05-23-2006, 01:00 AM
When I finally made the decision to get the bike I knew there were some things that came with the territory. Being honest with myself and my personality I knew it was only a matter of time...
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CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL!!!
![[Image: dbl-m-zx6.jpg]](http://www.geraldirish.com/images/bikes/dbl-m-zx6.jpg)
I've only put about 1000 miles on the CBR thus far but I figured I might as well get professional instruction sooner than later so that I can build the proper habits and be able to handle the bike properly on the street. So I decided to sign up for the best school I know of; Keith Code's California Superbike School. They travel around the country (much the same as Skip Barber) giving their track school and they provide Kawasaki ZX-6R's to rent if you don't want to ride your own bike or if slots for riding your own bike are filled (I wanted to take the CBR but the slots were full).
Classroom
The major thing that stuck out about the classroom instruction (from Keith himself) was that he put things in stupid simple turns. "What are you trying to do in the turn? Get the motorcycle as stable as possible." From some very simple concepts he just built a few more simple concepts on top of that. Another thing that was kinda funny was that he talked a little bit about some of the pro riders he's coached and some of the common mistakes they make that hold them back. He even talked about why John Hopkins crashed out of the Moto GP race on Sunday.
On Track
When it came to get on track and ride I was a little surprised to find out that we could pass anywhere right off the bat (as long as we left 6 ft of room). But our first drill was the right around the entire track in 4th gear with no brakes so there wasn't a whole lot of passing anyway unless you really took a turn well.
For the next 2 sessions we still didn't use any brakes, we just worked on different aspects of cornering (turn in points and leaning in quickly). It wasn't until the 4th session that we got to use the brakes at all, then in the 5th we were allowed full usage.
During each session each 2 or 3 students was assigned a riding coach that would ride with us and observe us and lead sometimes. I was very lucky to get the chief ride instructor. After each session he gave us a debrief on how we did and what we need to be doing. Overall I got good marks but on a few occasions I did the wrong thing and he corrected me right away.
The only really hairy moments I felt were coming into turn 7 (uphill right) and I leaned it, then realizing I didn't have enough lean angle, leaned more while continuing to roll onto the throttle. The instructor was behind me and said that that maneuver left a long black mark on the pavement :oops:. My other mistake was blasting down the front straight in 5th and just not braking hard enough. I didn't really panic at all though, I just kept the bike up and just made sure I slowed down in a straight line in the event I had to go off. Tell you what, tipping it over for the front straight kink at 130-140 is um...a nut clencher
The End
In all my instructor was pretty happy with my pace and what I'd learned and I was extremely happy that I was able to build confidence and understand more about controlling the bike. I am really glad and went through and did this and I recommend it to anyone who rides, it can never hurt to be a better rider.
When the Cali SBK school comes back in September I plan to take at least the Level 2 course and maybe Level 3 as well. I've gotta say the instruction was top notch and well worth the money ($420 + $200 for bike rental. You can also rent leathers for $75).
vvv Pics below vvv
CALIFORNIA SUPERBIKE SCHOOL!!!
I've only put about 1000 miles on the CBR thus far but I figured I might as well get professional instruction sooner than later so that I can build the proper habits and be able to handle the bike properly on the street. So I decided to sign up for the best school I know of; Keith Code's California Superbike School. They travel around the country (much the same as Skip Barber) giving their track school and they provide Kawasaki ZX-6R's to rent if you don't want to ride your own bike or if slots for riding your own bike are filled (I wanted to take the CBR but the slots were full).
Classroom
The major thing that stuck out about the classroom instruction (from Keith himself) was that he put things in stupid simple turns. "What are you trying to do in the turn? Get the motorcycle as stable as possible." From some very simple concepts he just built a few more simple concepts on top of that. Another thing that was kinda funny was that he talked a little bit about some of the pro riders he's coached and some of the common mistakes they make that hold them back. He even talked about why John Hopkins crashed out of the Moto GP race on Sunday.
On Track
When it came to get on track and ride I was a little surprised to find out that we could pass anywhere right off the bat (as long as we left 6 ft of room). But our first drill was the right around the entire track in 4th gear with no brakes so there wasn't a whole lot of passing anyway unless you really took a turn well.
For the next 2 sessions we still didn't use any brakes, we just worked on different aspects of cornering (turn in points and leaning in quickly). It wasn't until the 4th session that we got to use the brakes at all, then in the 5th we were allowed full usage.
During each session each 2 or 3 students was assigned a riding coach that would ride with us and observe us and lead sometimes. I was very lucky to get the chief ride instructor. After each session he gave us a debrief on how we did and what we need to be doing. Overall I got good marks but on a few occasions I did the wrong thing and he corrected me right away.
The only really hairy moments I felt were coming into turn 7 (uphill right) and I leaned it, then realizing I didn't have enough lean angle, leaned more while continuing to roll onto the throttle. The instructor was behind me and said that that maneuver left a long black mark on the pavement :oops:. My other mistake was blasting down the front straight in 5th and just not braking hard enough. I didn't really panic at all though, I just kept the bike up and just made sure I slowed down in a straight line in the event I had to go off. Tell you what, tipping it over for the front straight kink at 130-140 is um...a nut clencher
The End
In all my instructor was pretty happy with my pace and what I'd learned and I was extremely happy that I was able to build confidence and understand more about controlling the bike. I am really glad and went through and did this and I recommend it to anyone who rides, it can never hurt to be a better rider.
When the Cali SBK school comes back in September I plan to take at least the Level 2 course and maybe Level 3 as well. I've gotta say the instruction was top notch and well worth the money ($420 + $200 for bike rental. You can also rent leathers for $75).
2018 Ducati Panigale V4
Past: 2018 Honda Civic Type-R, 2015 Yamaha R1, 2009 BMW M3, 2013 Aprilia RSV4R, 2006 Honda Ridgeline, 2006 Porsche Cayman S, 2012 Ducati 1199, 2009 Subaru WRX, 2008 CBR1000RR, 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R, 2000 Toyota Tundra, 2005 Honda CBR600RR, 1996 Acura Integra GS-R, 1996 Acura Integra GS-R, 1997 Honda Civic EX
http://www.aclr8.com
Past: 2018 Honda Civic Type-R, 2015 Yamaha R1, 2009 BMW M3, 2013 Aprilia RSV4R, 2006 Honda Ridgeline, 2006 Porsche Cayman S, 2012 Ducati 1199, 2009 Subaru WRX, 2008 CBR1000RR, 2009 Kawasaki ZX-6R, 2000 Toyota Tundra, 2005 Honda CBR600RR, 1996 Acura Integra GS-R, 1996 Acura Integra GS-R, 1997 Honda Civic EX
http://www.aclr8.com
I've logged almost 1000 miles in the past week.
hock: