T's Newb Question of the Week

[64BonnieLass]

Here we go again. Hope "technique" is the right place.

So I've been riding all summer. Doing well on the street, and trying to get better in the canyons. Pushing myself as much as I can within the limits of safety to get faster and more agile. Baby steps!

Bob's track day is quickly approaching and although I have signed up to be there I am afraid. I am afraid of being among so many stellar riders, and feeling like I have no place there.

I have done the Track Cert with Joe (who bless his heart, taught me tons). I do not have a track bike yet.

In another thread somebody mentioned that getting accustomed to the track helps in your ability on the street. That it is a transferrable skill. I HIGHLY agree (given the whole one time I did the track). Each time I've done a canyon, Joe's words on the track still resonate with me.

I will be at the track with my bike. Because as much as flag girl rocks, I just wanted my bike all day long. I will be ridiculously slow, overly cautious and full-on-short-bus-retarded. But that's okay.

So how do I learn to get off the seat, get my butt around turn seven, without crashing myself? How do I make myself do it knowing that I could crash just pushing myself to get off the seat? How do I learn this skill and somehow still save my sunshine from wrecking?

Okay, BRING IT!

[CoPilot]

Why dont you take the Total Control Advance Rider Training and that will teach you everything you need to know.

[DucWise]

I will be at the track with my bike. Because as much as flag girl rocks, I just wanted my bike all day long. I will be ridiculously slow, overly cautious and full-on-short-bus-retarded. But that's okay.

So how do I learn to get off the seat, get my butt around turn seven, without crashing myself? How do I make myself do it knowing that I could crash just pushing myself to get off the seat? How do I learn this skill and somehow still save my sunshine from wrecking?

Okay, BRING IT!

I'm sure there are folks here WAY more qualified than I am... but I have been on a track a few times. You will be surprised that you are not as slow as you think you are... especially since there will most likley be other new-ish riders there. Hell... I may not get out of 1st gear so I don't scratch up my avatar

You can actually practice getting off the seat on straights. Try a little here a little there... until you get comfortable with moving off the seat (use your legs like a horse jockey ). You'll aslo be surprised at how much fun the track is and will be concentrating so much on what the instructors teach you that crashing will be the furthest thing from your mind. Speaking of instructors... they should be able to help you learn anything you ask (within reason).

Just my $0.02. See ya there! (I'm taking the class too )

[UglyDogRacing]

So how do I learn to get off the seat, get my butt around turn seven, without crashing myself? How do I make myself do it knowing that I could crash just pushing myself to get off the seat? How do I learn this skill and somehow still save my sunshine from wrecking?

Okay, BRING IT!

Terri- dont be concerned with getting your butt of the seat in the beginning. Work on leaning your shoulders and head in and looking through the turn. Hanging your butt off the seat will be the next progression. If you try doing that with getting your upper body in the right position, you'll end up being all crossed up.
and the key to turn 7? get on the gas early

[puckstr]

Terri I will be the rider that has the MOST to learn.

I am looking forward to the learning experience.

Be a sponge for knowledge.

[dirkterrell]

Here's how I approach trying to improve things on the track: pick one thing at a time and focus on it. Be methodical by making one small change at a time and see how it feels. For instance, my last time at Pueblo I wanted to work on turn 7 and see if I could get it figured out. I spent pretty much all day just focusing on that turn making little changes to my line and bike inputs. Now I feel much better going through there. This work came, BTW, after talking to numerous people about how they did it. There will be a lot of very good riders there. Seek them out and ask for their help. I am sure they will be glad to help you.

There are many different riding styles and you need to talk to a lot of people and find what works for you. Lots of people worry about how far they are hanging off and whether they drag a knee as some indicator of how well they are riding. In my mind, there is one metric of how well you are riding: lap times. I agree with UDR about the progression of your body positioning. Getting your body forward and looking through the turn is the vital first step. You might be surprised how comfortable it makes you feel. UDR mentioned getting crossed up. You avoid that by moving your whole body on the bike. It's not about "moving your butt off the seat" but getting your whole body in a good position. My approach as I go faster through a turn is to lean forward and then slide my whole body down the side of the bike, getting that inside shoulder and elbow down.

By far the best way to improve your riding is to hook up with good riders who can critique what you're doing and offer good feedback on things that you can work on. There will be plenty of those on hand so take advantage of the opportunity.

Oh, and don't worry about how slow you're going and what other people are doing. Focus on what's in front of you and what you are doing. You need absolute focus on what you are doing. If you are worrying about what everybody else is doing and what they are thinking, you put yourself in a very risky situation. In my experience, trying to go faster only makes you slower. If you focus on learning good body positioning, good lines, and being smooth on the inputs, faster lap times will happen naturally. Work on those things slowly, patiently, and methodically and you will have a lot of fun getting faster.

