Oh man that's great drag. Have fun my friend. Hey maybe you'll be noticed by a pro team, get a factory ride, ride awesome equipment and make millions of dollars doing what you love...errr maybe you'll just have a lot of fun and smile a lot. LOL

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hahaha, I wish buddy! Probably option 2! The event is going to run from 6 am to 5 pm with four groups. I'm going to attend all sessions before lunch and then go to every other sessions so I can focus on skills! Maybe I can get lucky and get some 1/1 towards the end of the day!

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Well...cmon man the suspense is killing me.

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I got nothing but time. lol

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Hey Wfozx14 didn't know somebody was going to be interested. It was awesome... at least the am sessions. It rained the night before. The track was a little damp during our first outing. Level 3 ran first, then Level 2 B and Level 2 A. Level 1 (me) we were last. Speed was about 50 mph average which was really good for me. I was too exited and would have probably crashed. Before the second session for level 1, I had ran into the 3 level 2B guys who "made camp" next to me and they were yelling inside their helmets, saying how the track is great and dry fast. One of them had told me he was not going to push it until the pm. I guess he just changed his plans.

I was running 32 F 28 rear. A mistake I regretted later during the day.

Second session was awesome. Coming out of corner 20 (hairpin) and powering out. The way the bike was lifting the front wheel and that little head shake, just like a mad animal. The look on the guy on the S1000 RR when I went from 3rd to 4th. hahaha The bike literally jumped forward pass that guy and continued to accelerate steadily. The funny part is that I even got him on the brakes for one of the slower corners on the track... corner 1. It takes you downhill for a fast right hand corner (corner 2). If you get corner 1 right you should be able to hit the triple digit in T3. The first few sessions were really fun. I wasn't thinking about technique and the turning signs (giant red tape) where easy to spot.

Session 3 was the best. COTA is so smooth I could see boogers on the tire but everything was smooth. Not a sign of tearing. Excellent tire wear! Chicken strip was an 1/8 of an inch and I could clearly see the three different compounds of the Rosso Corsa which never cease to impress me. Now this is when I should have lowered the front to 30- 29 PSI and the rear to 26. The front had a huge chicken strip and wasn't getting hot enough.

Unfortunately, after class I got stock with this instructor and we were working on body position and hitting apexes. My speeds were really slow, even compared to the street but I did learn a few things. By sessions 5 (after lunch) I had eaten too much BBQ and forgot to exit on the last lap lol I was taking it easy at first to show the marshals I didn't do it on purpose but when I heard the Level 3 guys coming, I must have beaten my record for the last sector lol. The talk with race direction wasn't pleasant. I decided to call it quit at that point. Temps were in the triple digit and the towel in my cooler couldn't not even keep me cool. If I had to do it again, I would have skipped the session after lunch to ride the 2 sessions I missed.

I didn't have to change my suspensions settings which makes me think that it's way to hard for the street. I was able to catch to a lot of 1000's in the S's section and the following quick left-right following that. My issue was my lack of quickness to stand the bike up and accelerate!

* Last updated by: dragking on 9/10/2014 @ 7:24 PM *

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Oh man that's awesome, Sounds like the money you spent on all the mods paid off huge. I will absolutely do this someday. Hope you got some pictures of the event. Were there many zx14's there? Sorry to hear about the BBQ food coma mishap.lol. You must've shit when you heard the level 3 guys coming your way. How much faster are the level 3 guys? Glad you had a crash free day.

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Unfortunately, after class I got stock with this instructor and we were working on body position and hitting apexes. My speeds were really slow, even compared to the street but I did learn a few things. By sessions 5 (after lunch) I had eaten too much BBQ and forgot to exit on the last lap lol I was taking it easy at first to show the marshals I didn't do it on purpose but when I heard the Level 3 guys coming, I must have beaten my record for the last sector lol. The talk with race direction wasn't pleasant. I decided to call it quit at that point.

LOL I had similar experiences at my 2 track days. The track instructor/marshal pointed at the tail of his bike and then he stuck his foot out to exit the track. WTF? I guess I was supposed to follow him and exit the track with him. I just let him exit and continued along my way around the track to finish the session. The guy tracked me down in our pit area and gave me a thorough tongue lashing. I was supposed to follow him off the track. WHy? He was concerned that I was going to crash. IDK. I'm sorta in the middle. I guess I appreciate that someone will stop me from wrecking my bike but at the same time, I DO go to the track to go FAST.

Second track day, same guy insisted that I follow him and do my best to hit all the brake/exit markers in the corners. Sad to say, that track day ended with chicken strips just like I have on the street. I didn't even want to try to go fast because I didn't want to break any rules and get my @$$ bawled out again. It was a bummer but I still want to go back. I think with experience, the track instructors will get to know you and as long as you are not breaking written rules for your riding level, I don't see how they can stop you from exercising your appetite for risk to its utmost. I believe in studying the textbook technique but in real life, things might be different. There are no markers to follow in a real race or in the high level riding groups when there are clusters of bikes going through a corner. The 14 is pretty big and heavy and I think it is bound to turn in and exit wider than the smaller bikes.

