Moto-Brian

It's only money, mang!

So, I am working a total of 5 IMS shows this year for Ducati obviously. I wanted to share some pics and hopefully, I do not make this too much on the side of advertising. What I will try and do is capture images and light detail to not make it a promotion. I just have a bit of an opportunity to get some pics at times when nobody is around and get access that makes it easier to get details. I took all these on my phone so, not the best quality and maybe as I do the shows, I can use my better camera and even get some pics per your requests. These are things that interest me and wanted to share... First, the Ducati booth. We have a double the size booth this year vs. in the past couple of seasons... The swarmed bike of the show - the 2013 Multistrada GT: Second favorite seemingly - 2013 Hyperstrada: 2013 Hyper SP - Comes with a free set of handcuffs. This thing is a full on hooligan bike. In a great way! Diavel Dark was a huge hit: My baby. The one we had a lot of interest on and even got a deposit at the show!!! 2013 1199R Some details... Dash: Billet mirror block off plates come standard: Tank. All 1199s have an aluminum tank. Our race inspired editions expose the tanks... Exhaust. This thing is the size of a tennis ball. SOOOOOO sweet when running... Mainstay of our lineup - 2013 848 EVO Corse Edition in race test livery: Alright. Enough Ducati stuff! Some MotoGP pics. These bikes are from the Indy MotoGP booth. The issue was that they were stuffed in the very back corner and got little attendance. What a shame as there are some CRAZY cool stuff to be seen here. I got to get some access where we could unhook the barrier tape, etc. Just makes the pics look better... Details of clutch and electronics on Spies bike. The Yamaha was by far the best and cleanest looking bike there. More on that later. Spies' dash: Bradl's Honda: Nicky's: The KTM Moto3 bike. I had the opportunity when in Austria to see these being built and a few versions in person and was excited to see the end result. It is amazing. Tiny and some really trick stuff on this thing. Forks are tiny also. The diameter is almost the size of a mountain downhill bike. Hand for scale. Details like carbon fiber engine mounts. Some cool differences yet awesome technology. Three different fork designs. All Ohlins. Look at the details and understand that the calipers alone are worth more than a typical mid priced car. Finally, a cool booth where you are interacting with others. Geico/AMA pit challenge. You change a rear tire and they provide the YES Yamaha and Geico Suzuki and you go head to head with someone to see who can swap a tire faster. This travels so, try it out at Cleveland! I will try and get some different pics from each show. If you want to see some different pics, maybe shoot me a response here and I will try to accommodate. Even if on something other than a Ducati!

Actually, pretty fair. Most the cheap ones I have seen are around $700-$800...

The way I read it, you buy the system and get one set of adaptor pins for one bike. Additional pins are $149.99. The wheel set is also optional and needed if wanting to roll it around. I'd think not having wheels a better idea... Pretty cool. Similar take on the uber expensive ones like team Yamaha uses...

While it sounds like a good deal, it is a standard model with a bunch of bolt ons. The aluminum tank comment is funny because all the 1199s have an aluminum tank. They just stripped it... The CF bodywork is pretty pricey though. Bike is $18k so, it is probably a decent dealio... Some really nice thought out bolt ons.

You did see the motor torn down pics, right? Waiting on parts and things like gaskets, etc. Hang tight amigo.

Ah... Makes sense now. You're still a Madcat...

You see what I did there? You know I love ya, man. Look forward to your mangina drying up and not having some lame excuse why you cannot come out and race with us this season... Of course, these off season times allow a lot of time to scheme ideas as to why you can't...

The hump out of the bowl is something that may need attention and concern over WOT for sure. But, I was referring to the kink or "dip" where you refer. The ripples and dip are pretty much going to load the chassis in terms of moving it around, but yes, you are close or at WOT at that point...

It is a great setup for the conversation, though. Both directions, make that series of turns extremely important. Drive out of the bowl clockwise and out of the bus stop counter... You put together a solid drive and you can Madcat it slightly and not lose too much ground...

There is solid traction there and with the rear being loaded under acceleration, losing the rear isn't a huge issue. I suppose it can happen, but I have never seen a guy lose the rear at that point. Basically, you should be upshifting close to that point also and WOT. On a bigger bike, maybe a slight throttle modulation, but I honestly cannot remember exactly... I know running it counter makes that sweeper not as fun...

