Here is what our students think about Superbike-Coach. Read the testimonials from our clients, or send us your opinion/testimonial if you was a student already (to use a form, scroll all the way down). What could be possibly a better way to show that you are in the right motorcycle riding school, than hundredths of 5 star reviews by our students. Go check out Google reviews, Yelp, the Better Business Bureau, and Angie’s List because those are 100% real student opinions. The growth of the Superbike-Coach Corp is based on word of mouth.
Testimonials & Reviews about Superbike-Coach
Absolutely amazing program. It’s like Einstein’s relativity. It’s mind blowing, counter intuitive at first, but once you try Can Akkaya’s method, you just realize you’ve been riding wrong your entire life. Xuanfu Lu
Just finished Day 2 with Coach Can- the class is everything I hoped for and more! There are many things to like about him and the class- first and foremost is his passion for the topic and how he can keep an entire class engaged, while also still making you feel like he is watching you and only you almost every moment. Second, he goes out of his way to show you the difference between what you need to know vs. the entire world of what you could know if you were trying to become a Moto GP racer (which we are not). Third, and what I like most, is how he breaks down complex processes into simple steps to learn one at a time. Super excited to attend Day 3 next month!
As of 11/16/2022 I’ve now progressed through Cornering School days 1-3 and couldn’t be happier with my investment in Superbike Coach. Trusting the Superbike Coach Team is the best riding investment I could’ve ever made, worth more than the motorcycle (nuts & bolts) because I’ve started the see the bike as just a tool to apply the techniques we learn. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a nice bike but even that is subjective and we have to have our priorities straight. Each class in the Cornering School Program was a successive eye opener and things really started coming together for me on Day 3. My pace had picked up enough to where Coach instructed me that I could try hanging off a bit and now I’m ready for the Body Positioning Class. Don’t be alarmed that cornering school is split into three days because there is no way to pack all the knowledge into a shorter timeframe let alone apply it effectively! If you put your trust in Coach and only use the techniques taught in the classes in the correct order, you won’t be disappointed. The only time I got myself in trouble during the classes is when I was trying to do something out of order or that we hadn’t covered yet (late braking, trail braking etc…) Everything you need will be taught in due time. Just keep a clear head, be open minded and ride within yourself.
I just wanted to give you a little update on what I learned on day 2 & also on the bike situation. I’ve done a lot of work on my Suzuki to get it back on the road & get it ready for day 3. Although it has been a rough road with this motorcycle. The bike is running & more importantly riding again. I’ve thought a lot about what you said to me. ( If I believed in luck. & The fact that I ultimately control my own destiny.) You have not only opened my eyes & blown my mind on how you can ride a motorcycle, but also on the way I look at life & the way I live it. Instead of waiting around for my luck to get better. I got off me & did something about it. I researched everything thing I could about the motorcycle charging system. And what the bike needs to start & continue to run ( and I didn’t waste my time with the YouTube hotshot mechanics, I got off my ass & talked to people that knew what they where taking about). I don’t need to bore you with the “what I did to my bike” details, but I changed everything that I could find that was causing the problems. Coach you weren’t joking when you said the counter steering would really messed up my lines. I noticed it on the ninja 300, but I really feel it on my 600. The first time I was making a right turn & I moved the handle bars to the left a little bit. I felt exactly what you where taking about, breaking the momentum of the front tire, as I felt the bike pitch to right. I can’t lie I kinda made in my pants a little bit, but man I felt my smile pushing my visor up after came smoking out of the turn with not only more speed, but also more control. It’s been a little tricky getting my lines right, but at the same time I’m also seeing & feeling how much control it puts back into my hands & body by letting the bike do the work instead of fighting the thing. What I’m also seeing & feeling is, by using the counter steering. I not only know exactly where the bike is going, but I can also put it exactly where I want it to go with very little effort. I’ve also been playing with the Uber steering, but in my opinion it should totally be called Akkaya steering. Again I’ve focusing on what you told me. (working on my timing) I can’t say that I’ve mastered it, but what I can say is I’m going to practice it until I do master it. What I’ve noticed with the Akkaya steering is that when I’m at full lean angle in a roundabout not only is it easier to come out of the turn. It’s a hell of a lot more fun. What I’m also noticing is by using Uber steering I can literally feel the bike snap to other side between my legs, by steering into the turn a little bit as i come out of it. It blew my mind how much easier it made that entire transition. The level of conference you’re instilling in me I can’t begin to describe. Before I started taking classes with you. I would come into a corner VERY unsure & VERY nervous. Hands clinched on the handle bars foot hitting the back brakes wondering why the bike wasn’t responding. Now I can smile as I feel the bike pitch into the exact lean angle I want & go exactly where I want it to go, without thinking about it, simply enjoying the ride. Thank you coach Can for everything you, your team & your school does for not only me, but the students you’ve taught, and the students that you have yet to teach. Superbike coach is second to nobody. You guys are without a doubt THE BEST. I look for to taking many more classes with you & your team a, some of them a couple of times.
Repeated Cornering School Day 2, so glad I did. Day 2 covers; overcoming rider anxiety, counter steering, uber steering (obstacle avoidance while at full lean), and much more. By going through the class a second time, I was able to gain a deeper understanding and mastery of each technique. During my lifetime, I’ve been through hundreds of training classes related to my profession. I can count on one hand when instructors were able to combine subject matter expertise, teaching ability, and a true love for their students. Coach Akkaya is one of these very few. I have not meet a single person who has gone through this training who has not improved their ability to safely handle a motorcycle under a variety of situations. And to top it all off, Coach makes it fun for everyone!
Went back for Day 2 and I didn’t know what to expect. (No, I did not read the description) I was both excited and anxious because it had been a few months since I went in for Day 1. Even if I didn’t remember the turn numbers, I still remember the skills we learned because I use them every time I ride. I still hear him in my head when I have to stop fast “squeeeeeze your legs”. Plus once you get back on the track you remember the lines. I felt like there was less talk and more time on the track this time, probably because we got past the basics. Short description of what we were doing then off to the track to practice. There were a few times that I just did not get what he was telling us to do, counter steering for example, did not make sense to me. He did not get frustrated and instead showed me what I needed to do. Same thing with Uber steering, he once again showed me what I needed to do and it makes such a difference. I haven’t ridden my bike since but I will for sure be using all these new skills I’m learning. I’m way more confident when I ride but I also know that there is lots more to learn and I’m learning in a safe environment under his and his staff watchful eyes. Can Akkaya is a great teacher. Great combination of enthusiasm and knowledge. It is very obvious that he cares deeply that you learn. Can’t thank him enough for that. I’m signed up for the next class and expect this to be a long journey-because it is all about the journey!
I really appreciate the energy and passion Coach Can & his Team-Family bring to the Motorcycle Rider Community. He doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time, and his aim is to help riders become better riders, safer, capable, and competent in using the skills we learn in his classes and applying them to any situation we may find ourselves in while on two wheels. He keeps the class interesting and has his own unique style of coaching. Free professional photographs, water and snacks provided (and we were lucky enough to have Rafael the Motorcycle Lawyer treat us to lunch that day too). If you’re someone sensitive to explicit language and sarcasm, this might not be the class for you. I highly recommend and would most certainly take the class again!
Hey Coach, I literally cant move my body today and my dad is even worse lol, BUT IT WAS ALL WORTH IT !!!!!!!! I cant say thanks enough to you and your staff for such an awesome experience. Without a doubt your class exceeded every expectation that we both had. Have been riding with my dad since I was a kid and I know he’s not getting any younger so this experience to me was priceless. I now have a 2 year old of my own and want to keep this tradition alive. Also I don’t think there will be anything more cool then my son seeing papa popping wheelies in his prime :) I remember early on asking if I could get my dad in the class which was booked up at the time. You kept it touch, made it happen and delivered! What you and your team have put together is so unique, well organized, fun, exciting and just a great time! My dad and I were talking the whole way home about how impressed we were with the program. On site mechanics, lawyers, boss coaches, medics, (shout out to your sweet wife), lunch provided, photos, play back video for immediate feedback and coaching etc etc etc is just so cool. The passion that you and your team bring is so sincere and was quickly noticed. I dont feel the average person looks at what goes into something like this and TRULY understands the VALUE that you and your team bring, so I felt compelled to share. in my line of work customer experience is the bloodline of our company so I am extremely observant with an open mind from both a company and customer perspective. you guys just flat out nailed it ! THE BIGGEST MOST SINCERE THANK YOU FROM BOTH MY DAD AND I !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Coach re-defines the phrase, “Wait….There’s more!” I’ve been taking cornering classes with Coach on and off now for the last 6 years. I’ve been riding for about 18 yrs before then. It’s obvious that I’ve taken and retaken Days 1, 2, 3 with Coach over these years, bringing family and friends to attend the class who show a desire to learn and ride better. Coach has helped make them all safer and smarter riders equipping them with life-saving skills. Coaches class has opened up a whole new world of riding for me. My connection to the bike and the road/environment has heightened. My confidence, focus, and ability to tame the demons continues to grow with practice on my own as well as with each additional session with Coach. After numerous rounds of Cornering Day’s (CD) and Wheelie course, I recently took the Track Academy class for the first time. With each CD repeated, I’m picking up things I missed or often look at or approach concepts and drills differently. There was yet more to learn in Track Academy. After riding over 20 yrs, I’m still learning new things from Coach. I’ll keep coming back to see Coach for more years to come. Thanks Coach Can and Super Bike Coach Team!
I did a basic 1-on-1 with Coach Can and found it to be extremely helpful. I rented his Kawasaki 250 since I don’t have my own bike yet, and he introduced me to the basic control layout of the motorcycle. From there, the session involved progressive exercises from clutch modulation to upshifting/downshifting, as well as some fine throttle work. All in all I think it was a great introduction to the fundamentals of motorcycling for novices like myself, and having a 1-on-1 meant I could ask all the questions I needed to. I thought an introductory session with Coach Can, followed by either a motorcycle course or self-paced practice, would be the best way forward. If I decide to take the MSF class I will be more than prepared and should be in a good position to get the most out of it. If, on the other hand, I decide to learn through self-paced practice in a controlled setting and then do the DMV test I now know what to practice and how to identify mistakes. A very good experience and well worth the money. When I’m ready I look forward to taking the more advanced group classes. Highly recommended!
I would like to take a second and thank you & the entire super-bike coach crew for an amazing time at day 1, it was truly an honor to meet you, Again thank you guys. I can’t begin to tell you the incredible amount of knowledge & passion that, you & your team bring to teaching your students. The experience I had at day 1 was amazing, it has greatly helped my riding and also opened my to eyes, so I could see the flaws in my old riding habits. You have opened a hunger & a drive inside me to learn everything I can about being on my bike, and having confidence & the precision that I will need throughout my riding. Deans pictures were very impressive & very helpful on seeing what what I can still improve on. Although I was not able to secure a spot in April for day 2, I will most certainly be attending the class on 6/26/2022. I’ve also signed up for the body positioning class, and will be signing up for more, there is no question that I will be finishing what I’ve started with your school. I’m truly excited to see you & your team again. I’ve already left a very positive review on Google, but I’ve also told several people about the your school and the benefits of taking the courses you have to offer. My deepest appreciation.
Day 3 update!: This course is a NECESSITY! Learning safe and effective braking techniques alongside tuning time for cleaning up your lines is a recipe for an awesome time! Speaking of time- TRACK TIME TRACK TIME TRACK TIME! You spend a ton of time riding with Coach on the track giving you on the spot feedback. Coach is true to his reputation- he will be honest with you, give you the advice you need without the overload, and if you don’t listen, then you’ll be doing push ups 😂 I’ve already integrated these skills to my daily commute and weekend fun rides and I feel so much more confident on my bike. All 3 days have completely changed and improved me as a rider in a way that no parking lot class ever could. I am forever thankful to this SBC Family!
Woooohooohooohooo! I loved Day 1 Cornering and thought it would be hard to beat- DAY 2 KNOCKED MY FLIPPIN SOCKS OFF! I had an absolutely amazing time learning and building skills that apply to my daily commute. Roundabouts are my favorite thing after Day 2! Just like in Day 1, Coach will walk you through the skill, make YOU THINK, and then you get your track time in. AND there is A LOT of track time on Day 2! By the way, you’re gonna use muscles you didn’t even know you had (and I’m not talking about the smart-mouth push up penalties). My turns are smoother, I’m not fighting my bike, and I’m gaining a real understanding of how my bike works (like the PHYSICS of it). If you are serious about being a better rider with faster, smoother times, then you NEED this class. If you are happy learning from Youtube stars that talk big and look like a drunk monkey hanging off their bikes, well, then enjoy my taillights :-)
Hands down the best class out there for people who actually want to improve their riding skills and mindset! Coach’s absolutely unique approach to teaching focuses so solidly on the “why behind the way I’m telling you to do things” and that is the difference between this and other “schools”. It’s not some crap run “do as I say because I said so” program- it’s a “I’m going to tell you how and ask you why that works better”. I’ve had my M1 for years, grew up in a family of riders (following my dad from CA to Sturgis was a yearly trip)- I thought I knew a thing or two. Wrong. Dead flippin wrong. I only knew what a parking lot class and some street experience taught me. I didn’t even know what I didn’t know and I was a little cocky about it. Coach…er… leveled with me and took me from a eider who was simply surviving the roads to a smoother, safer, thriving rider who can enjoy her commute to work. If you are serious about improving your ride, be that for street commute or track, then you need this class. If you’re happy with “doing good enough to not become a smear on the pavement”, well then Coach will probably tell you to not let the door hit you on the way out. I’ve signed my husband and I up for the next two classes- hope to see you there!
If you plan to ride motorcycles and are interested in living a long life, TAKE THIS CLASS. By teaching from an undeniable and comprehensive source of experience, Superbike-Coach Corp.’s Corning Classes offer fundamental lessons of control, incorporating technique-building exercises with the principles and physics behind them, providing lessons that demonstrate the value of control; clearly demonstrating the critical relationship between control and safety. Coach Can himself may be an acquired taste, but the information he provides ISN’T. Coach Can’s deep commitment to the truth is what gives him his brashness…but it’s also is what you’ll love about him. He is honest, forthcoming, and knows what he is talking about. If you invest in the lesson, and, more importantly, if you INVEST IN YOURSELF, Coach is in your corner; he is your greatest advocate. He is genuinely invested in helping riders improve their skill and safety, and will work with even the slowest learner. Simply put, he is passionate about his teaching, and genuinely loves helping people. He is a straight forward man; and, while he has zero interest in wasting time on the closed-minded, he is generous with his time to those who come to learn. In this way he is able to quickly ‘separate the wheat from the chaff,’ maximizing value and time for everyone. It’s great for those who come to learn. But Coach isn’t just any cocky, highly-experienced motorcycle racer who decided to teach; his lesson designs and his team demonstrate that a tremendous amount of thought, reflection, effort and energy have gone into the creation of the Superbike-Coach school. Lessons start from basic concepts on up, using methodology and reasoning that are thoroughly developed and explained in simple language, clearly designed to maximize comprehension, all-the-while taking any questions and explaining reasons behind answers patiently (although you may have to do some push-ups if you ask a question that has been covered multiple times). The assistant coaches are every bit as helpful; Coach Can is surrounded by highly-qualified and experienced people, demonstrating even further the school’s commitment to the lessons. Long story short, if you’re on the fence about whether or not you should take a motorcycling class, you will learn from this class. Coach will meet you wherever you are, he will test you, he will teach you, and you will be better off for it. Everything that gives a racing rider control, from preparation to judgement to action to reflection, translate directly to safety on the road (and on the track). It’s a no-brainer.
WOW ! This is a a must do course for anyone wanting or needing to improve their skills. Coach is a hands on type guy and tells you how it is no betting around the bush here he gives you the type of information that can save your life. This is the real deal from a true professional !
I took Cornering School Day 1 a few weeks ago, and can’t wait to go back for more. After just one session I felt like my street riding had really improved. Coach Can is passionate and honest, warm and funny…he handles a wide range of abilities managing to have everyone feel like they’d improved…and he explains the reasons behind his tips really well. If you show up to class with a good attitude and willing to learn, you’ll have a great time.
Wow! What an awesome day. I knew I had developed some bad habits after a dirt biking crash three years ago and seemed I had transferred these fears to my street riding even though I’ve been a confident rider for over 30 years. I reached out to Superbike Coach and I’m glad I did! Coach Can is very intuitive and knowledgeable he really opened my eyes to what I was doing and were my mind was even after one day my confidence is coming back, yes I have things I need to work on but he has definitely got me on the right track. I cannot recommend him enough he is direct with his instructions you will know exactly where you stand with him which is what I like from a coach. Coach Can has truly found his calling and it shows.
I just attended day 1 of the cornering class. I would highly recommend taking this class and all the cornering classes. Anyone can go “fast” in a straight line, but when it comes to corners, I think most people could use some help. What I really liked about the class is you learn not only the physical part of how to take corners, but the mental aspect as well. Coach breaks it down so it makes sense and he talks about what is going on in your head while riding. This is actually the most important aspect of riding I feel. The class was fun and practical. There is plenty of time riding around the track and that is balanced with class time. In addition, you get real time feedback from coach on how you are doing and what you could do better. No YouTube video can give you that. Take this class and be safer out there. I plan on taking all I can.
That was an unbelievable day, thank you for my bucket list experience. There was a ton of information to unpack. While I felt prepared physically and equipment wise, no way was I ready for the emotional side. All the things you mentioned, reality checks, there is Monday, grow some balls and end of day fatigue are spot on. I was surprised at how brutally I needed to give throttle. How violent and fast the action was. I assume with practice and muscle memory it is less so. In an ideal world I would take your course, unpack the information on the following day off and then take the course again on the third day with a clearer vision of throttle control and body position. With fond memories, Scott
This gentleman have saved my life!! This is not hyperbole or exaggeration in any way. Here is how I know. I am an experienced rider, in my opinion, with close to 15 years and maybe 50,000 miles under my belt. Have ridden in all sorts of conditions and on all sorts of surfaces, but after my experience with coach, I can say I learned more in a half a day than I have learned on my own in all the time I have been riding. Wish I had thought to take expert instruction at the beginning of my riding career….I thought that the MSF safety course was the main thing that was available to street riders and kind of left it at that, but it is not the case. Do yourself a favor. Contact coach Akkaya…his classes fill up quickly. He took his time in assessing what skills I came with and closely observed me in order to measure and assess what items he could best teach me. Also, he exposed me to everything from maximum braking the right way to the correct way to gauge the best line in turns to what things to attend to , attentionally, for the best results as well as how to deal with fear and survival reactions. Taught me to trust my machine. I cannot speak higher about the quality of his instruction. It is clear that coach is passionate and knowledgeable about his subject and he helps ignite a passion for it in others. I came home with wild dreams and expanded consciousness and confidence. I won’t be the same. Please come as an empty cup, no matter your experience. Trust coach to fill you with what you need and don’t try to pick and choose. This man has been where few mortals tread…giving the respect of being a good student will ensure an “apex” experience. I hope to take many more classes in the future and am so grateful I took the plunge. Might be the best money I have ever spent!! Thanks, Coach!!
I just finished Cornering School Day 2. What can I say, the experience has been consistent cycles of: classroom instruction, get on the track to try it out, “Holy cow! My bike and I can do that!!!!”, rinse and repeat. For icing on the cake, there’s lots of interactions and laughters with coach, Dean’s awesome pictures, and Marion’s calming nurturing assuring presence. CS has has shown me a whole new realm of existence on 2 wheels. It’s given me more confidence in my bike, and made me more humble for knowing now there is so much more I can continue to learn and improve upon. Taking this course is one of the best things I’ve done for myself. LOVE IT!!! Elisa Y., Cornering School
I’m a daily commuter and I wanted to learn to be the safest rider possible, so I signed up for Superbike-Coach’s cornering school. What I appreciated most was that Coach Can was a straight shooter and let me know areas I needed to improve, because it could save my life one day. I didn’t want sugar-coating, or worse false advice, I wanted real feedback that could help me to become a better rider. Well, that’s exactly what I got. I can feel a 200% improvement in my riding. I now feel like I will react instinctively in a dangerous situation to navigate the bike to safety because we practiced it, in a fun, supportive, non-intimidating environment. Coach Can and his staff created a welcoming environment for you no matter who you are, what you ride, or for how long.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfEaVZsgssI
I have Cornering Day 2 coming up this weekend 9/13. It will be my 7th class with Coach Can. My story with Coach is similar to some above as you have read in that after 18 yrs of daily commutes and occasional touring, I decided to buy a used 2008 Ducati Hypermotard 1100s 4 years ago. I quickly realized that the poor bike was disappointed and frowning each time I pulled up to work and arrived at home. It wanted to get out and really be ridden. So I found Coach’s SuperMoto 1:3 class through search engines and signed up. I remember it being in Nov 2016 on the Little 99. It turned out to be just me and Coach. I’ve never been to a track and had no idea what I was doing nor what anyone else was doing. I brought what I had : 18 yrs of street riding experience, my newly acquire Ducati, and the will to learn and be better. The SuperMoto classes are different I learned later than the Cornering Classes. You are in an open track with many other riders not signed up with Coach. As a result, it was hectic, people are passing you and with ZERO track experience, I was nervous and scared, but still committed to learn. Cornering Classes are all students of SuperBike Coach, so better managed and controlled. Towards the middle of the day, some yahoo passed me on turn 1 before turn 2 cutting me off on the left. My 18 yrs of home grown street riding reaction sent me into the wet Nov grass to the right and I put the Ducati down. I picked up the bike and rode it back to our paddock. Coach saw I had my feathers ruffled. With grass hanging off my shoulder and mud packed into my side of my bike, he encouraged me to get back out there so I can get past it. He stressed, “You must go back out there and move past it. Otherwise, it will haunt you more over time.” (Paraphrasing) I’m glad he did. Fast forward to today, I’m riding in Group A, on the same Ducati. I bring along friends and family who want to learn the right way. Sign them up to the class so they can benefit from the eye opening REAL lessons that are offered in Coach’s classes. We “learn the right things in the right time, in the right doses..” as Coach puts it. My current goal is to further sharpen my skills in reading and executing on my lines, using the Day 2 and Day 3 skills I’ve learned. It’s an endless perpetual cycle of continuous improvement. I really don’t think I’ll ever be “done”. Next, Day 3 refresher in Dec 2020, Track Academy, Wheelie Class, and may do SuperMoto 1:3 over again. This time with 22 yrs+ of riding experience, of which 4+ yrs are now on the track. Also, with my sharpened skills, elevated mindset, and tightened relationship with my Ducati and the track. Definitely lots more fun to come. Any advise I have for riders considering a class with Coach, whether you want to understand where the clutch is on the Beginners 1:1 or want to know where to put your elbow in Track Academy, is 3 things :
1) Get in shape. Physically. You will be thankful you did. To get better on the bike demands that you are physically capable. Coming out to the track in poor physical shape will limit what you’ll be able and capable to do.
