new posture, i think it's improved a bit

[counterfit zx10r]

so about 3 months ago i posted a pic and asked how my posture was and got some very good feed back, so last weekend at pueblo, got some new pics and it looks like everyones feed back helped out a lot. Here's a link to the old post and a new pic compared to a very recent picture of Mick Doohan in Ausi with the GP boys.

http://cosportbikeclub.org/forums/showthread.php?t=13819

[pilot]

Wow, what a difference a few months make! One can tell that you've been focusing on your technique, and it shows. To start, comparing you to the picture on the right, you've much better inside foot position. Your upper body is not crossed up, unlike his. All one has to do is look at his suit zipper and see how his points into the gravitational fulcrum where as you are working with Cf to a much greater and better degree. Of course, I have no idea at what point he is in the turn or what speed he is at. It can clearly be seen that you are looking more to the inside of the turn as one can't see your left side visor attachments. Your eyes appear to barely visible, but they do appear to be looking into and through the turn. One thought here, our eyes, as predators are designed to work best in the center of our view. This can be readily tested by staring out the corner of one's eye for a short length of time and Viola! You get a headache. Outside arm appears to be well relaxed; you grip position on both hands looks good.

All-in-all your position looks real good coming through the midpoint of turn seven. I may have some crappy video of that weekend when I was in that turn.

On the bike: Great head on shot showing the tracking lines of the contact patches. And some fine race plastics. It would be interesting to see the wear patterns on your tires if they are still fresh from the track.

Again, great job!

[Jenny]

You could be sliding your ass back a bit and getting down a bit more over the tank, but you're looking really good!

[jimwallace]

only noticed one thing....(not the lean given i have no idea how tall you are), just looks like you might need to get your foot up a little more on the ball, keep your toes away from the ground.

[counterfit zx10r]

That's what Sasha was telling me at the track monday, I just hope you're not looking at the repsol bike and saying that cuz I'm on the kawi and you can just barely see the end of the peg under my toes. I'm about 6'2 and wear a size 12.5 boot but I hardly ever drag my boots, maybe 2 or 3 times in the 5 years I've been riding.

[Jayock]

Mick has terrible posture. But he is retarded fast. Best not to compare yourself to him, unless you are doing it running similar lap times :)

Your posture is good. Now its time to start picking up the pace a bit by working on brake markers, race line, corner speed and gear selection. Most of all practice being smooth while riding in that position.

[jimwallace]

i understand where you are coming from i am 6'5" and wear a 13 so i am in the same boot. like i said it was just the way it looked and also like i said i had no idea how tall you were.

[guessinthe2000]

what suit is that? from the 2nd pic

[Slo]

Looks like an alpinestar from the chest ...

[N1KSS1KS1x]

Thats the RC-1 I was thinkin of getin the same one but in red and black but I think it may be to much white to keep clean and I want something thats more perforated like the Sg-1
Nice form. Cant say if mine is as good I've yet to see it.

[Repsol a095]

Your posture looks great, but were you the guy who went off into the dirt in turn eight? If so, that was a great recovery. I saw you four wheeling and then you brought it back on to the track smoothly.

[Auron]

I never understood how Mick and sometime Duhamel can make that chest-over-the-top-of-the-tank thing work. How come?

[pilot]

That tech was the "standard" and still is for so many riders/racers as it came from the past and can be easily seen in quite a few old-school photos. Times change and experiments on body position come and go. Some stuff, if it works and can be "taught", and it sticks on if it is worthy (I like the 80% rule--if 80% of the riders benefit, then it is worthy of teaching to the masses).

Basically, it works because these guys have such finesse that they can "sense" what the bike is about to do and make fine tuning corrections on the fly. That is why they are at the top and it (their style) works for them. For the rest of us, it helps to understand center of gravity- CoG, lean angle, air pressure forces and our body position to maintain maximum traction for a given radius/camber/surface/speed.

Something to consider: Just because these guys are fast as hell doesn't mean that they fully understand what is happening. That is why there are so many riders/racers and so few books/training systems out there that teach the why and how, not just the what.

The one that sticks out the most in my mind is when a student in another course asked the instructor, "How will I know when I do it right?" The instructor replied, "You'll just feel it."

Sure, this works and I've been there when I did something and it just "clicked". But this teaching technique doesn't give much for a student, or someone interested in understanding "how" a technique works to target on for improvement.

