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First-Time Rider on a Yamaha R1 - The Power of Preparation and Dedication

I like everything here except: Not telling the TDP about your (lack of) experience. Being bold and heroic with your well being is great, but being bold and heroic with other people's well being... No bueno.

Also, you appear to be leading up to a sale of some kind.


Aside from that, welcome to motorcycles/BARF :twofinger /AFM :)
 
Racer V said:
Thanks, Soren!

It makes sense to me that this could cause an issue, but I don't have an answer for you. How do I check that parameter in Windows Movie Maker?
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I looked into this - and Windows Movie Maker has a shit implementation of H.264 - I am not going to start a rant, but you might want to look for other options if you want to produce more videos with high-dynamic content, like racing.

/Soren
 
Lazerus said:
I like everything here except: Not telling the TDP about your (lack of) experience. Being bold and heroic with your well being is great, but being bold and heroic with other people's well being... No bueno.

Also, you appear to be leading up to a sale of some kind.


............
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+1

My thoughts exactly
 
Lazerus said:
Also, you appear to be leading up to a sale of some kind.
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I smell the same thing. Not gonna pass judgment just yet, curious about more of the details. I didn't time anything, but the video didn't look all that fast to me for Sonoma. Very solid for a newbie, but didn't strike me as incredibly quick in general. Was that really a 2:01 lap?

OP, the only thing that concerns me is jumping to the conclusion that anyone could do this based on your perception or learning in general. Encouraging such could get some poor slob killed.

BTW, I rode with a guy at Laguna last year who had never been on a track. He was on an HP4 and he was running low/mid 1:40s. At his first track day. I followed him for a bit and he was definitely staying over the bike, using less lean angle than most, but he was seriously quick for a track day guy.
 
Over confidence is one of the biggest dangers to new riders as they progress.

It disturbs me that this experiment is being done in an environment that minimizes the risk to the rider but increases the risks to fellow riders. :|
 
Archimedes said:
I smell the same thing. Not gonna pass judgment just yet, curious about more of the details. I didn't time anything, but the video didn't look all that fast to me for Sonoma. Very solid for a newbie, but didn't strike me as incredibly quick in general. Was that really a 2:01 lap?

OP, the only thing that concerns me is jumping to the conclusion that anyone could do this based on your perception or learning in general. Encouraging such could get some poor slob killed.

BTW, I rode with a guy at Laguna last year who had never been on a track. He was on an HP4 and he was running low/mid 1:40s. At his first track day. I followed him for a bit and he was definitely staying over the bike, using less lean angle than most, but he was seriously quick for a track day guy.
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I think his sales pitch is quite overt: racingforscience.org

Running a place like that requires money, money is generated, when donors see that there is buzz around it - pretty straight up silicon valley move.

I applaud Andrew for putting his own stones in the seat of the bike, and not some wunderkind, but since I am old and have seen bad shit happen, I will remain critical of doing the actual raceday - but lots people from that environment have run bigger risks to get their point across.

/Soren
 
Skeptic over here :wave

I'd like to hear from some of you that race or have a lot of track days under your belt. Could you take someone who claims they have never ridden a motorcycle before and with just a bit of coaching get them to do what the OP did on a bike like that?
 
Racer V said:
I was confident in my ability to keep myself and others safe, but I knew that if the trackday providers found out that someone showed up at the track with an R1 looking to go fast, and this person had never ridden a bike before... Well, I think they wouldn't have let me out on track.
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Since you were able to make thru a race weekend without crashing, you've proven you are naturally talented who did his homework.

But there is no substitute for experience. There is no book or tutor that covers the range of mishaps and crashes that can happen racing motorcycles.

Training teaches you the right way, but experience shows you what happens when things go bad.

When you look at the cause of an accident, it is not one simple factor that caused it. While lack of ability is often the primary reason, a beginner could complete a ride safely if there were no other issues.

When you start adding issues, like the other riders, then even the talented beginner could become overwhelmed because he has not learned how to handle the bandwidth of multiple factors.

