Superbike-Coach suspension workshop

Motorcycle Suspension Guide

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How To Setup A Motorcycle Suspension

There are lots of misunderstandings about how to setup a motorcycle suspension setup, and I’ve seen questionable work from even supposed specialists. Those specialists make riders believe that one click on the front rebound could lower lap times by 7 seconds… yep, I’ve really experienced this.

Stuff like this is totally off reality of course, especially as I still saw his bike bouncing around on Thunderhill Raceway- totally out of balance. In fact i believe that an intermediate to advanced rider don’t even feel the difference of even 15 clicks- especially not on a OEM suspension system.

If you would approach the setup with logic, you wouldn’t have to spend $50 bux to let an expert do some ‘big deal clicks’ on your stock rear shock, which are most of the time not even going nowhere. You don’t need to be nervous to do it yourself, because the range of an OEM suspension is just to small to make a significant change in terms of stability and safety of your bike.

To really make a significant change to match your riding style and purpose- you need to make rearrangements to the geometry of the bike, and then to match the suspension to this geometry… for example:

  • Super tight track: You want to drop the front end or to raise the rear a little
  • Long braking travels: You want to drop the rear right height to keep weights low
  • Long acceleration periods: add a chain link to use up chain adjuster recourse for a longer swing arm.

Please Note All Following Points

  • There is NO “perfect” suspension setup- only the’ best compromise. A setup grows with your rider level.
  • So when someone says “I’ve clicked you the same suspension setup as I gave to Valentino Rossi”, then this is logically not going to work for you well.
  • Use the potential of a OEM suspension first before you buy aftermarket stuff… then you really know what it is capable of.

OK, the link below will open an additional page which you can print out to bring it to the track. It’s just hat this page is too much for this section here, because it throws a light on how to set it up right, and how to trouble shoot. Enjoy:

Motorcycle Suspension Guide

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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Superbike-Coach Corp Receives Award

Award winner, Superbike-Coach Corp 2015 We happily received a message of Elk Grove Award Program, that Superbike-Coach Corp has been selected for the ‘2015 Best of Elk Grove Award’ in the Sport, Hobby & Education category.

From their press release

Each year, the Elk Grove Award Program identifies companies that we believe have achieved exceptional marketing success in their local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community.

These exceptional companies help make the Elk Grove area a great place to live, work and play. Our mission is to recognize the small business community’s contributions to the U.S. economy.

Read the full press release here:

We are highly appreciating this nomination, and we feel honored for the recognition. This makes us work even harder!

Superbike-Coach Corp

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preparing for a track day

How to load a motorcycle on a truck

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We had lots of fun with this video, and it will put you a smile on your face as well. You don’t want to find yourself in a situation like this though, so enjoy the video first to get something out of it, and then keep reading with our article, and watch the tip video we made, and read the little article below:

So here is how Pro’s doing it in a minute- without any damage and injuries. Let’s have a look on the equipment base you need to have to get the job all by yourself done.

  • Pickup truck with at least space for one motorcycle in width and length, and at least for hooks to tie-down
  • Long (reduces the ankle to the truck bed) fold-able bike ramp, which is very wide (walking path) as well
  • One short tie-down to secure the ramp down to the truck
  • Universal Roll-On Stand for single operation
  • At least two heavy-duty buckle zip (ratchets were yesterday!) tie-downs with swivel hooks
  • At least one rubber tie to transport and secure the bike ramp on the truck

From here we let Headcoach Can Akkaya from Superbike-Coach take over to explain the process:

Read the process in detail here: https://www.superbike-coach.com/coachs-blog/coachs-motorcycle-support

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Hundreds of Student Testimonials and 5 Star Reviews

I am so blessed with what I can do, and feel honored getting hundreds of student testimonials and 5 star reviews on Yelp, Google, on Facebook, or directly via email which you can all find here.

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 Coach’s CSD classes and guess what? THESE CLASSES COST THE LEAST OF THEM ALL.- Helen M. (Yelp review), Cornering School Day 1 and 2

Especially the Cornering School program means a lot to me, and I look forward to hear back from my students when all the coaching, drills and sweat really kicked in for them.

We also found students witing about Superbike-Coach on their websites. Enjoy:

Headcoach Can Akkaya

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How to make a M1 motorcycle drivers license

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Believe it or not- I’ve been together with my wife Marion since my second year of racing, and we’ve ridden tons of bikes in all those years- she was always a passenger… even on Germany’s famous 13 miles Nuerburgring Nordschleife to smoke guys on big bikes- but she NEVER rode a motorcycle her selves!!!