2) Get in shape Mentally. Get plenty of rest, drink plenty of water. Be ready to think. Be ready to push yourself mentally to look at things differently than you have ever before, say even after 40 years of riding with track experience. Come in with fresh eyes, ears, mind and heart along with a sense of humor. Be ready to have fun.
3) Recognize it’s not about you. It’s not about the bike. Not about Coach. But It’s all about learning, understanding the physics, and working on mastering the art and the sport of motorcycling. There’s an element of ZEN about it. I’ve never been more excited, while relaxed and centered at the same time since I’ve started riding 22+ yrs ago, and I’m only getting started! Thanks to Coach. We’ll see you out there! Philip.
This is my second review of SuperBike Coach, which I have felt compelled to write because the first 5-star review just wasn’t enough. Coach Can & company have wholeheartedly earned a full 10 stars in my eyes. How can this be, one may ask? Well after having ridden with the SBC family (and yes, it is indeed a “family”) several times across a variety of courses, I have been fortunate enough to experience a very steady stream of breakthroughs in my riding development: something many can go YEARS without ever achieving – just settling for old habits and ways. The thing is, just because those ways are old, and “you’ve always ridden this way” doesn’t mean it’s good. If it is, you would undoubtedly see that SBC isn’t working for you. What you will very likely discover is that those ways aren’t going to work for you anymore. After you’re done with your first session of smiling once you realize just what SBC can do for your riding development, you will be asking yourself the stinging question that just about every SBC student asks: why the hell didn’t I start earlier?! If you have taken the well-warranted time to check out a few of Coach Can’s prior reviews — along with his crystal clear statement right on his website — you will see he is a very intense dude. However, the intensity is not just for bravado or ego. In fact, the ones who find themselves “bothered” by Coach Can are the ones walking away with shattered egos. The fact is; motorcycling has no room for that sh*t. If you think you are the next Marc Marques, then clearly you aren’t reading this review because you’re too busy traveling the globe collecting your trophies on your way to MotoGP. However, if you are a mere mortal looking to attain the keys to unlocking your highest riding potential, then you are in the right place. Nothing worth working for is easy, and Coach will NOT coddle you into thinking you achieved something you did not. Instead, he & his team will give you the most honest feedback you will have ever received on your riding, and under their excellent breadth of knowledge, will show you the way to earning yourself a sense of modest-laced pride in your newfound abilities you will have never known you would hold. Then, when the class is over, you get to ride into the sunset of freedom with some astounding new skills and a refreshed outlook & invigoration into motorcycling. Your first stop (after the gas station perhaps) will be right back to your computer or phone charger to log onto the SBC website to sign up for your next course! And trust me, once you get the bug for quality moto-education, there’s no turning back. I have been fortunate enough to do several private 1-on-1 sessions with Coach both at the track, as well as Road Skill in my hometown in Lake Tahoe. Best times I’ve ever had on a bike – period! Now I get to look forward to many more of those moments as Coach Can has set me up for a whole world of motorcycling successes to explore. Now, listen to that little voice revving in your heart, and sign up for SBC now! Classes are pretty hard to get into these days (huge demand), so get your name on that list and get ready for an awesome time with your newest family & mentors. Trust them. Then, you can REALLY trust yourself!
A short time ago, you took me on a road riding lesson. I’m not a Valentino Rossi or Mark Marquez, but I have believe I have a fairly high level understanding of riding. I have taken all of your awesome classes in Stockton and have ridden more than a few track days. I’m an B+ to A- rider on the track. While riding more than 20 years, I have been really learning how to technically ride in the past 4-5 years. I had not been on the road riding for a while. I felt a bit rusty. I’m a huge proponent of continued learning. I thought some additional Coach time would be helpful. What a great decision! The main take away of how my late apex turns in blind corners were not the safest way to go were eye opening! As you indicated, these late apex turns create a sharp turn angle with no outs. A traditional apex gives you options and a much smoother and safer ride! The other tips about breaking and acceleration were fabulous and now are part of my riding style. This week I had to head to Seattle for work. I rented a BMW GS to head to my projects. I took a side ride to the Northern Cascades mountain range for some mental health relief! Besides the fact is was an absolutely beautiful ride, I wanted to tell you how much more I enjoyed the ride more than ever before. Even through I prefer my BMW XR, this may have been the best street riding I have done. Everything was so much smoother. I know other riders have the glow feeling in the chest when everything just clicks, and I had it on that ride! I’m still buzzing from that feeling. I can’t believe I’m enjoying riding more than ever, but I am! After my time with you, you took me and two others for another road ride class. Both experienced riders, each with multiple bikes such as Ducati V4, Aprilla Tuono, R1, one with track experience. Both race cars and dirt bikes. We spent several hours in the parking lot. the other riders were new to you and had not been to any classes. Both were so thrilled with the parking lot drills, they said it would have made the day worthwhile if they never left the parking lot. Of course, you stress the importance of using these skills on the road, so we did some mountain riding as well. What a transformation of these riders!! As I had done our personal day, I was well ready for this ride. After several hours on the road, both of these riders were worlds apart from the first 1 mile up the canyons. Afterward, both riders said they had never learned more in one day than they had from you. Both swear they will do this again! I would just like to pass along to other riders, it does not matter how long you have been riding. You can get better. Lessons are going to make you much safer. The more I know how to ride, the more I enjoy it. (Plus if you ride with others, they are going to be envious of your skills!). Thanks Coach!
I am 17 years old and I recently attended cornering school day 1 In hopes of improving my cornering skills. I wanted to learn how to corner well in hopes of becoming a better racer I have done many track days and have been coached by instructors but I have not learned nearly as much anywhere else besides this class. Coach teaches you how to really corner your bike and shows you how to get to the limit. Through Coach’s class I have gained lots of confidence on my bike and I feel a lot safer riding my bike. Overall this class was amazing and taught me so much about riding and I can’t wait to go to more of his classes. As for Coach, I have never met anyone so passionate about the sport and so experienced I recommend this class to anyone it will be one of the best decisions in your riding career.
I have taken the first and second days of the four cornering classes and I am so impressed with Coach Can and his team. The classes are well organized and as a fairly new rider this is something I really needed to enhance my cornering skills. Coach Can is a previous racer and is excellent in helping to relay his vast experience to not only new riders as well as very seasoned and experienced riders. The class is structured so that the more experienced riders are grouped together and we ride in three groups with the less experienced riders watching the other groups before trying to complete the tasks coach assigns us to do. I have signed up for the third level and plan to take the 4th class as soon as possible. These classes are the best thing that has happened to me since I bought my bike. I highly recommend taking all four of these classes in the cornering section as getting proficient in cornering will save your life. There are also more advanced classes available as you gain proficiency that I plan to take after completion of the cornering. Coach Can and his team are the best!!!!
If you’ve read all previous reviews then there’s not much more that I can add other than that I agree with what’s been said. Here’s a tip tho… really focus on what Can is telling you to do. If he says to apex here and there then take it to heart and try your best to hit those apexes rather than simply nodding your head in class but then going back to your comfort zone on the track. With each classroom session there’s a message that Can is trying to convey. The delivery may not be conventional but the intent is pure and the accuracy is spot on. Having said that, it may take much more practice to nail it down but your job is to at least have and good understanding of what’s being asked of you. My take away from CSD 1 was gear selection. Can gave us his tip on gear selection, and although it was tough to break my comfort zone on the track I tried my best and then on the mountain curves I kept practicing and now I see the benefits and I’m a faster and smoother rider because of it. My take away from CSD 2… everything he said. The point I’m trying to make is this. If you succeed in taking away a solid understanding of what Can is teaching you and you practice it on your favorite mountain curve you will without a doubt become a faster and more confident rider, not to mention safer. Now let’s put things into perspective. How much does this class cost… like a buck and change? Is that a good deal? Well, did you do what he asked you to do or even understand or try what he wanted you to do? No? Then that’s your loss. Yes? Then that’s a good deal in my book cuz I can assure you that you’re a better rider now. One last thing… you don’t need to ride fast to take away from this class. In fact ride at your 50% if you want. But you do need to focus on the task at hand and the speed just follows.
I Completed the Track academy (cornering school day) on 10/16/19. This course was the cherry on top, as it called for all the skills learned and practiced, during the past 3 cornering classes., to come together. The synthesizing skill, emphasized by coach Can Akkaya, was consistency in path, action and timing. He asked us to walk the track and make notes of path/action/timing for each turn, to help us appreciate and gain consistency in our ride. This smoothness in riding, has been transferable to my commutes, and week-end road rides. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning and practicing all the skills that coach Can has shown us. I never imagined that I can learn these skills and improvements without committing to a professional program. Coach Can is providing a great service, at a very reasonable cost. I feel lucky that I stumbled on his website and hope to continue coming back for more of his coaching. I fully recommend that every motorcycle enthusiast, that seriously enjoys riding, should come and try Coach Can Akkaya’s Superbike-coach classes. They will not be disappointed. Thank you, coach Can, for keeping us honest.
This is, by far, the best and most comprehensive motorcycle training I’ve ever received. Before coming here, I was nervous and ready to give up motorcycles permanently. After 2 crashes, being knocked out unconscious, and multiple close calls on the road, I realized that 1) Maybe I’m a bad rider, 2) None of the upgrades to my bike mean a damn thing and 3) maybe I’m safer giving this up since Uber and Lyft drivers drive like blind and deaf teenagers. Because of this, I thought I’d find a solution by getting training (Due to my stubborn nature, I don’t give up easily.) Many of my colleagues have taken Coach Can’s class and have reported that many of the tools and skills taught there are not just for track use, they are some of the most important fundamentals for everyday street riding. However, going through the class will NOT make you a better rider if you do not PRACTICE THE SKILLS AT LEASE A FEW TIMES PER WEEK. Can gives you the key to the motorcycle-riding Castle, but, it is up to you to put the key in the door, turn the lock, open the door, and walk through. You must also leave your ego and everything you thought you knew about motorcycle riding out the door. Then, and only then, will you be able to forget the crap and bad habits you picked up and relearn what real riding skills are. It’s safe to say, I’m looking forward to Cornering 2 and 3. My recommendation: Before you invest in a sweet new exhaust that will likely get destroyed when you do some super dank wheelies into a Prius, save the cash and invest in something that stays with you forever. Riding skills are way more important than whatever squid loving bling you put on the bike. To Coach Can, Marian, and the team…you guys are bombdiggity!
I completed the superbike-coach’s cornering school day 3, this past week-end (9/8/19). Again, both the class and the track practices were beyond my expectation. A full fun day of learning and practice of more advanced riding skills. Coach Can Akkaya, started the day with the review of the past 2 course skills, and answered any questions we had. After some refresher practice, we came in, and he expanded those skills by introducing additional riding methods, punctuated by track practice. These included trail braking, throttle and back brake control and braking for steering. These skills help make us safer riders on top of better / more efficient riders. The big lesson, I have taken away on this day and the previous one, is to let the bike do all the work, rather than me exerting great effort. The bike does it quicker and with more strength. These skills seem like a martial art for the bike rider. Coach Can Akkaya, teaches these skills with great enthusiasm and fun that keeps everyone engaged. But he also demands that we go out and really practice and learn the skills. He stands right on the track, looking and giving us feedback. His love and care for better riding is infectious and we all get better while having great fun. A further bonus is that Coach Can Akkaya provided a certificate of completion after these 3 courses, which may lower the bike insurance, by 15%, at some insurance companies. A still further bonus, is that Dean Lonskey takes pictures and videos of the students, while riding, free of charge. I have looked at them as a visual feedback toward improvement. As mentioned before, the cost is very reasonable for an all-day activity, and is not discouraging to take more courses or even repeat some, once or twice a month. Overall, I am very happy to have found Coach Akkaya’s Sportbike-coach school, that is allowing me to make bike riding a fun hobby, while making my daily commute safer.
Coach Can is a unique experience in a good way. He is blunt, which is hard to find, so if you have bad habits or flaws in your riding, he will let you know off the bat. If you are getting lazy on the track or not working on the drills, he will call you out on it. Not only that, but he is also extremely knowledgeable and has an extensive background in riding, so he knows what he is talking about. He will teach you the right technique and concepts the first time around so that you can develop good habits right off the bat. Ultimately, the programs that the Superbike-Coach Corp offers is a hell of an opportunity to learn how to ride better. If you are willing to learn and work on the drills, techniques, and concepts, these guys are willing to put in a lot of time and effort into you as well.
I was lucky enough to come across Superbike Coach as I was searching the internet for a birthday gift for my husband. I emailed Can about the classes (there are a lot to choose from) and what might be best for what I was looking for…I was a pain; as in, many questions, follow ups, and what abouts. He was great, I never got the feeling that I was bothering him. I ended up purchasing a gift certificate for my husband’s birthday and giving him the information so he could pick, then I was lucky enough that he wanted me to attend a class with him.
Coach was just as great in class, as are his wife and staff. I never felt like I was just a class fee, you can feel that they are genuine. Speaking of the class fee it’s almost more affordable than it should be and that should tell you something about their intentions. Especially after hearing some stories from other students about classes they took previously (for hundreds of dollars!) and who are still afraid of their bike and/or lack of skills. Anyhow…we picked the cornering class which is what had been recommended.
First thing: If you don’t want to hear about what you are doing wrong or you don’t wish for someone to pick up on your bad habits maybe you are better off not taking this class because he is going to tell you that your lines suck and he is going to call you on things you may be doing that could get you hurt. I have some bad habits, as we all do; however, I had one that I didn’t even know about. I have no idea how long I had been doing it (I might never have known) and it might have ended badly someday. Now it won’t. If I didn’t get anything else from class (and I did) I will forever be grateful.
Second: you are also going to do some drills that might be of your comfort zone, for me it was the front brake only drills, but you must trust that he isn’t ever going to ask you to do something that is of no value. The confidence I always had in dirt but never had on the street has improved by leaps and bounds mostly from the dang front brake drills I didn’t want to do. Those ABS brakes for some reason really freaked me out. It’s amazing how little things that make you uncomfortable can affect everything when you get on that bike. He’s going to help you with that.
I am going to sum up because I get long winded, but I want everyone reading this to know that I went into this class with many years on two wheels. I can’t recall a time when I couldn’t ride a motorcycle, literally. More years by far in dirt than street. It’s been almost 5 years on my street bike and since I went to DMV and got my M license…I am not a new rider is the point. SO…If you think you don’t ride well enough for this class, you are wrong. If you think you’ve been riding 20+ years and don’t need this class, you are wrong. Also, no matter where you fall on the experience spectrum there will be people in class who have more experience than you and people who have less experience than you, but NO one will care. NO one will make you feel like you shouldn’t be there. No one wants anything more than for you to be a better, safer rider including all the students so don’t talk yourself out of it or be intimidated by the course. You have nothing to lose but your life and I know that sounds so dramatic but if you are on two wheels you know I am not wrong.
If you’ve read other online reviews about SuperBike Coach / Coach Can, you’ll surely know already that Coach has a very specific style in which he delivers information. Like the very act of motorcycling itself, his delivery method is both invigorating, occasionally scathing, with laughs paved in-between.
Invigorating in that it is a high-octane rush to your senses.
Scathing in that one mess-up will cause you some pain.
Laughs in that — regardless — this is still a ton of fun!
Just like motorcycling.
Simply put, this class (& sport) is not for the faint of heart.
First of all, the staff at SuperBike Coach is an air-tight, well-oiled machine. These guys are extremely fervent about the topics they teach, and the tools they provide to give you success. They are all very knowledgeable in their field, and despite their somewhat militant demeanor, are in-fact very caring about your success and well-being. Never did I feel like I couldn’t ask a question I needed answered. While certain questions might earn you a touch of ridicule from Coach, he will still answer them, and always with a smile placed neatly between the lines of the answer.
My first class with SBC was the Wheelie Course. The class of approx. 30 students was divided into 3 color groups, which rotated constantly between one of 3 stations:
1. Practice Wheelie Tools: a high-torque mini bike & an SV650 affixed to an angled stand; each of which independently focus on specific progression steps of the various “moments” of a wheelie. The former works on the initiation of the wheelie, and the latter focuses on “floating” the wheelie. These are great simulation tools (especially the SV650, which was SUPER fun and really had me feeling like I was floating on air).
2. Track Time: a short course partitioned into segments where you can use your own bike (or a rental bike from the company for an extra fee) to practice various steps to achieve a real-world wheelie.
3. Rest Area: which on a 100-degree day in the California sun, you WILL DEFINITELY need. Ample amounts of cold bottled water are provided for everyone, so drink up!!
This system of rotating the various stations is very well thought-out, and executed efficiently for time by the SBC team. Everyone received equal time, albeit in different patterns than the other color teams, that ultimately got my beginner butt understanding and applying the basics of a wheelie by the end of the day. While there is no guarantee that every single student will be popping nooners by the end of the class, you will most certainly be on your merry way to doing so. I guarantee you’ll walk away much more empowered with knowledge as to how to better control your bike, and have some great tools to work with outside of the class on your own.
Overall, the content was effective, the team was efficient, and I felt that Coach Can (in his most colorful way) truly cares about each student’s well being & betterment (even if some students didn’t care so much for him). The company’s cardinal rule is: Safety, Fun & Success…in that order. THAT is a winning formula in my book! Never once did I feel unsafe; the staff’s adamant nature of focus made sure of that!
SBC offers many classes for all levels of riders, with tons of focus on various aspects of the righteous art of ripping on two-wheels! Their content is thorough, and I look forward to learning as much as I can.
One thing I took away from the experience that was so powerful was not necessarily from Coach, but from the other students (while cooling off slamming water in the rest area). In chatting with my Moto-colleagues, upon mentioning that I was a beginner on his first season of motorcycling, the others stated how much THEY had wished they had started learning this content so much earlier. It seems that’s the one common regret some of the veterans have. It’s proven that unlearning a bad habit takes SOOOO much more time than learning a good one from the get-go. This is something I’m fortunate not to have to say, and other seasoned riders strongly confirmed: learning the best techniques (or ironing out the bad ones) as early-on as possible.
And I am certain that SBC is the place to do just that.
My next classes I’ve already signed up for are the Cornering Classes, which I’m sure will be two of many more to come in the future.
I think Coach’s nickname should be Coach “Yes You” Can: so long as you can take an ego bruising, pay close attention, and know how to shake off any small failures & get your ass back in the saddle.
Just like motorcycling. ;-)
Cannot thank you enough for everything. I want to say thank you to Coach Can, his wife and the staff for everything you provided. Took the cornering day 1 class and it was awesome. I’ve been riding for years and learned so much in just one day. Will be back for several more classes and look forward to seeing the whole team again. I cannot put into words how much I recommend ALL riders no matter what skill level, age or gender, how important it is for you to take superbike coaches classes. It will absolutely make you a better rider and may save your life. I promise you will take a lot away from the classes. Thank you again to the whole super bike coach team for your time and professionalism. You have a customer and a friend for life.
