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!
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/superbikecoach_corneringschool_2017nov5_810-e1510385705803.jpg6671000PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2017-11-10 23:44:562024-01-13 16:01:37The last Day 1 class this year
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 :-)
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.
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! :-)
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/superbikecoach_wheelieschool_2017october15_7-e1508432847418.jpg7201080PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2017-10-19 10:09:382024-01-13 16:02:38Great turnout for students at Wheelie Course
We’ve got riders coming in from all over the U.S., Canada and Hong Kong, and we had them all on their knees! Nobody got hurt, even though we had a couple of crashes on the record with our mini bike which has been included in this program. Paying for a damage to it?… no, not at Superbike-Coach but pure fun, thrill and action instead.
Everyone went back home with a big smile on the face, and that is what drives me. Thanks to my team for being so passionate and loyal.
Superbike-Coach photographer Dean Lonskey made amazing shots of our students and he has an eye to showcase the atmosphere of this class, doesn’t he? He could pick some featured pictures to shorten the waiting time until he’s got thousands of pics ready for FREE download.
Not just that is only with Superbike-Coach… this here too… riders who couldn’t get it done somewhere else, but with Superbike-Coach !!!
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/superbikecoach_kneedownclass_2017october14_49-scaled.jpg13652048PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2017-10-18 10:13:382024-01-13 16:02:59Knee Down class biggest success rate ever
The new paint job was done and it was time to go into the details, such as to integrate the Ducati gas tank into the design. It was planned from the beginning, that we don’t want to mess with the beautiful design of the stock 1199R tank. The brushed silver and red was to blend into the new design.
My friend John Wolf does vinyl wraps to cars professionally, so for him this was a walk in the park. He extended two white stripes and one black piece over the gas tank, and that turned out pretty hot. The dynamic of the bike makes your eyes stuck to it.
We also customized our sponsor stickers to one size and color, as well as I finally got a new design of my pro racing number ’36’. If you ever want something special and have somebody making it perfectly… then you need to see Diane and her Tokay Press company in Stockton, CA.
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/DSC_0004-e1507017116809.jpg7981200PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2017-10-03 01:14:152024-01-13 16:03:36How to vinyl wrap a Motorcycle
It was time to put ‘Cleopatra’ into her new War dress, but I was quite nervous about the fit. Back in Europe, I’ve installed a aftermarket fairing kit ones to a R1, and some of those mounting holes were half an inch away from its destination. That the ABS plastic seem easily crack-able added frustration. Now Cleo’s armor does not- by far- but the damn thang is heck of awesomely painted, that any additional drill would mess it up. The preciseness of a Panigale fairing goes way beyond that point the term ‘tight fit’. The Italians put so much heart into it, so let’s see how it goes with the installation.
Straight up… it took me half a day just to mount the upper fairing. I took my sweet time to resize holes, but in the end it all fits and I didn’t crack anything. The fit is surprisingly close, but not as perfect as the holes sitting in a stock fairing. With patience and brain you’ll get it done, I promise. To be clear… I didn’t had to ‘ovalize’ those holes. Some were just too small or had to be cleared from the paint.
I’ve messed up the seat… yea, really! OK, there are those air flow ducts in the Panigale seat. I added some carbon pieces, but they didn’t cover the inside fairing piece at that point fully, so that there the viewer would have a direct view to lots of mixed colors. To make it look clean, I had to brush some matte black paint on the inside of those seat panels. To make that stick, I de-greased it with brake cleaner. Way to aggressive chemicals- and the paint got messed up a little. Not good! The same I had to do with the inside of the upper fairing, but good that men can learn by mistakes.
Actually it was planned to install with quick releases, but I run out of time since I have to pack up for a Track Drill coaching gig at Buttonwillow Raceway. Still no total pictures, but my plan is to put Cleopatra out on the start/finish line and shoot some for ya. So let’s get that Superbike-Coach logo on the bike and fill up the gas tank… Buttonwollow here we come :-)
https://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/DSC_0021-2-e1505414392282.jpg7981200PageAdminhttps://www.superbike-coach.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/newlogo.pngPageAdmin2017-09-14 12:03:102024-01-14 00:23:10How to install race fairings to your bike, part 2
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 “
So, thanks to ‘