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/10/2014 @ 8:10 AM *

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Nice you guys;)Glad ya had fun.Them there instructors sounds like they were jealous;)Prolly do that to everyone who rides betterLOL!!!

* Last updated by: Grn14 on 9/10/2014 @ 10:18 AM *

Oh man that's awesome, Sounds like the money you spent on all the mods paid off huge. I will absolutely do this someday. Hope you got some pictures of the event. Were there many zx14's there? Sorry to hear about the BBQ food coma mishap.lol. You must've shit when you heard the level 3 guys coming your way. How much faster are the level 3 guys? Glad you had a crash free day.

You need to do it! I'm trying to see if I can make Barber or Nola. According to one of the instructors Barber is EVEN more fun. The mods are priceless! The cornering was telepathic with the BST's and the Ohlins. Braking and acceleration superb. The noise of the CT single and mid range of that pipe = awesome. I do miss the duals from a look perspective but I'll get used to it. The mod that is the least economically sound is the Brembo GP4RX. I ran out of pads and wasn't able to get them delivered in time so I slapped some used stock calipers. The braking was not as good but provided more than enough. The RCS 19 is a must have to me. I could feel the frame flexing hard every time I grabbed a handful. I will run the brembo during my next track day and will compare. It could be that the extra heat is going to set them clearly apart from the Nissin.

I probably peed a little that's for sure. lol I was smelling the flowers and saw a guy coming in the background. I got back on the gas and took that right short sweeper as fast as I could and lifted my arm when I was in the left bend. I was then politely asked to park and take a seat lol

MotoGP riders were running 2.03, one level 3 guy told me he ran a 2.40 and was pretty psyched. I think he was like mid pack. The was one who was well ahead of the group. At least 2 seconds per lap.

I didn't see any other 14. There were at least 6 busas!

LOL I had similar experiences at my 2 track days. The track instructor/marshal pointed at the tail of his bike and then he stuck his foot out to exit the track. WTF? I guess I was supposed to follow him and exit the track with him. I just let him exit and continued along my way around the track to finish the session. The guy tracked me down in our pit area and gave me a thorough tongue lashing. I was supposed to follow him off the track. WHy? He was concerned that I was going to crash. IDK. I'm sorta in the middle. I guess I appreciate that someone will stop me from wrecking my bike but at the same time, I DO go to the track to go FAST.

haha. I guess I'm not alone. I'm not going to lie. Being alone on a track Marc Marquez and Rossi rode made me feel good lol Even those guys don't get to ride MotoGP tracks by themselves lol
My advice to anybody who does it for the first time would be not to get stock with an instructor. Get the speed out of your system and maybe on your third track day hold on to the instructor belt loop. The first time we went out, the guy told me something like "you're going to fast for your skills". Funny thing is I wasn't even pushing it lol The turning point were gone so I was missing apexes etc but at least I was having fun. I watched the motogp race one more time tonight and it appears to me that the instructor lines where a little bit off. The motoGP guys drive out of turn 1 and get on the left side of the track immediately. The instructor wanted me to stay to the right longer. With a longer wheelbase and all the power the 14 has it makes no sense.

Second track day, same guy insisted that I follow him and do my best to hit all the brake/exit markers in the corners. Sad to say, that track day ended with chicken strips just like I have on the street. I didn't even want to try to go fast because I didn't want to break any rules and get my @$$ bawled out again. It was a bummer but I still want to go back. I think with experience, the track instructors will get to know you and as long as you are not breaking written rules for your riding level, I don't see how they can stop you from exercising your appetite for risk to its utmost. I believe in studying the textbook technique but in real life, things might be different. There are no markers to follow in a real race or in the high level riding groups when there are clusters of bikes going through a corner. The 14 is pretty big and heavy and I think it is bound to turn in and exit wider than the smaller bikes.

The instructor wanted me to stay to the right longer after T1. With a longer wheelbase and all the power the 14 has it makes no sense. I'm not an expert but you can't just hit all the apexes the smaller bikes do. The biggest improvement I have made learning from that guy is my head placement. I seem to be less preoccupied with what the bike is doing and trust it to go where I look. It must be due to the fact that you can see several corners ahead at the track.

Nice you guys;)Glad ya had fun.Them there instructors sounds like they were jealous;)Prolly do that to everyone who rides betterLOL!!!

I wish it was the case Green! An instructor passed me with a passenger on the back of his back. I was so pissed lol. I think that a lot of them are not savvy on the power the 14 has. I was telling some guys I was taking corner 20 in second gear and they were like "naan, put it in first" lol Even in 2nd going downhill toward turn 2 I almost had to much power.

The track is smoother than a new born butt!

^ The rear, just after I cleaned it off with my hand.

* Last updated by: dragking on 9/11/2014 @ 6:56 PM *

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The turning point were gone so I was missing apexes etc but at least I was having fun.

Exactly! I watch my vieo where i am clearly missing the markers but I was flying that day. I went from dead last to somewhere up in the front...IDK...I wasn't keeping track of how many people were on the track or how many I passed. I do know yhis, NOBODY had an excuse to complain about me rubber banding them if I caught up to them was riding their asses through the corners on their 600s. If I was allowed to pass in a corner, I would have tried. The starightaway is mine. You ride my ass through the corners now if you can! Then second track day. Try to hit the markers slow as molasis in January. Roll up the straightaway so anyone who cares to can pass. boring.