I’m an old rider with the ‘crossed-up’ style deeply embedded in my riding. My interest in attending the Body Positioning class was to try and get more comfortable with the hanging off style. The Little 99 is the perfect place to practice this. Trust me, I’m fully aware that at the end of the day I am a guy who rides a desk and has Monday’s to get back to work, so body positioning is somewhat frivolous. That said, I appreciate your approach and the information provided. I have a lot to work on including, set up before the corner, proper sighting, positioning, sliding the butt rather than lifting when transitioning, and the list goes on and on and on… Again, you have provided specific things to be mindful of and improve upon. I also have to admit that I tend to become “that guy” who doesn’t allow proper gap. Tried to let the gaps open and maintain the space, but inevitably I end up crowding. I will try to work on this, too next time I join your class. Mostly just wanted to say thanks again for another great day! I was bummed that you didn’t have Thunderhill trackdays on the schedule this year. Riding THill West with you guys was one of my most fun days ever. Perhaps someday I can join one of your track drill days. That’s it for now. Thanks to you, Marion, and Dean for all you do. (I always tip Dean! I hope others do, too).
I had attended Cornering Day 1 & Cornering Day 2 classes in early 2019. I would consider myself to be an adept daily commuter and a beginner track rider, with around 1.5 years or 8000 miles of crash free riding prior to attending the classes. My ride is a ’17 FZ-07. Prior to taking classes with Superbike Coach, I had attended Beginner and Intermediate safety classes and track day events. Review: Coach Can and Team are awesome! In my opinion, the program is underrated and definitely deserves more than 5 stars, but alas google only allows 5/5. Coach is very passionate about teaching and high performance motorcycle riding. His approach is highly practical that seems to be derived from his experiences and lessons learnt as a pro racer. I confidently endorse that keeping an open mind and paying attention during his class lectures and trying to apply it during practice will get you positive results by end of class. He might appear to be loud mouthed, but I would disagree. I feel that he really wants you to succeed and probably hates to see you fail. This could come out as him being a jerk or going too hard on you. After cornering day two, I had eliminated all my chicken strips, started scrapping my pegs and toe sliders (Had never happened before) and had started pushing my bike to its limits. I could feel my overall lap time had noticeably reduced and my confidence level boosted to a all time high. I have signed up for future classes and see myself being as a returning client to super-bike coach for a long time.
Some other points that might be useful info for newcomers: Little 99 Raceway at Stockton, CA is typically where Cornering Day classes happen. Its essentially a Go Kart Track. However, it is full of medium and low speed corners that are excellent to learn and master the art of cornering on two wheels – with Coach Can’s help. This track is most fun with smaller displacement motorcycles, however students bring all sorts of Choppers, Touring Rigs, Adventure Bikes, Supermotard, Superbikes etc., This cornering class is customized to make you a better rider irrespective of what you ride, encompassing various aspects of motorcycling – accelerating, gearing, breaking, cornering etc. to name a few. This is not a typical track day style event. This is a top of the line, high performance riding program.
My track riding buddy and I hired Coach for a 2 on 1 training session at Sonoma on 2/23/19. It was early season, the track was cold, it was mostly cloudy and neither of us really felt like it was going to be a great day – Boy, were we wrong! Riding with Coach immediately got the adrenaline flowing and the brain engaged! Riding the track is physical, for sure, but to go fast, smoothly and safely, demands as much from the brain as the body. Coach made us engage mentally to really think about what we were doing, and not doing, on the track. He helped us determine track markers for throttle, braking, lean in, body position, shifting, etc, and he showed us how to use these markers as a way to improve confidence, speed and comfort. Coach helped us identify different lines through the corners, think about moving the apexes either forward or back to support entry or exit speed and shared methods to maintain higher corner speeds. Double apexing the carousel probably dropped two seconds a lap alone. I’ve been a racer and rider for 40 years and never felt as confident trail braking as I did after one day with Coach! He is extremely knowledgeable and is able to share his wisdom without ego or bravado, explaining why my way wasn’t the best and why his way works better – and it does. I strongly recommend anyone with a desire to ride better, more confidently, more knowledgeably, more safely and, yes, faster, to spend a day or two with Coach. It is well worth it!
It was a brisky 38 degree day at Sonoma, but that didn’t prevent us two determined students and a willing instructor from accomplishing our goals. Can was straightforward, succinct and focused on first clarifying his expectations and procedure. The instruction was very educational and we learned a lot. By Can first observing our individual riding techniques early on, and then focusing on particular tasks he would want us to engage on the following sessions. The instruction was very enlightening and Can pointed out many areas in our on-track behavior that we could work on. It was a lot of information to absorb, especially on such a cold Day with many riders going down, on the slippery, cold track. We did however, by the end of the day, able to apply some of our learned skills in an effective way. Overall it was a great experience and very educational. I learned a lot about my riding style, and took away a lot of useful. Information and some new skills that I will definitely practice on and apply on my upcoming track days, to make me a better, safer, more effective rider. Thank you, Can for a great experience.
Had a great 3 on 1 coaching day with Coach Can today at Buttonwillow Raceway Park. I had done around 30 or so track days in the last 2 years and have about 25 years of street and dirt riding under my belt. I definitely felt recently as if I had hit a plateau in my skill level and I was craving some formal evaluation and instruction to take things to the next level(s). Coach helped me understand the correct way to approach track riding one step at a time and gave me plenty of techniques to work on, both during our training day and for future track days. I picked up more valuable information in one day with Coach Can than the last two years of trying to figure it out myself. I only wish I had know about him sooner. Looking forward to more training for sure. If he was local to SoCal I’d be training with him all the time. Looks like I’ll be doing some regular trips up North for more. Coach, thanks for your straightforward approach, it was a pleasure.
I have been riding motorcycles for over 40 plus years and currently have 6 bikes of all types and brands. Early this year I coordinated with 6 of my riding buddies and signed up for a wheelie class in October 2018. The coach, his wife and his team were very enthusiastic and accommodating. I have never been able to hold up my front wheel in the air for such a long period of time! Coach Can was the man! If you listen closely to his clear instructions, you’ll be Wheeling in no time and with confidence! We had a blast! Thanks Coach!!
I recently got my M1 and needed more practice to get more comfortable riding . Then I took the one on one course with Coach Can and it was the best thing I ever did! Was very nervous but he talked me through everything as we rode . He’s very calming and has a tremendous amount of experience. I learned so much and feel more confident now! I’m definitely going to take more courses with his company and will bring my husband and cousin too. It doesn’t matter what skill level your at , there’s always so much to learn or if you want to sharpen your skills as well. Thanks Coach!
Why Enroll? Skill, Courage, Commitment etc. differ from person to person,So, I cannot learn from watching a video of someone else riding. I enrolled for Cornering School Days 1 and 2 in a quest to find something that will alleviate my cornering anxieties which I get at times. It’s not fear, I still rode/ride those corners for many many years… It’s a kind of self awareness that I’m missing some pieces of skill set and it’s a risk which I need to mitigate. I can only say, I could see the problem amplified as I moved up from small motorcycles in India to bigger ones in other countries and in US.
Track: There cannot be a better track than Little 99 Raceway to learn and practice.
Yes. It is small a mile long track. But, just the right size with a blend of all types of corners.
Coach: Pragmatic, confident and witty.
He is like anesthetist for riders. He knows how to inject riding skills in small doses without getting someone killed.
Coaching: It’s more like unlocking one door at a time to a grander view.
Cause and Effect style of teaching/learning.
Thank you Coach…
Headcoach Can Akkaya is one of the best course instructors and coaches I’ve ever had. That’s saying a lot, coming from a background of an AASI/PSIA Certified Snowsports Instructor. A general overview: Coach Can is a no BS kind of guy. He won’t bore you to death with PowerPoint slides – he checks in with YOU to make sure that you are not only listening, but understanding what he is saying. Also addresses not just what happens on the motorbike, but the other chatter you hear from “experts” on the internet. He shows you when the rubber hits the road, how to not only get your moto I the right place – he gets your brain working correctly as well! Coach runs a tight ship with his team, which includes his lovely wife Marion who runs logistics, and his photographer Dean, who gets awesome photos out to the group at every event!
I’m an older sport bike rider and former armature racer. I attended the Superbike-coach cornering class (1) to get more in tune with my newest bike. the class takes place at the little 99 racetrack in Stockton. The course is a tight and technical small track, also a Karting venue. The track is tight enough to prevent high speeds but fast enough to truly test your skills. Coach Can Akkaya the principle instructor and former international racer has a no-nonsense drill instructor approach to teach the students. “Did you understand me?” Yes coach sir! The coach obviously understands how to get the best out of yourself and understands the needs. His instruction had me in a higher gear where maximum power won’t help you get the feel of the track. Using the instructed technique I was quickly able to both push hard in the tight turns and focus on the proper line, making you both smoother and faster. Can is obviously a good rider, but most important works hard to pass along his knowledge along with a bit of showman flare. The class was useful to even a veteran rider (me) and helpful in getting me back to a reasonable speed and smoothing out my lines by the end of the day. At the very least you will leave the class understanding where and how you are blowing your cornering line and getting started correcting it. Looking forward to attending class 2 as soon as time permits. Recommended!
My time with coach Can has improved my riding skills more in 3 months than in the 9 years I have been riding. Nothing can compare to the technical improvement you gain from Coach Can’s classes. He offers a variety of courses each providing a different window to the riding experience. Working with coach has made me realize this can be a real sport, you can transform a beloved hobby into a lifestyle. I appreciate my motorcycle even more than I ever imagined.
I just attended the wheelie class (7/29) and it was really fantastic. They have a bike on a trailer setup as a wheelie machine that really helps to work on your body position while in no danger of crashing. It also helps develop the proper technique at getting the front wheel up, even though it is already way up. Their super-moto bikes with the wheelie bar are also a phenomenal tool for teaching with no risk of looping out. While the class was about 30 people, it was a very fast pace and great individual instruction is nicely blended in. I’m going to be signing up for a cornering class in the near future.
I’ve attended three of Coach Can’s classes now: Cornering School Day 1, Day 2, and the Wheelie Course. (The Wheelie Course was great, but I’ll focus on Cornering School for this review.) Coach Can is an interesting person. Almost everyone seems to have a fairly polarized view of him right off the bat — a “love him or hate him” sort of thing. Some find him a little difficult or over the top, and I’ll admit to being in that category at first, but I found he grew on me quite quickly. But no matter what you think about his personality, put your ego aside and listen to what he has to teach, because the man knows his stuff, and if you don’t believe it, you’ll change your mind the first time you see him on the track. When you’re as good as he is, you earn the right to brag a little. :) (Plus, he’s actually a super nice guy. Just listen to his instruction.) To give you an idea of where I started, I took Cornering School Day 1 when I’d been riding for just under a year and a half; I had around 20,000 miles under me at the time. I was a fairly confident street rider on my FZ-07, but wasn’t super confident in the twisties — I was okay, but I’d been down a couple of times, and I found I was unable to regain the confidence I’d lost. Cornering School Day 1 helped me a lot. If you look at the course curriculum for Cornering School, a lot of it looks familiar if you’ve taken an MSF class or something similar, but Can cuts through a lot of the BS and lays things out differently, and I found practicing them on the track made a big difference. At one point during the day, just after lunch while practicing lines, something “clicked” and I found myself traversing the track much faster and with more confidence. It felt fantastic — all of a sudden the price of admission was well worth it. During a canyon ride my roommate and I took a few days later, we talked about applying the things we learned and saw a noticeable difference in our confidence and, as a result, in our riding. Fast forward about seven months and ~10,000 miles to Cornering School Day 2. The first time around the track, I could tell that the things I’d learned in Day 1 and had practiced since had stuck, for the most part, but I was eager to push forward. Again, Coach Can took things I thought I already understood (like counter steering) and challenged our understanding of them, and letting go of what we thought we knew to make room for new ideas made another big difference. The “uber counter steering” (a term coined by Coach Can for the lack of a better one) was totally new to me and a little tricky, but in the free track time after the class I practiced a bit and got better. At first, Day 2 felt less “game changing” than Day 1 did for me, but on the way home (riding through the twisties) my roommate reminded me of a few things and I realized I’d been riding a bit lazily. I started to apply each of the things we learned, and I was surprised to notice just how much it helped, right off the bat in the middle of a ride; it felt like riding a different bike. The techniques work. All in all, I *definitely* feel like Cornering School is *well* worth the price of admission, just for the skills you learn and the time you get to practice on a track with Coach Can. He didn’t teach me to “be fast,” he taught me how to connect better with my bike and to have more confidence — and that in turn translated into speed. But, in addition to all that, Dean Lonskey is there taking a couple thousand pictures each day, which are made available to everyone for free. A camera may add ten pounds, but it also adds five degrees of lean angle. His photos look great. If you can make it out to Stockton, CA for one of Coach Can’s classes, I definitely recommend it. It’s made a massive difference in my riding.
After taking Coach’s Cornering School Days 1-4 , I upgraded from my beginner bike to a bigger, faster bike and decided Coach needs to teach me how to ride this one too. I went to Coach Can for a 3 on 1 with two of my best friends on Little 99 in Stockton. I came away, once again, far more confident and comfortable on my bike and in riding in general. It was a fantastic day and Coach treated us like friends/family and not just students/clients. Can’t recommend this guy enough! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Coach Can! #36 for life! I will be at both track days this year and CSD1-4 again because, hey…you can never learn enough or get enough practice.
This was my third class with Coach Can. I’ve done the cornering school day 1 & 2. This time it was knee down. My goal was to get more comfortable with the capabilities of the bike and if the stars aligned, I’d get the knee down. As usual, the class was well structured and allowed plenty of track time for the riders. Coach was there with his signature direct style with lots of laughs. By the end of the day, I was physically and mentally spent. I came away with a greater awareness of what the bike can do as well as honing my own skills. There is still one thing I need to do so I will will return. If you have not yet worked with Coach, you’ree missing out. Sign up for a class and have some fun. I’m looking forward to the Thunderhill track day in June.
(REPLY to Coach’s blog article ‘A Sensei has to be old‘) Is coach old? No he is track and motorcycle mature. The question is not about the coaches age or speed, Angelo Dundee trained Ali to be a great fighter while being older than him, and cus’d’amato taught Mike Tyson at a mature age, neither of those coaches step in a ring at mature age to fight. Both boxer are the best in the world. No one else offers what coach offers in the Northern California at the prices he offer them for nor with the experience he brings to the table. Coach is not perfect but he is one of the best and most caring in the business. Most won’t appreciate coach until you ride in his boots as an instructor, racer, and friend. Coach let them know if they don’t like what you have to offer, they have more than focus problem. They should have a Coke and a smile or a can of go sit there ass down somewhere else. Luv ya Coach
OH.MY.GOD!!!! look no further for an amazing coach or class that you want to take. THIS IS THE PLACE YOU NEED TO BE!!! I did my research and wanted to improve my skills as a rider. Anyone can go in a straight line but I felt I need better skills, breaking, and cornering. I had my first crash in a corner and I knew I needed Can to help me. So, my husband and I took Can’s cornering class Day 1. After lunch I booked us Day 2 and my husband booked Day 3 for us. You will learn. You learn the basics and the fundamentals which I needed. I need a good strong foundation which he has giving me to build on to become a better rider. Check your ego at the door and be ready to learn. Can is a professional racer and he knows his stuff. Everything you’ve learned from other places, leave that in the parking lot. They break you into 3 groups and you get lots of track time. Can took away a lot of my fears and I cant wait to do more classes with him. Everyone is super nice and you’ll become friends with the other riders. But be there to learn and not screw around or you will go home. You need to come do this. Oh and the photos are FREE…….WTF…….AMAZEBALLS!!!!
Lessons well learned is a good way to start w my review, Can’s no nonsense approach to riding is refreshing. Seriousness mixed in with examples and a few jokes help keep the lesson animated. Getting put into 3 groups helps keep the beginner jitters from overpowering the learning experience, and his simple to understand tips with instruction help define your learning experience. These classes have helped me show noticeable improvement from session to session along w a desire to want to ride more. The gokart/supermoto track gives u a 13 corner repeat session in less than a minute so you have an opportunity to put each class lesson into a real life situation. An interesting point is ur never alone there even the students are engaging with each other telling stories etc. I’ve already booked another class a testament to the experience
Can (Coach)…is truly eccentric – in all the best ways. I had the pleasure of taking the 1on1 Supermoto class. My first time on a Supermoto bike, and I am hooked! The experience, professionalism and sage like wisdom he threw at me were great. Exactly what i needed, and will be back time and time again to gain more knowledge from the school, the classes…and the “Coach”. I still have a grin from ear to ear from the time on the track. Take the course, rip it up, and enjoy all that is offered.
I took part in a 1on2 private session which was the first time I had ridden in over 8 months after having been injured in an accident. The day was awesome, the attention I received from coach got me back into the swing of things and heading in the right direction. I have attended professional driver training before but never professional rider training although it was on my list. I wish I had spent the money sooner! Coach approaches his curriculum with passion and experience, his instruction gives you the tools to correct the issues he identifies as he pays close attention to you and your riding. I like the teaching style, it worked for me, was like a day with good friends. I will train with Superbike-Coach again and am signed up for a number of classes and the June track day.
I took Cornering Day 1 and Day 2 last summer/fall, and just finished Cornering Day 1 again on 11/5/17 as a refresher. I’m so glad I went! I got a deeper understanding of the skills introduced the first time, and more one-on-one time with Coach Can. Between each classroom lecture – all of which were detailed and interactive- there was plenty of track time for practicing the skills being introduced. Coach Can and his associates (Ben, Deane, and the lovely Marianne) gave input for little tweaks on my riding here and there, making it possible for me to really dig in and hone new skills. Coach Can is direct, amiable, and a no-nonsense instructor. That means he’s brutally honest (trust me, you NEED this in a Coach!) and he knows how to motivate you to do your best. He shows up with high energy and a wealth of valuable lessons to share, so don’t come to his classes if you aren’t ready to listen, learn and have fun! That goes for riders of all flavors: sportbikes, cruisers, dual-sport, Harley’s… whatever you ride, Coach has something to teach you.
The most counterintuitive thing I learnt “sometimes you have to go slow to go fast”: a slower entry speed which lets you hit a a good line, is better than a faster entry speed and random lines. Thinking about how your lines connect from the next corner, to the corner beyond, makes you a better rider. It’s all connecting curves to curves. Also I got an appreciation, from Coach Can’s stories, of the level of focus motoGP riders must attain. It’s a few orders of magnitude beyond the level of focus at my day-job (not being hyperbolic). A word about coach: he is not interested in a discussion, argument, or excuses from you unless you are Rossi or Marquez. He’s got a class to run. Internalize his suggestions, try it out; else he will make sure you “feel it”. I don’t know what that means but let me know if you find out ;-)
Coach Can – thank you for the great day at the cornering class yesterday. I put your clear unambiguous messages and practice sessions to work right away. Especially the part about facing demons. Riding back to the South Bay last night was a totally different experience from the ride up to Stockton – it was dark, cold and traffic was very heavy. Your talk on addressing fears was timely – I respected but did not succumb to my dread of riding in the dark, my nose led the way, and that bright green line (mine’s green, not yellow) pulled me safely home.
I’ve nothing but good things to say. This class reminded me that after 12 years i still have so much to learn about riding. Every exercise is preceded by an explanation of the theories and purpose. After each lecture section, your time on the track feels like a new experience, and you have a clear goal and focus of each lap. I’m not ashamed to say that i May have been the slowest around the track, but by the last few laps, i had a line that i felt confident about, Knew my turn in points and what speeds felt comfortable, as well as where to look and where to place myself for the next turn. The environment is casual and you’ll make friends, but at the same time, everyone is there to improve and everyone is focused. Can and his whole team are all funny, personable, and incredibly experienced. I can’t recommend this class enough. I’ll definitely be practicing and return for level 2
Cornering Day 1? That was a lot of fun. I’ll be back for Day 2. I did the SuperBike Coach’s Cornering Day 1 at the Little 99 Raceway at the Stockton Fairgrounds. Since my bike needed some work, I rented a school bike, which was a Ninja 250, nicely set-up and with sticky (“race”) tires. The class turned out to be the most fun I have had in a good while – and I have a lot of fun. I arrived at the small and tight race track to find myself among a broad cross section of motorcyclists and bikes, which included a handful of women, bikes with from 20 to 200 HP, supersport bikes and Harleys. Don’t underestimate the women or the 
riders on Harleys, or the combination. The Coach has an interesting technique of setting the tone and getting the students to focus on their riding. Coach Can smiles and jokes but demands your full focus and accepts no BS. He’s direct and expects you to absorb what he says. If your eyes glaze over as he talks, he’ll know, he’ll bust you, and you might find yourself doing push-ups! If anything, this is a lesson in itself. You need to control your attention and your mind if you want to ride a motorcycle well, fast, or safely. Focus is key. We were split into three groups, A, B, & C, which the coach decided based on information given to him at the start of class. Like everything else, your group assignment is not negotiable any more than you can haggle with the track about how sharp a turn is. I was put into the A group, which seemed a real stretch – but I believe Coach Can felt that the small bike gave me an advantage on the tight track. It probably did. The track is small and relatively low speed. It was configured with a couple tight and tricky corners for Cornering Day 1. This seemed ideal for what we were trying to learn, Corner entry speeds were never very high, and with lower speeds and some very tight turns, the focus on cornering technique was prominent. There was a single place designated for passing via a track shortcut, and that was inherently a safe place to do it. The day consisted of alternating riding laps in our groups and getting instruction from Coach. The instructions themselves were very digestible: one new focus for each lapping session. Progression – improvement – was dependent upon how well you absorbed simple instruction. But then that’s the trick, isn’t it? It’s in the doing. Books and PhD thesis cannot turn fast laps. Everyone rides and progresses at the pace they are ready for, and no faster. The coach and the class, seemed built around this reality. It’s worth mentioning that a class rule was to respect each other, and it worked that way 100% in my class. Everyone treated each other with respect, both on and off the track, and a few new friendships were probably started. So how were my results? On the nimble Ninja 250 I was clearly the slowest rider in the “A” group, though not by nearly as much at the end of class. I got faster. I got much better on the slowest section of track, though I never got things right for an entire lap. The lessons were clear and simple but powerful. I got immediate improvements in my riding. Better still, I can now see how much more possibility there is – for me – for any rider. It’s an exciting horizon. I’ll work on what I learned enthusiastically. Then I’ll go back for Day 2. Is this class for you? I would say there are two factors: first, whether you have taken a course like this before – though even if you have, this class is only likely to make you better. The second factor would whether you can check your ego, and take direct feedback. But that’s worth doing anyway, and how else will you improve? Did I mention how much fun this all was? I highly recommend the class. Some Details: How was that little rental Ninja 250 on the track? I weigh 220 lbs, so it was a rather small bike for my size, and I had to keep the revs pegged. Still it worked well, and it was probably easier to learn on the little Ninja than on my literbike. The little Ninja was also fun, even when I rode it poorly. I was pushing the bike, not vice-versa. But I’ll bring my VTR1000 next time, since it makes sense to learn these things on the bike you normally ride. Things which I thought could have been better? I struggled a bit to understand the Coach’s recommended lines through the corners – it would have been nice if they had been drawn out on a piece of paper I could study, rather on the chalkboard. It might have been more obvious to others – I had never considered the idea of a late apex before. I’m not sure I know all the right lines now, but the class has got me started on the journey to find them.
