Motorcycle-Fi - Page 17

I used to leave the house early Saturday mornings about 8am and not get back home until 2am Sunday morning. Done that almost every weekend. I covered anywhere between 500-700 miles usually and once 900 miles. Hanging off the bike was the only way to beat the ache (GSXR600K1).

Reading the road after that many miles on the way home in the dark was like a video game. Reading the post colours and number to estimate the tightness of a corner was the fastest way and sometimes quite interesting lol.

Those really were the days. 900 miles in a sunny Scottish Saturday = heaven.

^ that does sound like a lot of fun.

WEll yesterday went out on a 150 mile run with a buddy of mine. He is mch faster and much more experienced than I am.

Hung with him for a while then let him go past me. 

TUrns out he wiped out on his R1 (completely totaled). Seems i rode past where he had crashed and proceeded to keep going and then waited at a point on the road and sent him a text. I thought he was long gone and deided to go fill up gas and said i was doing so via a text.

As i was filling up gas, he texts back that he wiped out doing 90 around a corner and a bump in the road threw him off, slid 100 feet into a 8 foot deep ditch.

he says he heard me go past him and that once he crawled out was when someone spotted him.

Took him to the hospial and i met him there..

Dislocated shoulder was all he had. Both of us were riding with full gear, single piece leathers, back protectors and boots. THey popped his shoulder back in place and was let go last night with his arm in a sling to rest it. Otherwise, not a scratch on him!!  remember folks, ATGATT!!

Picked up the bike today and it is completely toast. One of the finest looking 2007 R1s i have seen around these parts, welp not anymore.

will post pics when he posts them up on facetube and on the motorcycle forums.

He also has video i believe of his crash as we both wanted footage of the ride. FIrst section with him on my tail and the crash happened about a min or two after i let him go past me i believe.

scary $hit

Me at Oregon Raceway park this last weekend

Video of megoing around Oregon Raceway park in clockwise direction. C group

and my crash video at turn 3 :P

It's good to see you on the track.

As far as the last video of your crash, I really wish you didn't mix in that music.  It makes it hard to hear what your throttle control is like in some of the corners.  But based on what I was able to hear from both videos, it sounds like in some corners you roll out and in on the throttle.  You should focus on getting a comfortable entry speed where you can hold your throttle and then gradually apply more throttle as you hit the apex of the corner.  But what I can figure out on your crash in the corner was that you were carry a lot of lean angle and got on the throttle too hard way too early.

Also, looking at the picture of you at the track, you are still not hanging off the bike making it necessary to use a lot more lean angle than required.

As far as wearing full gear all the time for street riding, I also do.  But there's only a point that gear is going to help.  Riding way too aggressively on the street is going to eventually catch up to people and all the gear in the world isn't going to help.

I have nothing against books about riding as I have a few myself including all the Twist of the Wrist books by Keith Code.  But no amount of reading is going to substitute for on track experience.  Especially when you get proper coaching and training.  My riding would have never improved to what it is now if it hadn't been for the coaching I've received...incidentally from California Superbike School ala Keith Code.

thanks..yeah i chopped the throttle a couple of times and then early apexed that corner and it is off camber..both of those did me in.

Thinking of going to PIR on the 12th, but might not happen.

I will definitely going back to Oregon Raceway Park the weekend of 24th and 25th this month with the MotoFit group. Work on throttle control and then need to get my  arse off the seat and start hanging off!!! you are right too mmuch lean angle..unnecessary.

A bunch of guys are also going to Thunderhill on October 6th...trying to figure out a way to trailer my bike out and might do that too!!

got another track weekend coming up on the 24th and 25th.

Got me some ASV levers, a penske tripe clicker shock, new stator cover, front suspension to be resprung with hyperco springs (i think , have to see what my guy from SDS performance recommends) for my weight,new woodcraft frame sliders and tire warmers...going to be over a dozen of my buddies on the track at different levels.

Running with the motofit group this time..can't wait!!

Are you getting the front and rear resprung?  Also, if you're working with a suspension guy, make sure you have the suspension dialed in with you on the bike in full gear.

The rear is sprung for a 200lb rider with no gear on. 

Am on the 220 side but hope to lose weight here in the next coupleof months so it should be close for now.

The front is going to be resprung for 200-220 as well.

Spoke to GP suspension as they are local. Quoted me 550 for new springs, revalve, clean tubes and new oil, seals, compression kit. And another 60 for the rear fitment and dialing it in for me.

So based on what you're saying, you're leaving the rear alone and doing all the work on the front forks?

Sounds like a decent deal.  But as an aside, I got my front forks redone with the Ohlins 25mm cartridges, sprung for my weight, and the fork tubes polished for about $1000.  It was part of a package deal with the TTX rear shock though.