MotoVixens

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Ear Protection

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Yeah, yeah, yeah those bright pink (or even yellow) things that you need to squish up and mold to shove into your ears. We’ve seen people taking them out when they get off their bikes and take off their helmets. So uncool, right? Well, maybe not, those long rides we take can tend to wear on us mentally when the sounds of the wind and bike resonate in our heads well after we’ve stopped riding. I admit, I don’t always wear them, in fact on short jaunts, I don’t. However, since riding the track and seeing every rider out there wearing them, it made me rethink my logic in it all. Racers wear them so they can only hear their engines and not all the extra noise out there, in a sense creating their own little world where they can just concentrate on their task at hand. Long distance riders wear them because it keeps them from that buzzing that occurs well after the ride and to keep from feeling fatigued. Let’s face it noise, constant noise wears you down and causes you to feel tired and grumpy.

The noise of the wind buzzing through your helmet is lending to long-term hearing damage and by the time you notice, it is too late. Foam earplugs are cheap and readily available, every drugstore, home improvement store and most convenience stores keep them in stock. If you choose the more expensive option, you can have them custom fitted and made specifically for you. It does come with a price tag though, but depending on the type of riding you do this may be worth it. That is of course for you to decide, start with the foam ones and should you want to get custom ones, there are plenty of companies that offer that service. Come one ladies, it isn’t at all sexy to get off your bike and start shouting because you can’t hear, don’t you agree? Ride on Vixens and enjoy this incredible weather, I hope to bump into a few of you out there soon!

Basic Motorcycle Maintenance

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Hey Gals! Always on the lookout for classes to get you motorcycle literate. Lake Washington Institute of Technology is offering a 6 week class every Wednesday night on motorcycle maintenance, so if you are interested, contact Susie Jacobsen and sign up:

Motorcycle Maintenance
Item: B234-9035
Don Dale
5:30 PM – 8:30 PM
Room: East Building E158
Sessions: 7 W
Location: 11605 132nd Ave NE Kirkland, WA 98034
4/24/2013 – 6/5/2013
Fee: $219.00

Contact:
Susie Jacobsen
Admin Asst IV; Extended Learning
Phone 425.739.8112

Vixens Ride!

Rockstar Confidence and Target Fixation

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No matter how long you have been riding, whether it has been in the dirt, on the street or at the track, and at absolutely any level… confidence is paramount.  Confidence is what can often pull us through challenging situations in every circumstance elsewhere in our lives, why wouldn’t it be true for riding?  The person that exudes confidence on a catwalk, giving that toast at a wedding or asking their supervisor for a raise is usually the one that takes home the trophy at the end of the day; or, at the very least, makes an impression not easily forgotten.  We, as outsiders, are not privy to the fear or negativity that might be inside their heads, all we see is poise and self-assurance.

I cannot tell you how many times I have seen riders come barreling into a corner a bit faster than they are comfortable, and without even making an effort, admit defeat and run off the track.  Or worse, watched one rider follow another right off track in the same exact place.  …And target fixation scores two!

Rider safety courses and performance schools alike all teach the same basic principals in this area, “Look where you want to go and commit.”  (If it’s about ‘commitment’, it’s no wonder why some riders are faster than others!)  Most all accomplished or professional racers will agree that the machines we ride are far more capable than what we give them credit, and more often than not in the early stages of riding, the reason for the crash or excursion into the dirt boils down to a simple decision in the heat of the moment.  The rider makes the decision in his/her head that he can’t enter the corner at that speed, changes his focal point from the apex of the corner to one off track, and in a split second, he’s grazing through the green grass in his pretty new leathers.   Racers at higher levels of competition have learned this.  How often do you see Marc Marquez or Ben Spies simply outbreak themselves into a corner and run off track?