Coach at his best. It’s amazing how he can push you. This is the third time I’ve done the wheelie course, as there’s so much to learn. The first time, I got over my fear of the front end coming up. The second time, I learned to get the front higher and stay up there for a bit. At the end of this day, I was wheelying down the entire straight with the wheel so high I could barely look over it! The environment is just so hands-on. Practice practice practice. The coaches have a rigorous schedule so you’re always busy on the big track on your own bike, practicing on the mini bike, or getting used to the feeling of weightlessness on the wheelie machine, which is a bike that’s fixed to be at a 45 degree angle. This last one is a great innovation that I’ve never seen, to get you used to the feeling of being “up there”. After being on that thing for a few minutes, I immediately was able to wheelie much longer, just because I lost some of the fear of that feeling of weightlessness. I think that at the end of the day, almost everybody in the class got their front wheels lifted, some more than others. A few people where also going down the entire straight with their wheel up! Most people where somewhere in between, of course, from small hops to pretty impressive. Everybody had a great time. What’s impressive as well is how Coach can pin-point your weaknesses when he does 1on1 training with you. He gives you a helmet headset while you ride down the track, and he’ll tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong, and how to fix it. Immediate feedback, helped me a lot. The only feedback I have: please create a Wheelie Level 2 course, Coach! I can’t wait to learn even more.
This was exactly the kind of class I was hoping it would be. Coach and his awesome team gave me lots of practice time and feedback and by the end of the day I was holding wheelies consistently and having a BLAST doing it! At registration, we each got colored wristbands to indicate which group we were in and made our lunch orders (catered, pizza/salad/sandwich). After doing a walk through of the track and stations, coach explained the flow of the three groups and how we would rotate. Station one is a small pit-bike on a short runway where you can practice popping the clutch to get the front to come up, and get a feel for how to keep your wheelies “steady” by controlling the throttle. It was a fun and low-stakes way to pop up the bike because if you go too far you can just stand up–the bike isn’t going to throw you, you’re going to throw it. Station two is the wheelie machine, a supermotard on a dyno-looking stand propped up at a 45 degree angle. You sit on it and learn proper body positioning and how to pull on the bars as you crank the throttle to get the front end to lift. The front wheel is tied to a bungee so you can’t loop the bike as you learn the balance point. The coach for this station, was really enthusiastic and celebrated with me when I finally got it right. Station three is the track! This is where you ride in a loop around a large-ish oval and get to attempt wheelies freely for a solid block of time with feedback on every lap. Students are eventually selected to hop on the Coach’s supermotard and wire up their helmets to hear Coach Can’s feedback as they take a few laps with one-on-one coaching. I liked this bike because it had low end torque and could pop up easily. This was the meat of the class, getting as many tries as I needed to get comfortable and consistent wheelies. Coach Can is very tough on his students but has a great attitude so if you are a sensitive snowflake you might be in the wrong place but if you TRUST him and TRUST yourself you will have a great time and find success! Every part of the coaching team makes teaching you how to wheelie their PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY and that is what impressed me the most. I will be back with friends!
Oh man, what a day. Coach Can put the widest smile on my face and guess why – I dragged my knee for the first time! I came to Knee Down class couldn’t even get my butt of the bike and at the end of it I dragged my knee! Still can’t believe it, if felt so f**king amazing. Coach just knew when to push it, when to let it go, when to explain and just to let me practice going on my own pace. Thank you Coach, you’re the BEST!
Took the knee down class several weeks ago. Never thought it would happen, but after the 1st occurrence in the morning, it was happening more regularly in the afternoon session. It was all about being in the right environment and with coach, will be returning for more classes.
I did cornering school, day one, this past weekend. I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I’ve had a bit of MC training and it has all been valuable. Can takes it to another level. His passionate teaching style and the repetitive nature of the track makes it a memorable day. It was my first time on a track and I was not disappointed. I came away with more skill and confidence. And we all had plenty of laughs. The day was run right on time and there was even extra track time at the end of the day with Can for those who wanted additional training. You could not do better than to spend a few bucks to take this class. I’ve already signed up for cornering day 2 and the knee down class. Can’t wait. Just do it!
I recently completed the Day 2 Cornering Class (I took the Day 1 Cornering Class a couple of months ago) and it was worth every penny. Although I took the Day 1 class on a smaller bike, a recent new bike purchase found me on a larger sport touring bike for the Day 2 class. I can personally attest to the usefulness of Coach Can’s courses no matter what kind of bike you ride. The focus of the Day 2 class is counter-steering and after 20+ years of commuting and touring I found my counter-steering was horrible and nearly non-existent. The drills were invaluable in highlighting areas I need to improve in. Best of all, just getting dedicated time on the Little 99 track and running the drills gave me more confidence in handling my new bike. I highly recommend Coach Can’s courses to anyone, new rider or experienced, looking to improve their skills.
My experience with Superbike Coach Can Akkaya was excellent. It was a positive and informative lesson, making me respect the sport even more! Coach Can is experienced and patient. He’s passionate about motorcycling and serious about the sport. This was my first time riding and he made the lesson comfortable and fun! I walked away with beginning knowledge; and a desire to learn more! I will be taking another class. Thank you!
I liked the type of information available on his website, his down-to-earth style, and genuine passion for riding. When I read his reviews online, the reviewers stated they were very satisfied by his technical expertise, personalized teaching style, and their immediate progress in his class either as experienced riders or as a novice (like me). There is something for everyone. I just completed my first three-hour session with him yesterday. He really delivered! I am 51, and have minimal riding experience from many years ago and none of it safe or sane. I’m good with my head and my heart. Imagine my surprise when I learned that if I wanted to succeed in class, I needed to get OUT of my head, and trust my body’s connection with the bike. I think I was majorly re-wired yesterday! Coach Can is so good at what he does because he is a Master (and a Master Tracker). He knew what I was thinking, seeing, sensing, and experiencing before I did. It was instinct with him. And he used that information to personalize the training so he could most efficiently teach me in the way I needed to learn. He is straight up, compassionate, tough, honest, no BS. He loves the sport and walks with integrity. I learned at the same location he taught his wife. We started with the little bike, and moved to the sport bike. We built on success even when there wasn’t much to success find. While I had to start from the beginning of the beginning, we accomplished so much I will be able to take Cornering Class Day 1 in October! I’m so excited! Want a good teacher? You want real progress? Take a class! Maybe I will see you in October!
After enjoying the cornering school day 1 (CS1) a couple of months ago, I decided to sign up for my first day on a big track (Thunderhill West). CS1 definitely boosted my confidence, which helped me on the big track. Although my day ended pretty early with a low-side, everything up to that point was really cool. The other riders are super friendly–even the A class riders who seriously know their stuff. There’s no air of superiority. What impressed me the most was that I emailed coach the gopro video of my crash, and he was able to give me some possible reasons why it occurred. He’s always been very responsive when I’ve emailed. I’m looking forward to finishing his other CS days and getting back out on the big track (once I get my bike put back together) :)
Ruben M. was breaking into turns with a slight lifted rear end- not even got nervous
I’ve just finished Cornering School Day 4 – having done CSD 1 to 3 over the last 6 months, and I have to say it was the best investment in riding I could possibly make. Before CSD 1, I was looking to upgrade my bike and I know now just how much more I achieved by upgrading the rider – so not only is the class good value, but I have become a better, more confident and safer rider. We were the first group through the new CSD 4 class and without doubt, I can totally recommend it to any recent CSD3 graduates – even if you never intend to race. CSD1 to 3 gave us a toolkit of new skills, but CSD4 gave us a full day on track with coach’s guidance to put in all into practice, and then some. If nothing else, watching MotoGP takes on a completely new dimension when you’ve practiced some of those same core skills. Great atmosphere in class, great course content, perfect organization and most of all, top quality coaching. Highly recommended.
It was everything I hoped for and more. I loved Can’s no nonsense teaching style, he was clear and articulate. His focus on the psychology and working through my mental blocks were incredibly helpful. I now have a more clear purpose when I sit on my bike and I have so much more to learn. I can’t wait for my next opportunity to take another class. His passion for the sport is undeniable and very contagious!
Thank you Coach Can for you and your team’s hardwork and expert instructions. I gained a whole new perspective on my bikes suspension and my riding capabilities. There is always room for improvement and I will be taking further classes. You have truly made my riding safer, quicker and more enjoyable! See you soon… Jim Oberle, Workshop & Track Time class 2020
Did the one on one class. For the first time in my life I had my strengths and weaknesses analyzed and quickly went to work on improving my motorcycle skills. At the end of the day my 800 lbs bike felt hundreds of pounds lighter and I couldn’t wait to do it again. Joel Sheiman, Road Skill 1on1
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MICHAEL SUBBOTIN (masubbotin@aol.com)To:you Details
Cornering Day 1
I got my first bike in June of 1965, a honda 50 and was hooked. Had several mid range bikes and projects during the ensuing years and then in my early 20’s I moved up from a BSA Royal Star 500 to a 1970 BMW R75/5, a fabulous bike, rode it all over the east coast. Sold it when I was transferred to California in 1976 (big mistake) and was without a functional bike (43 years) until two years ago when I found a 2007 R1200R that had not been in running condition for a number of years. I’d been retired for a few years and was looking for a project that I might enjoy so I bought the bike. Took a little while but I sorted it out and turned it into a roadworthy and reliable bike. A number of my friends have bikes, Ducatis and Beamers. They’re way more confident and faster through the twisties than I. My skills (whatever they were) had disappeared over a forty three year riding hiatus, but that wasn’t the only thing missing, my confidence was lacking as well. I’m just fine taking it easy by myself but find that I’m struggling in the tight sequential bends when trying to keep up with my friends. I was making mistakes entering a turn (out of position) and continuing to make the same set of mistakes while trying to set up the next turn in a series. Not sure of where I was supposed to be positioned going into the bend and not sure where I was supposed to be coming out. It was screwing with my head and confidence. So I decided to get some help and asked about a cornering skills school at the BMW dealership and was given a SUPERBIKE COACH brochure.
I knew the bike had potential that far exceeded my skills (no brainer, also saw it on you tube), but the amazing thing is ;;; after listening to coach Can, I improved during successive track session. I became smoother and faster and had to work on gear selection to maintain smoothness by following coach’s recommendations to shift to a higher gear than I had been using, and not to downshift. Very scary at first but then when you work through the sheer panic and do it ,,,,,, it’s like wow, did I really do that; the bike was happier, way smoother and faster.
The class was fabulous, during the class room sessions we received instructions of how and what to work on during the post instruction track session. I learned about the physics of the bike, introduced to correct braking theory and technique, throttle n brake control, setting up a corner, selecting a line through a curve and more. Amazing impact on smoothness, stability n speed in a bend that results in more control, more options if u find yourself in trouble or out of position in a bend. When I started the day I was in 1st gear in the hair pins, at the end of the day I took the hairpins in 2nd and 3rd gear and at speed with better position (closer but not perfect) for the next turn.
This resulted in me feeling safer, faster, with more skills, it was an absolutely amazing experience and I can only imagine what the next two classes will teach.
The coach is a European/German Moto GP champion, very impressive communicator; knows his stuff and how to communicate it to you in chewable bites so you can comprehend and apply it on the practice track and road. This class had bikes of every type, Ninjas, Triumphs, Kawasaki’s, Ducati’s and several Harley’s.
By the way I’m still not great at hairpin turns but ended up way way better than I was. I still have a long way to go. The good news is I’m registered for Cornering Class Day 2, and am very confident that coach Can and the team will give me the skills to reach my goals. Registering for Cornering Day 3 this week.
P.S.
It was an exhilarating experience !!! couldn’t shut up about it when I got home. I’m really looking forward to my next class is in Dec. !!!
That is an amazing review. Thank YOU!
Cornering Day 1
I got my first bike in June of 1965, a honda 50 and was hooked. Had several mid range bikes and projects during the ensuing years and then in my early 20’s I moved up from a BSA Royal Star 500 to a 1970 BMW R75/5, a fabulous bike, rode it all over the east coast. Sold it when I was transferred to California in 1976 (big mistake) and was without a functional bike (43 years) until two years ago when I found a 2007 R1200R that had not been in running condition for a number of years. I’d been retired for a few years and was looking for a project that I might enjoy so I bought the bike. Took a little while but I sorted it out and turned it into a roadworthy and reliable bike. A number of my friends have bikes, Ducatis and Beamers. They’re way more confident and faster through the twisties than I. My skills (whatever they were) had disappeared over a forty three year riding hiatus, but that wasn’t the only thing missing, my confidence was lacking as well. I’m just fine taking it easy by myself but find that I’m struggling in the tight sequential bends when trying to keep up with my friends. I was making mistakes entering a turn (out of position) and continuing to make the same set of mistakes while trying to set up the next turn in a series. Not sure of where I was supposed to be positioned going into the bend and not sure where I was supposed to be coming out. It was screwing with my head and confidence. So I decided to get some help and asked about a cornering skills school at the BMW dealership and was given a SUPERBIKE COACH brochure.
I knew the bike had potential that far exceeded my skills (no brainer, also saw it on you tube), but the amazing thing is ;;; after listening to coach Can, I improved during successive track session. I became smoother and faster and had to work on gear selection to maintain smoothness by following coach’s recommendations to shift to a higher gear than I had been using, and not to downshift. Very scary at first but then when you work through the sheer panic and do it ,,,,,, it’s like wow, did I really do that; the bike was happier, way smoother and faster.
The class was fabulous, during the class room sessions we received instructions of how and what to work on during the post instruction track session. I learned about the physics of the bike, introduced to correct braking theory and technique, throttle n brake control, setting up a corner, selecting a line through a curve and more. Amazing impact on smoothness, stability n speed in a bend that results in more control, more options if u find yourself in trouble or out of position in a bend. When I started the day I was in 1st gear in the hair pins, at the end of the day I took the hairpins in 2nd and 3rd gear and at speed with better position (closer but not perfect) for the next turn.
This resulted in me feeling safer, faster, with more skills, it was an absolutely amazing experience and I can only imagine what the next two classes will teach.
The coach is a European/German Moto GP champion, very impressive communicator; knows his stuff and how to communicate it to you in chewable bites so you can comprehend and apply it on the practice track and road. This class had bikes of every type, Ninjas, Triumphs, Kawasaki’s, Ducati’s and several Harley’s.
By the way I’m still not great at hairpin turns but ended up way way better than I was. I still have a long way to go. The good news is I’m registered for Cornering Class Day 2, and am very confident that coach Can and the team will give me the skills to reach my goals. Registering for Cornering Day 3 this week.
P.S.
It was an exhilarating experience !!! Couldn’t shut up about it when I got home. I’m really looking forward to my next class is in Dec. !!!
Coach re-defines the phrase, “Wait….There’s more!”
I’ve been taking cornering classes with Coach on and off now for the last 6 years. I’ve been riding for about 18 yrs before then. It’s obvious that I’ve taken and retaken Days 1, 2, 3 with Coach over these years, bringing family and friends to attend the class who show a desire to learn and ride better. Coach has helped make them all safer and smarter riders equipping them with life-saving skills. Coaches class has opened up a whole new world of riding for me. My connection to the bike and the road/environment has heightened. My confidence, focus, and ability to tame the demons continues to grow with practice on my own as well as with each additional session with Coach. After numerous rounds of Cornering Day’s (CD) and Wheelie course, I recently took the Track Academy class for the first time. With each CD repeated, I’m picking up things I missed or often look at or approach concepts and drills differently. There was yet more to learn in Track Academy. After riding over 20 yrs, I’m still learning new things from Coach. I’ll keep coming back to see Coach for more years to come. Thanks Coach Can and Super Bike Coach Team!
This is a one of a kind review Phillip.
It’s been 6 years already???
I just took the Cornering Class Day 1 and all I can say was it was amazing! Coach Can and his crew were great. They really built something special. In my class there were no ego’s or bad attitudes that I could see, it was all positive. There were returning students and I can tell there was lots of camaraderie. I believe there were about 30 of us, but the Superbike Coach team make it feel personal, like you’re in a club. There was so much info to digest leaving after a full day of instruction. Coach Can poked a lot of holes in my braking, so I have a lot to practice on my own before I return for day 2. I did see some negative reviews of the racetrack, something like its too small for large bikes. I thought the track was a lot of fun, and you can get going pretty quick. There were all types of riders with all types of bikes. Some were in leathers, and some were in street riding clothes. Nobody cared so long as your were safe. Coach Can has a tangible love for the sport, and really wants to see you improve. I highly recommend Cornering Day 1 and Superbike Coach Can. I can’t say enough good things. Thank you Coach!
Very cool review Wes. The entire team appreciates your words.
Cornering Class l 8/13/23
I am extremely grateful for you pointing out my bad riding.
I am also very grateful to your team I asked them questions and there instructions were extremely helpful.
I took the class in hopes in learning how to be a better rider. My head was a mess on how to approach a corner. This was very frustrating to me. My idea of counter steering was all wrong. I was trying to counter the cornering with body lean. I was a wreck in my mind on how to corner.
On my ride home your teaching on counter steering finally clicked in my mind.
Now I understand the physics of counter steering. I felt it as I rode home.
I counter steered into a sweeping corner and my fingers, shoulders and arms relaxed as I enjoyed the sweeping corner at a speed I once rode in fear. Now I am relaxed and enjoying the feeling of power and speed flow underneath me. You have given me knowledge and inspiration to be a much better rider.
I got more than I expected from you and your staff.
Looking forward to Cornering Class ll
Hell Yeah
Kerry Robinson
2013 HD Street Glide
This is making my day Kerry. I loved to have your attitude around and hope to have this many times more son.
This is my second review of Superbike Coach, the first was about the Cornering School days 1-4 and can be found on Google reviews.
I attended Coach’s 1-on-4 track day this past Saturday (6/17/23) at Thunderhill West. Let me start by saying that if you are a beginner-intermediate rider you should definitely complete his Cornering School before getting out on track with him, as many of the lessons translate.
With that being said, the track day with Coach was about as good as it can get. 95 degrees with a cool breeze made for sticky tires and comfortable off-track time. We started off the first three sessions by simply following Coach at an easy-moderate pace so that we could get familiar with the track, which really helped as it was my first time at Thunderhill West. The trailing order changed per session so that all 4 of us had a chance to see Coach’s line up close. After each session we would sit with him as he explained the reasoning behind his line, i.e. why some turns are late apex, regular apex, or v-line. This is when he also began to tell us where his reference markers were for braking, turning in, and accelerating. These markers vary by rider and by bike, but the ones he points out are a good guide to start with, and were what really helped me gain pace at the start of the day.
After lunch, we broke into the 1-on-1 sessions where you follow him on the out lap as he shows the line and reference markers again, and he lets you pass early into lap 2 to follow you for the rest of the session. You take what you learned in the beginning of the day and try to apply it as best you can with him following. After the session, he breaks down your performance in general and also on a turn-by-turn basis. Be prepared to take some constructive criticism here, as the advice is not sugar-coated and should be applied to the rest of your sessions.
Once I got that advice after my 1-on-1, I tried applying it on the next session and immediately felt a difference in pace. Being told I could go faster here, cut the curb there, and turn in differently at certain corners dropped lap times by a few seconds at least. The advice also really made me feel safer going around the track, as I had a solid method to each turn that only needed minor tweaks.