Dirk

[pilot]

Why dont you take the Total Control Advance Rider Training and that will teach you everything you need to know.

Thanks for the big props. But TC will not teach everything.

[Sortarican]

Great idea to focus on improving one thing at a time.
That's a standard technique in most sports.

When you try to address too many points at the same time
you don't really develop much muscle memory.

You can always work the morning on one thing, afternoon on another,
then try and put them together during the last sessions.

And don't worry about your speed.
In the slow sessions, it's not the lapped riders that are doing anything wrong,
the faster riders are just riding in the wrong group.
(Plus, as long as I'm out there you'll never be the slowest rider.)

[Jayock]

Ill be there. Feel free to find me and I'd be more than happy to follow you, let you follow me, and give inputs focusing on the areas that you decide are the first things you want/need to work on. And if you feel overwhelmed, I can give some suggestions on the first things you may want to work on.

Its always a learning experience, the day that Valentino stops trying to improve will be the day other riders progress past his skill level.

[CoPilot]

Thanks for the big props. But TC will not teach everything.

Sorry about that Pilot.

[CoPilot]

Ill be there. Feel free to find me and I'd be more than happy to follow you, let you follow me, and give inputs focusing on the areas that you decide are the first things you want/need to work on. And if you feel overwhelmed, I can give some suggestions on the first things you may want to work on.

Its always a learning experience, the day that Valentino stops trying to improve will be the day other riders progress past his skill level.

Maybe you can help Pilot teach his Total Control Advanced Rider Training since you sound very knowledgable in riding technique.

[Bueller]

[64BonnieLass]

Thank you all very much for the great advice. I actually feel better now after reading all that you've said. I can visualize it, it makes sense and I can do it with help. So I really do appreciate it.

And maybe the advice helps someone else too. Ya never know.

I'll prep myself that day for some fine edumacation and putting it to good practice (crossing my fingers).

Thank you sooooo much.

Terri

[puckstr]

Am I the only that keeps looking at the calender counting the days till the 17th of November?

So looking forward to it!!!

[Jayock]

Maybe you can help Pilot teach his Total Control Advanced Rider Training since you sound very knowledgable in riding technique.

Um..........

Is this serious, or supposed to be sarcastic?

[hcr25]

Terri, dont worry about being in the way. It is always the faster riders responsibility to make a safe pass. This should not be a problem if you are holding your line.
Have fun, be willing to ask questions and take feedback on how your riding.
Track days are all about fun, if you are not having any dont go out there.
mike

[ihavealegohead]

Terri,

Ridding is always a learning experience. For example when we went riding I learned how to break in corners. I have never done that before, but it was that or run you straight over. It was interesting as I experimented with just the back and then the front, both at the same time. I finally figured out after almost running you off the road was to hit the front a little harder then the back. Then I learned how to keep the wheel on the ground! I've never done that before either, but apparently has something to do with keeping the RPM's down.

I'm so dead. Do I still get candy??!?!?!

I still love my Terri !!

[Sortarican]

.... For example when we went riding I learned how to break in corners.....

PWNED!!!!
(Sorry T...but that shit was funny.)

[64BonnieLass]

Jules stays alive AND gets candy.

Jeffey dies - slow, cold and hard!

[Sortarican]

Jules stays alive AND gets candy.
Jeffey dies - slow, cold and hard!

WTF?
He started it, I just laughed.
Man......life's just not fair.

[Jenny]

Terri,
Honestly, the number one thing that's going to make you more comfortable and faster in these beginning stages isn't technique and body position* but seat time. Lap after lap, that's what you just need to get out there and do.

* assuming your technique and position aren't completely awkward, which given your street experience, I highly doubt that's an issue.

[Spiderman]

Terri- dont be concerned with getting your butt of the seat in the beginning. Work on leaning your shoulders and head in and looking through the turn. Hanging your butt off the seat will be the next progression. If you try doing that with getting your upper body in the right position, you'll end up being all crossed up.
and the key to turn 7? get on the gas early

What Jim said.

And if turn 7 still gives you a hard time, try looking further thru (like you're looking over your shoulder).

[lovinCO]

Hey Terri, you're gonna have fun! I wanna go!!

Just think about improving your current baseline of skill, rather than comparing yourself to other people's baselines. Like Dirk said, lap times help you judge how much improvement you've made each time you go to the track. Know you're going to see big gains from your first few laps to your last laps.



And forget turn 7. Work on turn 1.

[64BonnieLass]

Ha ha! I made Bob post.

Honestly thanks to everyone. I was informed tonight by a dear friend that based on my personality, I'm wanting to pursue this sport faster than my capabilty is able to.

I just "thought" that's what ya do on the track, and I was wrong.

Honestly, I just want to be a good rider. That's it! Racing is not in my blood. I just want to pursue everything that I do with Passion, and be the best short bus rider I can be.