Now I’m not suggesting students ride beyond their abilities and when they get into a situation outside of their skill level, to simply revert back to confidence and commitment, because “Hey, if Rossi can do it, I can do it!”  Keith Code states it best, “Making leaps into the unknown by hoping the bike will do your biding will often find riders biting off more than they can chew.”  However, he has much to say in the way of target fixation being our worst enemy, and not looking far enough down the track coming in at a very close second.  Code writes, “Our survival instincts aren’t concerned with what might happen 3 seconds ahead; they’re interested in the dangers they can perceive right now. Without proper training, survival instincts will default to just that.  Simply put, left untended, our visual system is designed to spot danger just far enough ahead that we’ve got time to either misjudge our situation or panic. I’ve long held that our instinctual survival reactions are what spoil any ride.”

The principal that I’m proposing here is simple.  Next time you find yourself diving into that corner feeling like your hair is on fire and you’re about to suck the buttons off your seat, make the mental decision in your mind that you are going to stay on track. Look three seconds ahead, find the apex, drop your inside elbow and commit like Britney Spears in a Vegas wedding.  Running a little wide and being off line is far better than yard-selling your bike.  (The marshals will thank you for this later.)  There is a world of information readily available that has already been specifically broken down bit by bit on visual points and target fixation.  I want to inspire students to believe in themselves in that panic moment and give themselves one more chance before they concede defeat.  On the street, this could mean the difference between running wide and eating a Prius bumper for breakfast.

Now whether you’re Steve Rapp or more like Steve Buscemi on a bike… Work it like Paris Hilton interviewing for a new movie role and ride confident, Vixens!

Time to Take Your Skills to the Track!

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Ahhh…. The smell of race gas, testosterone and ego in the air… bikes sitting perched on their stands, tires snuggled in toasty Chickenhawk warmers… everyone bustling about last minute tire changes and chores in between sips of hot coffee…  The race track is a beautiful thing.  But for many female riders, the track can seem too daunting and maybe even downright intimidating.  After all, have you seen some of the instructors padding around the paddocks?  “No thank you, I think I’ll stick to cruising the back roads.”

I cannot begin to express the countless ladies I’ve spoken to at different events that shared this opinion, giving me the same nearly word for word response when asked if they would consider doing a track day.  Despite their competent riding abilities, many women feel they won’t “measure up,” or that they will be a hindrance to other riders, and pride gets the best of them.  Shiloh Pyne, who has been riding for several years and at one point was even the Vice President of an all female riding club, expressed this same concern, “I’m afraid to hold people up in the corners.  I want to be “really good” before I go do a track day.  I don’t want to feel like the worst one out there.”

Though understandable, the problem with this line of thinking is that the track is undoubtedly the greatest venue to develop your skills.  Whether you are a seasoned motorcyclist or as green as a new filly out to pasture, this is where you want to be.  Mark DeGross, owner of 2Fast Trackdays & Instruction, is a huge advocate for teaching riders at every level new principals, thus overcoming barriers and ultimately becoming more confident riders.  DeGross says, “The repetitive nature of the track is paramount.  By putting in lap after lap, students will quickly learn where the track goes and soon will be working on skills and technique, which will dramatically improve their riding.  The intimidation seems to come from thinking they are expected to be fast and thus they put pressure on themselves.  It’s my opinion that this perceived pressure keeps them away, when in fact, we preach competence and confidence at our 2Fast schools, not speed.  We could care less how fast students go, just as long as they are in control of their machine and running at a pace they can duplicate over and over. Once they can let go of their own speed persecution, the epiphany moment happens and women really start having fun, improving their riding, all the while gleaning skills that will make them safer on the street.”

Many women are also put off by some of the chauvinistic attitudes often found in the paddocks, and rightly so.  Who wants to have “that guy” stroll into your pits and arrogantly bless you with his magical advice?  Thankfully, as more and more females enter the sport, he’s a thing of the past, passed up by some of the ladies laying down blazing lap records on the competitive level.  With that, there are also more smiling, female instructors happy to tow students around, offering a bit of advice, all the while and putting an ear to ear grin on faces.