Actually, you will tend to run wide at that point and while yes, the bike is wheelied over the ripples, it is the best line. Drag the brake maybe slightly, but overall, you can try and stay inside slightly, but it isn't always gonna happen there especially if racing. The wheelies are a part of that turn that make you love it. Try it on a 1000... Pure rush, man... Squirming the rear and the front skipping and rising over the ripples.

I had my rear wheel lock at triple digit speeds about at the kink at Mid-O when I spun a rod... I didn't crash... Of course, I pulled the clutch in and free rolled a good bit. I also had a rear lock from a chain that broke on a supermoto off the back straight at CRP which was probably about 60-ish at least. That I couldn't clutch. You aren't going to go down if you understand how to handle the situation...

I will be at the Conrad, but if you all get together, let me know as I will be there all three days...

But, the author is wrong. Speed will create stability and it is due to the gyroscopic effect. Again, the wheels cause this and will stabilize the bike at speed. While leaned over, the effect causes the bike to want to stand up...

First of all, all motorcycles create a gyroscopic effect. The bike does NOT want to stay on it's side, my friend. It wants to naturally stand up. I didn't say they had "gryroscopes" on the bikes themselves. I was referring that they create a gyroscopic effect. Which is true. Yes, the trail is a front end deal. But, you can effect trail greatly with rear end ride height. The front and rear work together. It has to be understood that they are separate tuning aspects and need to be addressed and looked at. Otherwise, there wouldn't be any need to adjust the rear end at all to assist in handling. OK, (for those not sure) basics of motorcycle chassis setup. Trail is the line front a horizontal center point of the axle and the line that represents the fork center of the triple following to the ground. Follows the fork parallel... IF you lower the rear of the motorcycle, you then create a difference in trail. The axle centerline doesn't change. You lowering the rear will extend trail as the angle of the forks at the center of the triple clamp changes. At times, we will drop the rear and raise the front end to add trail. This stabilizes the bike at different areas. It can also help assist in quick transitions left to right. As the bike is on it's ear, we can move the bike while leaned over. If the front is lowered too much, yes, the bike will transition quickly left to right and adding load on the front is an old school way of doing this. But, the stability suffers and moving the bike while leaned over is tougher. Motorcycles need to be tuned in harmony with the front and rear. Chatter, stability, reaction while leaned over, etc are all things that can be tuned for with the rear and front. Doing one alone can greatly hurt a setup and not usually be a single idea. Now, you can fine tune with just the front or rear, but the idea is that when you find the sweet spot at whatever track or environment you are in, typically it is good with only minor tweeks to get it finely tuned for even better performance. The track never stays the same and the street for sure is never the same mile to mile... I think we all get it. I just think it is now getting to a point we are arguing that the guy is bad or horrible. I say let's be done with it...

Only a few, but you are welcome to come over and I would be more than willing to assist. I am possibly going to be in more of an instructional role this season, but not sure...

Dude, we need to get you to a track. No matter how mush seat time on the street, it all means next to nothing on the track. You will understand the bike and what it does SOOOOO much more than you'll ever get on the street. Think of it this way - track = more improved street rider. Street = not a whole lotta help. I can take a green horn to the track with ability and he will advance faster than a solid and experienced street rider. Why? he doesn't have the bad habits typically formed on the street. The first lesson of track day stuff is to rid the riders of street habits. Now, before everyone gets their G-String in a knot, I am not saying street will NOT help. Street riding and understanding the physics is great and will help you. But, having a clean slate is also a great place to start because you are a blank canvas. My son will be a track kid and learn at the track before we do the street thing.

That's the magic question. It all depends on skillset and ability as much as the braking and mid turn coming to that point. It's like braking really. You need to build up that skillset and work up the ladder. To dive in isn't possible. You have some great skills already, it is a matter of getting someone behind you to listen and watch you and help to let you know when you are driving and when you can do it sooner...

