Author, Test Rider, Racer, Riding Coach

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We Organize Our 1st Track Day!

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Now it’s official- Superbike-Coach starts out organizing track days. I’m super excited about it because I was thinking about that for a long time already. Our students were asking about it anyway, because they herd real bad stories about other existing track organizers. We are going to be different in many ways… as I run my school programs different… so my track day will be!

So our first track day will be on March 20th 2016 at Thunderhill West Raceway, which is challenging and fun at the same time. But what I really want to do is, to offer this track day to anyone- not just students- or riders with a sport bike… no- to literally any motorcycle rider!

So no matter about gender, age, or level… no matter what bike you come up with… I’ll have a spot for you. See why we’re different?! We are- and beyond, but let’s see if some questions or points are matching your feelings about it:

  • …you always wanted to hit the track with your cruiser or Gold Wing just to have some fun?!
  • …you don’t want to make a huge technical deal, for taking your sport bike to the track?!
  • …you’re an experienced track rider but you never had the chance to go around a track with a MotoGP wild Card ex-pro?!
  • …you herd that some track organizers aren’t beginner friendly?!
  • …are you worried that this is ‘too much’ for you?!
  • …you don’t want to spend thousands of dollars to gear up, just to go to the track?!
  • …you don’t need high speed straightaways to be freaked out?!

Superbike-Coach will deliver all of this- for beginners, and for the very experienced ones.

I’ll be on the track as much as I can, and I will try to take advantage of each second I can show a rider how to do it better. I’ll also give a free seminar on the ‘Ideal Line West’ while lunch break, so that each one can go out again- and goes home with something new. The spots are already going, so don’t wait too long to safe yours:

I can’t wait to March now and to see lot’s of students again, as well as a bunch of new faces.

Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp

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The Perfect Glove & Lever Adjustment

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Finding the right motorcycle glove can be time consuming, but I believe it’s worth it. I think most riders choosing the glove because of their looks. But design or even colors should be just a secondary thought. A high quality glove has its price, and yes I do understand that money is maybe a factor for you… but this goes kinda the same way you should pick a helmet, because  a natural protective instinct makes us bringing our hands out to catch the fall, so you will crash in 90% assuredly right on your hands. Here is what a bad glove choice can do to us:

  • Needles and pins (uncomfortable, slow reaction time)
  • Bad quality (short life, leather cracks, bad protection)
  • Bad protectors (weak, wrong placed, open wrists = big time injuries)
  • Bad size choice (too small: slow reaction time. Too big: interferes with throttle and levers)
  • Bad features (sweating hands, uncomfortable, slow reaction time)

Axo USA is one of a few manufacturers I found who are delivering the full package.  Their website offers sizing charts and lots of intermediate sizes to pick from.

Also their category description gives a good insight before you rush and take a purchase too easy. Spend your money wisely.

Our little video tutorial should below gives you a good idea what to look for in a glove, and how important it is to also set the levers to your needs.

How to adjust your levers the right way

Most riders are leaving the levers the way they are set from the factory, but I highly recommend to readjust them to your needs. I demonstrated in the second part of the video tutorial above, how essential especially the brake lever position can be. I actually forgot to mention that this even puts your hands and arms in a better angle to catch up G-forces under hard braking. Here is what we give away with wrong lever positions:

  • https://www.rockymountainatvmc.com/images/prod/400/t/tus_08_clu_per_blk.jpgToo high: slow braking procedure, bad feeling for the braking
  • Too low: hard to reach when doing hanging off
  • Interferes fingers/levers

As mentioned- you’ll probably can’t just loose the bolts and simply twist each perch because most manufacturers having a pin set to avoid that for liability reasons of course. You need to remove each pin which is not a big deal at all. Have the right tools handy and be patient with your work. Set the levers in a straight line to your arms/fingers, and tighten up all bolts properly. You’ll find a much more relaxed riding position after spending some time with this.

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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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Knee Down Class Has Been Booked Out Again

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Three months upfront… the Superbike-Coach Knee Down class has been booked out. This alone may doesn’t say much to you, but our 85% success rate tells the story. Oh… and hundreds of testimonials on https://www.superbike-coach.com/177-2/student-testimonials

Send us an email to put you on the waiting list for October 24th.

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Free Coach Seminar

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Spend a nice evening with Coach Can at Black Bear Diner and listen to his favorite subject “What’s between those ears”. Come to meet the Woman On Wheels chapter (www.goldcountryriders.com) meet up event:

  • Black Bear Diner at 2700 El Centro Road, Sacramento, CA 95833
  • Date: 6/16/2015
  • Time: 7:00pm
Can Akkaya, Headcoach of the Superbike-Coach Corp, 2014

Can Akkaya, Headcoach of the Superbike-Coach Corp, 2014

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