Great Superbike-Coach Season Opener

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Last Sunday, 1/28/, we’ve opened the 2018 riding season with a terrific group of people.

I was a little rusty after the long winter break, but it didn’t hold my 28 students back to go into it with eager. The weather couldn’t be any better and our track was in a good shape.

I had a blast with them and yea, also enjoyed myself a lot being back on the track and rip my freshly rebuild Supermotard throughout this exciting and extremely technical track. Students have begun to spread their reviews over Google, Yelp and whatnot. Go read them! Photographer Dean could take over 1500 pictures and video, which are ready for a free download for the class. Till then he pulled some featured pictures of the outstanding class. Enjoy!

Thanks to my SBC team we could start the season where we paused in 2017… with lots of happy faces… and so am I :-)

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp

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Superbike-Coach Track Day Schedule 2018

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We are ready to go with our Track Days this year.

Read the full description about our Thunderhill track days here.

The track day at Little 99 Raceway including a Suspension setup workshop. Very cool, so don’t miss it out.

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Happy Holidays Y’all

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I think this was the most intense year Superbike-Coach has had so far. I feel so blessed to have met so many riders of all different levels. Working with such a diverse variety of characters was never boring. All of them letting me part of their lives… Firemen, Comedians, Police Officers, Marines, Stuntmen, Movie Stars, Doctors and many, many more.  Some have even became friends.  They came see us from all over the planet… Japan, the UK, China, Brazil & Italy…to name just a few.  And the respect that I feel as their coach is very special to me. It is hard to put into words the bond created with riders when they have worked so hard training with me.

The same goes for my team, who I couldn’t be more proud of. Their loyalty and respect for what Superbike-Coach stands for is unlimited. Their effort to give our students the best experience is outstanding. So, a special thanks goes out from me to: Marion, Dean, Gary, Brian, and Ben. Even my daughter Jill helps out every once in a while. In 2018, there will be even more new team members to come.

I would also like to thank all of the Superbike-Coach sponsors who support what we do.  Some of them have been with us from when we started in the U.S. back in 2009. There is BikeMaster, AXO USA, Race Tech, Dynojet Research, K&N Filters, Tech Spec, Arai USA and Forma Boots USA. I’d like to thank all of them for their loyalty.

You might notice the “Christmas” mode I’m running in right now.  I don’t want to bust the moment.  So, I’ll leave this message as short as possible :-)
Just know that we’re working on our 2018 schedule for classes and track days right now and the website is getting refreshed. Also we have a new class coming up for track riders and racers… the ‘Race Academy’ that we are very excited about.

THANK YOU TO ALL OF YOU!  Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year :-)

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Sacramento, 12/20/2017
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The last Day 1 class this year

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We just ran the last Cornering School Day 1 class this year back on 11/5/2017, and it was a blast.

It was pretty cold in the morning so that we brought our 100 cups coffee maker which our 30 students had a good use for. I loved seeing those guys improving session after session and even Ryan, a Motorcycle.com editor was pretty happy with what we’re doing (read article here).

I can’t be more proud of my Cornering School team Marion, Gary and Dean. Thanks for doing this with me for all those years. It never feels the same, and I can’t wait to publish the Cornering School schedule for 2018. Love you guys!

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach

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Heat Management

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I can tell ya… the Ducati Panigale is a beast, and truly a challenge to your balls- also in regard heat!

The 1199R is a race bike- period. People are surprised how hard to ride it actually is. The faster you go- the better it is, but the slower you go- the more this bike can be a pain in a butt. It needs time and money to solve these issues if you want to use a Pani on the street in traffic.

I gave lots of advice and suggestions in this article series, but the ‘heat management’ was secondary to me first. Now since i am riding it more often for pleasure, to teach Track Drill 1on1 on race track, or Road Skill 1on1 on public roads- the more I realized I should have prioritize this problem.

The significance is the ride-ability and performance. Cool gas is power and engine elastics- and not to get the boiled keeps riding fun up. The rider sits literally 3 inches above the rear cylinder of a 195 horsepower bike, and the heat is conserved. You’re standing in California waiting for green light, while the water temp of the monster climbs up to 220f. It’s time for improvements.