All in all, whether it will be your first time on a track or your 50th, I cannot recommend Coach Can’s lessons enough. Apart from leading a great time on the track, Can is a wealth of knowledge and racing stories that makes off-track time just as fun and engaging.
I’ve taken the cornering classes with the coach. he and his team are excellent and pushing you to get better. I’ve been riding for 30 years and took this on a whim after having a friend tell me how great it was. I’m so glad I did. I found new confidence after taking his lessons to heart. I feel safer when on my commute, and it has made me feel like I did in my youth when I first started riding. through his courses I feel more confident in trail breaking, emergency braking under lean, quickly maneuvering out of sticky situations.
I appreciate his candor and his ability to watch and see where you need support.
please remember that it’s a class and he can’t spend all his time with you. He’ll give you the lessons, but you need to be able to apply them. Overall, I cannot recommend this course enough for any rider of any skill level. Thanks coach Can!
I attended cornering school days 1-3 and I could feel the difference after each day. I have less than year of experience and this classes was an eyes opener for me. I knew the theory from books and videos but practice all the things by yourself is not that easy :) Public roads are to dangerous to try your limits. Parking lots are to slow to built necessary skills. And the most important you don’t know if you do that right or not. There you have everything – controlled safe environment fast enough to challenge yourself, perfect coach who give you an honest feedback and a lot of fun :) I ride a big cruiser bike but that wasn’t an issue. Yes, I scrubbed my footboards all the time but was able to keep up with the guys on a sport bikes.
Great experience! Hope to see you soon Coach :)
PS If somebody thinking if it worth your time and money stop doing it! Go and book you class now – it’s 200% worth it
I have been riding motorcycles for about 7 years, been to race track about 5 times not super fast but trying to get there. I took Coach Can’s cornering school day 1 and look forward to his day 2 and other courses in the future. his class has a simple structure and like everything else you get what you put into it. For me the way he explained things just clicked in my head and when I was able to go on the Track it made even more sense. Even though the track is small it makes it easier to learn and practice things without speed to intimidate you. I recommend his class to those looking to add more tools to the tool bag.
Wow, what a day. I took the cornering 1 class and it exceeded any of my expectations of what I could learn in a day, and how much fun it could be. My class was pretty spread out across skills, but everyone had a great time and came away smarter and better at riding. Coach did a superhuman job being everywhere all at once, talking to individuals and the group and laying down wisdom that still has me thinking about it days later.
I highly recommend this class for all levels. I was looking at finally start to use more of the power that my bike has, and have achieved that. Rushing to sign up for his next classes ASAP.
I have been riding for many years but wanted to learn about riding off road as I have had very little experience doing so. I spoke with Coach Can and he said I would need to do cornering class first. I signed up but wondered if this was what I really needed. I went to the class and at first was skeptical and anxious. I was fearful of doing something new (I had never ridden on a track) still wondering if I was in the right place. There were mostly younger guys, seemingly more bullet proof than myself. Coach was kind of a shithead but I soon came to love him as I tend to be just like him just quieter :P My first time out on the track was very clumsy. WTF how have I not crashed all these years? I am glad to say by the end of the day I was doing MUCH better. Thanks to Coach Can’s teaching and admonishments I learned a great deal. He really knows his shit……..and I had a really good time. Looking forward to the next class. You don’t know what you don’t know, until you know. And guess what. I am always right where I am supposed to be. Sometimes I forget.
Superbike-Coach Cornering Class Day 1 Timeline:
The day started out with completing paperwork and discussion to get to understand Coach’s background and passion for motorcycles. The first track session (approximately 10am) consisted of 3 groups (approx. 7-8 riders each) and was for us to learn what being on a track felt like (ie. getting comfortable with being on a track). The second track session’s focus was using gear choice to improve traction/grip through corners for stability, speed, and safety. The third track session’s focus was understanding the concept of line selection and how it can improve your speed and safety. Lastly, the Coach had us do emergency braking drills and then opened up the track for practice.
My thoughts on the Class:
If you want to learn how to be safer and faster then this to me was the best introduction. I appreciated the way the Coach handled each student to promote growth and development in their riding style. He has a great balance of being stern and playful. Through the course of the day my skills progressed just by listening and doing what the Coach asked of me and other students. By the end of the day I was much quicker and stable through the track thanks to Coach. Also, I really enjoyed the class because of the comraderie that everyone had. We were all students, instead of competitors trying to race eachother. This created a very open environment to learn from Coach and trade tips that Coach gave to each of us. I would not have improved if all I did was go to a track and try to race. I learned so much more about my motorcycle and myself in his 7 hour class than I have in the past year. Thank you Coach!
-Rene (Black/Gray 636)
The man, the myth, the legend. Coach Can is an incredible coach providing insightful and detailed analysis on how to improve our riding skills on the track. Coach Can has a great attitude and strives to help everyone in the class become a better racer. I look forward to day 2 and day 3 where we continue to expand on our racing skills. Honestly, there is no other place like this. Its been an awesome opportunity to be able to learn from everyone in the class and grow my racing skills
Coach Can was exactly what I was looking for in a motorcycle (or any motorsport) coach. He is a great observer and will tell you exactly what you are doing incorrectly and how to fix it. He is straight up with his advice which is awesome! I don’t want anything sugar coated. I take his classes to get better, not to have someone tell me that I am fast when I am actually slow.
The day before I took his first cornering class I rode my favorite canyon road that I ride frequently and took note of my average heart rate as well as how I was feeling during the ride. I rode the exact same road the day after the class and my average heart rate was lower by 30BPM…I couldn’t believe it. I felt soooo much smoother and had a lot more energy to push consistently throughout the entire ride. His techniques and advice just from the first class showed me what I was doing incorrectly and helped me have more fun and stay safer while riding! Side note but also very important, he has a really good sense of humor :) I cant wait to take more of his classes!!
Coach Can is the real deal, plain and simple. If you’re reading this review, you’ve likely already taken the first, critical step to decide to improve your riding skills with the help of a professional. In a sea of YouTube videos, books, and self-proclaimed experts, Coach Can’s school stands out as the only program in California (and probably the US) that offers over a dozen different skills-based courses intended to be taken over time. This is in stark contrast to many other programs which attempt to compress way too much information into only one or two days. As far as instructor qualifications and credibility are concerned, they are world-class.
The track used for most classes is Little 99 at the fairgrounds in Stockton. It is a great little go-kart/supermoto track that combines a variety of corners one might see on bigger tracks, but with a much greater margin of safety. Riders are grouped by ability/experienced and reassigned as necessary. Speed is not the ultimate goal, and safety and respect for others is emphasized above all else, especially once passing is introduced. The format combines classroom theory alternated with track time, so there is plenty of opportunity to apply what each block of instruction covers. While Coach Can’s background is in road racing and testing, all of the skills are presented in a way that translate directly to increasing safety, awareness/anticipation, and control on the street. At no point did I get a sense that the staff were trying to push a “ride like Rossi with this one simple trick!” approach.
If you have thin skin, or believe you already know it all, then this program is not for you. Coach Can has forgotten more about motorcycling than most of us will ever learn. So, if you stay humble, are open to learning, you will have a great time. If you are expecting to be coddled and have your ego stroked, you will be sorely disappointed. Riding motorcycles is inherently a risky, life-and-death proposition (especially on the street) and Coach reminds you of this along with balancing the passion and enjoyment. Bonus: if you have previous experience in competitive athletics or the military, the no-BS instruction style and humor will be fun and familiar. Looking forward to attending more classes in the future!
As a new rider and a woman over 50, it’s super important to learn how to ride safely. I rode my Harley 883 and invited some friends to take the course with me. We all had cruisers. While there are a ton of sport bikes, they made room for us on the track, it’s a learning experience for us all.
Some friends had 35 years of experience and some were kind of new but had over 7000 miles of experience. I’m at a year and just a few 100 miles. We all learned something!!
I learned that I’m awesome! LOL
Coach gave us some real life experience and really showed us all why watching some videos and doing some parking lot drills are crap. You really have to learn from someone that knows their stuff. I learned more in 6 hours than I did in watching 100s of hours of video.
I can’t wait to take another course.
The experience is priceless.
As of 11/16/2022 I’ve now progressed through Cornering School days 1-3 and couldn’t be happier with my investment in Superbike Coach.
Trusting the Superbike Coach Team is the best riding investment I could’ve ever made, worth more than the motorcycle (nuts & bolts) because I’ve started the see the bike as just a tool to apply the techniques we learn. Don’t get me wrong, everyone loves a nice bike but even that is subjective and we have to have our priorities straight.
Each class in the Cornering School Program was a successive eye opener and things really started coming together for me on Day 3. My pace had picked up enough to where Coach instructed me that I could try hanging off a bit and now I’m ready for the Body Positioning Class. Don’t be alarmed that cornering school is split into three days because there is no way to pack all the knowledge into a shorter timeframe let alone apply it effectively!
If you put your trust in Coach and only use the techniques taught in the classes in the correct order, you won’t be disappointed. The only time I got myself in trouble during the classes is when I was trying to do something out of order or that we hadn’t covered yet (late braking, trail braking etc…) Everything you need will be taught in due time. Just keep a clear head, be open minded and ride within yourself.
Also you can come for the riding knowledge, stay for the sucuk. If you know you know :)
Previous Reviews:
I’ve taken Road Skills and Suspension Workshop with Coach Can so far and it has been the biggest investment in my riding that I could have made. My only regret is not linking up with Superbike Coach sooner! I’m already scheduled for all three cornering school days and they can’t come soon enough.
Coach Can is great at not only the physical aspects of riding. He will feed those pieces to you when he can tell you are ready for them but also the mental side of riding. Coach will get your mind prepared too.
I am adding my review for Cornering Day 1 that I took on 8/21/2022:
Wow, this is when your mind will start to open up to the ocean of stuff there is to learn! But fear not, Superbike Coach and Team will navigate you through the ocean. I stayed riding within my limit but still had a fear of being on track in general and/or falling. Once Coach assured me that I was far from the technical limit I was able to focus on the ideal line (which is covered in detail) and viewing techniques.
The most important thing for me was to forget anything I thought I knew going in. I was only close to the correct line instinctively on a couple of turns and lost on the rest of the track until we started viewing the track as a whole and from then on, I had a purpose. The waypoint viewing technique that Coach teaches helped a ton to keep me on the line. I found myself picking up pace throughout the day and made a huge leap forward from my previous classes without even worrying about body position and other advanced concepts. I know those are topics for down the road and am trusting the process and order the Coach is laying out.
I only wish I could take a class every weekend but in all honesty, the time off between is good to reflect, digest the information and get out on my own to apply the techniques (and get bike upgrades in the meantime lol).
Looking forward to many more classes and hope to see some of you good people in there too!
After a near head-on collision with a truck in a tight turn on a winding mountain road this summer, I knew I needed to get a better riding education as soon as possible. A quick internet search led me to Superbike Coach’s Cornering School. This series of 3 classes proved to be tremendously helpful. The improvement in my riding skills literally began taking place overnight as I absorbed all the information from our “classroom” time with Coach Can, then applied each new concept on the track.
Now that I’ve completed Day 3, I feel equipped to not only ride safely, but to enjoy riding even more than before because I know how to respond in a variety of different situations. It was necessary to “unlearn” some previous misconceptions about braking while cornering, but Coach and his team patiently demonstrated and worked with each of us to become proficient in each new concept.
Every positive word I’ve read in others’ reviews I can validate as well. This is not one of those businesses where you are just a number, nor are they there just to make a buck. Coach Can, Marion, Dean, and Wayne are zealous about making us better riders. They pour themselves into each individual with tons of knowledge, skill, and passion. There is never a boring moment in this interactive class, and plenty to learn whether you are a newer rider or were born on a bike.
I love that everything learned on the track is easily transferable to real-life situations on the road. My riding companions have noticed an improvement in my skills already and even expressed interest in taking the class as well. I plan to go through these courses again as a refresher.
I cannot thank Coach and his Team enough for investing in me and I highly recommend this class for anyone who has a passion for riding.
Just finished up Day 3 of my second season (meaning I love this course so much that I did it twice)! I can’t say enough great things about the Cornering Day trio! This course is not just about improving your technical riding skill- it’s about exercising your critical thinking (under threat of push ups maybe), getting a handle on the emotional bits, and seeing your ride become smoother, faster, and safer. Coach, Marion, Dean and Wayne are an amazing family/crew and it’s not about making a fast buck with them- they are truly passionate about what they do and their mission is clear: to create a community of better, safer, more conscious and mentally elevated riders (though Coach’s side mission is to get people to do push ups so watch out ). If you’ve taken the course once, you need to take it again! You get so much out of season 2 because you know what to focus on. If you haven’t taken this course at all, well, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? This is absolutely essential to any rider who wants to feel good about their riding- who wants to feel that sweet and effortless pull of a turn or the relief knowing you can stop on a dime if you need to. I’ve been around motorcycles my whole 35 years of being on this earth and I would challenge any veteran rider I know to take this class. Simply put, with what I’ve seen out there, you can’t afford not to take this class- it’ll probably save your life (and build up your upper body muscles with free push ups). Thanks Coach! See you for Season 3 in 2023!
I just attended cornering school day 2, with head coach Can Akkaya & his amazing superbike coach team. I’ve attended several of his classes & I’m going to take several more. To be totally honest I’m going to take a couple of his classes a second time, just because I had a blast the first time. There is no other motorcycle course or school that brings more to the table then superbike coach, and if you find one that says they have more to offer then superbike coach then I’m sorry to say they are lying to you.
Coach Can Akkaya has taught me skills I didn’t even I had. Superbike coach will blow your mind on what motorcycles can do & what you can do on a motorcycle. I can’t say enough good things about head coach Can Akkaya or his fantastic team. If you’re willing to learn all the things that your doing wrong on a motorcycle, and or realize that there is a lot that you don’t know about riding a motorcycle & that you need to learn what a motorcycle can do and what you can do on them, then book your first cornering school day, & you might be surprised how fast your back to take another one. Maybe I’ll see you there.
Thank you head coach Can and thank you to your superbike coach team. I had an absolute blast at your class & I will see you & your team at cornering school day 3 & many more to come.
I want sure what to expect at first glance. I did some research and heard nothing but great reviews about this place. Let me say, coach knows what he’s talking about. Great structure, very welcoming and straight forward instructions. More than enough support when needed. Every staff member there was very helpful. They have a great chemistry that makes the class run very smooth. I came not knowing much about cornering, and zero about staying my knee. I was able to drag knee by the end of the day on both courses. Super excited. Worth every cent. I’m signing up for some of the other classes available. I took the wheelie class the following day and had just as much fun and satisfaction as I did in the knee down class. Coach i want to say thanks for the opportunity you provide with these classes you give, but more importantly for helping me become a better rider. I still have plenty to learn and look forward to seeing you soon.
Thanks
– Elvis
Wopbopalooma
If you ride, or want to ride, or think you are a good rider or want to be a better rider, take one of Coach Can’s classes. You will not be disappointed. I have been riding for over 40 years. My son joined me and has only been riding a short time. The brilliant part is the Coach adapts his message to your ability, and the communication is clear and precise. I watched him zero in on the various levels of the students without missing a beat. And yes, I am a better rider after the class.
We took Cornering School, Day 1 and will be back for days #2 & #3, for fear we may miss more valuable information. And if you think you are only a “big track” kind of rider, I will guarantee this track will humble you and make you ride better!
Keep the rubber side down!!
John F.
Pleasant Hill
I really appreciate the energy and passion Coach Can & his Team-Family bring to the Motorcycle Rider Community. He doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time, and his aim is to help riders become better riders, safer, capable, and competent in using the skills we learn in his classes and applying them to any situation we may find ourselves in while on two wheels. He keeps the class interesting and has his own unique style of coaching. Free professional photographs, water and snacks provided (and we were lucky enough to have Rafael the Motorcycle Lawyer treat us to lunch that day too). If you’re someone sensitive to explicit language and sarcasm, this might not be the class for you. I highly recommend and would most certainly take the class again!
I just took the Cornering Class Day 1 and all I can say was it was amazing! Coach Can and his crew were great. They really built something special. In my class there were no ego’s or bad attitudes that I could see, it was all positive. There were returning students and I can tell there was lots of camaraderie. I believe there were about 30 of us, but the Superbike Coach team make it feel personal, like you’re in a club. There was so much info to digest leaving after a full day of instruction. Coach Can poked a lot of holes in my braking, so I have a lot to practice on my own before I return for day 2. I did see some negative reviews of the racetrack, something like its too small for large bikes. I thought the track was a lot of fun, and you can get going pretty quick. There were all types of riders with all types of bikes. Some were in leathers, and some were in street riding clothes. Nobody cared so long as your were safe. Coach Can has a tangible love for the sport, and really wants to see you improve. There was a guy Dean Lonskey taking photos for free! And he was very knowledgeable and contributed to everyones education. I highly recommend Cornering Day 1 and Superbike Coach Can. I can’t say enough good things. Thank you Coach!
So how did you like the class?
Enjoyed it? Learned something? Expectations reached?
Liked it? I loved it! Your class was one of the best motorcycle riding experiences I have had. I never expected to have so much fun on the track. I can see how people can get addicted to it. I know we were not going fast but the feeling of cornering, the fear of messing up , and the excitement when you get it right. Its hard to articulate other then wow!
The class was structured perfectly, a little bit of class time then apply the knowledge to the track. My expectations were more then reached. I was afraid at first just because I didn’t have much knowledge of the class. Then when I arrived I saw a lot of bikes and again was a little afraid, thinking “how is he going to do this with so many people?” I was astounded at how you conducted the class and how it never really felt crowed and we all got some feed back. You and your team did an amazing job of reaching everyone and giving genuine feed back that showed you really did have your eyes on all 30 of us. I felt a part of the class and not just a person taking a class, for that I want to thank you. Lastly you also asked if I learned anything. I learned there is a lot I need to learn, in a good way! Yes I learned a lot in your class but at the same time your class opened my eyes to so much I have to learn, so many things I want to try, and more skills to practice. I can’t thank you enough for doing the class and teaching.
Subject: SBC Day 2 Cornering School Part 1
Day 2 was a workout !
After the first class session we walked the entire course identifying waypoints, (places to initiate turns) and identified and studied the proper line for all the bends and turns on the course. I found this exercise particularly helpful at the hairpins and s-es, I’ll touch on those turns in detail later.
During one of the successive classroom sessions we were introduced to COUNTER STEERING. When we began the track session that followed the lecture we were introduced to an exercise designed to teach counter steering. We were required to ride the motorcycle one-handed. You had to use the right hand because that’s the throttle hand, crazy counter intuitive stuff while the instructors were constantly telling you to go faster. I plodded along trying to make it around the course without screwing up, (too badly) somewhere around lap three I got it going and made it through the last series of s-es with some confidence and then really got it going during lap four and five. Talk about counterintuitive and crazy weird; but when I got to put two hands on the Handlebars, my cornering time was almost cut in half. It was like somebody else was put on the motorcycle, my mind n body were taken over by someone who knew how to ride. The amazing thing is that this new skill didn’t go away during the next lap or the lap after that; the cornering only got better. I had learned something really useful, and I’d learned how to do it correctly.
We were also taught a rapid direction change maneuver. Pretty sure I totally botched it 3 times, and once about 80% right, and got it totally right only once out of 5 times. It was counter intuitive. So I plan to practice the maneuver till I get it right. I learned that you have to put behind you what you just screwed up and focus on doing the next thing right, it happens so fast and it’s so much fun.
It’s difficult to describe the anticipation, and pure joy of the “on track thrill” of accomplishing successive objectives that are improving your skills. It was an exhilarating day.
SBC Day 2 Cornering School Part 2
I was excited to write a review about Cornering School Day 2 a few days after I completed the class but was reluctant to post it because I felt that without an actual road test it wouldn’t be an incomplete review.
I decided to test myself on a road that presented some challenges for me in the past. The subject of my test was a road called “Scott Rd” it connects to Highway 50 via Prairie city Road and runs adjacent to the Sacramento Valley RV Park where they hold the Hang Town Races every year. Scott Road runs from Grant line Road pretty much all the way to Rancho Murieta where it dead ends into Highway 160. There are numerous hair pins in both directions and lots of high speed sweeping bends, some with constricting radiuses. Some of the hair pins are marked 10 miles an hour and I remember going through them in first gear.
I got to the first hairpin and was moving at a fair clip, 55 to 60 miles an hour and downshifted from 5th to 3rd, when I looked at the bend again to set up my line I said to myself this is turn six, left it in third gear and cruised around the corner never looking at the speedometer, when I got to the next turn it looked like another turn at the little 99 speedway but to the right, it was marked 20 miles an hour. After I picked my line and hit the Apex I looked down at my speedometer and I was doing between 35 and 40 and said to myself, this is fantastic; and so it went all the way till I got to Jackson Highway, also known as Highway 160. I had a big grin on my face. That was so much fun, so I turned around and did it again in the opposite direction.
