Superbike-Coach photographer Dean Lonskey featured some shots of the last wheelie class in October.
All pics are in here:
Superbike-Coach Corp
Yea, that’s right… 14 of 18 students. Only with Superbike-Coach baby :-)
More featured pictures by Dean Lonskey: https://www.dlonskeyphoto.com/Superbikecoach-Gallery/Knee-Down-Classes/Knee-Down-Pics-10-26-19/Feature-Pics
As a kid you have idols you look up to. Bands, actors, or athletes. Needless to say that they have an influence on us, so I wanted to learn to play the guitar just like Angus Young of the rock band AC/DC. The big goal was, to have my own Marshall Amplifier and to rip it. The problem… those are hell of expensive and totally out of reach for me. That dream never left and today I have the damn Amp.
Can Akkaya on Honda RSR250, Hockenheimring 1987
So my first helmet was a German product, a UVEX for 60 bux. Goofing around the town on mopeds in that way to big helmet- which actually broke my nose on a crash one day. Somewhen then, I’ve stumbled over motorcycle racing while zapping through the four TV stations we had back then, and there was that American racer who looked so different then all the others. His name was Freddie Spencer and he was wearing a Arai helmet. Needless to say that I wanted to have one myself, but the price was totally out of my league. Years later, when I was racing myself… I finally had one, a Spencer Replica RX-V.
Man was I proud for it, but killed my finances. Though, I had comparison to what’s wrong and what’s right, and in this case it’s not just the quality which comes to account. I’ve learned the hard way what difference a good lid can make, cuz’ you’ve got only one head- one life. I lost that Arai in a actually horrifying crash on public roads, when I hit against a static object outside a turn. I would have died in a other helmet. I know!
Making my way through amateur racing, semi-pro and finally professionally- also the sponsorship contracts are developing. Until finding the ‘right’ relationship, I had to wear top notch helmets from multiple manufactures but I ended up with Arai Germany as a coach until I left Europe in 2008. Again… I had comparison to what’s wrong and what’s right, and I was super happy that Arai Helmets USA took over and to continue this relationship till today!
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
So, have you ever cleared the dung out of your garage?! I mean, that kind of stuff you horde throughout the years and glue on you from move to move. Not even stuff which doesn’t belong into a garage/shop. I’m talking about all the parts from previous and current projects which are catching dust. You know- those which are either way semi-broke or just not ‘enough’ to sell. Or all those tools you’re collecting, like dozens of same size IKEA allen keys. That weak cordless drill which delivered you for years just enough power to make that one hole- then another one- and another one, and each time you think why the hell are you not just go get a new one.
When you are just like me, then you also like to “MacGyver” things. Not just because you want to save the money- you also do this based on impatiens, because you need and want ‘it’ NOW. So also stuff like Velcro, aluminum profiles, steel materials, blade rollers, foam, and whatnot. That kind of stuff you find a place for on top of shelves, in drawers and boxes. You know you have it somewhere when you have a craft-impulse, but each time the search for it consumes time and motivation.
So yea, to un-dung the Superbike-Coach shop took a week, but I can assure you that it wasn’t even messy as you might think it was. We have lots of bikes to maintain and to clean, and that doesn’t go without order and discipline. That’s not the problem, but the overload was.
The dung is just one of many things. I also wanted to change some things for a better workflow. I mean, if you have to stand on a chair to find the right bolt on top shelf- or to have to use a flashlight in the dark corner- or to walk to the tool shelf a thousand times…
After filling 1 ½ recycling bins of dung, the cleaning was next. The dirt you bring in with those tires is phenomenal actually. Re-organizing was next. Two big shelves are helping to store oil, gas and all those boxes which we need for classes. Those were parked alongside the wall, so no more moving them out of the way anymore. Every bike has its own box now, and no more stationary tools- instead they are movable wherever they are needed. Additions were a self retracting power source- light fixtures- new carpets- a parts washer, and yea… a f’n new electric drill. I actually was considering to tile the floor, but I’ll postpone it. Instead I’ll put together a computer the MacGyver way, because there is a pile of e-dung in the office that I can use somehow :-)
These gloves will never ever leave me!
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
We had the team of the Sacramento Better Business Bureau over for a video take. They asked me give a Pro-Tip, and this is what I came up with :-)
(Yep, I know that the preview pic looks cheesy. Not my choice :-) )
Superbike-Coach is rated A+ at the BBB btw :)
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
Lest Sundays ‘Suspension Workshop & Track Time’ was extraordinary.