They always ask, "Did you have fun, are you going to come back?" Next time I will tell them the truth even if I have to tell them I ride harder on the street.

I think that a lot of them are not savvy on the power the 14 has.

Some. My guy knew my bike had power by the way it was pulling back on the seat! Another guy who I admire a great deal, an expert level rider, he told me my bike was not a track bike, "that bike was made for touring." Goes to show that even some of the most experienced don't have their facts straight on the 14. NO, it's NOT a track bike but touring? I guess...if you want but probably the Connie was more what he was thinking.

* Last updated by: Rook on 9/11/2014 @ 10:03 PM *

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They always ask, "Did you have fun, are you going to come back?" Next time I will tell them the truth even if I have to tell them I ride harder on the street.

haha! To put it bluntly, I feel like I had sex with one of the most beautiful woman in the world but I didn't come! lol

Roll up the straightaway so anyone who cares to can pass. boring.

I had the same gentleman agreement. If I couldn't pass a guy in the corners, I let him have the straight. lol I let a gixxer go thinking he would be faster in the corner. I almost hit his taillight when we got to turn 11 so I buried him on the straight. It was too much fun.

I'm going to look into regular/open track day. No classes just sessions. I won't be able to learn until I have fulfilled my need for speed. I didn't pay $500 to do the speed limit.

Some. My guy knew my bike had power by the way it was pulling back on the seat! Another guy who I admire a great deal, an expert level rider, he told me my bike was not a track bike, "that bike was made for touring." Goes to show that even some of the most experienced don't have their facts straight on the 14. NO, it's NOT a track bike but touring? I guess...if you want but probably the Connie was more what he was thinking.

lol, heard that before and that was from people on 600 who couldn't catch up to me in the corners.

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Guys... you're scaring me. I get the impression that you think you know better than the instructors who are trying to help you clean up your riding.

A good thing to remember is that your good time on the track doesn't trump the safety of the other riders out there. When the instructors pull you aside for pointers/warnings/instruction, it's because they saw something that perhaps you didn't and want to help you improve and/or be safer. Trust me when I tell you that if you think you ride harder on the street, it's because you're doing it wrong at the track.

I'm sure some street hero will come here and chime in with some ignorant counterpoints, but I definitely know what I'm talking about in regards to tracking a 14R. I instruct students in all three levels with it. Your reference points aren't significantly different than the smaller bikes. If instructors are trying to help you hit apexes, braking markers and other track reference points, you really shouldn't disregard that advice. You're going to end up crashing when you start moving faster than novice pace. It may seem gratifying to pass all the level 1 riders, but once you get bumped up into a faster class your lack of adherence to the race line will get you or someone else hurt.

I really don't agree with the instructor calling the 14 a tourer, however. That's just the typical elitist shit you hear from the small group that aren't open to something other than a 1000 or 600 out there. They're usually the same guys who start making chassis excuses when you pass them on a Ninja 250.

Keep an open mind, guys. I'm not bashing you. We ALL have the "what does he know" attitude about instructors our first few times. The track serves up a mighty big slice of humble pie, and it can take a few sittings to digest.

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Trailboss,

Don't take this the wrong way but you'd have to be there to see where I'm coming from. I understand that you see a lot of hot heads out there and guys who refuse to take the time to learn but you're missing the point.

Nobody is thinking that they know more than an instructor. What you are not taking into consideration is that it is not about what they know but what they can teach. Some people just don't know how to teach. The guy wanted me to work on body position and lines at the same time, ridiculous! Plus, I didn't even know where I was going. I can see how you can tell a level 3 rider that his body position is a little off and his line too but as a novice that is just too much info. I would have rather used the time to do my own thing. I would have learned more. During my hot laps, at no point was I or another rider in harms way.
At one point, we did a really slow lap and because I hit all the apexes I thought I was good to go but the guy told me "you need to be tucked in the whole time (race position). How does tucking at 50 mph makes me safer? Nobody wanted to learn with that instructor and I got stock with him. The first one I had, followed me for a lap and set me free so go figure.

Your reference points aren't significantly different than the smaller bikes. If instructors are trying to help you hit apexes, braking markers and other track reference points, you really shouldn't disregard that advice.

I must have watched the motoGP and moto 2 race 50 times and a lot of their lines were different!!! Also depending of the track and the bike, lines can be really different. An example: MotoGP bikes are built around the same tires but watch the last race and look at Marc M and Lorenzo going through a corner... Really different lines.

Like Einstein said: if you can't explain a complex concept simply, you're not an expert. My instructor was clearly not an expert.

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Yeah, I suppose I can't speak for the skill of instructors I've never met.

I'm speaking more from the experience of having worked my way up from track noob to instructor, and subsequently seeing a lot of folks with similar attitudes and experiences to your own. Most of the time it resulted in the attitude of the student requiring adjustment.

While I won't say that's certainly the case with either of you guys, I want to provide that perspective so you might better understand where those instructors were coming from.

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