Join us here at 21:00 CET (That’s 1:00 pm in Los Angles, 4:00pm New York, 8:00pm London and 7:00 am Sydney) for our live blog of the release of the 2015 Yamaha R1 – likely to be the biggest release of the year for the sportsbike fraternity. We’ve seen the images, watched the teaser videos and read the rumors, but all will become clear in just a few days.
We’ll see you then.
The rumors have been circulating for a few months now and we reported on it back in July. Today, it was officially announced that Mercedes-AMG will purchase a 25% interest in the Italian marque for an undisclosed price. In addition to the financial exchange, the two brand will also cooperate on marketing and sales initiatives, plus Mercedes-AMG will be able to appoint one board member. If approval is granted by the relevant Italian authorities, the purchase will occur sometime in November.
This will mean that the three main German car manufactuers will now have a presence in the motorcycle industry (BMW with BMW Motorrad and Volkswagon with Ducati).
The full press release is below:
The sports-car and performance brand Mercedes-AMG of the Daimler AG and the motorcycle manufacturer MV Agusta have signed a cooperation agreement on a long-term
partnership. Cooperation between the two high-end brands with long traditions and histories will include the area of marketing and sales. At the same time, Mercedes-AMG GmbH will acquire a 25% interest in MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. No details have been disclosed of the price to be paid for the stake in MV Agusta Motor. Mercedes-AMG will appoint one member of MV Agusta’s board of directors. The partnership is still subject to the approval of the relevant authorities, which is expected to be granted in late
November.
Tobias Moers, Chief Executive of Mercedes-AMG GmbH: “In MV Agusta, we have found the perfect two-wheel partner for Mercedes-AMG. This manufacturer with a long tradition and Mercedes-AMG are connected not only by a long and successful racing history, but also by shared values and goals for the future – allowing the experience of utmost perfection, optimal performance and motorsport technology for the road. The cooperation with MV Agusta also underscores the importance of AMG as the sports-car and high-performance brand of Mercedes-Benz Cars. The partnership provides us with an entry into a world of additional high-performance enthusiasts.”
Giovanni Castiglioni, President and CEO of MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., commented: “MV Agusta and Mercedes-AMG are a perfect brand fit: Two complementary companies that stand for design, high performance and excellence. Mercedes-AMG will help MV Agusta to further expand globally and to accelerate our growth. The uniqueness of MV Agusta will further enhance Mercedes-AMG’s leadership in the high-performance segment.”
Wilko Stark, Vice President Daimler Strategy & Mercedes-Benz Cars Product Strategy and Planning: “The positioning of Mercedes-AMG as the performance brand in the Mercedes-Benz product portfolio will be further strengthened through the strategic partnership with MV Agusta. The strategic cooperation with MV Agusta will allow us to address high-performance enthusiasts with automobiles and with motorcycles.
Through the cooperation in the area of marketing and sales, we will be able to attract new target groups for both companies all over the world.”
As a 100% subsidiary of Daimler AG, Mercedes-AMG GmbH is the sports-car and performance brand of Mercedes-Benz Cars. The company was founded in 1967 by Hans Werner Aufrecht and Erhard Melcher, and built its reputation on the basis of great success in motorsport and a unique product portfolio. At present, the Affalterbach-based company employs approximately 1,200 people, of whom 700 are active in the area of development engineering. This reflects the company’s high technological standards and self-image: Mercedes-AMG automobiles are today renowned worldwide for high performance, perfection and precision, and are the benchmark in many areas. The company’s motorsport DNA is tangible in every model, and especially in the two sports cars completely developed in Affalterbach, the SLS and the recently unveiled Mercedes-AMG GT, which will further enhance the profile of the performance brand. In 2013, Mercedes-AMG achieved unit sales of 32,000 cars; by the middle of this year, a total of 23,000 AMG automobiles had been sold.
In the AMG engine factory in Affalterbach, highly qualified engine mechanics build the engines by hand according to the highest quality standards and the principle of “one man, one engine” – as witnessed by the AMG engine plate bearing the signature of the responsible mechanic. This exclusive craftsmanship fits exactly with the MV Agusta philosophy of raising the development and manufacturing of motorcycles to another level:
“motorcycle art.”
