Testoserone! Friend or Foe?
- Thread starter Tufbusa
- Start date
However, I disagree with those of you who may think skill was involved. Believe me, no skill involved whatsoever, it was entirely LUCK. But,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I'll take luck over skill any day of the week!
SteveO you are wrong...skill is involved here my brother from another mother! Skill keeps you focused on remaining attached to the bike, skill keeps your perspective on how to regain control and stick with the bike, skill kept you from bailing when the fight or flight response kicked in.
Yes, it was skill and you need to take the complement. You are a very talented rider and this day both SKILL and luck were on your side (for which I am very grateful).
There is something in this story that we should all pay attention to. Throttle control "IS" cornering. If you expect to corner well, keep in mind it's all about throttle control. Anyone can lean a bike until the pegs drag but it's throttle control that keeps us upright on corner after corner.
I tell folks to count 1001-1002-1003 during the learning process on the way from maintenence throttle to full throttle as you stand it up. Smooth advancement of the throttle is key. This will keep you from spinning the rear on corner exits.
The dreaded "Highside" is the most vicious crash that can occur on the track or street for that matter. Traveling at 80 knots doing the supperman imitation gives you a very long time to repeat a few times "This is going to hurt"!
The other culprit and most common with beginners is a rear brake highside on corner entry. You can launch yourself just as hard with the rear brake as you can with the throttle. Only difference is the brake bites you on the entry and the throttle bites you on the exit. Both are equally violent and potentially just as bone crushing!
Impact shorts is a real advantage to avoiding injury from a highside. I wear Bohn Impact Shorts every time I put my leathers on, street or track. Most every racer I know wears them as well.. Really deminishes the chance of breaking your pelvis as well as reducing the bruising in your hips and thighs.
The mighty Gixxer really gave me a wakeup call. Be very careful when you decide to become aggressive with me or I'll put you on your head buster!
I tell folks to count 1001-1002-1003 during the learning process on the way from maintenence throttle to full throttle as you stand it up. Smooth advancement of the throttle is key. This will keep you from spinning the rear on corner exits.
The dreaded "Highside" is the most vicious crash that can occur on the track or street for that matter. Traveling at 80 knots doing the supperman imitation gives you a very long time to repeat a few times "This is going to hurt"!
The other culprit and most common with beginners is a rear brake highside on corner entry. You can launch yourself just as hard with the rear brake as you can with the throttle. Only difference is the brake bites you on the entry and the throttle bites you on the exit. Both are equally violent and potentially just as bone crushing!
Impact shorts is a real advantage to avoiding injury from a highside. I wear Bohn Impact Shorts every time I put my leathers on, street or track. Most every racer I know wears them as well.. Really deminishes the chance of breaking your pelvis as well as reducing the bruising in your hips and thighs.
The mighty Gixxer really gave me a wakeup call. Be very careful when you decide to become aggressive with me or I'll put you on your head buster!
MelodicMetalGod
Registered
Sage advice.
Glad that you made it throught in one piece, even if some pieces were in a "bit" of pain.
The highside is my greatest fear on the track. If it can happen to the pro's and Tufbusa, it can happen to anyone. Of course, the greatest rewards are usually coupled with the greatest risks.
Glad that you made it throught in one piece, even if some pieces were in a "bit" of pain.
The highside is my greatest fear on the track. If it can happen to the pro's and Tufbusa, it can happen to anyone. Of course, the greatest rewards are usually coupled with the greatest risks.
Dang it, Steve! What a chapter to add to that already huge volume of your life! I had several memorial soft spots wake up and tap me on the shoulder sayin', "Yea, uh-huh, see there?!" Very good to hear you managed to keep all things together.
Your testosterone would be my foolishness as I wouldn't have had any idea of what I was headin' towards and it's obvious you had the clue. Even though the gixxer handed you a bit of a spankin' for spurrin' her so hard you both continued on as one. July 7 was my anniversary and three weeks before this was the first time my bike had seen the outside of the trailer since...if only to be rolled to a corner of the garage to continue it's rest. Still trying to recover in many different ways (fiscally, finacially, fundamentally, and looking for the day I finally have the bike back together) and still bear a huge debt of gratitude for your kindness.
My son has an '06 gsxr1k I've managed to scoot around on off and on. I'm trying to talk him into holding on to it for a while longer as I thoroughly enjoy the idea of spending more time on a standard wheel based machine. Want to do some track days before the end of the year but continuing the main plan will probably keep stuff like that at bay for a while.
Sorry for the thread jack, will PM more later. DOOD! Glad you survived!!! 
