Track day pics!

mr_rua · 08-09-2004, 1:32 PM

Anyone want to see me holding up traffic on the track? Anyone want to see me ride a bike straight up and down on the track? Anyone want to see me NOT put a knee down?

If yes, then click on the link!

Second Track Day: Summit Point Jefferson Circuit 07/31/2004

Lines
Seat position (as in getting out of it for turns)
Entrance Speed

Please feel free to give me your input as to what I need to improve (I know, it's a little difficult to do so by looking at some still pictures) because lord knows I need to improve so many things.

figment · 08-09-2004, 1:46 PM

nice pictures. Looks like your position is generaly good to me.

929_Nupe · 08-09-2004, 1:46 PM

Cool as long as you had fun and build confidence and no one got hurt it's ok.
From the still pix it looks like you pull a disappearing act in the 2nd page

I would suggest some expendable body work i.e. race bodywork, I'd hate to see that pretty blue get rashed

I'm trying to get me a trackday in soon, i might wait til after my wedding so i can use that as one of my get out the house passes

TGZ13 · 08-09-2004, 1:48 PM

I read your description and i still looked. Cool shots even if you didn't get a knee down... looks like you had a good time though

sl954 · 08-09-2004, 1:54 PM

Nice pictures, it looks like you were getting it leaned over pretty far. I'll bet if you stuck your knee out a little more you would have scraped your puck.

Steve

Red Rider · 08-09-2004, 2:17 PM

You look really good!

Just remember to look through your turns and stay loose on the bike.

soon2b954 · 08-09-2004, 2:28 PM

Looks like your making great progress for your second track day!!

If you are able to get your butt a little further off the seat and point your knee out I'm sure you would be touching down your slider.

ND4SPD · 08-09-2004, 2:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rua

Anyone want to see me holding up traffic on the track? Anyone want to see me ride a bike straight up and down on the track? Anyone want to see me NOT put a knee down?

If yes, then click on the link!

Second Track Day: Summit Point Jefferson Circuit 07/31/2004

Lines
Seat position (as in getting out of it for turns)
Entrance Speed

Please feel free to give me your input as to what I need to improve (I know, it's a little difficult to do so by looking at some still pictures) because lord knows I need to improve so many things.

I've got some track plastics you can buy

Zippy · 08-09-2004, 2:54 PM

Nice pictures!

Nice body positioning too. Feet are tucked in and not sticking out.

I think you have plenty of knee room and speed left before you'll be touching down. This is partly because your body position is good. That gives you plenty of headroom to keep your options open while you learn.

Holeshot · 08-09-2004, 6:02 PM

While we are on the subject... here is one of mine from last week. Man.. it sure did not *feel* like I was counterleaning but it looks that way in the photo.

Anyone else have this problem when starting out on the track? How did you get oriented properly when it was feeling *ok* not to be? Tips cheerfly accepted!!

Picture 1

Picture 2

Baketech · 08-09-2004, 6:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holeshot

While we are on the subject... here is one of mine from last week. Man.. it sure did not *feel* like I was counterleaning but it looks that way in the photo.

Anyone else have this problem when starting out on the track? How did you get oriented properly when it was feeling *ok* not to be? Tips cheerfly accepted!!

I was the poster child for the reverse weight shift....

I didn't even realize I was doing it...had a couple of people tell me, and I guess I was in denial. For me the thing that helped me most was seeing the pictures. It helped me realize just what I was doing....

Take a look at this PIC Compare my reverse weight shift with body position of the instructor behind me. We are going around the corner at the same speed, yet his bike is leaned less because of better technique...

Picture is worth a thousand words, because I didn't believe it til I saw it...

Zippy · 08-09-2004, 6:24 PM

If you really want to it to feel good, drop the inside elbow downward. Your torso will follow, and the bike will love it. The opposite of that is pushing the bike downward as you see a bit in that last picture. I think I was worse, sitting up high and tall on the bike, with my elbows out and the bike leaned way over and my feet sticking out like pontoons. Shawn Higbee was a guest instructor during an early track day. He asked me if I rode that way because I came from a dirt bike background.

I have it all under pretty good control now... but it did not come naturally. The 'drop your elbow' tip gets everything pointed in the right direction.

Holeshot · 08-09-2004, 6:30 PM

Cool. Photos (and video) are great. Another part of my problem is that I have sort of a fooked up posture and I'm leaning left when I'm going straight!

This is a problem I've been aware of for some time and have tried to remedy but without someone saying *dude, you are leaning again* I start to fall back into that old 'zone' and viola. So.. that's certainly not helping me in that corner.

I also decided that the foam-rubber tank protectors are NOT helping me much either as my...er.. gut, seems to cause velcro-like friction on that think and it's sort of locking my butt into place.

So many issues.. so few track days before the season ends....

mr_rua · 08-09-2004, 9:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ND4SPD

I've got some track plastics you can buy

How much are we talking about here?

mr_rua · 08-09-2004, 9:33 PM

Thanks for the kind words guys. Truthfully I feel a little embarassed by the pics. I have so much I need to work on to even get remotely decent on the track.

ND4SPD · 08-09-2004, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rua

How much are we talking about here?

PM sent

08-10-2004, 3:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rua

Anyone want to see me holding up traffic on the track? Anyone want to see me ride a bike straight up and down on the track? Anyone want to see me NOT put a knee down?

If yes, then click on the link!