MV Agusta Motor S.p.A., headquartered in Varese/Italy, was originally founded in 1945 by Domenico Agusta. The North Italian manufacturer attained international renown for its advanced technology and high performance, which helped to make it one of the most successful brands in the world of motorcycle racing. MV Agusta motorcycles represent dedication to the perfect balance of high performance and breathtaking Italian design. The company currently employs a workforce of approximately 260 employees at its headquarters located on the shore of Lago di Varese in Northern Italy, of whom 90 work in the area of research and development. MV Agusta’s product portfolio is based on two main platforms, comprising three- and four-cylinder models ranging from 675 to 1100 cubic centimeters engine displacement and occupying the supersport, superbike, sports-naked and crossover segments. MV Agusta Motor S.p.A. is also the owner of Cagiva, a further renowned Italian historical motorcycle brand.
Through the sales-and-marketing partnership with Mercedes-AMG, the producer of high-performance motorcycles should further accelerate its growth, which has been at a double-digit rate for the past five years. The continuing extension of its motorcycle range will be announced at the forthcoming EICMA international motorcycle fair in Milan. MV Agusta will present new models in the sports-naked segment embodying the maximum expression of design and power – the Brutale 800 RR and the Dragster 800 RR. With the all new Stradale 800 and the all new Turismo Veloce 800 models, MV Agusta will continue its expansion by entering the touring market segment for the first time.
Ride to Live is a new safety initiative just launched by the State Government of New South Wales. In addition to the usual tips and and pointers that are good for new and old riders alike, there’s some great interactive tests on the website and excellent videos on things that we sometimes take for granted.
The campaign was created around the premise of what keeps motorcyclists safe – making good decisions. The campaign gives riders useful information about the risks they face on the road and how they can best manage them. What’s really good though is that the Ride to Live campaign hasn’t been created by a group of desk bound bureaucrats that hate motorcycles and motorcyclists. It’s had strong input from the main motorcycling organisations in New South Wales, including the NSW Motorcycle Alliance and the Motorcycle Council of NSW.
Another great aspect of the campaign is that it also targets drivers. “Right from the start, it was essential for us that this motorcycle safety campaign did not just talk to motorcyclists, but to drivers as well,” Margaret Prendergast, Centre for Road Safety General Manager said. “This is why we have developed a television ad that specifically speaks to drivers.
“The ad challenges drivers to think about how closely they look for motorcyclists. It reminds drivers to check blind spots and look out for motorcyclists, so they can help them ride to live.”
A sobering statistic is that there were almost 2700 motorcyclists killed or injured in NSW last year and even though motorcycles only represent 4 per cent of motor vehicle registrations, they account for 21 per cent of all road fatalities and 12 per cent of all road injuries. The campaign targets commuter and recreational riders and addresses the different risks they face. Commuter riders are more likely to have crashes with other vehicles and at intersections, while recreational riders are more prone to single vehicle crashes or incidents on curves.
Visit the website here, which also features some great ideas for motorcycle trips, and also check out the YouTube videos here.
Target fixation is one of the main causes of single vehicle motorcycle crashes and fatalities among new riders. The term was originally coined in WWII to describe how air force pilots could potentially fly into targets during bombing or strafing runs. When you target fixate, you are likely to steer in the direction of what you are looking at, ultimately causing an otherwise completely avoidable collision.
A common and usually benign example is that of a pothole. You see it ahead of you and what happens? You keep looking at it and run right over it instead of making a slight course adjustment and missing it. The phenomenon of target fixation usually occurs because of the following:
Strangely, there isn’t a great deal of scientific material on the psychology behind target fixation, but it’s a very similar situation to when people freeze up when under pressure. The only difference is that on a bike, you’re not standing still – you’re moving at a rapid pace with the risk of hitting something very, very hard.
So how can you overcome it? Like almost everything, practice will greatly reduce and hopefully even eliminate the risk of target fixation. Here are some practical ways to overcome it.