Often, body mechanics and physical strength can also be a barrier in women shying away from the track. Christi Midlam, of Sportbike Track Girl, explains what she has found working with her female students, “It takes far more physical exertion for a woman than it does a man.  For example, I can’t hold up a tall bike whereas a man usually doesn’t have to worry about height. Even if a man is short, his inseam and hips and leg strength make it far easier than for us. But that being said…women are far better learners in this particular sport. Women are much more humble than men. They crash way less often… not because they are slower, but because they weigh consequences and adjust behavior accordingly.”

If you’re anything like I was, the track brought on butterflies of great magnitude doing circus flips in my stomach and regardless of my capabilities or recent years riding on the street, a feeling that I had to make my pit mates proud.  Ultimately, my competitive nature prevailed in this area, and after six track days I decided to get my novice race license with Oregon Motorcycle Road Racing Association.  I cannot begin to illustrate the adventure that has been, or the invaluable skills I have been taught since.  Shortly after I graduated to expert, I began instructing for a number of track day companies and I am always more than happy to answer questions, tow students around or help facilitate involvement.

Now racing might seem a little extreme and may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the collective idea here is one of encouragement.  Ladies, put down that article about Adam Levine, grab your helmet and sign up for a track day with your local provider. (You can find links to recommended organizations here.)  Vixens, you’ll be glad you did!

Steering Out of Trouble

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As your skills progress, it is only natural to test your limits and start to add some more speed to the equation (I personally think we all get a little cocky the more confident we become). But with this added speed we have to be more alert and not think, “Hey I had this at the lower speed, I got this,” because what you will have is more than your share of, “Oh *&#@ moments.” At higher speeds it requires more focus and attention and you really need to be thinking well ahead of the turn, if you are focusing only on the turn in front of you, you will run out of road really quick (and I mean literally), in the CA Superbike School this was referred to as “wide view”. It seems simple enough, but at high speeds your wide view requires a great deal of concentration and interpretation on what is important and what you must disregard. If you don’t, you can start to feel uncomfortable and this can cause you to target fixate, for example you see a pothole and instead of missing it you end up riding right into it. Your mind has a moment of panic and before you know it what you were trying to avoid becomes the object you end up becoming very intimate with (in a bad way). On a road you have your lane, the outside edge and the inner edge, because of the size of your machine, you have plenty of room to play with. Now add a twisty road with a lot of blind corners, cars coming at you from the opposite side who sometimes are not so great at staying in their lane, this can really scare the crud out of you.

Learning how to read reference points (entry point, apex, exit points) in a turn will help keep those moments of panic at bay and hopefully with enough practice will give you the confidence to ride those twisties at speeds that make others nod in respect. It is not only women that have trouble with corners though, I know quite a few men who have misjudged a turn or two and ended up on the side of the road, heart in their throat. It is important to look well ahead of the turn and not only be aware of where the road is leading, but have enough attention scanning for any issues that may arise on the road like potholes, loose gravel, bumps, etc. This is even more of an issue when riding in a group setting where you are responsible for not taking out the person in front of you because you were in lala land, if you don’t feel completely confident in your riding ability, wait a bit before joining a group or join one specifically for novice riders. Riding in a group however has it’s advantages, which include safety in numbers, camaraderie, support, learning from better riders and the list goes on. However, there are disadvantages as well, such as varied levels of experience which can lead to accidents and people riding above their abilities to “fit” in. Never ride someone else’s ride, ride to your comfort level, if it causes your heart to palpitate too much take it back a notch.

Your best friend is knowledge and seat time (sorry no short cuts here ladies), invest and learn as much as you can. Take classes to better your riding, if there is something in particular that you want to improve on or seems to stump you, find a class that addresses that skill or ask a friend who is a rider for their input (however, ask a reliable source). We want women to learn from reputable companies we’ve established relations with and know that they are the leading authorities in their industry. I hope you will take the opportunity to sign up for workshops, courses or track days we put on to get more women out there feeling really good about their rides and loving it. Check out our events section for upcoming dates and be sure to sign up. I hope to see you all out there at the upcoming track day in June, I know you guys are in for a treat. Mark DeGross with 2 Fast puts on a great performance school and you will leave feeling exhausted and excited with your newfound abilities which you will be able to apply immediately on the streets. Ride on Vixens, the weather is looking up if this last weekend was any indicator!