There are some fairly fast twisties with some off canter corners where for a moment I saw myself looking squarely at a grill and decided that I needed a hug that turn a lot more n Press down on the handle bar to countersteer more effectively and improve my line and pass that car while in the middle of my lane. That was a real deer in headlights moment, also known as a sphincter alert, but I was past that guy who is probably saying to himself crazy bad motorcycle rider !!! I was clipping along at a fairly good rate. I felt really good about having the tools to initiate an immediate recovery while in a potentially compromising situation (running at a high speed through a tight bend). The bad news is I kept on pushing until I got to the hairpins and then decided to take them in a civilized manner, because I could.
This test ride showed me that I had picked up some real time skills and was able to implement almost instantaneously what was needed to manage my position on the roadway.
I’m still not the fastest guy around those hairpins but I’m definitely 50% faster than I was initially, and felt comfortable that I was in control of my bike on the roadway. I wasn’t as apprehensive of taking the turns at speed as I had been in the past.
Why did I sign up? For years, I rode my motorcycle to California, and for that ~1600 mile round trip, a sport touring bike was key to enjoying long days of triple digit sightseeing. After moving to California, I decided that a different bike was needed for weekend canyon carving, and the day after I bought that bike, I signed up for Cornering School Days 1 and 2.
Why this school? A go-kart track is ideal for getting lots of cornering practice per lap. It’s ridiculously cheap for a full day of riding and coaching. This school was recommended by coworkers, friends, and fellow Yelpers.
Why Coach? Coach Can has a racing pedigree that is enviable to many racers, not just mere motorcyclists. In addition, his passion for teaching is evident from the first minute, where he draws people in with interactive conversations while also being completely self-deprecating about non-motorcycle life. He is also incredibly observant and detail oriented. As he interacts with each person in class, he begins to know the person long before he sees them sitting on or riding a motorcycle. He coaches the entire group just enough prior to the riding session, he coaches from the side of the track, he coaches the students watching from the sidelines, and he coaches the entire group after the riding session is over. Later, you might get a chance to ride behind him, and lo and behold, even if you are not riding directly behind him, you’ll get feedback on your riding! :)
Cornering school day 1: this first class can be summarized as brain rewiring and motorcycle mythbusting. There are so many fears in motorcycling from yourself, peers, family, and culture. And that fear can be so detrimental to street riding. So, he brings logic and physics to the forefront. The logic focuses on the mental aspect of riding, where he retrains your brain to counter fear. He shared many techniques that are helpful to reducing and eliminating fear.
Then he breaks down the physics of motorcycling to fundamentals: how to choose the right gear and how you know that you’re using the right gear (simple physical motorcycle cues that I hadn’t paid much attention to before), how and when to apply throttle to change lines (even without steering input), how to pick lines and why even street riders need to care about lines (cattle guards, turkeys, rocks, cars, pedestrians, etc.), how and when to use brakes (he summarized MotoGP as an hour of emergency braking).
By the end of Cornering Day 1, there had been many motorcycle myths that were busted, and he knows that there’s some settle time / bake time needed to grok All The Things. This is where brain rewiring starts…
For the 4th of July, I decided to give myself an early Bday gift and take my 2017 Yamaha FZ-10, Raven, and signed up for a track day at Thunderhill on the very fast East track. Because this was my first track day in several years, including my first track day on Raven, I decided it was best to go with Superbike-coach. Mind you, I’m no stranger to race tracks and figuring things out, after all I’m an ex-motocrosser and I grew up riding and racing dirt bikes out in the deserts of SoCal, but I’ve learned the value of being under Coach Can’s wing. I can’t say enough about this guy and what he does…PERIOD! Can he be harsh? Hell yeah! BUT, it’s with LOVE that he does this because all he wants for you is to be safe and successful. I’ll take a hard ass instructor over a “hand holding” instructor any day!
For this day, he had 3 other students, all past Superbike-coach past students, so the atmosphere was relaxed and felt like a bunch of friends just getting together. The first session was more of just following him around to learn the track and how we should be doing it. After that, he splits each session up to give each student a full one-on-one. In-between session, we’d had “class” and discussed what was going on and how to improve. For me, the first session I was definitely out of sorts a bit, shifting completely wrong and slowing down way to early for corners that really didn’t call for it. With that said, each session was an improvement for me and I got faster as the day went on, pushing myself further than told myself I would but no past my comfort zone or ability…this was ALL to Coach Can’s credit. Not only is he there to instruct, but he’s also there to keep you from going over your abilities. Sure, there’s a “comfort level” you need to get over a bit but it’s never to a point of putting his students in harm’s way.
I can go on and on. I can’t recommend Superbike-coach enough…5 STARS? Hell Coach Can deserves 10, 50, 100 STARS! The cost for any of his classes also won’t brake your bank account…seriously, I really don’t know why he doesn’t charge more but glad he doesn’t… he’s THAT GOOD! I’ve always dreamed of having a professional coach and now I’ve GOT ONE! Thanks Coach…you made my Bday track day more memorable then I could have thought…I STILL haven’t wiped the smile off my face! VIVA SUPERBIKE-COACH!
Hey coach! Thanks for such an awesome class! I learned so much! I did not realize how much I was “weight lifting” until I felt my sore arms on Monday! I had always been taught to “press” and I thought I was counter steering, but apparently not. I have been riding to and from work daily since the class and…. epiphany! I can counter steer now! I am absolutely amazed at how much easier it is!!!! Now I can’t ride in a straight line because I want to play with the counter steer all the time! Amazing! I haven’t yet felt the bumping that you described, perhaps because I’m not holding it long enough or fast enough. Anyway, wow! Thank you!
I will practice much much more until the muscle memory overrides the years of doing it wrong.
The turning the wheel Into the turn to flip the bike in the opposite direction absolutely freaked me out at first, but I think I’m getting that too.
Coach Can Akkaya will present you with truth and reality. Growth will follow this. Can Akkaya has that rare ability to accurately assess a student’s current riding reality with truth that may challenge their own (sometimes imagined) reality. Growth will follow this. If you are serious about your personal growth and advancement as a Motorcyclist, you must trust your proper development to Coach Can Akkaya. He is not like so many others who are “fast” Riders and remain the fastest amongst their local peers; Akkaya has proven that he is fastest on a global stage among a much larger talent pool. He is not just a local “fast guy” who has a school and takes money from people who will often or always be slower than he is.
At the Superbike Coach School the process is simple and highly effective. Coach Can will ask you questions to assess where you are as a Rider. Once you arrive for your lessons you discover your personal truth and reality of your abilities and capabilities. If you trust Coach, it is from this point that you will advance. Coach Akkaya wants each student to succeed and he will do all he knows to help you to succeed. How do I know this? Because in 2019, I became a sponge – or a student if you prefer – and I soaked up everything Coach Can Akkaya presented to me about riding and handling my motorcycle. The following year I applied with an unrelated organization to get my Road Racing License. Because of what Coach Can taught to me, I was successful and graduated with my license and my Racer’s Number.
It is June 2021 and I am 63 years of age. I had to work hard for my License in 2020. There was no charity involved that day, the racing organization didn’t just hand it to me. I invested a lot of sweat, adrenaline and determination. I can easily say that if I had never taken classes with Coach Can Akkaya, I would not have had the capability to understand how to conduct myself and be in [much] better control of my motorcycle. If you are on the fence about taking a class – get off the fence and get in class! Can Akkaya teaches all types of motorcycle riding – not just racing skills. Do as I and many others have done and take continuing education/follow-up classes. The Superbike Coach Staff will welcome you again and again… and again!
Just finished the track academy and the body positioning class with Coach Can. Loved every minute of both! This is stellar instruction on the art of motorcycle riding. I’ve taken more than 10 classes with Coach Can, repeating most of them multiple times, and plan on continuing to repeat these classes. Every time I come to Coach’s class I learn something that makes me a better, safer, faster rider. I’ve been riding for 46 years, I wish Coach was around when I was younger. Who knows, I might have been motogp rider lol.
You owe it to yourself and anyone who cares about you to take Coach’s cornering school, and any of his other classes that you can. I enjoy riding now more than I ever have in the past 46 years, entirely because I took Coach’s classes. This guy is a hidden gem, I am so happy I found him.
The team that Coach has put together to help him, from Marion (his wife) to Dean (photographer) to Mark, Trisha, and all the others whose names I forgot (sorry guys) is absolutely top notch. Everyone is there to make sure you are safe, learn alot, and have fun.
Thanks Coach! See you soon!
Joe
Triumph Rocket 3
World class instruction presented in such a way that makes learning fun. Coach Cann is passionate about teaching …. and it shows.
I just finished Cornering School Day 3. I never realized how much my riding has improved until I started comparing pictures from Cornering School Days 1 and 2 with day 3 pictures. SuperBike Coach professional Photographer Dean Lonskey is a real pro. Dean’s work speaks for itself, the pictures are professional quality, included in every class. Dean makes us all of look like real pro’s. Make sure to drop at least $20.00 in the tip jar for Deans efforts. Tips are appreciated, but never expected.
Just started riding again after a 30 year break. After completing the C.H.P course I asked the instructor for a recommendation… he said Coach Cann at SuperBike Coach is the place to go for real world instruction. Best move I have made on two wheels.
You will learn both the mental as well as the mechanical/physical aspects of riding. You will learn from someone who has been there, someone who knows. You will learn techniques that may one day save your life. ( I can speak from experience on this one ) You will learn from someone who takes an interest in each and everyone of his students. You will become family.
If you are sitting on the fence because you ride a cruiser, bagger, touring bike, don’t let that discourage you, ( maybe pass on the knee down classes ) there is something for everyone. I ride a 93 Harley FXRS-SP, the difference the instruction has made is noticeable.
What I like best is I can continue improving outside the classroom by practicing drills learned in class. So my education continues.
Definitely can’t go wrong on this one. If you want to improve your skillset, no matter what level you are at, this is the place.
Ski industry film maker Warren Miller used to say something for people that had never skied before, at the end of all his movies, Well until his son took over the company that is, I think applies to those looking for instruction on two wheels and some track time….. “If you don’t do it now, you will just be one year older when you do.”
Highly recommended. Definitely returning for more.
It’s not your fault! Unlearn what you have learned and trust that Coach Can will rebuild you from the ground up into a great rider. It is his passion to share his philosophy and knowledge with those who will listen. Be patient! don’t quit! it will come!
I attended Coach Can’s 1 on 3 road skills event in Placerville, Ca. and I immediately was hooked. Not from the beautiful scenery on the ride, but from Coach Can’s ability to enthusiastically teach us his hard hitting points in a way it was easy to understand. He needed us to grasp ideas and made sure we all did before moving on to the next. A quick lesson safely on the side of the road, followed by a short ride to apply said lessons, then back to the side of the road for questions and answers and then another quick lesson. You learn it, you feel it, now go do your homework.
Being as this was my first time meeting Coach Can and attending one of his events, I was expecting the 1on 3 to have a formal student/teacher feel. But what I experienced this day was more like riding with a good group of friends with Coach Can being one of them. He made the day fun by joking and laughing about, but when it was time to get serious he got us back on track for another lesson. I cant stress enough how much this event and meeting Coach Can has helped me further my journey to becoming a more competent rider. He has given me homework to do and I hope before too long I’ll be able to show him I did it and that I am ready for more.
Thanks Coach for a very memorable day!
After two years of trying, I finally got the knee down thanks to the Coach Can Akkaya. I’ve taken several of his classes including all the cornering schools.
Yesterday, I did the knee down class for the second time. When I took it the first time I was not mentally prepared to do what it took to get it right. As I gained more experience, I was able to better absorb the information in a meaningful way and break through the mental barriers that were holding me back. The satisfaction and the adrenaline rush can only be compared to my first solo flight. It’s a lot of work but worth every minute.
Coach’s teaching style is straight up, entertaining, and infectious. Just make sure to pay attention; otherwise, it’s push up city. If you ride and you want to get better at it, sign up for a class and you’ll be hooked. You’ll feel like family and have a blast. Thanks Coach. You rock, brother!
To begin, I have never ridden a motorcycle as anything other than the passenger. I wanted to experience the ride as the driver… I cannot express how delighted I am to have discovered Superbike with Coach Akkaya! I have started with the 1on1, and Coach had me riding with confidence by the end of my initial 2 hours of training! His hands on approach, expertise and training style helped me to move past my anxiety and focus on riding skills and bike knowledge that included throttle, clutch, gear shifting and braking. I previously took the CMSP course at Harley Davidson, which was a waste of my money and time. Like I mentioned, I had never ridden before but was assured by their staff that I would receive ample time on the bike with hands on training that would allow me to pass the basic course. Needless to say, that didn’t happen! And when I couldn’t keep up with the fast paced drills (I honestly believe I was the only novice rider in the group), I was told I could not continue with the training and would have to sign up again to retake the course AND pay again WTH!! I wasn’t crashing into anyone or being a risk to others, I just needed more time to get comfortable with shifting and braking. So while others in the class had advanced to 3rd gear I was still focused on 1st and 2nd. Again, I do not see why I couldn’t continue at my pace for the entire session, especially since I had already paid for it!!! I am looking forward to continuing my 1on1 with Coach Akkaya, going to buy my “practice bike” so I can practice, practice, practice and eventually signing up for Track Drill courses with Superbike. I am excited and thrilled for the adventures that await me as a New Rider!!!
I’m going to be completely honest I arrived the day of the class with very low expectations. I had received quite a bit of mixed commentary about coach Can’s classes and teaching styles so I came in quite skeptical but decided to proceed because Can was recommended by a dear friend. By the end of the day coach Can has no problem proving to me that each and every poor review I have heard about him was absolutely wrong. Coach Can was extremely passionate about what he had to share. He has absolutely no filter and will tell you exactly what you did that was wrong with an array of cus words you thought not possible to include within one sentence and I loved it. He was extremely knowledgable in motorcycle skills and helped me break through some areas I believed to be plateaued on. Ultimately I was surprisingly shocked how much I actually learned and enjoyed the class and look forward to taking many more with coach Can
Today was an eye opening experience to unlearn or UNF@$! MYSELF as Coach says all the mistakes bad habits and brainwashing i have had or been using all these years. In my personal opinion i over the year’s thought i knew most of it all from either reading books or watching GP. and applying those to my riding i couldn’t have been more wrong Coach Can Akkaya did exactly what he said no bull theories or magical spells just listen and do, i did in the beginning i did it my way then listened and learned the right way i am only a day one class rider and i can tell you that my personal experience is i am a more knowledgeable rider for taking this class improvement is an understatement my confidence is now higher in corners my braking is less choppy knowing when and where to cut in will carry over to my daily riding. this has improved my skill level 10 fold … And i am a believer in SBC… thank you so much for knowledge and experience thank you to the staff for their hard work … Next step is class #2 can’t wait and looking forward to it…
Just finished day 1 of the cornering school for the second time. This is such a fantastic school, I have learned so much, and realuze I have so much more to learn. Coach and his crew obviously care very much about teaching motorcycle riders how to be safe, and yes, fast. Coach is so passionate about saving lives by teaching riders, that his feelings cause him to be very, shall we ssy, expressive, with his language. I love it, it is refreshing to take a class from someone who speaks their mind, regardless of what others may think.
The attitude at the school that Coach brings creates an atmosphere of family. By the end of the day the staff as well as the other riders were family, not just strangers.
There were all levels of riders there, from ones that had just gotten their motorcycle license to some who had obviously been to many track days. Everyone was accepting and friendly, not judgemental at all. Many types of bikes too, from sport bikes to supermoto, to adventure bikes, to scramblers, to a bagger.
If you are just beginning your riding journey you must take this course. Not only will you be much safer for it, but you will enjoy riding that much more. If you are an experienced rider, I guarantee that as long as you approach the class with an open mind, you will come away a better rider.
I can’t wait for day 2 and day 3, which I have already signed up for.
Here is a link to a video I made of the first run.
youtu.be/wQE7OGK9vtM
This is, hands-down, the best and most cost-effective program for developing your street-riding skillset. No matter how long you’ve been riding, I guarantee you will pick up new and valuable information. Unlike a track day, the focus is entirely on learning. Don’t let the relatively small track size fool you – riding is about the corners, not 120 mph straightaways. It’s called Cornering School, after all.
For about half the cost of a track day, you’ll receive 8+ hours of training, including plenty of time on the track. Coach Can knows how to teach, whether you’re a novice or experienced rider. He focuses as much or more on mental acuity and attitude as he does on physical skills, because having your head in the right place on the street is the best way to keep you and your bike out of the wrong place.
As you’ll read on the website, he can get in your face, and a little salty. But it’s clearly born of his passion for the sport and his students. The only times he showed impatience were when someone was on their phone, or their mind was elsewhere. Who can blame him – he’s quite serious about this, and expects you to be as well.
Having been through Cornering School Day 1, I can see why Coach chooses to present cornering as a 3 day course. The agenda is absolutely packed. Except for lunch, you will be in a classroom session, or on the track, or learning from watching others on the track, for the entire day. I can’t wait for Days 2 and 3. Many students were on their second trip through the class rotation.
Regardless of your current skill level, if you want to improve your street skills quickly, this is absolutely the way to go. You’ll get way more fun and use out of it than you will another farkle. There’s a reason classes fill up months in advance.
My son and I took the Cornering Day 1 class on Sunday. We had a great time and I felt like we learned a lot. We’re both new riders (just licensed in March) so this was the perfect time to start with some awesome feedback and help us avoid developing bad habits as we ramp up our skills. The class setup is great (class discussion then track practice, over and over) so we never got bored and had plenty of opportunity to reinforce and practice the things we were learning. We got lots of personal attention and feedback. I was glad to find this program and I will definitely be back for the rest of the sessions, although it may take a while to find time in my schedule.
I appreciated that the rider groups were broken up (A/B/C) so that we were teamed up with other newer/less experienced riders. It also had the side benefit of allowing us to watch the more experienced riders while standing next to Coach and hearing/discussing his observations about what they were doing well and what they might want to improve. Doing that made every riding session valuable, even if I wasn’t actually out there on my motorcycle myself.
I’m that midlife crisis woman who decided for her 40th birthday I’m learning how to ride a motorcycle. However, I have anxiety and I wanted some 1 on 1 time with someone before my motorcycle safety course so I felt a little more confident. That’s when I found Coach Can Akkaya and his Superbike website. I booked two hours 1 on 1. I don’t have a bike yet so I rented his.
Coach Can is amazing, no joke. He’s the real deal. I felt super comfortable talking to him. He genuinely cares for all riders. He told me to go buy a more supportive jacket, and I will. He walked me through the bike in detail and had exercises for me to try before I actually got to riding. The bike was a fun starter sport bike, the ones I have always been the most intimidated by. Now I’m debating whether to go sports or cruiser. By the time our two hours was up, I was up and downshifting, turning, and even made his bike go down twice. I’m way more confident for my class next week, perhaps a step ahead even and I’m about to sign up for his cornering class in May. It’s definitely a worthy investment if you care about your life. I’ll be sending my husband to him for his 1 on 1 once he finishes recovering from shattering his ankle…
See ya soon Coach!
I just completed day 1 of the 3-day cornering class, and I’m very impressed with the depth and breadth of both theoretical (lecture) and practical (on the track) instruction provided.
By way of background, I have been riding for about 18 years, and have ridden small dual-sports, adventure bikes, and V-Twin cruisers. I currently ride a BMW GS-1200. I have never raced, and prior to this class, I had never ridden on a track and had never taken a motorcycle-riding lesson.
Although the class is titled “cornering”, the skills taught are HIGHLY VALUABLE to anyone who rides on the street, and particularly so if you ride on mountain roads. Some of the main points include where to focus your vision and attention while riding, how to determine quickly the ideal “line” (bike placement in a lane) while cornering and emergency braking. These are MUST HAVE skills for anyone riding on the streets.
Even though I have some experience riding, I found the class highly valuable, and I have many takeaways that I am going to practice while waiting for the next class. I am looking forward to sessions 2 & 3.
Regardless of your skill level, if you want to be a better (read “SAFER”), more comfortable motorcyclist, take the three-part cornering school. You will end up a better rider than when you started. Be sure to sign up early because the classes fill fast, and I can see why. I just wish I had taken this class years ago.
I worked with Coach Can 1 on 1 at the Little 99 Track in Stockton. We started about 10:30 AM and finished at 4:00 PM. I came into this after a full season of track days the previous year and having taken a few California Superbike School courses. I wanted to get a jump start on the upcoming track season. There were a few things I wanted to work on from last season and felt like I needed personalized attention to really hone in on those and to me, it seemed logical that I could work on these on a smaller, lower speed track with a dedicated instructor. Coach Can and I exchanged a few e-mails and he had an opening so we worked out the logistics.
I sent Coach Can a video clip and highlighted some of the parts of the track that have been challenging for me and some skills that need improvement.
These areas included:
* A lack of confidence in low speed tight turns (~40mph and slower tight turns) and difficulty getting the bike turned in those
* Accuracy with lines and consistently hitting apexes
* Conscious counter-steering
* Faster transitions in esses
We met up at Little 99 in Stockton at 10:30. Initially we chatted about our respective backgrounds, goals, and structure for the day. Coach Can checked my bike and after his approval, sent me out to do a few laps to build some familiarity with the track and so that he could see my technique. From there, we started working through lines and timing for the track. Then we rode together taking turns in lead-follow. We stopped on and off track to discuss and review and repeat.