1. Look with your head, not just your eyes
If you’re merely looking with your eyes and not moving your head, it’s possible you’re just going with the flow and not actively thinking about riding. By keeping your eyes as forward as possible and moving your head in the direction you want to look, you’re concentrating more and are therefore more actively engaged in your ride.
2. Actively scan
By actively scanning with your eyes, you minimize the amount of time you look at one particular object. Keep your eyes dancing around so to speak. Never let your eyes lock on something for too long – that helps prevent you from focusing on an object in an emergency. Another way to put it is to look in the general direction of where you’re travelling, not a specific point.
3. Talk to yourself.
Doing this might make you look crazy, but it’s actually a fantastic way to not only prevent target fixation but to break out of it should it actually happen. By talking to yourself, you’re actively reminding yourself what you should be doing.
Begin by saying something like “Look” as in look where you want to go when you’re in a corner, or “Push” as in push the bars of the bike. Eventually, you won’t need to do this all the time but you’ll have it in your mind so that if you do find yourself target fixating on something, use that key word – shout it to yourself and you’ll hopefully break the spell your mind has on you.
4. Look through the corner
This relates to 1 and 2, but is more broad and is a skill that you should use for riding anyway – not just to avoid target fixation. So often, we look just in front of our bike. You’ll see hazards doing this but it’s generally too late to do anything about it.
By looking ahead and through corners (and straights for that matter), you give yourself plenty of time to not only avoid hazards, but set up correct riding lines too. Look where you want to go, not at what you want to avoid.
5. Relax
When you tense up, you tend to make errors. Your body clamps up both physically and mentally and you greatly increase the chances of doing the wrong thing. Of course, learning to relax isn’t always easy. Breathing exercises help and again, talking to yourself. Telling yourself to “Relax” can actually work – it reminds you that your bike is far more capable than you give it credit for and it will make the turn if you ask it to.
In less than two weeks, the biggest annual motorcycle show, EICMA, will get underway in Milan, Italy. And while this year a number of big announcements came from Intermot in Cologne, there’s still plenty to get excited about that’s coming our way as it’s clear there’s definitely a resurgence in the industry. So what new motorcycles will be unveiled at EICMA 2015? Let’s take a look at what is definitely making an appearance and what may be.
Kawasaki
Most of the excitement at Intermot was by way of Kawasaki’s H2R track only superbike. The supercharged machine garnered a huge amount of attention with the surprise being that there was actually two bikes – the second being the Kawasaki H2, which will be a slightly more sane version of the bike. Rumors are that it will output roughly 230hp, but that will be confirmed at EICMA.
Potentially, Kawasaki may show updated versions of the Ninja 650 and ER6-n after the Versys 650 update that was recently announced.
Yamaha
Probably the most anticipated release at EICMA this year will be the brand new Yamaha R1. It’s been many years since the bike received an upgrade and this will be the first of the big four Japanese liter bikes getting some proper love and attention since the GFC crippled the market.
The 2015 Yamaha R1 is expected to have over 200hp, a whole range of technical gadgets and like the new Kawasaki H2/H2R, may be sold both as a street bike and a separate track only version.
Yamaha will also be officially unveiling the FJ-09 – a crosstourer version of the hugely successful MT-09. It will feature the same brilliant 847cc triple and will hopefully come with some better sorted suspension.
There’s a slight chance of an updated Yamaha R6, but given how much press Yamaha has already had recently, they’ll probably hold that announcement back until 2015.
Husqvarna
Dirt bike and supermoto manufacturer Husqvarna has announced that they will be unveiling a large capacity single-cylinder street bike at EICMA. What this will be exactly isn’t known at this stage but an educated guess is that it could be a production version of the Husqvarna 701, a concept bike that was actually shown at last year’s EICMA.
That particular bike was based on a KTM 690 SMC (Husqvarna’s parent company these days) so it’s highly likely that whatever we do see in Milan, it will use one of KTM’s large capacity singles. That concept pumped out a very reasonable 75hp – if that remains we’ll see a pretty potent package from what will be a fairly lightweight bike.
Ducati
After finally showing the world the much hyped Ducati Scrambler at Intermot, there’s not really going to be any way the Italian marque can produce anything as special. That said, from a technological perspective, they will be showing the new Ducati Multistrada which will feature a brand new engine – one with variable valve timing.