Continental tire for demonstration
Ones more we could help riders not just to understand how and why to set up motorcycle suspension to their needs and riding purpose. This goes way deeper as it may appears in the first place. It begins with insights into tires and their effect on grip and geometry. A Continental RaceAttack slick helped to make things clear. Big surprises on air pressures and influences in tire performance, but when they went on our Little 99 Raceway the surprise turned over to smiles.
We moved on with the why’s and the how’s of setting up levers and controls. This isn’t just going into more riding comfort- we also can make detailed suggestions towards their existing equipment, or more appropriate stuff. All our tools were ready to use, so that they were able to make adjustments. The Superbike-Coach team Marion, Mark and Dean were always there for them to help out.
BikeMaster rider-sag tool
That was clearly needed when we went on adjusting suspension pre-load settings. That after they got to know what to look for with a general suspension setup. At that point the support of BikeMaster really helped, because they support us with their outstanding tools . Just like the rider-sag measurement tool.
The next subject was damping, so in compression and rebound. That is not easy sometimes, because some bikes don’t have any of these options. This is where we can make strong suggestions in this regard. Oil viscosity, spring rates, shim stacks, and so on and so on.
Not to forget to mention, that all students go on the track to feel the differences after each subject. So they’ve done that many times already before we initial the last subject- troubleshoot. They’ve learned what and where to be most focused with, so that they can bring back a objective insights of the behavior of their bikes.
Besides all this, we can identify issues their bikes may have. It’s very normal for us to get to see stuck throttle cables, brake levers touching housings, or loose bolts. We are not just clicking +/- 4 steps around and let them go like others do. This here is something you should have on your plan, because I decided to take this program also to 2020.
How racers explain bike behaviors
#bikemaster #contimotousa
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
I wake up at 3.30am to kiss my wife good bye, and to head out to Buttonwillow Raceway. I had a job to do, a Track Drill 1on3 on Saturday and a 1on4 on Sunday.
It’s gonna take about 3 1/2 hours to get there and my job entitles to transfer knowledge in a passioned and inspiring way and to be on a highly physical track for 2 days, so that I actually try to enjoy this long and ‘quite’ drive. Even my ‘Cleopatra’ dangles peacefully in the straps. That will be quite a different scenario in about 6 hours, when she underlines her diva status ones unleashed.
The coffee is still too hot to drink and it’s pitch black out there. I am still a little exhausted of the work to be done the previous week. Office… requests, planning 2020 dates, preparing classes and 1on1’s. Shop… maintenance, cleaning, tires, oil changes, gear. And so on and so on. My back hurts and my hands show scarf-skin from all the riding I’ve been doing for more than four decades now. Looking at them pops memories up. All the races I’ve done, from an amateur to a professional with a international FIM race license. I’ve done crazy things in live and gave all my heart, sweat and blood to get there. Nothing came easy- nothing came with luck. Same goes for ‘Superbike-Coach’ btw, and now I’m seeing about 1500 students per year. Seven of them during this weekend.
I finally hit Interstate-5. There is literally no traffic and my thumb sneaks to the Cruise Control button. My V8 hums at 2000 rpm’s and the coffee is good to go. But am I really relaxed?… no, cuz’ I realize that I don’t even listen to music. Instead my thoughts are with the students already- with things I might could have done better in the last Cornering Day 2 class- with a program I want to add- with family things- and with the stuff going down which probably bothers anyone right now, and hopefully finds and end in 2020.
Let’s watch a movie. I’ve picked ‘12 Monkeys‘, and oh man… Brad Pitt is such a great actor. Meanwhile, the darkness fades away and hills in the distance arising. Memories coming in, when Marion and I came to California in 1997 for our Honeymoon. That was the trigger for us to live here and to finally make it happen in November 2008. What a journey, but also here… nothing came easy, nothing for free, nothing is perfect. The Sunrise is gorgeous. Oh btw… nature calls and I take the next exit. The off ramp takes me down to a small, very dusty old road which disappears towards the hills. Seems there is another one stopping for the same reason. The scene was a perfect postcard picture. A silver AC Cobra parked half off the road in the desert, driver door open. I know the bridge is long- but that picture was so ‘James Dean’ or ‘Steve McQueen’, if you know what I mean. I wished I’d have take a pic.
Quicker as expected… exiting Lerdo Highway. I finally stop in the paddock and slide out of the truck. First thing I see is Varun walking quickly up to me with his big smile on his face, witch I know from many classes he works with me now and so today. He hugs me right away and from deep down of his heart he says “I’m so glad to see you Coach!”… and I’ve really arrived. Cruise control off!
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
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