See the first and second threads via here: http://www.ohioriders.net/showthread.php?t=100898 Drive. It's what can separate the less powered, smaller motored, better riders from the big bikes or can get you to that better lap time if done correctly. What I truly hate about instruction at times is the focus on the things that really aren't as important. Yes, you need to learn to brake later and control your machine on entry, but too often, the rider is blazing into a corner because they "think" they can outbrake and pass the rider in front and get a better position on the track in a race or lower their lap times if they learn to deep brake in turns. Fact is simple... Break down your favorite track. Find out what turns are braking turns and which ones are drive turns. The probability that the drive turns outweigh the braking turns is very high. Why? Simple. Drive turns are those turns where you gain more from a better drive than you do from a deep outbraking move. Let's look at Mid-Ohio and Nelson since these seem to be the most attended tracks. We can even discuss Putnam as it is certainly a corner track that is important. I will let you all ask the questions and we can break it down. But, the idea is rather easy. The fact that when deep braking, you are killing speed in general, you need to make that speed up, correct? Mid turn or higher corner speed can be in jeopardy when late braking. You scrubbing speed can eliminate the mid corner speed you need. So, how do we get fast times when you kill speed? Late braking is something that you tend to do in a race situation. It sometimes is needed to get in front of the person in front to break away or catch those "breaking away" in front of you. Braking duals are awesome to watch, great to do and certainly entertaining. Bike is loose, rear wheel up off the ground and things moving fast. But, how many times have you seen a guy late brake another rider only to be passed right back mid turn? Why is that? For the purpose of this topic, the idea is to cut the most efficient and effective lap you can. There are going to be braking turns and there are going to be turns that just do not benefit the rider from braking vs drive. Putnam's bus stop is an example. But, that's really it. Sure, you can late brake into turn 1, but the idea is corner speed and drive at Putnam. Too often, you can pass under brakes only to have the guy you passed be held up or pass you right back between 1 and 2. Mid corner speed leads to a solid drive and corners like 2, 4, Dead Bear and 10 are turns where without solid drive, you will be losing ground. Even turn 9 has drive elements. Point is that drive will take a kid on a 600 coming out of the Keyhole at Mid-Ohio and have him right on the rear wheel of a liter bike that is power down the straight. How is it possible for a 600 to either pass a liter bike before the kink at Mid-O or be VERY hard to reel in on a liter bike at that point? Reason is his drive out of the Keyhole was more efficient and more effective. He was on the gas sooner and driving while the liter bike was either yet to get on the throttle or still managing neutral throttle and yet to pull the trigger. This is also why it is typical to see 600s so close in lap times and often times, faster at tracks than liter bikes. You cannot grab throttle to full open as soon as you can on a 600. Corner speed is it's specialty. Ever see the 125 kids that run 35s-36s during the Red Bull Rookie's Cup at Mid-Ohio on 125s? It isn't due to late braking and high horse power. It is corner speed and maintaining high speeds and solid drives out of turns. This can be done on ANY machine, but limited in terms of the power delivery. So, each machine needs a little more attention and care, but the idea is the same. Drive is better than braking. Mid-Ohio has maybe 1 turn that you can late brake someone on. That is a minor detail when you consider the drive turns. 1, Keyhole, off the back straight, down the hill, up the hill under the bridge, out of 10 into Thunder and between 14 and the carousel along with drive onto the front straight. See where drive becomes an important issue? Same with Nelson. Turn 1 to 2. 4, carousel exit, out of 12 and on to the front straight. Braking late into 4 may work, but if the rider in front is solid at drive, they will run the outside and carry speed around back. Braking into 12 seems to be the only strong braking turn there. Again, vs drive turns, you see importance of drive. So, how do you accomplish this? Well, that's a little tough to handle. The idea is to have everything under control. Done braking, done settling into the turn and ready to let the machine chew on pavement. You need to work on getting the bike to where it is ready to pull the trigger. Too often, guys are braking so early that they scrub the speed so much that they have destroyed setting up the drive. Yes, you can pull the trigger earlier, but you have lost ground. The fine line of late braking and solid braking will determine the loss or sustainability of speed. Drive is what ties it all together. You can over brake, you can late brake. Either way, one may be better if done well. But, typical of what I see out there, the rider tends to brake too much and too soon. But, fear not. If settled in, get your lines done correctly and have the bike planted and ready for throttle input, you can excel in drive and have some seriously solid laps. The key to solid drive is to be able to get on to the throttle sooner. But, it isn't the only way. You need to put all three things together to pull off a great corner. Braking, mid turn and drive. But, they all work together. Thinking you can make ground on late braking will show you are wrong unless you can back that up with amazing drive. I have seen guys come in sideways and scrubbing speed and pass a guy with traditional style that is smooth and not loose coming in on the brakes. The smooth guy can start his drive sooner since the bike is settled and fluid. The late brake sideways guy needs the bike to stop and settle in. That time gets absorbed and the smooth guy gets to drive sooner. Now, there will be cases where sideways late braking and solid drive assist in getting the pass done or fast laps. Happens all the time. But, to the majority of us on this board, that is something that isn't going to happen. Fundamentals are what we are looking at and if you think you can drop lap times with late braking, you can. But, your times will drop more if you work on the drive corners at whatever track you are at. I can promise that drive turns outweigh braking turns and this is where the higher % of lap times being lowered and riders becoming better exists. I see some groups teaching braking, passing and body position. For the sake of Novice and lower end I groups, this works. Fundamentals in those areas. But, higher end I group riders and Advanced riders, you need to know that should be something you always work on, but should have a basic understanding of and do at least on an average to above average amount. The work on drive is to get you to the next level. Just as in anything, there are levels of it all. Levels of braking. Levels of corner speed and levels of drive. Are you at the start or sitting solid in the middle? Are you able to spin the rear with control and use that as a tool or are you just starting to work on getting to the throttle opened position as soon as possible? It's all at levels and we all work at different speeds and have different ability levels. So, take it as suggestions and lets work on questions and see what we can do to assist your progress. Begin...

