CSS Level 1
 

Here are my overall impressions:-

Excellent organisation, professional tuition, clear, unambiguos classroom 'theory', far less technical than I had anticipated (dreaded) - in fact, not technical in any real sense, just practical.

Level 1 brings you back to basics. I found by the end of the the fourth (penultimate) session that I'd stopped trying to hang off the bike and was just concentrating on turn points and counter steering - which frankly was all I needed to do to go faster. My pre-existing riding style will, no doubt, become appropriate again but for someone who'd lost confidence, slowed down considerably as a result, I now feel rejuvinated and keen to get out and practice what I've been taught.

Bad habits hold you back, IMHO. Scrapping those and starting with a fresh, clean cut approach can only improve my riding. A lot of the stuff that was taught is, to be honest, what you do as 2nd nature. But it doesn't hurt to remind you why you do and how it fits in to your riding plan.

I was fairly sceptical about spending 300 odd quid for a day's tuition. I have to say, that £300 will make the 6 or so trackdays I've booked and paid for, much, much more valuable than they would have been without this very timely lesson in riding smoother, turning quicker, looking for turn points, looking for the apex, relaxing. All good stuff which I shall now practice. Practised on the way home, actually.

CSS - highly recommend it.

PS I'm not looking for a big discussion or an argument. These are my personal impression. Not a day of fun but very definitely a day of enlightenment.

PPS Nice to see Chris Butcher of the DD, doing a great job on his Monster and Brent, and Il Duce, David Cook, of course.

Yep, can highly recommend CSS wether you're a novice or think you're quick. Will deffo be doing more levels at some stage.

Interesting reading Ruth. Glad your experience was good. I had thought about doing CSS1 later in the year (or maybe start of next year).

On a similar note, I bought a book some time ago that was recommended on here - A Twist of the Wrist II by Keith Code. It is quite hard work, but it looks like it covers the same kind of topics that you got on CSS1. I read a chapter ... whooosh, what was that about ... read it again ... oh yeah I think I get it ... read it again and go out and practice it. Consequetly, I am onyl on about page 60! Knowining waht is going on with the bike does make a difference when you are riding though, as you have found.

i'm glad that you got something out of it. now if we can just get some good weather :D

but Ruth, you were quicker than Weeksy to start with .. how did you learn anything ???? ;)

Dibble, you are a v. bad boy. See me for 50 lines

"I must not try to wind up the Weeks!"

Ruth, i am no expert on any kind of riding but i did spend some time following you round cadwell. You had all the moves but not the speed if you know what i mean which ties in with what CSS have told you. Lovely style but just not very quick. I think you have the potential to go very much faster cos you can already do the hanging off bit (which i cant).

Yes, the CSS is all about getting the basics right, telling you why they work, why you're doing them and then give you some practise doing them.

Level 1 might seem a little basic, but I bet it sharpened you up no end. When I did my L1 the very first exercise seemed easy. One gear, no brakes and do everything with throttle control. So you do that and choose your own turn in point.

The next lesson you see that they've marked out the turn in points and your first reaction is "WHAT !!! They're very deep into the turn" but, you do it anyway and by the end of the day you're choosing your own turn in point even deeper in.

Then you do Level 2 which builds on all the level 1 stuff and gives you all the visual stuff. Before you know it, you're using your eyes much more, gathering loads of info about the track (both on the line and off it) and using reference points throughout the corner to plot your path through it. You start off slowly and as you get used to the techniques you find yourself going faster and faster without target fixing. Eventually I found that I was absolutely flying (despite having an Off on the first day). By the end of L2 I was hitting each apex perfectly and on a great line round the corner. I know that I was almost 100% consistent because I was hitting all the RP's perfectly as well.

L3 built on that to teach you about body positioning and that was where it all clicked for me. How to move around the bike and keep your core stability, how to hang off, hook turns...fantastic. I wish I had more chance to practise on track.

At a risk of digressing too much ... I find the subject of turn in points fascinating. I've ridden on trackdays at Cadwell twice now, and also watched the DD racing there. At the (old) Hairpin at the top of Hall Bends, on a track day the cone for the turn in point is right over on the left (and very far back before the turn I thought). On the first race I watched from there, many were over to the right on the turn and nipped inside there. In the novices on the track day I cannot remmebr if any went inside there, I think everyone was just trying to get round the hairpin unscathed!

On a slightly different note (still at Cadwell), I found I could nip round the outside at Chris Curve instead of hugging the inside (very long) apex. Overtook 5 other bikes all in convoy on the inside line there.

Not sure which is "right" or "wrong" or whether in fact there is no right or wrong but what you can get away with and depends on how fast/show you are? I do know that the (ideal) turn in point is going to change depending on how fast you are heading into the turn.

I can see I will have to have a chat when there next (Sat June 11th).

Got back home today, after CSS level1 yesterday (great to meet you Ruth, and DC as my instructor), and have to agree that it was a really valuable, well organized, and enjoyable day.

As it was pouring with rain on the 70 miles of cross country A roads on the way home today, I got to use the techniques in rather different conditions, and found that I was riding faster and smoother than before, so a big thumbs up to Andy Ibbot and the CSS team!