Valves and suspension

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Stock Valves

Stock Valves

There has been a lot of activity getting the bike race lately please accept my apologies for not getting a blog out last week. After speaking to Brian at length about how to get the bike dialed in to fit me and to give me the confidence I needed to fully trust my bike, he encouraged me to change the stock valves in my forks to ensure optimum performance of my bike on the track. The following is an explanation from Brian (FS2) of why we revalved the R6, I hope you find it interesting and informative:

Race Tech Valves

Race Tech Valves

“Stock valving has a lot of limitations, especially when the bike is used for racing or race track applications. For everyday riding stock valving may be fine as you won’t be pushing the limits of your bike, but for racing and track you put much more stress on your suspension and revalving ensures your bike will give you the desired effect needed on the track. First, let’s discuss what a valve is in terms of suspension. A valve is a piece of metal that has been machined to precision (usually on a c&c machine) that will direct oil through orifices drilled into the valve. On each side of the valve are very thin round pieces of spring steel called shims and as the valve moves through the oil the orifices in the valve direct the oil to the shims clamped onto the valve and these shims bend out of the way to allow the oil to pass through. This is what gives the “damping” effect. The stiffer the shims or the more shims that are in place the more force is required to move the valve through the oil.

So here is the problem with stock valves, they have very small orifices. This is fine for slow speed applications (sorta) but as the valve has to move faster through the oil (such as a race track) those small holes simply cannot allow enough oil to pass through with the velocity needed to allow the suspension to compress fast enough to let the wheel absorb road imperfections. This can get dangerous on a racetrack where the speeds require very fast wheel movement through the stroke of the forks or shock. If the wheel can’t get out of the way of the road imperfection fast enough because of the poor valve engineering, traction is the first thing to suffer.

The aftermarket valves we installed into Carol’s bike have MUCH larger orifices in the valves allowing the valve to move very quickly through the same oil. So to control how fast or slow the valve moves through the oil we use the shims. We can make an infinite number of combinations of “shim stacks” to accommodate changes in riding speed, race track conditions, etc. Aftermarket valves are much more responsive and supple, gives us the ability to customize the flow and perfect what we are trying to accomplish for the rider or even as specific as the track (road conditions).

With stock valves there is really only so much you can do, those small holes limit so much. For example, imagine you are trying to squeeze toothpaste from a toothpaste tube, at some point no matter how hard you squeeze the toothpaste will only come out of the hole so fast. It will not come out any faster even if you dropped a Mack truck on it!! That’s stock valving and that Mack truck is like the force you put in your bike in the track. Now take that same tube and make a giant hole three times the size of the original hole and drop the same truck on it. The toothpaste comes out WAY faster. This is like the aftermarket valves. Now all we do to control the flow of toothpaste is we use a set of shims, just like in the valves. But we want the flow to be high through the valve itself, not restricted through small holes. That’s what aftermarket valves do.”

Steering

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Is the front wheel or back wheel is responsible for steering your motorcycle? Well, they actually both play a role, the front end turns the bike or changes the lean angle, but once the motorcycle is leaned over and stable it is the rear that takes over to maintain that lean angle. Once you are leaned over in a turn, the front end stabilizes the bike, but does not steer it. It still has importance in that it is still carrying 30-40% of the cornering load which accounts for that same percentage of cornering speed. Let’s say you took that 30-40% and added it to the rear, that would account in a full on slide. When you hear guys talk about getting their bike to “bite” they want to get that weight on the front end to load it for the turn. Understanding that the rear of the bike is mainly responsible for stability when the bike is leaned over helps us to make decisions based on that fact. The front end needs enough weight to stabilize itself and allow the rear of the bike to steer it in the direction you have placed it in, assuming you have constant throttle throughout, you will hold that line.

