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Oft times a manufacturer must make compromises in the name of cost containment. One such acquiescence to the bottom line for Aprilia is to equip the vast majority of it’s street bike with the same currently popular 6” rear wheel. Aprilia does this so they can buy in bulk, one rear wheel, and mount it on all of its models. The problem with this is that, while a good choice for it’s larger displacement models, it’s a compromise on the smaller, less powerful versions. My 2008 Shiver SL750 came with this wide wheel and the accompanying big rubber footprint (180/50).

For those of you who would say, what’s the big deal? You’ve got more rubber, that will give you more traction.

If you do enough trackdays, you WILL eventually crash! Everyone I know who’s done at least 10 trackdays has crashed at least once. Whether it’s your fault (usually) or someone elses, matters not. It’s the law of averages when pushing yourself near the limit in an extreme environment. You may get away clean many times, but don’t count on your luck being eternal. You could easily crash the very first time. Be prepared for this eventuality. Have alternate transportation arranged for your bike and stuff. Make sure you have medical insurance before you even sign-up. And be mentally ready to total your bike (this is why lots of people have a separate trackbike).

It’s expensive! The entry fees are only the

MOST IMPORTANTLY: Relax and try to have fun, that the point, right? It’s not a race! You ain’t goin’ home with a trophy or prize money, so make getting you and your bike home in one piece a priority. There will always be faster and slower riders than yourself. Think of the consequences before you make an ill-conceived pass to show that “slowpoke” how good you are.

Try different lines. A trackday is a good chance to experiment with early and late apexing, different braking points, different countersteering techniques, using bodyweight to influence trajectory. Don’t just do the same thing over and over (no learning takes place).

Try to relax your arms as much as possible. When on the straights, consciously open

A trackday, especially if it your first one, can be quite intimidating. As long as you can remember you are there for fun and learning, it will help a lot.

Get the best night’s sleep you can the night before (it’ll be tough because you’ll be anxious/nervous) and for Pete’s sake don’t drink a bunch of alcohol the night before (save it for afterward, if at all).

The concentration required to ride on the “edge” for a couple hours can be exhausting. You’ll be amazed how “brain dead” you are by the end of it all. Keep this in mind on the drive home. You ain’t gonna be very sharp and if you have a long drive ahead of you (somewhat typical

If you have never done it before, trackdays are extremely taxing on your body. Don’t think you are going to ride every minute of every session. Once you get tired, you become dangerous. This usually starts happening in the second or third session after lunch. The adrenaline has worn off and you start feeling tired and sore. Time to reassess your fitness to continue riding. Most crashes occur in the first and last sessions of the day. At the beginning the culprit is adrenaline and at the end it’s because of fatigue. While it may seem that riding a motorcycle on the street isn’t very physically demanding, the track is a totally different story. You are doing all the same

Since a new friend of mine recently signed-up for her first ever trackday, I’ve found myself giving advice and re-living my many track experiences. Since I had to learn quite a few things the hard way, I figure this is my chance to pass along some valuable information.

Whether it’s your first time at a trackday or your 100th, here are a few things that I’ve learned about having a successful experience:

(Part 1 – Bike Preparation)

Buy a set of extra levers (clutch, front brake, rear brake and shifter). Any crash, even a mild low-side, or even dropping your bike while unloading it is likely to snap a lever. Without an extra, you’re done for the day. How would you like piss

The state of roadracing in America is dismal. The AMA/DMG alliance has basically killed what was a totally entertaining, viable and lucrative business. For the first time since I started watching racing 30 years ago, we need someone to step in and organize a “new” series. This year’s Daytona 200 is likely to be the least watched of all time. Less teams, less racers, less press and less spectators ….. what a great combination for success. I’ve been watching the demise of the series for an entire year now and all I can say is who’s minding the store? It’s almost as if the powers that be want American raodracing gone so they can give us NASCAR instead. I’ve got

Count me thoroughly impressed. It seems nothing can stop Texan Ben Spies from marching straight to the pinnacle of the motorcycle roadracing. This guy is a juggernaut. In only his second pre-season test (Sepang, Malaysia), he had the 5th fastest time. The only riders to better him were the 4 aliens (Rossi, Stoner, Pedrosa and Lorenzo) recognized as such for their speed difference over the rest of the field. Spies seems to be making unstoppable forward progress. And there’s no sign that any of the normally difficult hurdles to becoming the MotoGP World Champion are anything more than just another minor task for him to master.

Notable names behind Ben at the same test were the other two Americans and MotoGP veterans: his teammate and fellow

Noriyuki Haga has been competing in World Championship motorcycle racing for over a decade. He’s competed in World Superbike during 10 seasons. He’s established himself as one of the best riders of all time, able to win races at virtually any track, any season on any bike. But the guy just can’t seem to put a Championship season together. I like the man and hope he finally get’s a Championship before he retires.

This year, Ben Spies (rookie season - American) foiled Haga’s latest (and most likely best chance) attempt and is moving on to MotoGP next season. Watch out Valentino, you may have one mare competitor able to make Championship #10 even more difficult.

Here’s Haga’s final position season standings for every year he’s raced WSBK:

Year      

Recently, my sister and I were making less than flattering comments about people that affix their little cartoon family to the back of whatever SUV they use to go to soccer games. Since I’m not married and have no children, I’m a strange bird here in Utah. But I do have a collection of motorcycles, and in some bizarre way consider that to be my family. So for my 50th birthday, my sister purchased the necessary stickers to try to help me blend in with the locals ……. NOT!

I’m sure it’s good for a laugh or snide comment. I’d love to be a little bird in the cars with the “My Kids on Honor Student at …..” crowd.

Rhino

[caption id=”attachment_1754″ align=”alignnone” width=”440″ caption=”Makin' fun of Soccer