The track is actually a very good place for a beginner. While the course may be challenging, the other riders are trained to ride in a predictable manner. And of course, there are no Prius drivers on their smart phones!

Experience also teaches you when confidence is really arrogance. You have no experience in motorcycle racing, so you presumed you would be able to handle any problems.

If there were no problems during your weekend, no crashes or mishaps from other riders, then you rode in optimal conditions. We all want to ride in optimal conditions, but experience prepares you for when it is not perfect.
 
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Ant said:
Skeptic over here :wave

I'd like to hear from some of you that race or have a lot of track days under your belt. Could you take someone who claims they have never ridden a motorcycle before and with just a bit of coaching get them to do what the OP did on a bike like that?
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Yes, but overnight or in a weekend? Not normally.
 
I find myself confused, Tony Robbins. I like the stupidity of this whole thing. I really like it -- first bike, R1, learn to ride at a race. I like that it's brain-dead and awesome at the same time. I like the idea of preparing oneself before taking something on. BUT I DON'T LIKE YOU ON THE FUCKING TRACK WITH ANYONE ELSE!!!

See, I'm confused.
 
Ant said:
Skeptic over here :wave

I'd like to hear from some of you that race or have a lot of track days under your belt. Could you take someone who claims they have never ridden a motorcycle before and with just a bit of coaching get them to do what the OP did on a bike like that?
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I doubt it.. Unless he has a lot of prior 2-wheel experience.

Hell, when I took NRS back in '08 they made sure you were up to snuff in both speed and panic situations. Things like having the instructor come up to you and pat you on the back, close passes, race starts, I can't see how someone who has never ridden a bike pass these situations.
 
Racer V said:
Hello All,

I run a nonprofit that works with students in East San Jose, Racing for Science. I put together a video for them so that we could show these young ones the tangible results of preparation and dedication.
I'm new to motorcycles. Like, really new. I'll let the video do most of the explaining, but I just started riding last Friday, August 29th. I'd never ridden anything with a motor and two wheels before that date.

My learner bike is a Yamaha R1.

I know what most of you would think about my bike selection, but it gets better: I had my first motorcycle race the following day.

Studying how we humans learn has been a huge interest of mine for a long, loooong time. I used a number of techniques during my preparation for this event that I believe would be very useful to all of us - not only in our enjoyment of riding, but in every other aspect of our lives as well. So, I'll be putting together a video series on my motorcycle racing journey from complete newb to expert, and hopefully we can all learn something about learning in the process :) I'm open to any questions and discussion (especially about neuroscience and the psychology of learning - I love that stuff).

Let me know what you think of my message, and what I might do to make communication/expression of it better.

Safe Riding, and Happy Riding!

- Andrew
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You sound like a talented beginner and you recognize a niche of teaching racing skills to children who had no exposure to any racing sport.

But as soon as you made yourself a peer with veteran racers and riders, you actually shut off avenues of learning for yourself.

When I learned how to ride motorcycles, I had 20 years of bicycling experience, including regular long distance urban commuting and 10 years of racing. But I decided to take the traditional beginner training path, starting with the MSF Basic Rider Course.

And the class was easy for me. The transition from total novice to intermediate was quick, just a few months after the class.

Did the MSF class make me the rider that I am? Well, not entirely, but the concepts help me to formalize my skill set, which I am confident is a good base to build my intermediate and expert skills around.

By acknowledging I was a beginner, I was able to accept training humbly, which accelerated my transition to intermediate.

One more thing, often the most talented are not great teachers. What comes easy to you may not to less talented people.
 
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monstermonster said:
BUT I DON'T LIKE YOU ON THE FUCKING TRACK WITH ANYONE ELSE!!!
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:thumbup

nar·cis·sism

noun: narcissism

PSYCHOLOGY
extreme selfishness, with a grandiose view of one's own talents and a craving for admiration, as characterizing a personality type.
 
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Watching this guy blow turn 11 every lap in one race was the highlight of the weekend for me. And I mean beyond the cones. Every lap.
 
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