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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Petorius
My hips lock up by the end of the day, so I like to do the opposite of Colin and go easier for the last two sessions. I make more sketchy mistakes when I'm too stiff to move and trying to go 95%.
This is an approach I support. Go hard until you can't, then don't. My last TD I went into it with 10 days straight of no more than 5 hours of sleep per night. I hit a (proverbial) wall 3/4 of the way through the second to last session. Then when we were in the classroom session I nodded off a few times. Needless to say I opted not to go out for the last session. Way too much at stake out there to go after it when you're not sharp.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
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Originally Posted by
nhbubba
Sounds like you need to figure out a way to make it through the day without the hip lock business. Being spent before the end of the day is no good.
Moving my lower body less has helped a bit. I have been trying to increase flexibility by doing a lot of hip stretches too, but I'm not improving much.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Moving less has helped my fatigue too. More than I expected it to.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dave603
The wiggle only gets worse as I begin to tire out in a session but i expect with my new setup/finally having a damper on the front will help things a lot.
The fact that it gets worse as you gets tired is a big red flag that using your arms to move your body is likely the cause. A damper will help, but don't let it mask a bad habbit. Continue to be be conscientious of what you're doing on the bike.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Agreed, dampers are largely misused. If you tighten a damper enough to reduce that wiggle, it will actually negatively impact your bikes steering. They should only be used on light settings to reduce the effects of a full on tank slapper IMO.
That spot 7/8 is pretty much always due to pulling yourself up with the bars. Anticipate it more by getting forward into the acceleration. Body weight in front of the pegs so that the bike is pushing you, not pulling you along for the ride.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Paul_E_D
Agreed, dampers are largely misused. If you tighten a damper enough to reduce that wiggle, it will actually negatively impact your bikes steering. They should only be used on light settings to reduce the effects of a full on tank slapper IMO.
Don't most steering dampers have a slow speed setting (that you can adjust easily - usually on the fly) and a high-speed setting (that they make harder to adjust?).
By your logic does that mean the low-speed setting should be set basically to zero, assuming a tank slapper will be handled by the high speed damping?
Also, on a related note, the damper connecting rod on my KTM motard is broken and I won't get the parts in to fix it before the next LRRS round. Is it super risky to ride one without? How frequent are TS's on non-dampened bikes (esp motards) at Loudon? As a note, I'm pretty sure the previous owner replaced the stock triple clamp to make the bike less twitchy if that makes a difference.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Good video by Dave Moss on Rebound
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XUNL_KtT0Qg
Plenty more by Dave Moss on Damping and suspension
Might help folks with adjustable suspension
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Ductard
Don't most steering dampers have a slow speed setting (that you can adjust easily - usually on the fly) and a high-speed setting (that they make harder to adjust?).
By your logic does that mean the low-speed setting should be set basically to zero, assuming a tank slapper will be handled by the high speed damping?
Also, on a related note, the damper connecting rod on my KTM motard is broken and I won't get the parts in to fix it before the next LRRS round. Is it super risky to ride one without? How frequent are TS's on non-dampened bikes (esp motards) at Loudon? As a note, I'm pretty sure the previous owner replaced the stock triple clamp to make the bike less twitchy if that makes a difference.
Dampers are all different. I don't have low/high speed on mine, so I can't speak to that. My dampers are always set low enough that they don't hinder free movement of the bars. not usually zero, but often just a few clicks.
The triples should stabilize the front of the KTM enough to ride without a damper, but you will find out exactly where you are pulling on the bars. LOL. Ride smoothly and all will be fine.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Mine is so stiff that I have trouble pitting out at NHMS. It is not 'adjustable' but I'm thinking about switching back to 10wt fork oil (from 20 now).
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Oh jeeze, yeah, I would take it off until it's sorted. That's not helping you learn!
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
OreoGaborio
The fact that it gets worse as you gets tired is a big red flag that using your arms to move your body is likely the cause. A damper will help, but don't let it mask a bad habbit. Continue to be be conscientious of what you're doing on the bike.
i have no damper on mine. when the bike starts to do this its usually my sign that im getting lazy. the only other time it has happened is at race pace. the front end gets so light that tire shimmies a little.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Petorius
Mine is so stiff that I have trouble pitting out at NHMS. It is not 'adjustable' but I'm thinking about switching back to 10wt fork oil (from 20 now).
