GO MOKUS!!!

 

Mokus , Great Pics !! Is this your 1st track day? :lol:

 

Quick question, and not a criticism by any means. When your going around a curve, like the top photo you posted, and you have your body leaned over, should your head be leaned over too? I notice myself always trying to keep my head vertical while looking as far through the corner as I can. Am I being nitpicky, or is it better to lean your head over too?

 

Looks like its time to add some preload and jack that puppy up a little... you don't want to drag hard parts like that side stand-

Congrats on the good time-

 

Wow did you have the "sensor" that came with the center stand and where it down to that on the footpeg, or is that the shorter stock "sensor"? The term "sensor" really through me in the directions as coming from an electronic background I was expecting the "sensor" to be connecting to some wiring of some sort. Scraper, feeler, etc. would have been better.

 

When your going around a curve, like the top photo you posted, and you have your body leaned over, should your head be leaned over too?

Whatever works for you. Here's a picture from the superbike school. To have his head vertical, his shoulder would have to be removed but he's trying. I think it's much easier to see the line when level headed.

 

Next time remove the tail trunk and put your chin guard down.

 

Is this your 1st track day?

Yes it was, but to be honest I had some excercises on Grossglockner in Austria last month. :wink:

When your going around a curve, like the top photo you posted, and you have your body leaned over, should your head be leaned over too?

Well, see Greywolf's reply. I think it's easier to "judge" the curve when my head is vertical. It is also easier to look "into" the next curve.

Looks like its time to add some preload and jack that puppy up a little... you don't want to drag hard parts like that side stand

Ooops, you got it! I didn't do any magic or incredible thing with that scrapping. My bike is lowered so its relatively easy to scrap pegs even for me. Why did I do yet?
1. It is a goog feeling
2. I felt safe 'cause the lean angle was not too terrific so even the Trailwings could do a fine job (BTW I am pleased with them in any way)

I have no crash bars and I don't plan to have one (bank account...). Without them I will not add preload for a track day 'cause then I think (or am almost sure) I would lean the bike more until it scraps again and at that angle would come up the Deathwing issue and I would drop the bike.

Wow did you have the "sensor" that came with the center stand and where it down to that on the footpeg, or is that the shorter stock "sensor"?

"Sensor" :lol: I like it! I am also an electric engineer originally.
I have no idea about the "sensors". I got the c.stand with the bike as a present from the dealer and didn't asked them if they replaced the stock ones or not. To be honest I didn't even know that there is different length "sensor" for the CS.

Next time remove the tail trunk and put your chin guard down.

SIR, YES SIR!

 

Mokus, the left side foot peg gets a longer feeler or scraper or sensor just for you racy young fellows to wear down during playtime. You look good out there.

 

The longer feeler is for the Suzuki center stand. The SW-Motech doesn't need it.

 

Dragging pegs is cool and all but you can go much faster around the turns with less necessary lean angle if you'll slide your bum off to the inside of the turn a half a cheek or more. I'm certainly no expert corner carver but one track day was enough to convince me of the benefits of doing so. My cornering speed increased as the day progressed yet I scraped hard parts much less frequently. Check out the tires afterward:

 

The longer feeler is for the Suzuki center stand. The SW-Motech doesn't need it.

...if the bike isn't lowered.

 

Even if it is lowered, the standard peg should touch before the SW stand.

 

Dragging pegs is cool and all but you can go much faster around the turns with less necessary lean angle if you'll slide your bum off to the inside of the turn a half a cheek or more.

I agree, that is what pros do on a racetrack.

My aim was not to be fast but to get a feeling of what is the max possible lean angle.

I'm certainly no expert corner carver...

I'm not too. :wink:

 

Even if it is lowered, the standard peg should touch before the SW stand.

That's right, the first is the peg's feeler.
I wanted to point out that whatever feeler you have the SW stand sooner or later will do scrap if the bike is lowered. That is my experience which you can (although not too clearly) see on one of the pic above.

 

Greywolf wrote:

Whatever works for you. Here's a picture from the superbike school. To have his head vertical, his shoulder would have to be removed but he's trying. I think it's much easier to see the line when level headed.


_________________

I'll share a little bit of hard earned track technique with you FWIW.

As the picture shows the rider's head is tilted forward for aerodynamics. But more importantly the riders eyes while looking forward are still parallel with the horizon.

This is essential for quick, consistent race riding.

The head should not necessarily be vertical but the eyes MUST be parallel to the horizon. Elsewise the brain has no consistent reference point to learn balance through curves. And balance is essential for learning what fast cornering feels like.

Also the comment about 'hanging off' is spot on. It gives a LOT more ground clearance.

Two more things. Always intiate a turn by countersteering. That is, to turn left, push on the left handle bar while simultaneously moving the body left.

And the key ingredient to being fast is to be smooth. Hard, but smooth braking into the turn. Hard acceleration, but smooth roll on of power coming out of the turns.

The fundamental principal of fast times on the track and quickness though the turns is maintaining balanced traction between the front and rear tires while still accelerating hard out of the turn. This is so important, I'm told Freddie Spencer would drag his rear brake coming out of a turn to reduce squat when needed to keep additional weight on the front of the bike to gain more front tire traction and keep the bike pointing in the right direction for precise entry into the next turn.

Dunno if that's necessary. I certainly wasn't good enough to try the technique. Heck back when I campaigned with the 'flexible flyer' frames, eminently breakable engines, and impossibly greasy tires of the early 70's, survival with a bike that could be put back together cheaply enough to run the next race was a much admired skill.

Heck, Freddie was probably in diapers then.

Apologies to those who find these paragraphs painfully obvious.