Second Track Day: Summit Point Jefferson Circuit 07/31/2004

Lines
Seat position (as in getting out of it for turns)
Entrance Speed

Please feel free to give me your input as to what I need to improve (I know, it's a little difficult to do so by looking at some still pictures) because lord knows I need to improve so many things.

You look pretty good so far. Put your head down and rest your arm on the tank. Looks like your a$$ is off the seat more in right turns than left? Fall into the corners with the bike instead of fighting it. Use the ball of your inside foot , put your knee into the out side tank, and let the outside foot relax on the peg closer to the heal. Someone already said to look far into the corner.

It all takes time to get comfortable with, so try to work on one thing at a time to be safe. Best to go a little slower than usual when trying to work on new things.

How was the new bike?

SPEED.

CBR600RR pic

SuperDave · 08-10-2004, 7:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rua

Anyone want to see me holding up traffic on the track? Anyone want to see me ride a bike straight up and down on the track? Anyone want to see me NOT put a knee down?

If yes, then click on the link!

Hope you're just kidding, if not, you're too hard on yourself. You had fun and brought that beautiful blue bike back in one piece! And yea, how did your bike feel out there? Nice pics.

slowpoke · 08-10-2004, 9:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Holeshot

Cool. Photos (and video) are great. Another part of my problem is that I have sort of a fooked up posture and I'm leaning left when I'm going straight!

This is a problem I've been aware of for some time and have tried to remedy but without someone saying *dude, you are leaning again* I start to fall back into that old 'zone' and viola. So.. that's certainly not helping me in that corner.

I also decided that the foam-rubber tank protectors are NOT helping me much either as my...er.. gut, seems to cause velcro-like friction on that think and it's sort of locking my butt into place.

So many issues.. so few track days before the season ends....

I'm no expert by any means, but I've found if you scoot back a little in the seat before sliding your butt over it's a lot easier!

Holeshot · 08-10-2004, 9:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slowpoke

I'm no expert by any means, but I've found if you scoot back a little in the seat before sliding your butt over it's a lot easier!

The seat pan is not very long on the DUC..well short compared to my big fat arse anyway. Loosing more weight will be a big improvement (in so many areas) I'm sort of limited on how much fore/aft movement I can get without it feeling like I'm riding dirt-style...

Thanks for the feedback folks. I actualy found one more pic that I did not know I had. I think it's a little easier to see my mis-alignment..

I will say that I smoked that MV all the way down the front straight and he did not catch me until turn 7 (he was setting up to go around my outside here - took him acouple of laps to fully drop me off).

Red Rider · 08-10-2004, 10:45 AM

Holeshot, it looks like you're trying to lean the bike while keeping your body vertical. Try working on the opposite...lean your body while keeping the bike more vertical. You look good...

Baketech · 08-10-2004, 10:53 AM

Here's a couple of drills and observations that helped me with the reverse weight shift....

#1
Imagine you are trying to see your chin whiskers in the mirror....that puts your head on the correct side of the tank, and keeps your head up so you can look thru the turn....

#2
Put a piece of black tape centered on the top edge of your windscreen.
Always put your head to one side or the other of the tape whenever you are leaned over. The only time your head should line up is when you are tucked in the straightaway....

I'm not endorsing these drills...just sharing what helped me. They guy that helped me (East LA of STAR School) kept telling me I looked as if I was tipping over a wheelbarrow instead of riding a motorcycle...

Holeshot · 08-10-2004, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baketech

I'm not endorsing these drills...just sharing what helped me. They guy that helped me (East LA of STAR School) kept telling me I looked as if I was tipping over a wheelbarrow instead of riding a motorcycle...

I get some creative comments but that one is unique!

Thanks for the tips RRider and Btech! I'm fortunate to have a nice section of S's just 1 mile down the road. I'll head out there around lunch and work on this stuff. If I could rig up a camera that I though nobody would steal I could post-mortem my attempts..

One of my challenges is that I do try to possition my body in a bunch of different ways but without someone going *Yeah.. you got it right that time* I'm just guessing and I'm not even sure what bike feedback I'm looking for. At least I'm keeping ahead of the mopeds.

mr_rua · 08-12-2004, 9:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SuperDave

Hope you're just kidding, if not, you're too hard on yourself. You had fun and brought that beautiful blue bike back in one piece! And yea, how did your bike feel out there? Nice pics.

I guess I'm partially kidding. I just felt that I was so damn slow on the track and need to improve so much. But that will happen with more time and practice out on the track.

The bike was so freaking amazing out on the track. I had ridden my now sold '02 954 for my first track day and will never ever ride another liter bike on the track after riding my 600rr on the track. The thing just put down the power so sillky smooth. Turn in was effortless, it was more or less think turn and the thing was turning. I didn't have to work it hard like the 954 to turn. Oh and the dual stage fuel injection! Hello, that thing kicks ass. Coming down the straight and opening that throttle the thing pulls me up to speed so quickly it's just amazing.

SuperDave · 08-12-2004, 10:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr_rua

I guess I'm partially kidding. I just felt that I was so damn slow on the track and need to improve so much. But that will happen with more time and practice out on the track.

The bike was so freaking amazing out on the track. I had ridden my now sold '02 954 for my first track day and will never ever ride another liter bike on the track after riding my 600rr on the track. The thing just put down the power so sillky smooth. Turn in was effortless, it was more or less think turn and the thing was turning. I didn't have to work it hard like the 954 to turn. Oh and the dual stage fuel injection! Hello, that thing kicks ass. Coming down the straight and opening that throttle the thing pulls me up to speed so quickly it's just amazing.

Must not listen to him, must....not.....listen....to.....him.