But since we have that sweet Superbike-Coach rental bike, a Ninja 250- Marion sat on it… declared it as ‘cute’- looked at me and said “…teach me to ride. I wanna make a drivers license!”.  From here, I want to pass this three part article on to her to tell the story of how it’s like- and what to do in order to get a motorcycle drivers license:

Here is how to make your M1 drivers license, Part 1 of 3, by Marion Akkaya

First, I went to the DMV to get the booklet (http://driving-tests.org/california/california-motorcycle-manual/) to prepare for the written test. After studying it for a couple of days, I took some free available test online just to make sure not to see where I’m at. I also scheduled an appointment not to waste my time by waiting for hours in line, which is easy to do online: )

How to learn to ride a motorcycleWhen I arrived, I still had to wait in line, but it was much shorter than what I saw on the other lines. I had to fill out some paperwork about name, address, SSN, information about already existing driver license – the usual stuff, than I got a number and I went back to wait until they called my name.

It took about 15-20 minutes until a DMV worker told me that I have to renew my car driver license when adding a motorcycle license. This information took me by surprise because I wasn’t prepared for the test. I paid $ 29 before I got to window A, where they took my picture. Then they send me to the testing room, loaded with about 20 computers. The nice part by taking it online is that it shows right away if your answer is correct and it is much faster. On the other hand it makes you more nervous after a mistake. Some of the questions were common sense, while other just confused me. I passed my written test for the car right away, but had to retake the written motorcycle test. I had to go back in line, pull a new number and wait for probably 15 more minutes before I could take it again, but this time I’ve passed the test!

The good part is that you can retake the test three times before they send you home and you have to pay again. I am just glad that I past and now I can focus on the “little circle” through which I have to go to pass the driving test. I have no clue how to get through it, but I have the best riding Coach I possibly can think of- who will get me through this successfully. I was convinced he’ll be more sensitive with his wife- was I wrong! J

Now, the fun staff started –riding a motorcycle. ‘Coach husband’ started giving me riding lessons. We started first with some easy lessons, how to shift, to break, to steer, and the right body position. He showed me how to turn my head into the right direction instead of looking right in front of me. I learned shifting up without using the clutch, which is not easy in the beginning, but like he says:” what you don’t have to do- you can’t mess up” –and he is right. Believe me it was not easy for him, because I am a bad listener and I am just glad that I haven’t had make any push-ups yet :)

After a couple of days of training with him, he installed a vox radio in my Arai helmet and says “Let’s hit the freeway hon”, and off we went…

To be continued!

Author Marion Akkaya, Sacramento CA

 

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Sometimes it comes back…

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…those memories of my time as a racer- but do I really want this?!

1994 Can Akkaya starts from first row after a tough battle in 250cc qualitying for the German IDM, pro racing

1994 Can Akkaya starts from first row after a tough battle in 250cc qualifying for International Dutch Open in Zolder Circuit in Belgium

Please don’t get this ‘self-asked-question’ wrong… because heck, I don’t want to loose those memories, and if I had the chance to do this all over… I probably would. But here and there are popping up some pics, videos or even race or qualifying result lists which are digitized now- thanks to scanners and Internet these days. Just like this one here, which I received from ex-racing pro colleague Wilfried Gehrman, who also attended this race.

Then I look at a document like this, and something is happening… like a flashback to specific moments of this particular qualifying. I begin thinking of what I did wrong… what i could have done better… and so on and so on. In fact it just gets me down, and takes me away from what this sport really meant to me… it gave my live a direction, goals, commitment and passion.

So I am keeping it short looking at this list to protect myself, and to memories things like this… that I started racing on a 3000 German Mark ‘junk ready’ bike and almost made it up to MotoGP anyway… that I crashed out of my first International pro race, 8 seconds in lead on the last lap because I denied to slow it down. Stupid?! yea, but I could learn a lot.

It took a lot to make my feet slowing down paddling, but I still move forward because I am still using my will and passion. I am thankful that I can help others paddling in the right direction today.

Coach

 

 

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CSD-3: Reschedule to 9/20/ (UPDATED)

OK folks, after evaluating the headcount for the CSD-3 class on 8/9/ I have to transfer all bookings to the scheduled CSD-3 on 9/20/, which is going to happen by 100%.

CSD-3 on 9/20/ is a guarantee- promise.

Thx for understanding,
Can Akkaya
 
Superbike-Coach Corp.
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