Who was that idiot on an FJR at Barber on Saturday?

[FJRBluesman]

Very cool. Track days are a blast! :yahoo:

 

[gixxerjasen]

My family and friends thought i was nuts to do a track day at my age which is a tad older than middle age at 54. there was a guy riding in the advanced group that looked to be at least 20 years older than i was.

My first trackday, between sessions I went over and there was a bike with banged up track fairings on it that I was admiring. A little old lady walked up and pointed to one of the bits of rash and said "Did that one at such and such track, this one over here was a few years ago at such and such track." I was blown away. Then I'm out on the track letting it all hang out (not hanging out at all really on my first track day) and this bike blows by me like I'm sitting still. I was like "Holy crap, that was granny!!!"

I have already started thinking of a dedicated track bike because those 1000's passed me like i was sitting still in the long straight but i caught them in the curves.

Nah, if you really want to be pissed at them get yourself a proper bike so you can be held up in the curves by the guy who just blew by you on the straight. Number 20 is me getting held up.

 

[HotRodZilla]

My family and friends thought i was nuts to do a track day at my age which is a tad older than middle age at 54. there was a guy riding in the advanced group that looked to be at least 20 years older than i was.

My first trackday, between sessions I went over and there was a bike with banged up track fairings on it that I was admiring. A little old lady walked up and pointed to one of the bits of rash and said "Did that one at such and such track, this one over here was a few years ago at such and such track." I was blown away. Then I'm out on the track letting it all hang out (not hanging out at all really on my first track day) and this bike blows by me like I'm sitting still. I was like "Holy crap, that was granny!!!"

I have already started thinking of a dedicated track bike because those 1000's passed me like i was sitting still in the long straight but i caught them in the curves.

Nah, if you really want to be pissed at them get yourself a proper bike so you can be held up in the curves by the guy who just blew by you on the straight. Number 20 is me getting held up.[img=[URL="https://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc448/gixxerjasen/Trackdays/ECR%20081708/IMG_33240_zps20dcc4da.jpg%5D"]https://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc448/gixxerjasen/Trackdays/ECR%20081708/IMG_33240_zps20dcc4da.jpg][/URL]

I'm guessing that DRZ400 SM held its own? I can't see that bike passenger anything in the straights, but blowing them away in the corners.

 

[Goodman4]

Here's a couple official pics from the day that finally got posted:

And here's a couple from Saturday's advanced group just for grins:

 

[gixxerjasen]

Nice shots. Yer gonna have to start hanging off to get the FJR over much further because you look close to dragging hard parts there, and that'll end badly.

I'm guessing that DRZ400 SM held its own? I can't see that bike passenger anything in the straights, but blowing them away in the corners.

Yep, got blown away in the straights for sure. Full tuck, pegged out at 97mph running down the straights. Thank goodness it didn't have too long of straights. I had one guy that I had to pit in just to get some distance. Liter bike that was hauling down the straights and parking in the corners. I even did 45mph down the non racing line of the back straight to get some distance and had him back in two corners.

If you have a track that's not high speed (TWS) and you want a cheap bike to run at the track that is a hoot, get a supermoto. That trackday was two weeks into my supermoto ownership experience. I'd never ridden one any real distance before, brand new bike, all stock, and stock tires, at a track I'd never ridden before, and I was riding harder, leaning furthter and braking later and so much more confident than I ever have been at the track.

Too bad it wasn't a better commuter. It's my dream to put another one in my garage one day next to the FJR.

 

[Goodman4]

Nice shots. Yer gonna have to start hanging off to get the FJR over much further because you look close to dragging hard parts there, and that'll end badly.

Yeah, I really thought I was hanging way off until I saw the pics. I was shifting a lot of weight even though it doesn't look much like it. Even with the limited movement I was doing I could tell the difference big time. When I'd forget to move my upper body over (face at the handlebars), I scraped the pegs on the tight ones just about every time, but when I got the main COG at least off center, I never came close to dragging them.

 

[gixxerjasen]

It's gross, but here's a good rule of thumb when starting out. Put the edge of the seat in the crack of your ass.