In Chapter 14 of Twist of the Wrist II, there is a question that is asked, “How many times do you steer your bike in any one turn?” *DRUM ROLL*…The answer is: One single steering action per turn. Mid-turn steering corrections occur when you try to correct your mistakes (going into a turn too hot, too wide, unsure where you are, etc.) and are purely a result of rider error. While one steering action is ideal, we tend to panic when we get ourselves into a situation that feels uncomfortable and we compound the problem by say rolling on or off the throttle and adding more lean angle. This causes problems with either loading one end or the other which then affects suspension and traction. This is where maintaining constant throttle is important, rolling on causes more weight to shift to the rear, rolling off causes it to shift to the front, keeping it constant keeps you from disturbing the bike in a turn and avoids that panic to lean more to correct that throttle inconsistency. Less is more in this instance.

There is a purpose and a goal to steering, I think Keith Code says it best, “The purpose of steering is to make direction changes. The goal of steering is to get through the turn accurately, with as little lean angle as possible (for the speed you are traveling).” It is true that there will be more lean the faster you go and this is due to centripetal force pushing you to the outside forcing you to steer at a steeper lean angle to hold that line. However, less lean angle means you have more of a safety margin, more traction and the ability to go faster with spare clearance (no pegs scraping) and it can all be obtained by just flicking the bike quicker into the turn. Learn more about “quick flicking” on Chapter 15 in Twist of the Wrist II.

There is more to cover on steering, but I hope that this intro into it sparks those brains cells into action and you apply some of the principles discussed (keeping it the speed limit of course, it must be said) out there on the road. Tackling some of those twisties with your newfound knowledge and giving you the confidence to overcome those once dreaded curves. Nothing feels better than that sense of accomplishment and the drive that follows to conquer even more. Ride on Vixens!

Countersteering II

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In my ongoing thirst for knowledge from different sources, I encountered a section in a book that discussed Lee Parks’ book Total Control and the concept he uses in the effort to help people understand counter steering. As I talked about countersteering in my last blog, it was guiding in an opposing manner or direction according to Keith Code’s explanation. However, Lee Parks uses the concept of instructing riders to use only one arm at a time for steering inputs, when turning right, only use the right arm to push the bar and when going left, use the left arm and focus on using nothing from the right arm except throttle control. To take this even further, I chose to do it by taking my other hand completely off when going right and just lightly having my right hand controlling the throttle when going left to challenge myself and the truth was it took very little input to get my bike to make those turns. What required more effort was reading entry speed at the turn and actually looking through the turn. If you are struggling with your bars or even man handling them at every turn, you are working way too hard, ease up on the bars and take it slowly, this is a strange concept for people when they are learning it. It is counterintuitive, it seems as if you want to go left you turn left, you want to go right you turn right, right??? Well, when on two wheels we are dealing with forces, remember the gyros? If you are holding the bars down in a corner you are working way to hard and we want to work smarter not harder right Vixens?

Being smooth is key overall though, being smooth in your acceleration, braking, cornering and transitions will make you a better, faster and confident rider, but most importantly you will enjoy your ride more. Relax (seriously), you have to be in control of your mind, emotions, body and machine, remember the saying of “when the helmet drops, the bullshit stops?” The moment the helmet is on you can’t have lingering thoughts or worries, you have to focus (don’t get on angry or distracted). Also, know your limits, don’t push yourself beyond your comfort zone and keep your fatigue and attention levels in check. Add more skills gradually and keep riding and experimenting with different techniques. If you really want to learn, test and push your limits in a controlled environment try out a track school in your area. For those of you in the Pacific Northwest, more specifically Washington, we have one scheduled on June 10th, check out our events schedule for details. Looking forward to seeing you Vixens out there and on the streets!