That may sound very boring, as variable valve timing has been a common feature in car engines for decades now. But it’s never been utilized in a motorcycle engine before (Honda’s VTEC is a slightly different version of the technology). Ducati says the new engine in the Multistrada increases horsepower and torque by 10hp and 11nm over the previous 1200 cc engine, while fuel consumption decreased by 8%
Triumph
After cancelling their 250cc Daytona bike, Triumph needs something to improve things. They’re doing it by way of a major expansion of their Triumph Tiger 800 range – no less than six new models based on the bike.
Leaked documents reveal that three will be more road focused bikes while another three will be more adventure/crosstourer motorcycles.
EICMA will begin on November 6 in Milan, Italy.
You’re hopefully well aware that you should set your motorcycle tire pressures according your bike manufacturers recommendation. That generally means a tire pressure that strikes a balance between grip and tire wear and will probably range anywhere from 32psi to 42psi (generally with higher pressures in the rear tire). But when you’re at the track, your only concern is grip. So how do you go about setting the correct pressure motorcycle tire pressure for a track day?
In almost all instances, you’ll set far lower pressures for the track than for the road. That’s because the lower the pressure, the more the tire will deform at speed – deformation creates more friction between the tire and the track which in turns generates heat. And the more heat (up to a point) the more grip you’ll have. Lowering tire pressures also creates a larger contact patch, which means more rubber in contact with the track and hence again more grip.
If you’re an occasional track day rider, there’s no need to get too scientific. Most people recommend 28psi to 30psi on the front tire and 30-32psi at the rear. Don’t be tempted to go any less than these figures, as you’ll eventually hit a point where the pressure is so low that it begins to slow steering and turning.
If you’re more regular at the track or even an amateur racer, you can start to experiment a bit more and try different combinations of pressures. But if you’re such a rider, it’s likely you’ll begin to use dedicated track tires (either slicks or extremely performance orientated grooved tires). Here, you can again take the manufacturers recommended advice, but this time of the tire manufacturer and not your bike manufacturer.
Michelin has a great website called Michelin Power, where it allows you to choose your bike, the track you’re racing at and even the general weather conditions to get a tire pressure recommendation. You’ll see recommendations of 23-32psi for race slicks as they’re properly designed for high temperature/high grip situations.
But if lowering your tire pressures at the track is such a good idea, why not do it for everyday riding too? Because if you do, your tires will firstly wear to quickly but worse, they’ll deform to a dangerous shape. On the track, you’ll be leaned over on the bike much more than on the road, where you’re probably upright around 90% of the time. By lowering your pressures, you’ll wear the middle of the tire out and ‘square off’ the tire. A squared off tire will completely change the handling characteristics of your bike for the worse. You’ll have more than enough grip for street use following the manufacturers recommendations.
And remember, regardless of when you’re setting pressures at the track or on the street, ensure you do it while the tire is cold or you’ll have the wrong pressures once your tires heat up – cold inflation pressure is key.
What do all sportsbikes need but don’t have? Yes, tank grips. Leather pants and shiny smooth motorcycle tanks aren’t the best combination when it comes to grip. And when you’re braking from 6th gear into a 2nd gear corner, there’s no worse feeling than sliding forward on your seat – it reduces your control and therefore slows you down. But like with many things in life, not all are created equal. So let’s take a look at the three most popular brands of motorcycle tank grips which we’ve tested for your benefit.
Stomp Grip
Stomp Grip pads take the most aggressive approach out of the pads tested, featuring pronounced ridges (which Stomp Grip describes as volcanoes) on a plastic sheet. There’s quite a lot of detail in these little volcanoes though – each volcano has a flat top which increases surface area, plus as you can see from the closeup below, those little indents surrounding each peak increases the edges for you to lock your legs onto. This creates grip yet at the same time doesn’t catch or snag your leathers.
And despite their scientific explanation sounding more like a sales gimmick, it really does work. The general consensus is that Stomp Grip provides marginally more traction than Tech-Spec pads do. Marginal is probably an apt description because I personally am hard pressed to feel the difference – but perhaps I just don’t brake hard enough.
