California Super Bike School Level 1

[Yakaru]

Background: Both Momaru and I took some major vacation this June to go on a tour of California with a big finale of going to CSBS. We're still writing the ride report of the tour, but here is our combined report on the school.

The day before:
Prep -- we stripped off Saturn (my 300)'s fairings and changed over Perigee (Momaru's 250) to use the black fairings/tank I had left over from my 250 -- looks great and now Momaru has a spare set of track pieces. We also got a set of Diablo 2 tires mounted, changed the oil, checked coolant, got gas, and loaded my trailer with both bikes. Alarms were set for 3 am and we hit the hay as early as possible.
- Most amusing event: Momaru leaves to get gas after finishing the rest of prep. Shows back up 15 minutes later "I need your key to open the gastank" -- doh! the joys of mixing parts from two bikes!

The trip there:
Out the door by 4 am, stopped for breakfast at an IHOP about 1/3rd of the way there -- only other customer was apparently well known for planting flys in food then demanding a free meal, which was amusing but put us on a bit of edge as it soaked up enough time that we were pushing it a bit to make the 7 am deadline at the track. At the track itself we had a bit of a time (big signs for "Streets at Willow" led to a locked gate, had to go in the 'main' entrance then weave our way back to Streets. There was very very little signage or guidance (despite the two guys at the front gate) on where to go, but luckily we found the right place in short order and got signed in.

Training/The Day Itself:
Both of us were put in the "green" group (which was mostly level 1 first timers); the basic structure was 'lecture, rest, ride' with some solid 20 minute track sessions. The overall 'value' of the school was pretty high -- both of us walked away with some definite improvement/knowledge of weaknesses. In my case the big 'personal' lesson was about how to position my body (I tend to work my way up the seat and end up crossing myself up, Paul on the other hand has a habit to stiff arm the bike which leads to a more dramatic lean off than is probably needed). The more general training was also valuable, though the best part was just being told 'focus on just that' for a track session -- we both know the theory pretty well but it's amazing to actually just train one of those pieces in isolation. Honestly the most valuable 30 seconds of the entire track time was when my coach pulled me off mid-session and gave me very specific instructions. Paul's most valuable time was with Steph on the off track training (which for us consisted of the steering drill), this was probably my 2nd most valuable time.

Another interesting thing was how lessons 3 and lesson 4 (quick turns and rider input) flowed into each other; lesson 3 didn't really "gel" until the goal of minimizing input in the next lesson came into play, then I was much better able to evaluate if I was doing my inputs as quickly as possible and then relaxing on the bars.

Training Style/CSBS Review:
We were both super happy with the training but here's some commentary for anyone planning to go. First, the traditional coaching style is sort of socratic -- your coach wants you to identify where you went wrong. This went okay for me but Paul likes direct feedback; once his coach figured that out he changed styles and the value went up for him immensely (so, if you're going, don't hesitate to tell your coach if you aren't "getting it"). The other big problem is that it's hard to really remember 20 minutes of track time. Both of our coaches would often ask about how we felt in this or that turn and both of us often drew blanks.

Paul had his Contour on (I did too but... uh... my battery wasn't in it, so that wasn't very useful) and watching the video after the day ended was extremely insightful, and really helped him see more about what his coach was saying. Honestly as the tech progresses and gets cheaper I might push schools to just put cameras on everyones' bikes so that you can show the rider exactly what they were doing -- that would've been way way more valuable to both of us.

As mentioned above, the 'off track' coaching was very focused and excellent for both of us, for those of you from CSBS here please see if we can fit more of this in (Hi Misti!). That sort of fast turn around is really valuable: if my coach wants to advise me on a turn I'd love him to pull me in right afterwards when it's fresh. The one time my coach did do this it was my 'most valued' time so I'm speaking from my own experience .

But seriously it was a great experience and I'm planning to go back again (and so is Paul, though he'll have to go to VIR which won't be as nice to our Ninjettes). If anyone has any questions I'm sure both of us would be happy to speak more about our experiences.

P.S. I still have no idea how I did this

Momaru's P.S.: Thank you senior mechanic Will, for reminding me that not all shops do great work, including overtightening the chain and improperly aligning my rear wheel.

[tfkrocks]

Sounds like a blast. Definitely will have to plan on doing that in the future...

Shame you didn't get video footage of yourself. Guess this means you have to go again soon eh?

[CycleCam303]

Thanks for that. Seriously that is one of the better write ups I've read in regards to Cali sbk school.

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by tfkrocks

Sounds like a blast. Definitely will have to plan on doing that in the future...