We worked on the areas that I had mentioned to him and a couple of other things he observed. He had very specific focused drills to try and backup drills when one area wasn’t working for me and he was able to explain the physics of what was going on and why I might have been struggling with specific areas.
While I will be the first to tell you that I didn’t walk away from it as a master of the areas (and didn’t expect to be), Coach Can did give me some great tools to use to work on these areas and I definitely have respect for his knowledge and understanding and him being able to identify the problem areas and give me insight to be able to work on for the season. Coach Can was great to work with one on one. I had previously done a group course with him a couple of years ago and didn’t love the format but it works well for most of the attendees (see his other reviews). It’s certainly much more expensive to do a one-on-one than it is the group class, however for me it was well worth the additional cost. His traditional classes obviously get great reviews but I can heartily recommend working with him one-on-one if you know what you’re after specifically. He’s a very knowledgeable and capable rider and a very supportive instructor and can certainly help you break down your opportunities for improvement.
Informative, inspirational, and truly addictive. I have been riding motorcycles for more than 10 years, and thought I was taught to corner well, but thanks to Coach Can, I’ve figured out that I’ve been doing it all wrong. I took Day One of the Cornering School, and after the first lecture, I could feel a difference taking the turns on the track–faster, safer, and more confident. The rest of the day was breakthrough after breakthrough.
Coach has a keen and intuitive sense of who people are and what they need. He takes a unique personal approach with each student and the individual feedback I received was priceless. His team was supportive, professional, and well-organized. The pictures that are taken are fantastic (…made me look good), and you will have access to them without any extra charge.
When I returned home, glowing from the day of amazing riding, I immediately registered for the next two classes in this series. This class is money well spent, here’s why…You WILL leave a better rider, and these skills TRANSLATE directly to riding on the road.
After taking the third class in the cornering series, I feel that my minor concerns that I previously expressed no longer stand.
The third cornering session ties all the previous session skills together, and puts them together in an effective way.
Also, Coach particularly mentioned several access points or bridges to track riding that were not discussed in the earlier sessions. Perhaps so the class stays focused on the lessons, instead of looking forward.
This is nominally day 3 of the old 3-day series, which has since been expanded to include a 4th track-oriented session, aka “track academy.”
I’m very pleased with the instruction, and the program actually is proving very effective. I haven’t read or heard of another motorcycling/racing philosophy like Coach Can’s from TOTW or Total Control, etc.
I really appreciate Coach’s racing perspective, not just as an inspiration but as a technical model for how to ride. Really, why try to ride a sport bike any other way? If all you want to do is poker runs, then maybe this isn’t for you. But if you want to accelerate your skills development towards something like motorcycling excellence, give this a look. And don’t wimp out after 1 or 2 sessions. The full 3-day course is worth it!
Coach Can is a unique experience in a good way. He is blunt, which is hard to find, so if you have bad habits or flaws in your riding, he will let you know off the bat. If you are getting lazy on the track or not working on the drills, he will call you out on it.
Not only that, but he is also extremely knowledgeable and has an extensive background in riding, so he knows what he is talking about. He will teach you the right technique and concepts the first time around so that you can develop good habits right off the bat.
Ultimately, the programs that the Superbike-Coach Corp offers is a hell of an opportunity to learn how to ride better. If you are willing to learn and work on the drills, techniques, and concepts, these guys are willing to put in a lot of time and effort into you as well.
I was lucky enough to come across Superbike Coach as I was searching the internet for a birthday gift for my husband. I emailed Can about the classes (there are a lot to choose from) and what might be best for what I was looking for…I was a pain; as in, many questions, follow ups, and what abouts. He was great, I never got the feeling that I was bothering him. I ended up purchasing a gift certificate for my husband’s birthday and giving him the information so he could pick, then I was lucky enough that he wanted me to attend a class with him.
Coach was just as great in class, as are his wife and staff. I never felt like I was just a class fee, you can feel that they are genuine. Speaking of the class fee, it’s almost more affordable than it should be and that should tell you something about their intentions. Especially after hearing some stories from other students about classes they took previously (for hundreds of dollars!) and who are still afraid of their bike and/or lack of skills.
Anyhow…we picked the cornering class which is what had been recommended.
First thing: If you don’t want to hear about what you are doing wrong or you don’t wish for someone to pick up on your bad habits maybe you are better off not taking this class because he is going to tell you that your lines suck and he is going to call you on things you may be doing that could get you hurt. I have some bad habits, as we all do; however, I had one that I didn’t even know about. I have no idea how long I had been doing it (I might never have known) and it might have ended badly someday. Now it won’t. If I didn’t get anything else from class (and I did) I will forever be grateful.
Second: you are also going to do some drills that might be of your comfort zone, for me it was the front brake only drills, but you must trust that he isn’t ever going to ask you to do something that is of no value. The confidence I always had in dirt but never had on the street has improved by leaps and bounds mostly from the dang front brake drills I didn’t want to do. Those ABS brakes for some reason really freaked me out. It’s amazing how little things that make you uncomfortable can affect everything when you get on that bike. He’s going to help you with that.
I am going to sum up because I get long winded, but I think it’s important to know that I went into this class with many years on two wheels. I can’t recall a time when I couldn’t ride a motorcycle, literally. More years by far in dirt than street but it’s been almost 5 years on my street bike and since I went to DMV and got my M license…I am not a new rider is my point. SO…If you think you don’t ride well enough for this class, you are wrong. If you think you’ve been riding 20+ years and don’t need this class, you are wrong. Also, no matter where you fall on the experience spectrum there will be people in class who have more experience than you and people who have less experience than you, but NO one will care. NO one will make you feel like you shouldn’t be there. No one wants anything more than for you to be a better, safer rider including all the students so please don’t talk yourself out of it or be intimidated by the course. You have nothing to lose but your life and I know that sounds so dramatic but if you are on two wheels you know I am not wrong.
The Superbike classes and Coach Can are the real deal and have been extremely helpful in making me a more confident and better rider. I have taken all of the cornering classes, knee down and the wheelie classes. Coach has me doing things that I never thought would be possible and up until the first cornering class I was riding a big cruiser. Thanks to Coach, I have been successful at putting my knee down and wheeling my bike.
Coach teaches things that no one else does and his classes are not only extremely informative but very inexpensive. The classes are a great deal, you will be learning all day long and the Coach will push you, bring your hardworking A game and I guarantee you will learn a lot about yourself and how to be a better rider.
Best classes I have ever taken and am extremely grateful to the Coach and his excellent team for the work they do. Not to mention, he provides free pictures of the day!! Just get out there and try a class you will be very glad you did so!!
Had my first event/track day with coach Can and the Superbike-coach school yesterday at Thunderhill-West, and it was amazing! Coach Can and his staff really run their events well with no pressure on riders to compete with each other, but strong emphasis on safety, and riding within your limits. I had a blast at the track and will definitely be taking the cornering classes and workshops they offer. I strongly recommend this school to new and experienced riders to help them better understand the best way to get yourself to use the full potential of your bike and what yourhow to ride it better. Thanks coach Can and Superbike-coach staff!
Just completed my day3 cornering school on Sunday 4-28-19, what can I say, well to begin, these classes are amazing! I am extremely happy with the knowledge that coach Can has taught me over the 3 cornering school classes, I feel more equipped to handle unexpected events when I ride thanks to his mental coolness training, also my confidence level is up +100. There are so many things that I didn’t know about riding and coach Can and Superbike-Coach will teach you how to get focused, faster, safer and the classes will really help you add to your riding skill set. I am looking forward to the day 4 track academy class and will probably return for some refresher training on the days 1-3 cornering school. Feeling like I can be in control of my bike in any situation is one thing that I feel I learned from taking these classes. Coach Can teaches counter steering and “Uber countersteering,” and you will definitely learn something if you apply what he teaches. I will see how my progress goes as I get more involved with track days. Coach Can is very upfront about his teaching so pay attention in class and focus on what he is teaching or you will be doing some pushups. He’s not there to waste his time he’s there to help make you a better rider. Take these courses and find out for yourself why these are a great investment to your riding skill. I’m going to add to this review again after I do more courses like the wheelie course, knee down and track academy. As well as the 1on3 track coaching. Thank you coach Can and Superbike-Coach school. See you soon!
Hi Coach/ All,
I just want to thank you for the excellent Knee Down this last weekend…I had a great time! I did get my knee down once during the class this time, but for me that’s not what it was all about and thank you for understanding. My goal coming to the class was to expand my skill set and challenge myself to stretch my limits. I may not be comfortable dragging my knee but I certainly can easily ride a corner/ curve with my knee inches of the paving…all I need for the street. I have taken your series of cornering classes one or two of them a couple times and I’m still learning new skills/ tools for the street. Here are a few real life examples of the skills learned from you Coach.
First:
Commuting to the Bay Area several times a week…I came up on heavy traffic braking (lane splitting of course) A driver on the phone decides to go for the exit crossing four lanes. I hit the brakes hard ABS almost kicked in…heard tires screeching behind me – downshift several gears and on the gas to escape. Result of lessons learned in Cornering Class #1.
Second:
I was touring on a rented bike in Europe and when coming into Prague slowing from autobahn speeds, I misjudged the amount of engine braking and the curve coming up(totally my bad)! Used a little front brake, a little knee and body positioning rolled out of the curve on the throttle.
Result of lessons learned in Corner Class #3 & Knee Down Class.
Third (most recent):
My wife and I rode to the east coast and back a couple months ago. We came hone through Yosemite. While coming down the grade riding 20 to 30 mph curves I set up on the left for blind right-hander. While in the turn and a bus coming from the other way was half way in my lane. So, I looked passed the end of the bus, tapped the front brake, counter-steered and rolled on the throttle…on to the next corner. Only to hear my through the com “he’s dam lucky we’re not driving a 4×4 truck” LOL!!!
Result of lessons learned in Cornering Class #1 & #2.
Thanks again Coach for making me a better, safer and faster rider.
Even if I’m riding my BMW1200RT…the white elephant. LOL!!!
Ken Bauer, AIA
As a disabled person, Coach pushed me to my limits, while understanding my limitations. Might I add that I ride with inline skates for my disability and Coach was skeptical, but got on board once I proved that I could handle it. He removed the Ego that students show in such situations that cause problems. That fostered a friendly and familial environment for learning. I look forward to further developing my GP skills in future classes for safe riding. Kudos Coach Can.
Cornering Class 1: The fundamentals, building blocks, are defined that are necessary in building your foundation for riding. I had been riding for 35+ years and came with a Hayabusa on lil 99 racetrack, which made me concentrate on technique rather than brute power from the bike. I learned focus, lines and emergency braking. There was plenty of riding around the track, which solidified my understanding.
1 on 3 Riding: I signed up for a 1 on 2 session with my H2, which was very insightful watching Coach Can demonstrate lines as I followed. Following on real roads made it very interesting and fun to see the application of viewing and focusing in the real world. I plan on doing a 1 on 1 with some roads that I regularly practice on in the near future.
Wheelie Class: Techniques for doing wheelie’s are discussed with multiple stations to teach you the skills. I was riding my H2, ~575 lbs, which is heavy and will flip with traction control off, so I recommend bringing a smaller bike or renting one of Coach’s bikes. While I did not conquer wheelies on my bike, I did learn the concepts and will keep practicing as I get more familiar with my bike. I did get it up, just did not find the balance point, which my highest priority was not crashing and I did not. Since, I had traction control on it was limiting me hitting the balance point, doh!!
Cornering Class 2: Coach went over counter-steering, body position and uber counter-steering. These were very good techniques to add to my repertoire and I discovered that my disability was limiting my ability to do counter-steering. Coach pointed this out and I have a task of doing my Yoga and strengthening my back to improve my bike biomechanics on my H2. I was adept at body positioning from many years of riding, but Coach introduced transitional positioning to make it even better. The crown jewel, uber counter-steering, was a mind blower that goes against common sense. However, the physics of the bike allow life-saving maneuvers that are a must for any daily rider! But, beware Coach has tricks up his sleeve to check your understanding and make you more adept.
Cornering Class 3: Coach and I had a frank discussion about my knee positioning, while wearing skates. It puts my knees 1-2 inches higher on the gas tank, which means I am not able to fit the ergonomics of the bike. We discussed alternatives including lowering the foot pegs that will totally facilitate and enhance my riding. This is a work in progress …
Advanced riding is discussed, while going over all that we have learned in classes 1 and 2, wrapping it all into a useful package. We went over trail braking, which is a must for the everyday rider, confidence, braking for steering, throttle control and advanced counter-steering. At this point, I am really starting to see the benefits, as I practice on local roads. My twisty confidence is much higher, even with my limitations, as my biomechanics along with the Motorcycle ergonomics are getting better each day I ride. Once I have the foot pegs oriented for my skates, then I will be pushing the limits of my ability with corrected and precise body positioning.
Cornering Class 4: Due in October
So far I’ve been in Cornering School Day 1, Track day at Thunderhill West, and the Suspension workshop/Track time and I have to say each program has been an absolute blast!
The skills and techniques I learned from Cornering School Day One will stay with me for the rest of my riding career! I now have more control and confidence with EVERY bike I ride. The cornering program is exactly the type of school I was looking for. Don’t waste your time and money with parking lots & cones, videos or books, get on the track with Can! He will show you the ways. If you’re interested in improving your skills I HIGHLY recommend these classes. They’re is a reason they sell out quickly.
After Cornering School Day One I decided to try Track Day: Thunder Hill West, I was a little nervous but really excited to get on a large track for the first time. The atmosphere is welcoming to first timers so I didn’t feel out of place or intimidated and being able to apply the skills from day one was an absolute hoot. Taking corners knowing that there’s no gravel, cars, trees, etc. and riding on a closed coursed with every corner being monitored and controled allowed me to ride the bike to a limit that I would never dare come near on the streets. and that was just in C group! What are you waiting for? Go ride track!
Suspension Workshop/Track Time. Riding Little 99 is always a good time, but the Workshop is what really made it a great experience. Learing about what my bike is doing in a corner with it’s suspension helped me better understand what exactly is going on underneath me everytime I swing a leg over. It was awesome having help tailor my stock bike to make it a perfect fit for me I had no idea how much I was missing out on with my bike. The adjustments made to my bike really improved to the ride quality, which translated to more control. I’m also very eager to apply the recommendations I was given for my bike’s suspension.
A buddy and I have been to day 1 corner school and yesterday day 2 and they were both awesome! Coach Can is a very down to earth, likable and fun guy to receive instruction from. He’ll tell you that some people don’t really like his style but I don’t think any of us got that at all. He’s just a no BS guy that doesn’t do well with nonsense. We found him to be charismatic, reasonable and genuinely concerned that you will learn this stuff and be a safer and faster rider.
I rode 20 years ago and now am back riding a new 1000 sport bike that is fast as hell. I learned more of the building blocks for riding correctly, faster and safer in the 2 days with Coach Can then I did the last year on my own and with my buddies. I look at everything differently now when I ride on the streets and have so much more confidence. After yesterday I noticed that I used every bit of the side wall of my tires. That is progress! These classes are a must for anyone wanting to bring their skill, speed and safety up several levels.
These classes are well worth the money. I’m already signed up for day 3 and my first track day at thunder hill in June. I’m looking forward to opening it up and following Coach Can around a big boy track. Maybe even put a knee down.
Review of CSD1! The most counterintuitive thing I learnt “sometimes you have to go slow to go fast”: a slower entry speed which lets you hit a a good line, is better than a faster entry speed and random lines. Thinking about how your lines connect from the next corner, to the corner beyond, makes you a better rider. It’s all connecting curves to curves.
This is what I learnt in Day 1:
1. Line Selection (a good line is better than a faster entry speed)
2. Imagining your target line on the road (and course-correcting your lean angle + speed to hit it)
3. Vision (Pointing your nose at the upcoming apex and following with your bike)
4. Emergency Braking (Use your front brakes exclusively)
5. Relax arms while riding
Counter-steering, trail-braking, body positioning etc these all come later.
Also I got an appreciation, from Coach Can’s stories, of the level of focus motoGP riders must attain. It’s a few orders of magnitude beyond the level of focus at my day-job (not being hyperbolic).
A word about coach: he is not interested in a discussion, argument, or excuses from you unless you are Rossi or Marquez. He’s got a class to run. Internalize his suggestions, try it out; else he will make sure you “feel it”. I don’t know what that means but let me know if you find out ;-)
After completing the full 4 day cornering program, the only thing to say is WOW! From Day 1 to Day 4, it just got better and better. The level of care and compassion Coach Can shows toward every student is just shy of extraordinary. This program has changed myself as a rider mentally and physically! Each day is dedicated to teaching a few certain skills and technique that is very key to surviving on the road and knowing what to do when certain situations occur. Not only does Coach Can teach it, his demonstrations of each technique is far beyond anything you’d expect from a college professor if not better! Using rigorous drills for students to practice each technique is not only fun but is a true eye opening experience! As you progress through each day, the confidence in yourself begin to sky rocket and the confidence in Coach Can’s abilities also soar! There are a million things to say about this program but in the end, anyone who has taken the full course as I did can only say that any rider who wants to become a better safer rider should be already signed up for this course. Again, big thanks to Coach Can for making such an amazing difference in my riding and as a person! WOW! Can’t believe Coach Can didn’t make it to MotoGP hahaha
I’d been looking at Can Akkaya’s Superbike-Coach website for a long time. I thought the Road Skills 1on3 course would do me the most good, and he had one in my area, so I signed up. I ended up having a 1on1 session, which I think we both enjoyed. In preparation, I dug out a couple of the most popular riding books I’d read a decade or more ago and started perusing them, well, one of them (I’d seen the video version of the other) and they didn’t make sense. I’ll get back to that.
We met up in a parking lot and he had me do some basic cornering maneuvers, figure 8s and such, just to get an idea of what he was dealing with. Then he had me do some emergency braking runs. Critiqued, instructed and explained why. It all made sense. More runs. Better. So now I know what to work on as far as that goes.
Now for the road part. He talked about the “Ideal Line”, which is the fastest line and how to see it. How to find the best line was one of my issues. He demonstrated as I followed. Then he commented and had me lead and commented after asking me how I thought I’d done. If you’re wondering where this took place, Salmon Falls Rd to Highway 49 to Georgetown and back. Here’s the kind of feedback I got, “you corner to the left fine, to the right terrible, that’s where your problems are.” I figured out why. More following, more leading, more discussion of techniques. This is where we discussed the “ideal line” and how to see it. That was eye opening and nothing like what book authors discuss. It made sense to me and I tried it on the way back from Geogetown. It’s not what you think. You have to unlearn what other “experts” teach, and I’m working on it. Coach Can’s method/approach to seeing the ideal line makes sense to me. You have to see it before you can ride it. And, you’ll just have to learn it from him.
He’s a great coach. His explanations are clear and concise. At least they were to me. I highly recommend spending time with Superbike Coach. I came away knowing what to work on, at least until I reach the next level. I plan on taking his cornering course soon. … and the wheelie course down the road.
This is the guy.
have taken the Cornering Day 1 as well as the Wheelie Course.
The Cornering class has helped me understand good/better riding technique and allowed me to put it into practice immediately. The Stockton track is small which makes for a perfect environment as the focus is on technique rather than speed. This closed course is perfect as it removes all those variables that you encounter on the street (gravel, traffic, bicyclists, etc). Once you have taken a a couple laps you know the turns and imperfections and you can focus on practice without question of what is around the corner. I would recommend this class to anyone. Besides the lessons, which I found very good, the seat time in an environment like this is invaluable.
The Wheelie Course was awesome. Just like improving your riding requires seat time so do wheelies. This course forced me to practice all day. This closed course environment is perfect since you have freedom to practice without other distractions. Also, you get feedback from people who know what they are doing. Do what they tell you and you will improve. That’s really what it’s all about. I highly recommend letting one of the coaches take your bike and demo the wheelie on it. For me it was an eye opener as it allowed me to see how high the fender was in relation to his line of sight. I realized that I was bringing it up lower than I thought. There were a couple other ah-ha moments as well that helped me improve significantly. I can’t wheelie down the whole stretch yet but I can say that I am definitely much more improved and now have a respectable wheelie on a fairly consistent basis. This was one of those bucket list things that I kept putting off and I am glad I finally did it. Thanks Superbike Coach for putting this class together.
Update 5/3/17
I had so much fun during the wheelie class that I decided to go again. While I definately made good progress the first time around I felt that it is worth the money to return for some additional practice and tips on how to improve. Coach also has a good set of tools to help you succeed. This time around they added a new wheelie bike machine which is very helpful in getting comfortable with initiating the wheelie as well as feeling the balance point. I highly recommend the wheelie course.
– Pete
Just wanted to share how awesome it was to attend Day 3 at SuberBikeCoach. Coach Can as alway was on point, teaching us life saving and at the same time lap-time reducing skills. Coach was answering all our newbie questions and making fun of our childish behavior, I pushed it a little too much and end up paying with push-ups ( lol, see the photos ).