There are two issues with Stomp Grips though – their application and their comfort. It really is difficult to apply Stomp Grips without air bubbles forming underneath. And because of the ridged nature of the surface, you can’t use a ruler of other flat object to squeeze those air bubbles out to the side.
The issue of comfort is more for those who sometimes don’t fully gear up. If you ever wear shorts on your bike, you’ll find the Stomp Grips slightly annoying on your bare skin. It’s not like digging needles in to your legs, but it’s definitely something you’ll notice. But with jeans or leather pants on you’ll be fine.
A third issue which I didn’t experience from a year of use is their effect on your riding gear. You’ll come across some stories on the internet saying that Stomp Grip ‘ruined’ their leathers or jeans. Given there’s no sharp edges on a new Stomp Grip that what rip material, I can only assume that the grips deteriorated over time to cause such an issue. Be alert but not alarmed.
TechSpec
TechSpec pads in my view are more attractive looking than Stomp-Grip pads, though they are thicker, with their C3 pads 0.1 inches thick (their more aggressive Snake Skin pads are thicker at 0.125 inches). Unlike Stomp Grip which uses ridges, TechSpec relies on what they call synthetica rubber – a very grippy (but not sticky) material that is smooth to touch but with a very good coefficient of friction when you try to slide along it. And while the TechSpec C3 and Snake Skin pads don’t have the pronounced ‘volcano’ ridges as Stomp Grip does, the diamond pattern does allow your gear to ‘catch’ on the pads – it’s just more subtle.
These grips are very easy to apply, notably because you can take them off and reapply them multiple times and they will still remain adhesive to your bike. You can go so far as to remove them from your bike after a period of time and put them on another bike, they’ll still remain sticky for around eight or nine applications. Prices for TechSpec pads roughly around 15% more than Stomp-Grip, but in addition to the side pads, TechSpec also provides a tank top pad – so you get a nice uniform look to your bike so in the end they’re probably better value.
Eazi-Grip
My experience with Eazi-Grip lasted all of two months before i pulled them off and replaced them with TechSpec C3’s. They are the cheapest out of the three options here and perhaps with good reason.
Firstly, application is about the same as Stomp Grips. Air bubbles will be hard to avoid and especially so if you’re using the transparent version. Grip wasn’t up to par with either the Stomp Grips or TechSpec either – their ridges are much more rounded and smooth than the ‘volcanoes’ that Stomp Grips utilize, and the surface of the plastic has no friction qualities like TechSpec.
But given the price (up to half that of TechSpec or Stomp Grip) I could live with that. What I couldn’t live with was that within a few months, the edges of the Eazi-Grips were fraying and coming off. With even just a small part of the edge exposed, further use eroded them even more. I also found that with some time out in the sun, the clear transparent color started to turn a yellowish hue, making them look dirty.
That being said, maybe I was unfortunate, or perhaps the standard black grips are better. Eazi-Grips have a good following in the UK and are actually used by a lot of competitors in the British Superbike series.
Conclusion
So which to buy? It’s really a choice between the Stomp Grips and TechSpec. If you absolutely need the best possible grip available, the Stomp Grips will provide you with just marginally better performance. But for quality, feel and value I would be putting my money down on a kit from TechSpec.
One of the best ways to improve the handling of your bike is to adjust the rear preload settings of your suspension. And with most bikes, it’s something you can change using the tools that come with your toolkit. It’s a free upgrade! And while you can adjust your rear preload settings through trial and error, the best way to change your rear preload is to properly understand it, take some measurements and then test.
Just to clear up any confusion – adjusting rear preload in no way either stiffens or softens your rear suspension. It also does not change your spring rate. All it does is change up or down the initial position of the suspension, either when you’re sitting on it your bike or not – these terms are known as Rider Sag and Static Sag.
When you sit on your bike, you’ll note that the suspension compresses a bit. This is what you want to happen, but depending on your weight it may compress too little or too much. Ideally, you want the majority of the suspension travel to be available for actually riding – not supporting your weight. This is why it’s necessary to adjust rear preload as bike manufacturers obviously set their sag amounts on what they deem is an average person’s weight.
