Learning fast! My day at the Keith Code California Superbike School.

Last week was a busy week. I had several work commitments and a few extra things to do at home after punching the clock at work. In the middle of it all I needed to find time to get ready for my most challenging motorcycle related endeavor to date. I was signed up to take the Keith Code California Superbike School Level 1 class and Saturday was fast approaching. I was excited and a bit nervous to get out on a full sized race track with my FZ1 rocket and learn the art of going fast. Scroll on through to see what I did and how it went.

First up was taping up all the lights. A holdover from the past when glass was used in motorcycle lighting systems, most track day orgs. still require it. Blue painter's tape is the tape of choice for this as it doesn't leave sticky goo residue on the lights afterwards. Along with the taping, I removed the reflectors on the left and right sides of the front forks and rear seat. I also removed the rear view mirrors.  I cleaned out my tool kit and other items from under the seat and pulled out the fuse for the headlight. Even with the painter's tape, the headlights can get warm enough to melt the glue of the tape leaving a mess behind. Pulling the fuse just prevents that.

Other non-bike preps included getting my gear together, packing some basic tools (much easier now that I have a separate track tool set) and gathering a few other odds and ends. Since this is a full service course I don't need to bring my entire pit set up like I did when I took the Ninja to the kart track. I am slowly refining my track needs and subsequently packing gets a little easier each time. After getting my stuff ready. I skimmed over my books to start getting my brain wrapped around what was ahead.

 I had a two hour drive ahead of me to get to the track. We needed to be at the track for registration at 7:00 am. I decided that I would go the night before and crash in a hotel so that I could get a good night's sleep before a day of hard work at the track. I loaded the FZ in my friend's trailer as mine is still in pieces on the shop floor and set off. I must have picked the wrong route as it took two and a half hours thanks to a never ending stream of LA traffic to get to Lancaster, CA. The next morning I made it out to the track in plenty of time. I'm glad I did as there was a long line to get into the gates. Aside from the CSS course on the Streets of Willow track, there was a car track day on the Big Willow track and another motorcycle track day on the Horse Thief Mile track.

This is the view of the track and of the fleet of BMW S1000RR Sport Bikes that you can use if you choose to take the class with the CSS bikes. It costs a few hundred dollars more, but you save the hassle of towing. I wanted to use my bike so that I could explore the limits of the bike and of myself with the bike. The Willow Springs Facility sits at the base of the hill you see in the center of the picture. The Streets course has a few elevation changes that add some excitement and challenge to the ride. The Horse Thief Mile track sits above the Streets course and looks to be even more challenging thanks the the tight turns and numerous hills.

At Tech, they checked my tire air pressure. CSS uses the same Dunlop Q3s that I do on their BMWs. They dropped my street riding pressure down from 36F/39R to about 29F/31R for a little extra heat and grip. They taped my speedo and checked my chain, controls and made sure my lights were covered. I got a sticker proclaiming me good to go and went inside to finish registration. At registration I signed a few forms and received my group color and race numbers! Well they aren't really race numbers, but it felt cool to have numbers on my bike at the track. I was going to leave them on the bike after I got back as a badge of honor, but that sounds a bit pretentious so I took them off.

After five classroom sessions with Dylan Code as the trainer and five track sessions with Lyle as my track coach, my Q3s were looking good. I still had some lean angle left, but the confidence these tires gave me was great. I never felt out of shape or at a loss for traction anywhere. The classes were designed to start from the basics and slowly add techniques. They were backed up by the on track format that was designed to reinforce the drill. I won't go into too much detail on the class curriculum since the information is something that CSS worked hard to develop and is the way they make money. I can say that the techniques are not some amazing key that suddenly unlocks your inner Valentino. It is basic information to get you to concentrate on what works for every rider and every bike in every corner.

The first on track drill was the most nerve racking. We had to circulate the course in 4th gear without using the brakes. This was to teach us throttle control. Coming downhill out of turn 2 into turn 3 for the first time had me almost soiling my leathers. I did have to tap the brakes to calm myself down. After the first lap I was able to do the drill properly. Entry speed and trusting my traction is/was one of my major areas of needed improvement. This drill really helped with that. In subsequent drills we were allowed to use more gears and more brakes until the last session when it was rider choice for both. I found that I tried to not use the brakes as much even if I was 'allowed' to use them. Having 3rd gear made the track easier to navigate. I paid an extra $20 to have my laps timed. My times were inconsistent as would be expected, but my last lap of the day was a 1:56.6. I was always around the 2:00 mark and found that I was lapped less and less as the day went on. I even made passes on another rider in the last two track sessions.

I came away with so much more confidence in my bike and in myself. I am completely addicted to track riding and can't wait to get back out on the track. I immediately went online when I got home and looked at rear set pegs and clip on handlebars for the FZ. I also got some tank grip pads for both the Ninja and the FZ for better leg grip in hard braking situations. I need to assemble my new trailer and find the time to squeeze more track time into the upcoming work/holiday schedule all without alienating the family. I did look at RVs that could tow a trailer and the wife didn't immediately reject the notion. It would be one way to get the family out to the track.

I have a few more posts in the hopper as I slowly get to some smaller projects as well as the bigger one which is my new trailer. Loop on back by for more Motorbike action soon!

Blue