So, my goal is it to drop temperature, and to gain engine performance. Not looking for the ‘perfect’ though, because that is not existing. First, I uninstalled those ugly cylinder plastic covers. I believe they conserve the heat around the rear cylinder just a little too much and to affect its performance. Also- the conserved hot air is literally lead right between your legs and the lowest part of the gas tank. After riding it without those covers it was actually a little better- so off they go.

I was actually planning to get me some heat shield mattes and to cover everything on a logical bases to block or to lead hot air. The ‘good’ material which is in use by NASA, Formula 1 and MotoGP is expensive though, and I would have to puzzle it… but then I found the “Panigale Heat Shield“. The adhesive kit includes all puzzle pieces, like to cover the seat pad and the sub frame legs. Some tools, a de-greaser and about 30 minutes later the job was done, but I wanted to do more though. The part of the gas tank which is buried in the sub frame, hovers about an inch above the cylinder. Sooner as you might think, the entire aluminum body is warmed up and affects comfort and gas temperature.

A additional piece of foam behind the gas tank reduces the hot air floats under the seat, and leads to the cutouts in the sub frame legs. These modifications should also help reducing the mechanical noises a little.

So, thanks to ‘Panigale Heat Shield‘ I could save some time of work and to find the right material. Even if you don’t have a Pani… go and find the weak spots on your ride, and enjoy ‘creating’ and to improvise things. Make it YOURS :-)

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp

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The importance of ‘Tank Grip’

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Protecting the gas tank with some kind of pads makes sense in multiple ways. Let’s just name scratch protection, resale value, or upgrading looks. For me, and that goes for decades of riding on and off race tracks- the main reason is to stay in place where I want. In fact- I am almost ‘abusing’ my gas tanks. Here is how:

  • Squeezing knees in the tank cove pads while braking (keeps weight low and in the rear AMAP)
  • Dragging ass over the seat to the other side by pressing outside knee in the tank pad

There are some products on the market, but my requirements are narrowing it down, especially since i have a healthy wear of those tank pads. I always end up with TechSpec Gripster Tank Pads for some good reasons also for my Ducati Panigale 1199R:

  • Easy to install (smooth material)
  • Looking real good (that’s clearly individual preference)
  • Giving the right amount of hold (other products killing your gear)
  • Reliable (protect function and price)
  • Easy to remove/replace (no stain, no paint killer)

TechSpec’s theory of achieving a solid grip is based on material properties and surface area contact. Their products are available in two materials: Snake Skin and the XLine.

What I personally like is that I easily could customize a pad if necessary.  We have TechSpec pads mounted on all Superbike-Coach bikes. Especially on our Supermotards, the wheelie 1on1 bike and the rental bikes, because they give the hold on to the gas tank my students need once that front wheel goes up. TechSpec even makes installation videos which shows how easy it is:

So, my recommendation to you is… what’s good for me should be good for you. I think that this is one of the first upgrades a rider should do to the motorcycle. Not just before scratches even happen… also to not to miss out on that extra hold when you might need it the most… in an emergency braking maneuver.

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp

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Great turnout for students at Wheelie Course

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I think that this was a wheelie course with a success rate of 65%.

Most students had the right attitude and spirit for it, but the entire class was high energy- that’s for sure. The nature of this class brings me and my team, mentally and physically to the absolute limit so that some might get it quite harsh. In the end it just shows our passion to make everyone being successful.

Superbike-Coach puts some equipment on the ground to deliver something very unique. Besides the coaching we had our mini-wheelie bike make them look like kids having fun. The wheelie machine is some bad ass equipment which give rider the feel for the balance point and throttle control. My Supermotard is included to have 1on1 time with me, and we have a brand new KTM Supermotard with my wheelie bar as a rental…

What else to ask for huh?!… a safe as possible and legal place?… bad ass coaching?… free photography, snacks and drinks?! YES, all of this as well.

We’re feeling with the two crashed riders, but we are hell of happy that no one got hurt and that your spirits are unbroken. Very impressed I am :-)

My friend Chris from Germany could help where ever it was needed , and he could get quite a picture of the ‘high-voltage’ environment we at Superbike-Coach are running.

Photographer Dean Lonskey made thousands of pics and some video. All of it comes free of charge by the end of the week. Till then… here are some featured pics. Enjoy! :-)

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp

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