It's one of those things that once you hear it, you can't forget it, and you certainly can't mistake it for feeling around when you are out on the track. Eventually you'll hang off even more but that's a good starting point. First time you do it, you'll feel like you slid over about 8 feet, but really, it's just one cheek over.

 

[Old Guy]

It's gross, but here's a good rule of thumb when starting out. Put the edge of the seat in the crack of your ass.
It's one of those things that once you hear it, you can't forget it, and you certainly can't mistake it for feeling around when you are out on the track. Eventually you'll hang off even more but that's a good starting point. First time you do it, you'll feel like you slid over about 8 feet, but really, it's just one cheek over.

Even grosser, I guess, but I've got a friend who advises people to lift one butt check off the saddle like you're about to pass gas. That's one's hard to forget too

Many people I've ridden with would be better off just sitting in the saddle and countersteering. ** I can see them bobble as they scoot over, and I think they're bracing themselves with their arms and inadvertently providing steering input -- which the bike obeys. I advise beginners to keep their butt planted, lean forward so their elbows are bent and their forearms are near parallel with the ground, and point their chin toward the inside mirror. Once they get comfortable with this, they'll lean in, and their inside elbow will be bent a little more than their outside. From there, it's a pretty natural progression to moving their butt off the saddle a little, but that should be done with their feet. That's one of the reasons I'm so tickled with the FJR seating position. It's pretty easy to move around with just your feet.

**As a matter of fact, the fastest rider I've ever ridden with on the street just sits up in the saddle, body in a straight line with the bike, and runs away from the rest of the group -- with his wife on back.

 

[wfooshee]

I've not ridden the track at speed, but some years back I'd work there occasionally as a corner marshal. I seriously can't imagine that long turn 2 and 3, down into that dip and then sharply up to that short straight to Charlotte's hairpin. That has to be the Coolest Thing Ever!

 

[Goodman4]

I'm far from an expert as the pics help prove, but I have completed the Lee Park's Total Control course where we learned a lot about body position. On all the tight curves I had the wing of my Russell right up my butt-crack, Jason. I thought at first in the class the Russell would make it tough to slide, but it actually is pretty flexible and gives you a good feel for where to move off to. I seldom got my head over where it needed to be and almost never got my arms relaxed on the tank with screwdriver grip in the other hand. But I did it more than I have every got to before outside of a parking lot and kept getting better as the day went on.

Old Guy, I get your point and I really never had any intention of learning to "hang off" this late in my riding life, but instructors and now a track day has convinced me of the value of it. It's not as much about getting the bike to turn hard as it is to get ground clearance and smooth out the impact on the suspension in the turn. I was shocked how much difference it makes when you move the COG even moderately.

My instructor said the Harley guys come to the Total Control class because they HAVE to change their center of gravity to avoid scraping hard parts. I've got a pic of my friend's brother dragging his knee on his Ultra Glide with this technique in the class. I like the pre-lean BEFORE the turn with the reverse countersteering because you can feel the amount of lean difference before you push into it.

 

[Goodman4]

I've not ridden the track at speed, but some years back I'd work there occasionally as a corner marshal. I seriously can't imagine that long turn 2 and 3, down into that dip and then sharply up to that short straight to Charlotte's hairpin. That has to be the Coolest Thing Ever!

It was so cool. Right where you are talking about all the way from 2 to 3 there was a 6 bike crash in advanced right after lunch and it shut everything down for 40 minutes. There was a chemical on the track and they told us to alter our line, so it made a little more interesting.

 

[Old Guy]

I understand, and my post wasn't aimed at anyone in particular. It's just that I've followed a lot of folks who are getting right into the hangy-off thing way before they need to. When you start having clearance issues ... it's time

 

[Goodman4]

Right, good point. Shouldn't have used the caps for emphasis and should have added a couple emoticons. I didn't take that personally other than in a healthy way because I'm trying to figure out what is safe and appropriate for my changing riding style.

 

[gixxerjasen]

THIS, is close to having clearance issues. Push it much harder and the guy behind you won't appreciate the sparkly shower.