So how do you correctly set your rear preload? We need to take three measurements. For all three measurements you need to measure from the center of the rear axle (marked with a yellow circle below) and a fixed point above the axle. I’ve placed a mark on the pillion grab rail, marked below with a blue circle.
Measurement A
Our first measurement we take is to see what the fully unloaded, or unweighted length of the rear suspension is. This measurement only ever needs to be taken once, even after you change the preload settings.
To measure it correctly, there can’t be any weight on the rear wheel. If you have a center stand the you’re in luck. If not, you’ll need to improvise. You can’t use a paddock stand as weight will still be going through the rear swingarm where the paddock stand attaches to. In the picture above, I chocked the front wheel and used a car jack under the bike with some styrofoam to prevent any scratches. If you’ve got some strong friends, they could hold the rear of the bike up while you perform the measurement.
Measurement B
Our next measurement gives us the normal suspension length, or the length of the suspension under the bike’s own weight. Place the bike back down like you’re parking it but try to have it as upright as possible (i.e. not leaning on its side using the kickstand).
Measurement C
The final measurement we take will provide us with the fully loaded length of the rear suspension. This is the length of the rear suspension when you sit on the bike. To be as accurate as possible, it’s best to put on all your riding gear and sit on the bike just as if you were on the road. You’ll need some help here, as you won’t be able to make the measurement while sitting on the bike and also to help balance the bike while it’s off the kickstand. Make sure your feet are on the pegs and not the ground to get an accurate measurement.
Now, let’s use those measurements and convert them to our Rider Sag and Static Sag figures.
Rider Sag = A – C
Rider Sag is how much the bike ‘drops’ when you sit on it. The ideal figure for Rider Sag is between 30mm and 40mm. Some prefer to be as close to 30mm as possible, but for general street riding and the occasional track day, around 35mm should be fine.
If your Rider Sag is above 40mm then it means your rear preload is too soft and conversely, below 30mm means it’s too hard.
Static Sag = A – B
Static Sag is how much the bike’s own weight acts on the rear suspension. The ideal range here is between 5mm and 10mm. If your static sag figure is more than 10mm it means your springs are too soft whereas a figure less than 5mm means your springs are too hard for you.
Once you have your figures you’ll then know if you need to dial in more rear preload or less of it. Each bike will be different when it comes to preload settings so consult your owners manual. Cheaper bikes offer limited settings which makes it harder to get the preload accurate.
As mentioned before adjusting rear preload does not change the stiffness or softness of your springs. So you may very well find that even if you get the Rider Sag in the sweet spot of 35mm, your Static Sag may still be outside the ideal range. Try your best to ensure you have a bit of static sag, otherwise your suspension can top out. Therefore, you may need to increase the Rider Sag to 40mm just to get the Static Sag up to 5mm, or any other number of combinations.
Once you made the adjustments, take the bike for a ride. Don’t go on the smoothest piece of bitumen you can find as that doesn’t let the suspension go through its range. Hit the twisties and see how it feels. If you’re not happy with it, adjust it again and measure B and C and see how that goes.
Taking your motorcycle to a track day is a great way to not only test out the true capabilities of your machine in a safe environment, but to also improve your skills on a bike – skills that will translate to the road as well. There’s a lot to take in though. Riding at speeds that would get you locked up if you tried them on the road are the norm and that’s just in the straights. It’s going fast through the corners that provides the real exhilaration, leaning over while the bitumen below races by. And whether you’ve been riding a motorcycle for 1 year or 10, whether you’ve got a cruiser or a sportsbike or whether you intend one day to actually race, we’ve written down what to expect at your first motorcycle track day.
Nerves
If you’re a normal person, you’ll get nervous. The prospect of hitting speeds double what you experience on the streets is enough to get you thinking about your own mortality. But think about it this way, you’re much safer going 120mph in an environment like a track with large amounts of runoff and open spaces as opposed to going 60mph on the road with trees, street poles and cars all around.
