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 :-) )
This video is presented by Racer Gloves USA
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
Yea, I know you might think ‘well they have to praise a sponsor’, but be assured- we have them as a sponsor for a darn good reason- our shop and to maintain our school bike fleet.
T
he thing is, when you do everything yourself on your bike, then you gotta go the whole nine yards. You need regular tools, special tools, tool boxes, carts, chemicals, lubricants, lights, seats, stands, tie downs, and whatnot. Nothing goes without a range of general parts like chains, sprockets, seals, brake pads, lights and mirrors. That, and a whole lotta more is BikeMaster.
Does it need space to turn your garage into a DIY shop?- sure- but maybe less than you might thing it takes. Does it cost?- of course- but not as much as you might thing, especially not with BikeMaster. Looking at their pricing proofs that part real quick.
Now, if you consider to start doing some little things yourself, you actually not just save lots of money- you are also about to connect more to your bike and to understand things on a different level. You’ll learn 
a lot. See, when I started racing I couldn’t do anything myself so I had to go into it. And last year I’ve rebuild an entire 4 stroke engine myself. The savings on the labor went in to the thousands and I had fun doing it, besides gaining a slight childish proud’yness about new abilities :-)
An oil change, swapping a battery or even a set of tires- it can go far. And to be clear- it’s not just the labor to save- it also is the time you spend for the back/forth and the confidence that things really have been done.
We at Superbike-Coach are super happy to have BikeMaster on our corner. Just the transport drama has been completely solved with their products.
So let’s wrestle some wrenches and get even deeper into your hobby. Check our BikeMaster and find out about their huge portfolio of bike specific parts or general tools. Viva BikeMaster :-)
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
We are happy to announce that Wiseco came back to the Superbike-Coach Corp as a sponsor. This is fundamental for our fleet because just to know to know we have these guys backing us up with their high end quality pistons and parts gives us confidence. Pistons, titanium valves, clutch plates and much more to maintain our school bikes.
In 1940 Clyde Wiseman ventured into his garage on the East Side of Cleveland, Ohio and began producing pistons for himself and a few friends. Word of his high quality work spread quickly, and in 1941 Wiseco Piston was established to service the needs of motorsports enthusiasts.
Wiseco USA
7201 Industrial Park Blvd.
Mentor, OH 44060-5396
Toll Free: 1-800-321-1364
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
Superbike-Coach added a new page, the ‘Glossary Of Our Sport‘ where we line up general motorcycle slang a little bit.
Send us an email if you miss a term/description. We’d love to add it :-)
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
I wished I could put in words how it feels like to master a wheelie or to drag the knee. While a wheelie feels like flying- a dragging knee get’s you in contact with ‘the enemy’. Short and simple pure AWESOMENESS :-)
Now what kind of riders are attending these Superbike-Coach classes?!… the ‘you and me’ rider to be straight up. Riders who want to get into it in the most save possible way and legal. Riders who are most reliable actually, from lawyers to nurses, office workers and whatnot. We welcome riders from all over the planet to these classes because they know we deliver in this order:
Safety
So two weeks ago, we initialed another knee down class and a wheelie course next day. We combine these so that riders can extend their experience and learning with us and to give their long travels more value. Our rentals are ready for the task.
Twenty riders made it out for the knee class. Most of them are trying for years to finally get it done. Videos, other schools and lots and lots of track days. 169 bux and 7 hours is what it takes for me to make 15 of them dragging now. Our highest rating was 18 of a 21 ones. That’s a rating you need to think about for a second, and then you might know why all classes Superbike-Coach has to offer are booking up since the last 7 years!!! Remarkable at this point is, that those riders who are successful were mostly students in our cornering school program. Our knee students run through 3 stations- the big oval to use their bikes and rentals. The break area to rest (needed!), and our mini bike on a small oval. Every time our mini bike gets a hell of a beat, and guess what… no questions asked. I mean… try to find this somewhere else where you are allowed to damage! When you feel all this and add the darn good reviews we’re getting- then do you even wonder why the next Knee Down class on 10/26/2019 is booked up more than 3 months upfront?!
However, it would be naive to think that everyone must/should be successful. That wouldn’t be fair to expect from us and the students. this goes mainly towards the wheelie class because the success ratio there is about 60%. Most of the riders who couldn’t get it done are coming back, which says a lot about this program too doesn’t it?! So our wheelie students are running through a 4 stations circle- the long straight to use their bikes or rentals. The break area to rest (very much needed), our mini bike for coordination, and our own wheelie machine which makes you fee balance point and throttle control.
This machine allows us to instruct right next to you, which is why I’ve build it in the first place. Another aspect for me was, that those wheelie machines to buy are not realistic enough. They are not up to my measures and don’t deliver the feel nor options to learn the actual control of air-time. The plan and build time took about 6 month. Testing and developing another month, and now this piece of SBC equipment is permanently part since the last 3 classes. Established stuff, and you can use it! No question… also the next Wheelie Course on 10/27/2019 is going to book up.
You ask yourself if you should do it- and I go- WHY NOT?! :-)
SBC photographer’s (Dean Lonskey) pic gallery of the entire class.
Headcoach Can Akkaya, Superbike-Coach Corp