The absolute highlight of the day was the braking technique that coach taught us! In my case it allowed me to flick my R1 from one full lean angle to the other side full lean angle, faster than I ever did it on my 600, while making me safer!!!! This flick made my lines better, and allowed to roll on gas earlier and stay on gas longer, combining that with trail-braking (proper trail-braking that Can taught us same day ), allowed to put some real heat into the tires which make the bike feel amazing and allowed push harder and keep up better with super fast Supermotos on that track!!!
I can even begin to explain how awesome all that felt !!!!
If you have never done, there is no reason not to. I think the next day 1 is in may.
It’s been about a year since I started the CSD courses, and went on to complete CSD1-3.
The CSD courses are a perfect way of introducing new and experienced riders into better, safer, and more fun riding all around.
With CSD-1 we learn the importance of the ‘ideal line’. Of course with Coach’s accent, you will never say Ideal Line the same way again, and you will also never forget how important it is.
Well now that you know that, CSD-2 takes it few steps further into positioning, and advanced counter steering. After CSD-1 I thought I was now confident on my bike, CSD-2 showed me how wrong I was. BTW, advanced counter steering is a real thing, and it actually saved my life.
Then CSD-3 and trail braking. I told my friend about trail breaking after CSD-3, he had been riding for a while; he assured me it’s only a technique the pros use, and shouldn’t be used on the road – he couldn’t be further from the truth. Trail breaking, gives me great confidence that I can get out of complex situations, and this makes my ride that much more fun.
There was also emergency breaking, I don’t remember if that was CSD-2 or CSD-3.
Track time – you get a lot of it, and you go with the group that best match your skill set. You get personal feedback, tons of pictures, videos, and you even make great friends, and all CSD courses allow you to take your bike and your skills to the max on a pretty safe and awesome track.
The skills you learn in the CSD courses are such that make it more fun to ride, you feel safer, and they save your life. MotoGP skills are as relevant on the road as they are on the track. There are a ton of details, and you do need to practice the newly learnt skills. Trust me – after the CSD courses you’ll be a better and safer rider all around!
Superbike Coach. Ok. WOW. I mean. WOW. I’m not an experienced rider but after taking his Cornering Day 1 Class just a couple days ago, my game is has changed! The Coach will sit with you before he actually lets you out on the track and literally beat the …. out of your head! Yes, he is a very strict and yet, straight forward especially with those who feel entitled to ride a motocycle and have riding experience! He will see how is your riding and if you are making mistakes while taking the turns or late apex, even upshifting and downshifting, he will tell you to f*** off and listen what he tells you. Then, he lets you out on the track again and follows you on his Devilish dirt bike and if you are keep making the same mistakes, he will go in front of you and show how you can done it right! Then, and then, your game is changing! You feel, you don’t need that many swerves and twisties, you need to make a straight lines by making the dots and connecting them! That will help you stay in the lane and have more fun with your bike! As I said earlier, I’m not an experienced rider and before this class, I have been taking private sessions with Westside Motocycle Academy and also, I went through their safety training, but Superbike Coach Class is absolutely nothing to compare with! In Superbike Coach Class you will have a track and the freedom to practice and the Coach, who will not let you to f*** around and make excuses! He will not let you practice in a parking lot going through the cones!
My track day at Thunderhill Raceway was the first time on a real track. Can Akkaya and his Superbike-Coach team did an excellent job of putting this event together, stressing respect for other riders, and that all of us have a normal life we need to return to on Monday (safety and respectful riding practices).
Prior to participating in the Superbike-coach sponsored private track day on July 30th, I took the Superbike-coach “cornering school day 1 course”. Can’s approach to riding motorcycles and instituting a progressive learning through performance method has been instrumental.
Between the last two positive learning experiences and Can’s realistic approach to riding, I was motivated to signup for his September 18th Superbike-coach “day 2 cornering class” and will be following it up with the day three class .
Coming from over 35 years of “normal riding experience” and former certified Motorcycle Safety Foundation lead instructor with over 10 years of teaching motorcycle safety/riding skills training experience; I can tell you first hand, these classes will take you to the next level of motorcycle handling skills (any bike from super moto to touring).
I recommend Superbike-coach for anyone with several months of riding experience to those “Old Dog’s” such as myself who have been on the bike since their youth…..
I’ve completed Coach Can’s 3 cornering school days. So I figured it was time for another review. Coach Can’s classes are great. He builds gradually on concepts and really starts from the most effective and important skill of all: seeing the ideal line. Everything basically stands on that. All your other skills will either add to that, or mask your faults and prevent real improvement.
The biggest thing that the classes did was give me a lot of confidence and understanding of how the bike works when you are really pushing it. The skills and tricks that Coach Can teaches you each build upon the last skill that you learned, and you get to practice them on a small track where technical riding rewards you greater than speed. It’s a lot of fun, and you can see the whole track from almost anywhere; this allows Coach to keep a good eye on what people are doing. If people aren’t doing things right, he’ll stop everyone and have a debrief right there on the track and point out what is happening. Other times he’ll just pull over a single rider. He can be very blunt, but he is right to the point and doesn’t waste a of time. Don’t let that fool you, though. He’s a good natured guy who also loves to have fun and gets a lot of pleasure out of seeing people improve, and he has put a lot of work into his classes.
The final class dealt with braking, which is a lot harder than you’d think. If you are like me and you’ve taken the MSF safety course when getting your license, you probably aren’t very clear on what the brakes will do to your bike in most scenarios. I’ve had the ABS on in a straight line, but what happens when you are leaned over? How does the bike react when using the front vs the rear brake? Can you brake in a corner? Can you use the brakes to actually go faster? Coach Can points out that racing is like “emergency braking for an hour”. When going through all the braking scenarios, I was more confident on the brakes, and found myself a lot faster around the track, even if in spots it seemed like I was slower at certain parts of the turn. I also had to reacquaint myself with my lines, as some of the skills had me loose the ideal line as I was approaching turns at different speeds than I was previously.
Not all of the skills I learned in the classes were new, but most of them pushed me into a new level of confidence. Every class I learned something, and every class, I feel, made me better than I was at the stuff I already knew.
Thanks Coach!
-Ryan
I attended one of Coach’s Cornering Schools a couple weeks ago. Fist off, I’d like to say that it’s a relaxed but serious environment, and Coach does a good job of grouping the riders (into appropriate groups: A,B,C). I think everyone felt comfortable with the people that they shared the track with at any given time. Time is split between Can’s lectures and riding. So, we get warmed up in our group’s first session, and then work on specific skills over the rest of the day, alternating lecture and laps. A couple of times, the entire group would practice a specific skill, like counter steering around (or over) cones. Finally, at the end, the track was opened up for a half hour before shutting down. Everyone gets a good amount of time riding, but not to be overwhelmed. There’s a very nice balance.
Keep in mind that this is not a track day — and the venue is a Kart track. Although a small bike might be ideal, there were several larger bikes. I rode my street-commuter ZX-10 and had a blast.
Anyone, at any level, can learn from Can. He’s a clear communicator and rode a bike professionally at the highest level of the sport. He’s clearly committed to teaching a safe style of motorcycling, as well as teaching techniques that work. And if you are a newer or intermediate rider, these classes are a must-take. Passing the DMV tests and/or whatever u-turn practice classes do not prepare one for the street. Practicing turning and braking under Can’s watch could just save your ass in traffic. And if you are looking to add track-day riding to your life, this is a great first step. Owen, AFM #423
What a great day and what a great experience. I had done a track day previously out East, and it was a blast but you were just left to your own devices – unless you actually went and asked for advice from one of the coaches (who were generally uninterested in talking to ‘noobs’ like me), it was just left up to you to figure stuff out. After locking up my rear wheel a few times coming too hot into corners and nearly spinning off, I came home with a big smile on my face but wondering how many more of these days I would do before hurting myself or my bike pretty badly. I since moved to CA, found Superbike Coach, and just yesterday finished Cornering School Day 2 (CSD-2). What a different experience to my previous track day! The whole event is so down-to-earth and accessible. Both times I’ve been with Superbike Coach (CSD-1 and CSD-2), the group has been of hugely mixed ability, from 30-year riding veterans to folks just off the MSF course – and everyone has been great. The lessons are fun, practical and – importantly – you get tonnes of riding time to practice. The Little 99 circuit is perfect – it’s small, so less experienced riders don’t get terrified by the speed, but the 13 corners are often tight (and diabolically laid out!) so experienced riders who are going quicker really need to be on their game. Coach himself is a blast – as the website warns, if you’re easily offended you might want to look elsewhere but if you can enjoy a laugh (and occasional teasing, when you deserve it) then the whole experience is superb. And it’s not just a one-man-show – the rest of the Superbike Coach team (including Coach’s own family and the photographer, Dean) are just brilliant. If you’ve ever thought, “You know, maybe I could learn some more about how to ride a bike properly” then the CSD is for you. All of the techniques translate from the track to the street, making you faster on the former and safer on the latter. Seriously – do it. Some of the best days you’ll ever have on a bike – and it’s not often you’d say that about going to school. Coach now offers track days at Thunder Hill too, where the same non-competitive attitude is brought to a full size track. I’ll add a review of the track day once I’ve done it – which will be VERY soon
Coach Can is a straight-shooting professional who is passionate about teaching riding skills.
I attended the Cornering School Day 1 (CSD-1) class that takes place on a go-kart track. It’s a controlled, purpose-built racing environment, but don’t expect it to be warm, swept, perfectly smooth tarmac. Conditions are closer to city street riding. Working on a small track means you’re doing tons of corners in close succession with a high rate of repetition (at speeds that will barely kill you… if you really tried), so after the first few sessions you’re familiar enough with it to compare notes with Coach and other students.
The intended student of the program is somebody with a bit of mileage under their belt–maybe a motorcycle racing fan–and had done some research on how to corner better. Coach Can addresses concepts you learned from YouTube and motojournalism like late apexes and hanging off as if you have some superficial knowledge of it, then works with you to show how they fit (or not) into his strategy for going fast. Still, I think the class is reasonably accommodating to beginners who don’t scare easily.
I found the level of one-on-one instruction to be commensurate with the cost and class size. Throughout the day, I followed Coach Can (who is darting around the track on his supermotard) for three or four laps and he had advice for me following two sessions.
I wholly agree with the program’s focus on confidence and lines at the beginning combined with a bunch of practice. I found it fun and educational, and the free track photos are a treat.
Well let me start saying that I have the type of personality that doesn’t much crap from nobody. To be honest the first class was a bit off for me. I didn’t like the way the coach talked. I had already purchased CSD1, 2 and 3. I wasn’t sure if I would comeback to CSD2 but I decided to give it one more chance and I’m VERY GLAD I DID. Now I understand where the coach wants to go and what He wants to pull out of you. I feel it is like a cadet army training, the first part is the toughest, but if you make the cut and comeback, things change, be ready to learn A LOT!!!. Now I have also signed up for the knee down class and track day, I’ll also repeat CSD2 and 3. There’s so much info per class that repeating is well worth it. I’ve been to other schools (that I’m not going to name for respect/free publicity), and even taking a two day track school with them, I didn’t even learn HALF of what I have learnt with Coach Can in one day. I highly recommend this school, how many times in life are you going to have the chance to learn from a PRO FACE TO FACE??.
Communication is fantastic, if you run into trouble (like I did when my bike wasn’t ready for the event) He will accommodate you on a different date. The price… Well is a no brainer, it is really affordable, those will be the best $$$$ you have spent. Regarding pictures, There’s always a photographer there getting tons of pics that you’ll get for free( This a huge plus, because I’ve been to the track and bought pics’ packages and they can cost from 75 to 300, I know these guys aren’t blue milk, but the pictures are pretty good)Good luck to all new students and thanks Coach Can!!
Awesome class and awesome coach! So I just finished Cornering School Day 1. What a great class and concept. Safe environment, step up in difficulties, coach on the track with you makes it feel like a 1 on 1, coach is a pro racer who has a tone of racing experience, no none sense concepts that you can’t apply, family and friendly environment, and great team spirit. All that for an amazing, no hassle, price.
My goal was to be able to go to the track on a regular basis but I was not sure if I can do that safely yet. I looked around for track schools close to where I live and came across Superbike Coach School. I was attracted to the concept of starting on a small go-cart track then build up to a full size track. Also, Superbike Coach School offered the most diverse collection of classes that I have seen compared to any of the schools available online for an incredible price. The classes varies from cornering, street riding, knee down, track day, and even a wheelie class and more.
It was a one-stop-shop but I didn’t know where to start. I emailed the school asking questions about where to start and what bike I should use because I was not comfortable using my own bike. Coach Can replied very promptly with a plan, tailored for my goal, that made a lot of sense and made me feel at ease. I immediately booked the class and glad I did.
Class day started on time, well organized, good balance between riding and instructions. Snacks, refreshment, free photography (they took 1500+ pics that day that will be posted for free downloads), plenty of parking, and FUN!
I wanted to book the following Day 2 class but it was full. I talked to coach Can, he added me to the waiting list and sure enough, promptly received and email from him that a spot had opened. Immediately booked it and booked Day 3 as well. After I’m done, I’m also planning to sign up for the Knee Down and Wheelie classes..how fun I can’t wait!
Now, here is an example of how cool coach Can and his team are. After the class was over, I changed back to my regular clothes and started to head home which is an hour and 20 minutes away from the track. After driving for an hour, I had a feeling that I left something behind. I pulled over to check and sure enough found out that I left my helmet and gloves behind in the changing area (this was the track restrooms). I immediately called coach Can and left a msg. Again, as expected, he promptly responded to tell me that they found it, picked it up, and it was on its way to Tracy where I went and picked it up. Bottom line, coach Can and his team will go out of their way to give you a great riding and learning experience.
I am an experienced rider and decided to refresh my corning skills. Coach Can went through the techniques during the lecture portion. The best part was applying the methods on the track just after each lecture point. Coach Can is a truly an inspirational coach and ride. The emphasis is on incorporating the techniques into our everyday riding for these Corning Classes.
I have completed Corning School Day 1, Day 2, and Day 3. The Stockton “Little 99” is the perfect track to learn the corning skills needed since the track is small and the turns are close together. I think this allows the rider to concentrate on the corning skills not on lap time.
I appreciate all the tips Coach Can provided. The best part is riding and practicing the techniques. Coach Can goes on the track for each group and provides valuable one on one support. I would recommend all three Cornering Classes for all street riders at any experience level.
Coach Can has other courses from small group lessons for prep track days for racing to learning how to wheelie your bike. I am looking forward to more classes with Coach Can and more importantly ride my bike with a big smile inside my helmet ….
I did both the Cornering School Day 1 and 2 with Coach Can. These classes are hands down the most eye opening and enriching classes I have taken to date. I had a tough time during CSD 2 – I had a low side the day before and wasn’t able to take my preferred bike, so had to take my more aggressive bike. I was not in the best state of mind and was having a tough time all day. Let’s just say the way I rode during CSD 1 compared to this second time was vast. First time, he pulled me aside and told me to slow down, this time I think a senior citizen could’ve walked a faster lap lol. Coach really took the time to help me through my challenges that day, and pulled me aside several times to help me get refocused. I really appreciated that a lot. Although I couldn’t pull myself out of my own head, it was clear that he truly had my progress and success in mind. And it was the same for everyone in class. I noticed that some make mention of his teaching style. If you have too big or fragile an ego to open your mind up to learning, I’m sorry to say, but you may have bigger problems than learning how to corner properly lol. I take a lot of classes – I have gone to Z2 for novice school (C group track day), Rich Oliver Mystery Camp, Total Control Advanced Rider Course, Alameda County Sheriff Dual-Purpose Class, Road Rider 2.0 and MSF. And although they are all good and all different, I learned the most from these two classes and guess what? THESE CLASSES COST THE LEAST OF THEM ALL. There is seriously a lot to learn and I will be taking both classes again, along with CSD 3. Seriously do yourself a favor and take this class. Please leave your ego at the door, it’s not worth what you’ll be missing in potentially life saving skills because you weren’t receptive to direction. And to be honest, I really have no idea what people are groaning about – he isn’t harsh by any means or stretch of the imagination. In fact he’s a really funny and easy going guy.
ust got back from a weekend at Laguna Seca where my friend and I had a 1 on 2 session with Coach Can. Going in, I’ve only done a few track days and one of those was with Coach. We worked hard through all Saturday; corner entry and exit speed, building confidence in our trail braking, smooth flow though the track, making sure that we were consistent in our braking markers. Coach Can has a lot of good instruction and advice to offer and he is always willing to talk through approaches. I must admit there were a few things that I listened to, did not quite fully comprehend, but later on the track realized or had save me from disaster. Like my previous experience with Coach, my track times improved considerably through drilling down on specific issues and being honest about my work with Coach’s guidance.
By the end of the weekend, I had another rider from the group seek me out and comment on my speed and smoothness on the track… a great endorsement for good hard work with a master! Thanks again coach!
Coach Can knows how to transfer his wisdom gained in the motorcycle racing world to all types of street riders who ride all types of bikes, and who want to ride safer and have more control of their machine on the street. I took both cornering schools 1 and 2 “back to back” in Feb 2015 and I am certain that I am now a significantly better and safer rider on the road. I found the track to be the perfect scale and design for safely learning how to control and find the limits of my 700 lb. Harley at intermediate speeds through all types of cornering situations. The track is also great for safely practicing important cornering skills and techniques taught by Coach in his own unique style, like counter steering, trail braking, etc. until it becomes part of your muscle memory. Taking these courses allowed me to try out these methods and figure out how to properly apply them to my particular bike in a track environment and with the support of expert coaching! I strongly recommend the Superbike Coach cornering courses for anyone who wants to master their machine and become a better and safer street rider!
The Superbike-Coach Corp. cornering program on the track in Stockton is seriously worth it. Everything on the bike got easier, smoother, and more efficient for me after experiencing this essential training – riding the twisty hill roads on my commute was fun before, but now it’s like heaven. Can Akkaya is a fantastic coach. He successfully shares valuable insights and techniques from his vast experience as a professional racer to a wide range of riders – from advanced to total novices and every skill level in between – no small feat! He seriously kicks your game up a few notches on the first day with expert coaching, real time feedback, and a perfect balance of conveyance of theory regarding effective interaction with motorcycle physics to real time application on the track. I found the smaller track to be key for personalized instruction. There’s no special setup needed for your bike, no special gear beyond standard armored attire, and it’s super affordable. I’ll definitely be taking other classes from Superbike-Coach to continue to develop my riding skills. If you ride a motorcycle, you should check this out for sure!
Superbike Coach’s (Can Akkaya) lessons have made the biggest impact on my riding skills than anything else I’ve ever done before. Books, videos, following buddies that also like to go fast… nothing compares to working with Superbike Coach in a setting that makes you feel safe in exploring your limits. I recently played hooky and took a ride up HWY 1 to Mt. Tam and around Stinson Beach, when I met another rider who was also interested in going fast with me. We played back and forth up Panoramic HWY, before stopping off for a chat. Turns out he was training to be an AFM racer, and judging by his leathers he’d had plenty of track time. He wanted to know about my riding experience since, according to him, I “ride like I stole it”… and I told him I just got my license about two years ago but that I had taken multiple classes with Superbike Coach. He was impressed, but not nearly as impressed as I am with the effectiveness of Coach Can’s exercises and lessons on the little track (Stockton 99) and the big track (Thunderhill). See you in class :)
Coach Can did in one day what I couldn’t do by myself in years of riding. I came across Superbike Coach from an email list at work, and decided to give it a shot. A single day of coaching later I’m dragging knees through corners, finding and following racing lines and my fear of running a track too lose to other riders is much diminished.
Coach is easy to talk to, and very down-to-earth. He will freely talk about his past experiences racing and what he did both right as well as wrong. Unlike some other coaches I’ve had before that understand the “perfect” technique but you’re so far from it that trying to change so many things at once actually makes your ride worse, coach Can knows exactly what’s holding you back at this point and makes suggestions and drills tailored to you. I felt like a better rider after every single session.
I feel that coach Can is a fluid motorcycle teacher, he was able to quickly adjust to my level of experience . Coach helped me identify, fears and limiting factors that were holding me back from truly enjoying my riding experience.
Coach Can helped me harness the control that is necessary to be an efficient and confident motorcycle rider. I highly recommend his one on one class for any level rider.
I just finished Cornering Day 2. Coach laid out a marvelous set of tools for relaxing into the bike, staying alert to what needs attention (and nothing else), and thereby dropping the anxiety in a ride – be it a trip to Maine, a track day, or an afternoon in some twisties. I’ve got a lot of years in the saddle, and while everything Coach Can says makes sense, it’s a little gobstopping to see how difficult it is for me to fully use these tools. (I’m practicing them while running early mornings on a bike trail, entering and exiting turns and chicanes using these techniques. It makes them easier, the mental preparation simpler on the bike.) This Cornering Days curriculum is mind-blowing, fast, fun, has great people in it, allows me to ride my bikes to the edge, and now I see that edge getting farther out, speedier, and calmer. Amazing.
Thank you Chris