Shame you didn't get video footage of yourself. Guess this means you have to go again soon eh?

That's the plan The big debate is whether I should do some plain trackdays to practice Level 1's lessons more or just go straight for L2. I'm also hoping my 1 piece comes in soon (ordered back in Feb), I grabbed a Raven jacket for this event . Dainese so slow!

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by CycleCam303

Thanks for that. Seriously that is one of the better write ups I've read in regards to Cali sbk school.

Thanks! We'll be happy to talk about anything else if you're considering going and have any questions. I'll definitely say it isn't for everyone. We had some students in our class whom I'm not sure gained much from it because of their attitude/approach, but for the two of us it was excellent.

There are some topics I wish were covered. For example, the second session of Level 1 is about turn in points, and they mark some 'sample' ones on the track -- but it's not until the Level 2 training that how to pick your own out is discussed in detail. Frustrating, since I really suck at picking a turn in point, but I can't really say I'd swap that out for any of the lessons we got in Level 1.

[CycleCam303]

I like the concept of instant feedback. Tell me what I'm doing wrong and then I work on that one thing. I can imagine the people who wouldn't benefit from the class. I'd like to get some riding instruction.

[algs26]

This was the one day class, right?

I thought you got ride to their BMWs?

Do you think it's better for a beginner to do a track day and then the school (so you have an idea what you're doing) or start right away with school so you don't develop any bad habits?

What made you pick that school? I read somewhere that they want you to do all your braking in a straight line.

Looks like you got bit by the (track) bug if you're trying to decide between track days or level 2.

[Yakaru]

Originally Posted by algs26

This was the one day class, right?

I thought you got ride to their BMWs?

Do you think it's better for a beginner to do a track day and then the school (so you have an idea what you're doing) or start right away with school so you don't develop any bad habits?

What made you pick that school? I read somewhere that they want you to do all your braking in a straight line.

Looks like you got bit by the (track) bug if you're trying to decide between track days or level 2.

One day class. In the one day you have the choice to ride your own or to ride one of theirs.

Beginner vs experienced: This was my 1st track experience but not Paul's. I'd say it's definitely a great first track experience for me, and Paul commented one of his bigger problems will be breaking the bad habits so I might lean towards saying school first -- though the habits were less from his track and more from him just riding longer.

Picking the school: mostly location and research. There are other schools in the area but most are a bit more street focused. The fact that they have a school on the east coast as well influenced it, since I wanted something both of us could continue if we wanted.

Most of our day didn't allow any brakes so there's that :P

As for the "bug", not sure, but I definitely want to practice my technique more and doing that on the street would be pretty dumb. We'll see

[allanoue]

subscribed
Thank you Yakaru

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by algs26

Do you think it's better for a beginner to do a track day and then the school (so you have an idea what you're doing) or start right away with school so you don't develop any bad habits?

What made you pick that school? I read somewhere that they want you to do all your braking in a straight line.

Looks like you got bit by the (track) bug if you're trying to decide between track days or level 2.

Do some sort of school first if you can. You don't take chances on the street do you? Even if a rider "thinks" they have a handle on things, from the safety point of view busting down the back straight at 105 with a sharp corner coming up, it's a nice feeling of confirmation to hear it from someone else. Feel where I am coming from?

Most schools teach braking "straight up" or in a straight line. Your not gunna see trail braking at CSS until you get to level 4 (or the second time taking level 4) or take the "Code Race" school.

CSS is VASTLY different than your average track day. She may not get the track bug from the experience there. Your average track day does not include a formal review of sessions, review of video and the like but instead a short visit from a control rider in the paddock or no visit at all if your doing/did ok. That experience can vary between quite crappy to "of da hook". If you ask, a control rider will follow you and give a breakdown of what they saw and some tips. It's up to you to put them all together or give a "blank stare". YMMV For CSS the roles are reversed. The coaches come to you with feedback and guidance, at a track day it's up to you to seek it.

Tough call on what to do next, really depends on your comfort level with speed and coexisting on the track with others. If you do a standard track day next, expect the speeds to ratchet up and the level coaching to go down but more importantly, the chaos factor to go up.

Glad your time was well spent Yakaru! I bet you gave your coach the best feeling in the world to see "surprise" in your own abilities. As a teacher myself, there is no greater feeling.

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by Yakaru

Background: Both Momaru and I took some major vacation this June to go on a tour of California with a big finale of going to CSBS. We're still writing the ride report of the tour, but here is our combined report on the school..........

We have been missing your posts these days !!!