I know Kristen and her (RIP) blue BMW. I heard she totaled it but I thought she replaced it with a BMW 3 hatch? I could be wrong. Anyhow, the b/f and I are hoping to attend the track day on July 5. Anyone know if it's still open? Also, I'm looking into getting a leather jacket. It's perforated and some parts are mesh or textile to aid breathing. Does this jacket fit the requirements for leather? I know novice and intermediate are Ok to wear textile, but I just wanted to know.
^^^ It'll fit the letter of the law, but I wouldn't trust anything textile past Novice. Go ahead and look at a full leather jacket, as perforated as possible. Hope to meet you both at the track on July 5th! -Tom
^+1 Do yourself a big favor and get a full leather suite. You will not regret it. Never skimp on the things that will protect you incase of an accident.
Make sure the jacket has a zipper and there are pants available to attach to it. This is required as follows in the rules: two piece that zip together with 50% zipper contact I would recommend only wearing a full circumference zip together if you go the two piece route. You want no chance of exposed edges pulling up and exposing skin in a crash.
I have a really noob question. Normally, I brake to a stop with both the front and rear brakes. I like how the rear keeps the back end down. I find myself using the rear a lot. I understand this isn't a favored way of slowing down as everyone says use the front. My only qualm with that is on heavy braking, the front forks get compressed and the entire front end can wiggle or feel unstable on uneven ground (like the street). I hate this feeling. It almost feels like I'm going to dump it, although I never have. Is there something I'm doing wrong perhaps? Or is this just normal and I should get used to it? Is it common to dump or drop the bike because of the front suspension being so compressed? I have a feeling it's just something I'll have to learn to accept. :? EDIT: Due to the boyfriend's schedule, we may be attending a weekend course on July 31/Aug 1 or Aug 14-15. Sucks, but that way he'll only have to take one day off of work instead of two. And I'll have to take none! I know it's recommended to take BOTH days during these events, but I see there's an option to take only 1. Is there a huge disadvantage in only doing 1 day?
I'd really advise not using the rear brake on the track. I would bet most of the coaches don't even use the rear brake in "A" sessions (i don't). So much of the bike's weight transitions to the front wheel under braking that I've lifted the rear a few times. Never on purpose, but it's definitely happened. the rear brake doesn't do anything with the rear wheel off hte ground that said, I'm not sure i understand how using the rear brake keeps the back end down. With all the weight transferring forward, the rear is just likely to lock up and cause you problems. the "wobble" you describe using hte front brake is a bit concerning. It could be a hundred things, from the road surface to warped rotors, to mis-aligned forks... If you're feeling something weird, ask a track coach ASAP.
great advice. women usually have it a bit easier (especially easier than Lance!), but sportbikes seem to be sprung for 150 lbs Japanese test riders... Heavier weight fork oil may also help. Don't go crazy adding pre-load just to combat fork-dive under braking though. A front-end that dives and settles is better than a front-end that dives, and then pogo-sticks, taking weight off your front tire right when you need traction the most :shock:
Uhm... yeah. I'm pretty sure the front suspension is fine. This happens on the road. We all know what Michigan roads are like. The front dives and settles, but it just follows the road incongruencies a lot. Enough that if you were newer you might be scared enough to drop the bike. The dealer near me doesn't do much with suspensions. In fact, I can't find a dealer near me that does anything but set sag. I only weigh 115, so I don't know what would need to be changed. I use the rear in combination with the front because it takes a little of the braking so it's not "diving." I see I'll need to stop, so I apply a little rear, apply front, apply more rear, apply more front, etc until I stop. It keeps the front end from diving. I've never had anything lock up on me. If I used ONLY front, I apply front slowly, but I have to apply more because only the front is braking, so hence I get the dive. The only cure for that, maybe is applying brake even slower, which would mean braking even further back?
my advice is to not worry about it for now- braking techniques are covered in the novice school & you'll have an ample opportunity to learn a multitude of new and helpful skills while riding in a safe, controlled envirnment, eg the track. Hopefully, you'll also be able to shed some of the bad habits that you may have picked up while riding on the street, that are less than useful on the track. -the latter was a big challenge for me, but if you listen, work with your coaches, I'm sure you'll have an easier time than I had as a novice. Have fun!