But nerves are good. It’s an instinctual part of being human that keeps you safe. It stops you from doing stupid things, so listen to your body. Your bike may be capable of going 100mph around turn 4, but if only feel comfortable at 60mph, then do that. Don’t push yourself early on.
Dehydration
Even if you’re riding in the colder months, you will sweat inside full leathers. And in the hotter months the amount you perspire will increase dramatically. Compared to any other sport, motorcyclists are at greatest risk for dehydration due to the fact you’ve effectively got a microclimate inside your leathers where it’s difficult for heat to escape.
Dehydration can cause general weakness, muscle cramps, and loss of concentration – all not good things if you’re preparing to brake at the end of a straight in sixth gear. Every time you finish a session, drink a good amount of water, no exceptions. It’s a common occurrence that at your first motorcycle track day you may get dehydrated if you don’t take proper care.
Fatigue
Even if you do keep up your water intake, fatigue is going to be a factor after a day of riding at your limits. If you’re hanging off your bike and moving side to side by putting weight through the pegs, your leg muscles will get a work out. Even your right hand will begin to cramp from twisting the throttle and pulling in the brake lever.
Seeing as you probably won’t be visiting the track regularly, the best way to overcome this is general fitness. Try exercises using your legs, hand and wrists. Riding a bicycle is actually a great way to improve your fitness for motorcycle riding. For your hands, a simple ball you can squeeze will do wonders to prevent hand cramps.
Other Riders Will Be Much, Much Better Than You
At any track day there will be a vast range of abilities on show. Some will be at their first track day too, others will be semi-professionals with decades of experience. And they will be very good, but don’t compare. In fact, comparing yourself and trying to keep up is the worst thing you can do. At all times you should ride within your comfort zone. If a young kid on his Ninja 300 blasts past you on the outside of a turn while you’re on your Yamaha R6, don’t worry.
For all you know, he could be running on slicks as opposed to street tires and have a custom suspension set up. And that’s in addition to potentially more experience than yourself. So don’t try to keep up – run your own race so to speak – you’ll get quicker over time.
Progress
As just stated, you’ll get quicker over time. If you have the ability to time your laps (or the track provides such an service) you’ll find that you’ll take massive chunks of time off your afternoon laps in comparison to your morning ones. Don’t use your first motorcycle track day as a barometer of your ability. Motorcycle riding is a sport and in any sport, practice results in improvement.
If you have a GPS timer on your bike or if you haven’t taped up your speedometer, you’ll probably see that the speeds you’re taking into and out of corners increases dramatically during the course of the day. And that improvement will happen every time you visit the track.
Added to this, you’ll probably start to brake later into the corners too. If you can work on your body position, you’ll start to hang off the bike more which creates less lean angle, which assists with faster speed in the turns.
If you really want to see how much you’re progressing, pick one or two corners on the track that you feel comfortable with and try to really focus on braking later in to them and getting back on the throttle sooner. After a few laps you’ll probably surprise yourself how much quicker you can be in them.
Comradery
If you’ve got an interest in motorcycles, then you’ve instantly got something in common with the people either side of you in the pits. And it doesn’t matter if the person next to you is on their first or their hundredth track day, they’ll be more than happy to speak to you.
If it’s also their first track day, then you can swap stories about how you’re going. If it’s their hundredth track day, ask as many questions as you can because they’ll be more than happy to divulge whatever knowledge they have.
It’s a cliché, but if you’re open to it, you’ll make friends just as easily here as anywhere else
Fun
In addition to wanting to improve your ridecraft, having fun is probably the most important thing to get out of a track day. Yes, you’ll get hot, yes, your muscles will get sore and to start off with you’ll probably be pretty nervous. But after your first session, you’ll end up having a grin as wide as your face. If you think riding a motorcycle on regular roads is like a fun, wait until you do your first motorcycle track day..
Just make sure your bank balance can handle your new found addiction.
A screen capture from a Youtube video has surfaced showing the street legal version of the Kawasaki Ninja H2 in fairly good detail. As can be seen, there’s a license plate holder at the rear and different exhaust can. Other major differences are a different front windshield and some of the front wings replaced by indicators. The single sided swingarm remains.
