rmadursk
New Member
I made a couple of rookie mistakes on Sunday at Summit Point Jefferson. I don't know if it will do any good since the mistakes are things you hear about all the time not to do and I still did them. Some kids never learn :banghead:
Anyway, second track day, first day on the new to me SV650. Bike did well. I had to adjust the clutch as it was slipping a little in the first session. By the end of the second session I got to the point where I was dragging a knee pretty consistently without sticking it out there in most of the longer right turns. Not so much in the shorter circumference turns and the left hander on to the final straight. I was concentrating on body position and getting comfortable with the machine. I was having some issues on when I should move over on the bike but the CR discussion after the second session helped with that.
I went down twice. My fault both times. First one in the third session just before lunch I was working with a CR and he let me pass. By that time I was getting tired so I slowed my pace to get ready to pit in for a rest (If I'm going at speed sometimes I forget to put the hand up until its too late and I have to go around again). That messed up my rhythm and my lines, which the CR noticed and passed me with a tap on his helmet. I figured I could work through it and fell in behind him. Bad idea, tired legs (so my body was all wrong), new lines, and bad rhythm. Normally I try to get my braking over with and get my fingers off the lever but I was off my game a bit and left my fingers in place through a decreasing radius turn (the fishhook if you remember Summit Jefferson). I’m pretty sure I tapped the front brake at full lean :nutkick:. I normally try to get my fingers off the lever once I get braking done for the turn but I must have gone back to my street riding habits. Bent a handlebar and tore up the right rearset. No big deal, got a new bar (Thanks Jim) and I had rearset spares in the bin of parts I got from the seller. Got it fixed (Thanks to Tom/Crash for the shade and tools from several sources) and 2 sessions later I was back out, still working on body position.
During the lunch session the CR described a better/different line through the fishhook then I had been taking. I thought I would try this new line, breaking the “don’t change more than one thing at a time” rule. I’m still not sure if I late apexed or just turned too far but I got up on the curbing, which ends too early I might add, and dropped off into a small mud puddle. This one bounced me pretty good. At the time I thought it was another low side but I think the fall off the curb and back onto the track sent the bike for a flight along with little old me. Knocked the wind out of me, smashed my left index, bruised ribs/hip/shoulder/etc… Bike damage was minimal, it has a couple of scratches (Tank is leaking again) and the right rearset is probably still good for a spare in a pinch but I’ll order a new one.
My apologies to the rest of B group for those. Hated wasting other peoples' time with my mistakes.
Got it all packed up and back home. I haven’t ordered parts to fix it yet but I plan to do so soon. Might try to get at least one more trackday in before the end of the season. They were hard lessons but good ones.
So Lessons Learned:
1. Don't ride tired, REALLY don't ride hard tired.
2. Keep your mitts off the brake lever once your done braking into the turn.
3. Only change one thing at a time whenever possible.
4. Move over on the bike as early as possible. This reduces the number of things to do into the turn.
Have fun,
Ron
Anyway, second track day, first day on the new to me SV650. Bike did well. I had to adjust the clutch as it was slipping a little in the first session. By the end of the second session I got to the point where I was dragging a knee pretty consistently without sticking it out there in most of the longer right turns. Not so much in the shorter circumference turns and the left hander on to the final straight. I was concentrating on body position and getting comfortable with the machine. I was having some issues on when I should move over on the bike but the CR discussion after the second session helped with that.
I went down twice. My fault both times. First one in the third session just before lunch I was working with a CR and he let me pass. By that time I was getting tired so I slowed my pace to get ready to pit in for a rest (If I'm going at speed sometimes I forget to put the hand up until its too late and I have to go around again). That messed up my rhythm and my lines, which the CR noticed and passed me with a tap on his helmet. I figured I could work through it and fell in behind him. Bad idea, tired legs (so my body was all wrong), new lines, and bad rhythm. Normally I try to get my braking over with and get my fingers off the lever but I was off my game a bit and left my fingers in place through a decreasing radius turn (the fishhook if you remember Summit Jefferson). I’m pretty sure I tapped the front brake at full lean :nutkick:. I normally try to get my fingers off the lever once I get braking done for the turn but I must have gone back to my street riding habits. Bent a handlebar and tore up the right rearset. No big deal, got a new bar (Thanks Jim) and I had rearset spares in the bin of parts I got from the seller. Got it fixed (Thanks to Tom/Crash for the shade and tools from several sources) and 2 sessions later I was back out, still working on body position.
During the lunch session the CR described a better/different line through the fishhook then I had been taking. I thought I would try this new line, breaking the “don’t change more than one thing at a time” rule. I’m still not sure if I late apexed or just turned too far but I got up on the curbing, which ends too early I might add, and dropped off into a small mud puddle. This one bounced me pretty good. At the time I thought it was another low side but I think the fall off the curb and back onto the track sent the bike for a flight along with little old me. Knocked the wind out of me, smashed my left index, bruised ribs/hip/shoulder/etc… Bike damage was minimal, it has a couple of scratches (Tank is leaking again) and the right rearset is probably still good for a spare in a pinch but I’ll order a new one.
My apologies to the rest of B group for those. Hated wasting other peoples' time with my mistakes.
Got it all packed up and back home. I haven’t ordered parts to fix it yet but I plan to do so soon. Might try to get at least one more trackday in before the end of the season. They were hard lessons but good ones.
So Lessons Learned:
1. Don't ride tired, REALLY don't ride hard tired.
2. Keep your mitts off the brake lever once your done braking into the turn.
3. Only change one thing at a time whenever possible.
4. Move over on the bike as early as possible. This reduces the number of things to do into the turn.
Have fun,
Ron
