the last GP with a camera on Rossi's left hand and he does use the clutch past the point that he has started rolling on. I don't have a clue why and like the rear brake I just don't have the attention to try it and see what it will do.

I have the idle set at 3,500 on my 636 because I don't like engine braking or chatter from the rear. I also hold my down shifts until just before I turn so the RPM is lower and engine braking is less.

One of the Kawasaki mechanics told me that the stock slipper adjustment on the 600 was way too loose and told me how to tighten it up. I rode the bike and loved the way the slipper was adjusted, without raising the idle it had less engine braking than my 636.

I would coast into the corners (no engine braking) if I could have the bike in the right gear for the roll on. That may be what Rossi's doing, if it is I can't do it and will wait for better slipers to give the feel of the two strokes I grew up on.

Will

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  • 1 month later...

Will, why would you consider rolling into a corner (I assume you mean with the clutch pulled in to disengage the motor)? I've never tried this on purpose, but I've hit a couple of false neutrals braking/shifting into a corner entry, and on one of them, I didn't have enough time or split concentration to successfully pop up into gear before negotiating the turn. I wound up coasting/rolling through the turn, and it was a very uncomfortable feeling. I was concerned the front end would wash from the lack of weight transfer to the rear under throttle. I made it through the turn, but I definately wasn't feeling the bike doing anything that felt good. Ever since, I've been a little paranoid about hitting a F.N. again.

 

Curious....

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I think what he means is feather the clutch on the last down shift and don't let it all the way out til he's ready to come back on the gas and let it back out and go. I guess next best thing to a manual slipper clutch, but you do the work. Nice idea I'd like to try. Sometimes coming in hot I've popped the clutch and the rear tires chatters bad. I'll have to work on that one myself. Would make a nice difference in the corners. A slipper clutch sounds like the way to go though.

 

PS Speaking of the devil, Iwatched Rossi do the same thing tonight. I recorded the race and that really caught my eye.

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You could be right, but feathering the clutch and coasting in are two different things. If the clutch is being feathered, there is some (partial) engine braking. Unless I am misunderstanding, I was left with the impression that this was about coasting in (no engine braking). But as you alluded, it could just be a matter of terminology.

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What i mean is I don't like the engine pulling on the rear wheel. If I had a sprag clutch like the one on the starter that could be installed on the back of the clutch I would like to try it. I didn't mean coasting with the clutch in at all; I can't be light on the bars and have force on the controls at the same time. If you have ridden two stroke street bikes you will know what I mean by no engine brake, If not it's very hard to explain.

Will

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OK, I think I'm getting the jist of this conversation. Seems maybe we all ride different bikes. I have a 1200 torque monster. Some may have a 600 or some thing that to me is like a sewing maching going around the track even though it's a 4 cyl like mine. Having a 2stroke backing off the throttle is like having nothing for engine braking, unless there is a compression release to use and I don't have the expereince to talk about that if it is even used on the track. We all have to adjust to our bikes and get the feel of them. I have a 5 speed and drop it a tooth in the front. The tracks I ride after the straight, I drop it to 4th and on a sharp turn 3rd with heavy braking. I can come out of a turn at 4K and get it. Some of the other guys have to keep them cranked to 9K to even get them to move. Wish I could give more than the 2cents I've given.

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  • 2 months later...

Maybe its easier to chop down through the gears without blipping on a world championship bike. I know it was Mick Doohans technique to hold the clutch in throughout the braking with no blipping, although he did mention that it was an unusual technique.

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