MPG issue for R6

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motorcycle-dynotuning

While traveling into Tacoma to visit Brian (FS2) I noticed that even though I have a 4+ gallon tank, I was unable to return without filling up again on my return trip home. I was only getting to about 90 miles before my fuel light came on and this happened both times, even when I made sure to top off before my trip with the cans I had in the garage. I sent Nels Byersdorf (2 Wheel DynoWorks) a text to mention my concern and he replied, “I can fix that.” On Valentine’s day (how appropriate for my labor of love), I took my R6 in for what I thought would be a run and a tweak on the Dyno. Of course, I should have known that it couldn’t be that easy…my bike had come from California and had a air injection system that was throwing off our air/fuel signal, as well as the aftermarket sprocket and gearing which also messes with the odometer and MPG (but that is getting way too technical). The air injection system causing all that trouble was removed and blocked off with block off plates to lean out the fuel mixture so we could get a more accurate sample and finalize the dynotune for fuel economy and performance. The air filter was also dirty and we had to place an order for that to really make the new modification worth while (to be installed soon). After uninstalling the air injection system and installing the block off plates, the power commander was reprogrammed and Nels removed 25% fuel from light throttle and deceleration. This change will increase the throttle transition smoothness, deceleration and braking, and will make the bike run more efficiently (power to rear tire).

The video is an explanation of what was done to the bike to help with the fuel economy issue (which was around 25 mpg when I brought it in). Nels Byersdorf is the owner of 2 Wheel DynoWorks in Woodinville, WA. You may recognize his name since he does offer free Dynos at dealerships from time to time and if you choose to go, go early as it does get crazy. Nels does offer other services including customizing all types of bikes, helping racers get their bikes race ready and offering maintenance events with setups offered by FS2 at his shop. Visit his website at www.2wheeldynoworks.com. If there is something you are concerned about or want modified on your bike, give him a call at 425-269-5332 or email him at 2wheeldynoworks@gmail.com. Enjoy the video!

Counter Steering

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We’ve gone over throttle control and how important it is in riding, so now let’s talk about steering. You can tell a lot by watching a rider steer, how experienced and comfortable he/she is. Counter steering is confusing to most people and it is also one of the reasons that they ask you if you have ever ridden a bicycle before in signing up for the MSF BRC (Beginning Rider Course) class. If you have ever ridden a bicycle you know it isn’t like piloting anything else, in order to go right you have to apply some pressure to the handlebars to the left, to go right, same applies to a motorcycle. We tend not to think about it on a bicycle, yet when we climb onto a motorcycle all of a sudden we overthink the concept to death, it is fear that causes us to freeze up. So let’s just break this down, in a 4-wheeled vehicle if you want to turn right you turn that wheel right and if you want to go left, you turn the wheel left. On a two wheeled vehicle, the same does not apply, in order to go right you need to apply pressure on the bars to the left in order to initiate the turn and in order to go left you need to apply pressure on the bars to the right. This was best explained in Keith Code’s book, Twist of the Wrist II, chapter 12 where he explains counter steering as two magic words. Counter: In an opposing manner or direction and Steering: To guide. It means simply to guide in an opposing manner. “You have the bars in your hands and you’re going straight, but you would like the bike to turn, let’s say, to the right. “To guide in an opposing manner,” you then apply some pressure, at the handlebars, to the left. The bike goes right.” The two wheels on a motorcycle produce a gyroscopic effect, as long as you don’t disturb it, it’s completely stable, but when you try to change the direction on a gyroscope it becomes unstable, which is what you do when you steer. To complicate matters, the faster you go, the more difficult it is to turn because of the gyro effect created by the wheels. The center of mass on your bike also determines how quickly and easily it will steer. The closer the front tire is to the center of mass (determined by the forks), the faster you will be able to steer your bike, like a sport bike, it is very agile and flickable. Now let’s look at the cruiser, where the front forks are extended out more and the front tire is further away from the center of mass, it is not designed to turn on a dime. Steering and throttle control can be a trigger for fear, knowing that everything is stable in a straight line, but the minute we need to turn (steer) that will produce an instability (and in our mind, that is bad). The truth is we need that instability, that moment, in which to change the direction of the bike and then regain that stability by applying the gas back on to provide that force to work in our favor again. As I’ve stated before, your bike wants to be stable and will find a way to return to stability unless the rider does something to stop it, it is about too much rider input. Think less is more (relaxed arms and hands) and you and your bike will have a much better understanding and relationship, getting the optimal response from the bike and more enjoyment from the experience.