:shock:
I have a problem with my stabilizer becoming disconnected. I made it through half a day before Oxx pointed out that it wasn't connected. Bike handled like poop through 7-10. Feels like a million bucks with it.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
I just switched mine to 5wt oil. I'm curious how 7-8 will be now.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Do you ride an SV also? Let me know how it feels when u try it
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
The damper that i bought is a pitbull and i havent put it on yet but once i do i am sure like all things will have to be tweeked to perfection
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Dave603
Do you ride an SV also? Let me know how it feels when u try it
Yup, I have a $20 gsxr damper on it using the brackets from the guy on svrider
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Hmm do you have the link for him? I might need a bracket made if my pitbull doesnt fit. They said it would fit the gsxr front on my sv but i javent been home to look at it yet. It shipped and in the comments just said gsxr bracket and nothing about sv650 :scratchhead:
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
http://svstuff.com/default.aspx
That is the guy's site, his name is 'Nucular' on svrider. Just to clarify, his brackets are for linear style dampers that mount to the front of your frame (where the fairing stay mounts), and to the lower fork pinch bolts on one side. The GSXR lower triple has a mounting tab for one end of the steering damper, then you would need his "frame bracket" to attach the other side of the damper to the front of your frame. If you are doing any of the TDs this weekend I can show you on my bike.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Pete, I was looking at you damper back in May at the TTD. I picked up a linear damper and need that bracket for my setup. I remember reading that svrider post. I'm gonna have to re-read it and contact the guy. This will be a winter project for me.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Tas
Pete, I was looking at you damper back in May at the TTD. I picked up a linear damper and need that bracket for my setup. I remember reading that svrider post. I'm gonna have to re-read it and contact the guy. This will be a winter project for me.
Thats a sad excuse for a winter project! Go order the stuff and it will take you 30 minutes to put it on the bike once you get it. The longest part of the process is reading the one page instruction sheet. He sells a few configurations of the kit, if you are not running a headlight you should get the 'S' version, both the frame bracket and fork bracket if you have a standard SV front end.
Just FYI, the only difference between the 'S' and 'N' versions is how low the frame mount hangs, the stock N headlight has an adjuster that gets in the way if you try to mount the damper completely level. For you the S version will look cleaner. Thats what I'm using on mine.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
So?
Did your improvement plan improve your times? Nice to talk to you yesterday. You seemed pretty pumped about your work that day, looking forward to hearing about it now you have the "data"
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Good to see you dude. Im still not where I want to be at Loudon but I think I would be close if I ran in a group where traffic was less of a concern (I was doing the track experience group). Slowing down and working on the fundamentals for most of the day helped a lot, but I feel like I'm uncovering new areas for improvement faster than I'm mastering existing ones. I'm looking forward to your race report, good luck with the rest of the weekend.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Plan for next Thompson day. Ride the bridge area turns better. Think I am too tight inside after first apex and also understand the whole crest then kink line on the front straight better. Have to watch some good video beforehand and tag on to an instructor again.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Went to NYST yesterday with a goal of learning to turn right. Well, I still can't turn right, but I sure can turn left. Times dropped steadily all day, leading to a new uptown PB at NYST of 1:47.1. That's 9 seconds down from my previous best from the last TTD there. I also feel "initiated" after sacking up and ripping a huge wheelie over the hill for the first time. :hbang2:
Got a ton of good passing practice too, mixed with a decent amount of frustration as the big bikes refused to stay behind me on the straight. Top speed on the straight was 107 per qstarz, does that seem low for an SV? It was originally an "N" model, so I think the rear sprocket is 44 tooth.
Anyway, goal for Thompson in 2 weeks is, once again, learning to turn right.
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Re: Track riding improvement plans
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Petorius
Top speed on the straight was 107 per qstarz, does that seem low for an SV?
Yes, and I don't think the gearing would affect it much. I was able to max out 5th there on my first gen, getting about 122 on the Qstarz with 15/45 gearing. Top speed doesn't mean much though, the corner speeds will easily make up for the straight.