applying rear brake first does minimize front end dive. when you apply the rear brake the bike wants to rotate forward around the rear wheel, so the front goes down a little until the bike rotational force is equalled by the front spring pressure in the forks and the spring pressure in the shock. Since both of these springs are forward of the rear wheel axle, they are the forces that resist the rotational force of the rear brake. This causes the entire bike to squat (settle level and lower) in reaction to wanting to rotate. When front brake is applied the bike wants to rotate up and over the front wheel. This is almost all absorbed by the front spring and causes the bike to pitch forward with the rear spring releasing and raising the rear of the bike. The higher the center of mass of the bike in relationship to the height of the rotational center (the front axle) the more the rotational tendency. Also the softer the springs and the softer the compression damping, the more exaggerated the dive is. If the rear brake is applied before or during the front brake application the bike squats, lowering the center of gravity and creating less dive (less tendency to rotate around the front wheel because of the shorter lever arm between c.o.g. and rotation center) I did the same thing on the street on my old FJ1200 that had horribly soft suspension, weighed a cabillion pounds, and I was riding it like it was 1986 and Wayne Rainey was about to pass me on the inside in T1 at Mugello. Frontend dive is going to happen on a conventionally sprung motorcycle. It's physics. Here are tips on minimizing it. 1) smoother application of front brake 2) lower your center of gravity by staying lower on the bike while braking 3) increase compression damping 4) replace front fork springs with stiffer springs (probably not your problem, though since you said you weigh 115lbs) 5) buy a BMW with that funky front end linkage that almost eliminates all front end dive. it is slow as hell, doesn't handle for shit and won't do anything else well while riding...but dammit....you won't have any front end dive. Short answer: Don't worry about it. If you brake at 100% on a motorcycle....the front wheel is doing 100% of the braking and the rear wheel is doing 0%. The front would be dug in squashing the front end down, the rear wheel is just barely in contact with the pavement...any application of rear brake would do nothing in slowing the bike any quicker. The only reason some (and only a handful) of top racers use the rear brake while braking hard is to control engine speed, control rear wheel speed, and prevent chatter. It is also to keep the wheels and engine in harmony when they get back on the gas. I am in the majority of racers (probably 95%) that never touch the back brake on the track. Ever.
^^^^^ Thank you!!! That's kind of the response I sorta knew I was gonna get. I just have to really deal with it. I'm sure on the track the wobbly-ness I feel will be minimized as the surface will (ideally) be smoother than some of the streets around here. I will focus on my braking technique a bit more, mainly, applying the brake more gradually. You think tucking down a bit will help, too? I'm only 115lbs but I guess every bit helps? Is there any benefit to me getting the sag adjusted for my much lighter weight? Or is it something I shouldn't bother with since I weigh so little?
there is a very good chance that since you weigh so little, properly setting up the suspension will require different springs front and rear. and yes, it will make a big difference.
I wouldn't say the track is any smoother than roads. Yes, even though you're 115lbs...that will still make a difference. Think about a lever....or teeter-totter. 115lbs at 3ft above the axle exerts measurable more force upon decel than 115lbs at 2ft. If you're on stock suspension, you probably have the unusual problem of your stock spring being too stiff. But I wouldn't worry about that. You set your sag best you can and just ride. I heard a great quote the other day. "You improve the rider to gain seconds, you adjust suspension to gain tenths."
well, crap! hello mark! welcome to the stt board! btw...i'm still on for dual sporting friday. the other stt newb from today (phil) might be riding with us.
Ha! I love cheap advice! "Just deal with it, it's fine, you need training." Best advice and it's cheap! Thanks!
I'm in agreement with what Jig is saying - just one thing to add - make sure your front and rear suspension are working together not agaist each other - that squirming bit can happen due to a number of simple things (and he's right you hae the opposite problem from most at 115...) if the front suspension and rear are not reacting compression and rebound at hte same speed you may get those odd kind of results, should be part of a sag check even if you are only going to get close and that I would do to any bike street, track or otherwise (which now means I need to get off my lazy arse and setup my cbr....)
<-----NEVER touches the rear brake on the track. Locking up the rear wheel at speed doesnt sound like a good time to me.