The right or wrong depends on wether you're looking for your fastest lap time or wether you're making sure nobody can nip up the inside of you. There's a big difference :)

I'm looking foward to the next ride out, to see the new Ruth back to her old self again;)

Like many things, turning points and lines etc are the subject of much debate. The CSS put out markers for your turning point to introduce the concept and to give you an idea of the classic racing line. I spoke to Andy on my level 1 day about them because they felt uncomfortable to me. Bear in mind that I did my level 1 the day after my second track day which was 3 weeks after my first, ie, I didn't have much track experience. What he told me was that they are guidelines and not necessarily to be taken literally. When you are introduced to the concept they give you a starting point but eventually you'll find your own. Some I used, and some I pushed back. Some people even brought them forward. The point being that eventually you will find your own to get you through the corner, we're all different. Level 2 teaches you more about reference points and how to find your own. Tie the two together and you're finding your own turning point to help you through the corner faster and set you up for the next one.

About the point that Weeksy raised above - they maybe classic fast lines but you're inviting everyone to do you on the brakes, nip up the inside etc etc. I also spoke to Andy about this because there was no way I would have been able to follow the lines that we were following the day before on the track day. Everyone would have been diving up the inside and parking on your line while they struggled to turn their bike etc. In a race people can block you this way by diving up the inside and taking the line. If they are quicker then they will get through and not really stuff you up much, but if they are just a bit quicker then it will slow you down. So which is the best line? Depends on what you want to do - to go as fast as you can you need to take the classic line and if you get overtaken well generally you're slower than the guy coming past. You could very well be even for pace and you get done on the brakes in which case the opportunity will present it back to you later. You could take a tighter line to prevent this happening but it will be slower. Something I'm struggling to put into practice is an idea of how to prevent this - go so much faster than the guy behind you so he can't stuff you on the brakes :D

The example used above about the bottom hairpin in the DD races is interesting. We were all using different lines in there for different reasons. Geoff, who won both races, took a classic line in there and could get away with it because he was quick. I couldn't find a way to get myself through there quickly and knew I'd get done on the brakes in the race if I persisted. I think I could have figured it if I did a whole track day on it but I didn't have that. So I concentrated on taking a tight line and going as deep on the brakes as I dared, turn it quickly and get it up quickly to fire it out. Well, fire it out as much as you can on a DD bike .. you get my drift. That worked for me during the race pretty well. I'm pretty inexperienced at all this so take it as its meant. If I was really good at this I would have found a good line through there and just been quicker! :lol:

If you are geting done on the brakes regularly - brake later and go faster :D That's what I keep telling myself anyway.

I'll stop rambling now.

Oh and, congratulations Ruth. I told you it would be worth it!

Glad you had a great day Ruth,sorry we didnt get a chance to talk.
Chris had a good day and managed to pass his assesment so its into the training proper now (june 6th ,rockingham with Johnny Haynes as pupil!)
The monster returned home with NO damage (and very little tread on the back tyre) so maybe the stabilisers worked!
Butch

[Edited on 19-5-2005 by butch890]

:o :o

Is Chris learning to ride a bike then? :o


CSS must be bloody good then...

...Well done Chris...

..Butch you must be so proud :D

:lol::lol::lol::lol::lol::lol:

You're SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO gonna get ya ass kicked Tony :lol: :frog:

Wow..the best training money can buy.........:P..

:rodent:

:frog:

Hi Guys,

Turn points are there at the Schools to give the students somewhere to turn, and they are later than they (students) were turning at the start of the day. This is so they can see the benefits of a straighter line through the corner. They are not the racing line or the fastest line, they just work (given the statement above).
The purpose of the lesson is to show that without a Turn Point YOU WILL TURN TOO EARLY! This was really proven to me working with Thomas Luthi in the 125GP last weekend. He didn't have a Turn point for Turn 4 and then ended up turning in some 10 meters later than before!

Nothing more complex than that.

All the best

Andy

blimey, you are alive .. !!!!!

And well, Thank you!:sing:

Dibble,

I spoke with one of the chaps who wants to go to Laguna when we were at Silverstone on Thursday. looks like it will be a good crowd!

except i can't book it if you don't phone me .. and that was my mate, i told him to see you personally ........ talk Monday ???

Found this on the UKMOC site, Is it anyone on here?

http://www.ukmonster.co.uk/monster/s...ad.php?t=12394

How intense are is the first course on CSS?? Was thinking of doing it but dont particularly fancy dropping the bike, just wondered on the likelyhood of that happening?

Vman back anyone? :lol:

Where's Dibble? :D

Not as intense as your Avatar, Sonic :o:o:o

I don't think, if you're sensible, there is any danger of dropping your bike. It's nothing like a trackday. In fact, Stowe at Silverstone, and I daresay Rockingham (I stand to be corrected on that as I've not been there) are not what I would class as 'fun' tracks. It a pretty dull series of flat, barely challenging bends. Apart from the fact that the turning in points are a bit further down the track than I expected, thus providing a slightly more, shall we say, envigorating ride through the bends, there isn't really any opportunity to get lairy and risk binning it.

:roll:

i think that rockingham is a bit more interesting than stowe, but ruth is correct, there should be less chance of a mishap than at an average trackday

Kewl thanks, probably what Ill end up doing, need help desperately!!

cheers!

I managed to drop my bike doing Level 1, but that's because I was going too fast, too soon. Treat it like a trackday and you might do the same. Treat it like a school and you'll be fine.

Are they happy with you using a bike that is stripped down as if for a track day? Like, track fairing with no lights, no mirrors, no rear lights/plate? Just though they might have some rule about road legal bikes?