Your testosterone would be my foolishness as I wouldn't have had any idea of what I was headin' towards and it's obvious you had the clue. Even though the gixxer handed you a bit of a spankin' for spurrin' her so hard you both continued on as one. July 7 was my anniversary and three weeks before this was the first time my bike had seen the outside of the trailer since...if only to be rolled to a corner of the garage to continue it's rest. Still trying to recover in many different ways (fiscally, finacially, fundamentally, and looking for the day I finally have the bike back together) and still bear a huge debt of gratitude for your kindness.
My son has an '06 gsxr1k I've managed to scoot around on off and on. I'm trying to talk him into holding on to it for a while longer as I thoroughly enjoy the idea of spending more time on a standard wheel based machine. Want to do some track days before the end of the year but continuing the main plan will probably keep stuff like that at bay for a while.
Sorry for the thread jack, will PM more later. DOOD! Glad you survived!!!
Nice story...does make a very good point! But I am also with Skydiver too..I want to ere from the guy behind you too!
fastblackblur
Registered
I think Steve should get his own forum, there is so much good advice in so many of his posts it would be nice to have it centrally located ....I'm only half joking.
Maybe someday I'll be fast enough worry about high siding myself. I'm still kind of a weenie on the gas.
....I'm only half joking.Maybe someday I'll be fast enough worry about high siding myself. I'm still kind of a weenie on the gas.
Steve, nothing gets your attention quicker than landing on the tank with the jewels. Ouch...I love going to the track...but as I'm late 50's now...I work on execution of line, exits, and entries...and never take it "balls out"...cause I know what the consequences are if I mess up and high side it...heck...even low siding it is no walk in the park...even a messed up bike can seriously pizzz u off....great story and good for all of us "wanna bees"....
Watching the pro's at Laguna Seca a couple of days ago go from mid 180's, hitting the brakes so hard with less than 100 yds to corner...watching the rear ends of the bikes in a controlled skid...fronts diving hard and then see them hit perfect lines and elbow to the track...Wow....that is why they are pro's at the highest level...and then there are mere mortals like us...humbling things happen to teach us...and it could be just a simple thing like just a little less throttle...little less rear brake...and this is really for fun and we don't have to make a living at it...great story Steve...
Watching the pro's at Laguna Seca a couple of days ago go from mid 180's, hitting the brakes so hard with less than 100 yds to corner...watching the rear ends of the bikes in a controlled skid...fronts diving hard and then see them hit perfect lines and elbow to the track...Wow....that is why they are pro's at the highest level...and then there are mere mortals like us...humbling things happen to teach us...and it could be just a simple thing like just a little less throttle...little less rear brake...and this is really for fun and we don't have to make a living at it...great story Steve...
Although I have been humbled, tomorrow is another track day at SullivanRaceSchool.com! It happens to be the annual All Woman's School and I'll be spending my day with the ladies 
It's always a fun day for the girls without any testostrone filled gents to mess up their day trying to impress them with their speed and agility.
It's been a long day, almost midnight and 5:00 will be coming soon so you fellas eat your hearts out thinking about all the fun I'm having tomorrow with the ladies (And getting paid for it as well ) while you are putting in your eight hours! 
We do have a great crew on here and I'm proud to be among you!
It's always a fun day for the girls without any testostrone filled gents to mess up their day trying to impress them with their speed and agility. It's been a long day, almost midnight and 5:00 will be coming soon so you fellas eat your hearts out thinking about all the fun I'm having tomorrow with the ladies (And getting paid for it as well
) while you are putting in your eight hours! We do have a great crew on here and I'm proud to be among you!
2MUCH
Registered
Very well said... Just as with most things in life there needs to be a balace. I believe it's a friend ( if you treat it like you would want a friend treating you...lol) Big bikes have a way of humbling us in a hurry. Glad you made it through your ride with minimal damage to your body and bike, not sure what it did to your pride.
Wheel weights on your steering stops is an old racer's trick to keep the steering from reaching the stop in case of a tank slapper.
As we know, it's head shake up to the point the steering hits the stops and becomes a tank slapper. The stick on weights are the perfect size to stick to the stop on the frame. When the steering hits the stop it has a little cushion with the soft lead and doesn't allow the steering to rotate quite as far avoiding some of the violence produced by the slapper.
One of the problems is you cannot lock your steering with the lead weight in place and you have to be careful at very low speeds when making sharp turns.
houstonbussa
Registered
I don't mean to laugh at your family jewels issue or the fact that she had to sit you down and remind you who will ultimately always win the arguement. And the moral is truely understood... BUT DAMNIT! How you explain it just floors the hell outta me..
You think he's funny on the .org; you outta hang out with him for a few days it's priceless
fastblackblur
Registered
you think he's funny on the .org; you outta hang out with him for a few days it's priceless
+1000,
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