| July 17, 2009. Riding Ponderance - "Start with Two-Stroke?" |
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Sunday as I drank coffee on my loudly colored (neon pink) R6, my mind was a bouillabaisse of concepts. I can’t help but wonder is it ideal to start with a two-stroke four-stroke? Is it a two second switch, from one type to the other, if you get rid of the mind games that can flood your head? Is Kevin Schwantz correct when he said, “I think 90% of motorcycle racing is between the ears”?
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A two-stroke demands you to develop a strong understanding of the mechanics of the machine. You can’t simply pull back the throttle for heart stopping acceleration. It requires attention, good form, and a developed understanding of the race line to whip around the track. This is not by any means to say it is harder than a four-stroke. It is just… different. Very different. |
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John Nicholas presents an interesting idea: “The four stroke bike is easier to ride fast and they inspire confidence. Jumps that would have been impossible to perform on a two stroke are easy on a four stroke. But is this a mixed blessing? Could this be the catalyst that has lead to racers getting injured, because they had taken a shortcut in their racing education?”
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Personally, I think it’s hard to switch to a four-stroke after an extended time frame. To shift with greater ease, I think it is vital to alternate both occasionally (not after years like me).
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| July 13, 2009. Riding Tip - "Body Positioning" |
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This weekend I was a guest coach at Team Promotion. One topic that stumped the class while on the track was body positioning.
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Oh, yes, the favorite topic among racers and riders. Everyone has a different opinion. Personally, I pick my style based off an analogy my father presented to me. Consider the following:
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While running through a line of trees what does your body do? Do you simply move your butt side to side while running forward? No, your arms, body, and head would hit the trees. (This is not an Animaniacs cartoon; objects cannot be slammed through without any bone crushing effects.) Rather, to run through a line up of trees you first step out the balls of your feet, than your leg follows, which causes a chain reaction through your arms, up to your head. Your whole body flows smoothly from left to right, allowing no limb to be left hitting the tree, thus allowing you to push forward at optimum speed.
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When going through a turn on a motorcycle: Keep the balls of your feet on the pegs, shift your knee outwards (a ninety degree angle to bike), keep your elbow and arm pointed in the direction of the turn, and position your head where your mirrors would be. Examine this picture of Valentino Rossi:
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July 13, 2009. Riding Ponderance - "Two Stroke to Four Stroke Transition" |
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As an expert and advanced rider on my 125 two-stroke, it is safe to assume transitioning to a four stroke would be simple. Seriously, isn’t a motorcycle just a motorcycle? Is not riding a bike 90% rider? Yes, I feel it is. However, after a weekend of riding my R6 on the track (first time since 2002), I have concluded it may not be such a simple transition, at least for me.
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Riding my R6 after years of riding my 2-stroke, was comparable to being an airplane pilot and now driving a speedboat. The geometry was completely opposite from the 125. On the 125 you blink and you are in the turn. Small movements of the body can result in a 90 degree turn. Being around 105 pounds, my body steering on the R6, at first, resulted in a movement so little only the Whos from Whoville I believe could see it!
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What struck me as the biggest difference between the two types of bikes was what you can do midturn on a 125 verses a four stroke. On the 125 should you suddenly decide to move over 3 bike lengths mid-turn - you can (completely without disrupting the chemistry of the bike.) With that said, I thought I would share how important and invaluable seat time is to make a transition such as this. I greatly anticipate getting back up to speed on the R6, and look forward to this challenge of once again reaching the same riding level as I have on my 125.
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| June 29, 2009. Riding Tip - "The Apex" |
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For new riders it is imperative they learn the proper line on the track. The "line" is the fastest and best route to get around the track. Once the line is learned you can work on tweaking other issues such as body steering.
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A track consists of two main components. Turns and straight aways. Thus, a line consists of two main components as well:
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1) Hitting the "apex" in each turn &
2) Following the best route to the next turn.
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An apex is a specific spot in a turn where your knee or front tire should ride over. It is the spot through the turn that will line you up the best for your next position on the track. On track days an apex is generally indicated by a cone.
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With this said, there is a trick I have learned to expediate learning the line. While going through the turn imagine the apex has a two foot imaginary box around it. Each time you go around the track aim for the two foot spot surrounding the apex. Once you can hit all your boxes on the track you have mastered the line.
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| Tip - Hit your two foot boxes |
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June 24, 2009. Riding Tip - "The line"
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Contemplate this concept: To achieve your fastest lap on a racetrack, turn it into a multiple of straight lines.
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Did you process that? When I first heard that statement I thought that it was ridiculous. Road racing isn’t exactly a drag strip. But after some experience, any rider will repeat this phrase. Below I have made some rough drawings of the Pocono East track to demonstrate this concept.
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Here is a drawing of the track without the race line drawn in.
Diagram 1
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Below is a diagram of the track with the race lines. These race lines are not making the turns into straight lines.
Diagram 2
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Now look at the lines for diagram 3. Do you see the difference? The lines from one turn to the next are straight lines.
Diagram 3
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Although there is barely a difference, Drawing 2 is the wrong line.
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Look at the yellow boxes in this drawing below and compare these aspects of the line to diagram 2. Even though the rider is hitting the red apexes, he is wasting energy and decreasing his lap time by not making straight lines at the yellow boxes I indicate below.
Diagram 4
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It doesn’t take a mathematician to tell you that to turn on a motorcycle or even car you have to slow down to begin the turn. By not following diagram 3 you are increasing the amount of turning time and utilization of the brakes.
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Less braking = Faster lap time
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Tip – Make the race track a multiple of straight lines.
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June 24, 2009. Riding Tip - "Insanity on the Track"
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"When you look directly at an insane man all you see is a reflection of your own knowledge that he's insane, which is not to see him at all. To see him you must see what he saw and when you are trying to see the vision of an insane man, an oblique route is the only way to come at it. Otherwise your own opinions block the way...” (Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance).
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Heading into turn one your palms sting as you pull hastily on the front brakes. As you slowly lean your bike into the turn a flash of plastic and metal passes you on the inside. You jerk your bike upward and fight to remain composure as you exit through the turn. You think to yourself, “What an idiot! His whole back end locked up! Falling would have resulted in a nice helicopter ride. Clearly he has no sense of boundaries or rationality.”
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The man who went by him pulls off the track, sits down on a gas can, and as he muscles his bike on its stand, contemplates how to push himself farther into turn one. With logic and his developed understanding on how best to maneuver his machine, he decides to try braking three feet past the brake marker but take a wider entrance into turn #1. The next session he is back on the track unintentionally filling terror into the timid rider with every pass.
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This man was dismissed as not in his right mind by the tentative rider. Unknowingly, the judgmental rider let his chokehold on the risk of falling get in his way of asking the man for assistance. Should he only see the vision and rational that the “insane” man had he would be going through turn one with the same vivacity and intensity.
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Tip – See through the eyes of an "insane" man and you will see how rational insanity actually is on the racetrack.
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Road Racing Highlights
Club Racing/USGPRU
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