A skilled rider can also save a front end tuck with their knee. Doesn't mean everyone can do it... I am not trying to defend the guy as I agree his info is sketchy at best. But, he is clearly talking about a bike NOT IN A STRAIGHT LINE as he put in bold. He is discussing the effects of locking the brakes at 100mph while leaned over. He is talking gyroscopic things and rake/trail of a bike and how it pertains to handling... Your example is fine, but also realize that stunters put in HEAVY weight oil and crank steering dampers to full tilt. Ever tried to steer a stunt bike? They arent sloppy like my bike with next to zero steering damper input... Point is that if you did that stoppie on my race bike with my damper set to almost zero, the bike will get sloppy and most likely cause a crash. You can setup almost anything in the world to go against a statement made for the overall general out there. Road characteristics CAN play an issue into the way a bike reacts while leaned over. Going over ripples in the pavement, etc can cause feedback that can change the way a chassis reacts. So, that is not false either... Again, not defending the guy, but to call him a troll is somewhat unfair. I would say he understands what a bike does and is trying to state things for others to understand. I unfortunately think he expresses them poorly. Maybe not in a totally wrong fashion as he does have some valid points, but it is somewhat confusing obviously, but I understand what he is trying to say. I think you might want to take what his point is and try and understand what he is TRYING to convey and then respond. Otherwise, it looks just as bad to make fun of the guy when you aren't very accurate in your own points of response...

Uh, not sure you're grasping the idea even if he's somewhat saying it wrong. He's talking about a bike that is turning and the process it goes through while handling turns, etc. The example you are giving has nothing to do with the idea. Wheelies and stoppies don't work with a whole lot that road race or track day bikes work with. His concept is the bike will crash while leaned over and rear brake stomped. Straight up and down is not a trail or steering angle issue.

I have a BRAND NEW KTM User Setting Tool. This is a tool that allows you to adjust fuel settings and assorted things related to the FI systems on KTM street and MX/Off Road machines. This is similar to something like a Power Commander for your FI bike, but with a little more adjustability and preciseness. Brand New in the box and just as if you would buy from a dealer. Retail is over $700. Best deal on the internet is $499.99 with shipping. Asking $400 shipped OBO. If you are local and we can meet up to avoid shipping, I can do $350.

I might have a set. Let me check in the trailer...

It's a lot about geometry also. You can get great handling from raising and lowering the forks and rear ride height depending on the year of bike and setup, etc. Adding trail to these newer bikes seems to be the key for some reason. Not sure why the factories do not have the trail numbers closer where we race with, but that seems to be the dealio.