It is one thing to tell someone to do something. It is another to work with each person and their style of understanding so that they feel a sense of accomplishment, not just doing it correctly without knowing why.

[dragos13]

i would suggest dropping your head and your inside elbow. try and point the inside elbow towards the ground. like jenny said, you might wanna slide your ass back. stay about 2 inches away from the tank. try and get your right arm as straight as possible and stay loose on the bars.

http://www.ten-80racing.com/albums/album51/MG_3848.jpg

[Slo]

I have to try that myself.....sliding back on the seat a bit.:banghead:

[Ghost]

I have to try that myself.....sliding back on the seat a bit.:banghead:

I've seen some riders with foam spacer pads on the tank to prevent "ball-creep" (where you end up nuts on the tank); I'm thinking of it since I tend to end up there.

[dragos13]

nuts on the tank isn't always a bad thing (hard braking, during launch, etc) it just isn't good while cornering. the best thing to do is practice body position all the time. you can just sit in the garage with the bike on the stands, and practice shifting wieght from left to right. try and keep about 2 inches between you and the tank. this allows your outside leg to have maximum contact (inside knee area) with the side of the gas tank (usually where you see stomp pads). in return, that makes it easier to apply weight to the outside peg. and always, stay on the balls of your feet.

[FastFrenchy]

Thats the RC-1 I was thinkin of getin the same one but in red and black but I think it may be to much white to keep clean and I want something thats more perforated like the Sg-1
Nice form. Cant say if mine is as good I've yet to see it.

I just baught the RC-1 and I love it! It is not too hot and feels great at higher speeds...

[pilot]

nuts on the tank isn't always a bad thing (hard braking, during launch, etc) it just isn't good while cornering. the best thing to do is practice body position all the time. you can just sit in the garage with the bike on the stands, and practice shifting wieght from left to right. try and keep about 2 inches between you and the tank. this allows your outside leg to have maximum contact (inside knee area) with the side of the gas tank (usually where you see stomp pads). in return, that makes it easier to apply weight to the outside peg. and always, stay on the balls of your feet.+1 on this and your other post.

[counterfit zx10r]

Your posture looks great, but were you the guy who went off into the dirt in turn eight? If so, that was a great recovery. I saw you four wheeling and then you brought it back on to the track smoothly.

kinda late to repost, but no, that wasn't me although i did almost high side comming out of 8. I think it was one of the guys that I was in the class with that ran off the track.

[Jayock]

nuts on the tank isn't always a bad thing (hard braking, during launch, etc) it just isn't good while cornering. the best thing to do is practice body position all the time. you can just sit in the garage with the bike on the stands, and practice shifting wieght from left to right. try and keep about 2 inches between you and the tank. this allows your outside leg to have maximum contact (inside knee area) with the side of the gas tank (usually where you see stomp pads). in return, that makes it easier to apply weight to the outside peg. and always, stay on the balls of your feet.

Many VERY talented riders only stay on the ball of their inside foot. The theory is that you have a more solid contact with your outside peg if you are in the bridge of your foot to apply corrective pressure, and you are using your stronger Quadriceps, rather than the weaker calves.

Here Loris and Nicky are on the bridge with outside foot:

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ab/Capirossi_Hayden_Rossi_2005.jpg/800px-Capirossi_Hayden_Rossi_2005.jpg

Chris Vermeulen:
http://www.raptorsandrockets.com/images/Roadracing/Vermeulen_Istanbul06_001nr.JPG

Haga:
http://photos.motorcycle-usa.com/62250haga.jpg

Not sure who, but motogp testing:

http://www.circuitoalbacete.com/imagenes/motoGP-Ilmor-30-Ago-06-026W.jpg

[N1KSS1KS1x]

Ive been wondering about this and have played around with it a little bit. Doing this it also feels like I can get more of my leg pressed into the tank. I'm finding it hard to break myself of the way I'm doing it now. I gotta think about moving my outside foot to the brige and prees on the tank more. I guess the more i do it the sooner it wont seem like work

[Jayock]

I switched about a year ago. I like it much better, and the feet switching is now automatic.

[Warren]

It is good to know a lot of people use the bridge of their outside foot. I had been trying to stop doing it so I could be on the balls of both feet but never felt comfortable.