RPMs at aggressive lean angles

gzer · 05-11-2011, 07:44 PM

My motorcycling life started March 08 when i bought a new 2008 GSX-R600. Rode her for 3 seasons before i lowsided and sent her bouncing down the track. I did level 1 with California Superbike School and i'm on my 5th read through Keith Code's Twist of the Wrist II. also, 90% of my riding consisted of twisties and i plan to continue the trend. I only present this background to lend some understanding as to where i'm comin from...

On my old 600 i would get the RPMs up to about 10 - 12k upon corner entry, depending on the turn. Reason being i was on a 600 so:

1. i had to wring her out to get any "umph"
2. higher RPMs made shifting the weight to the rear more precise as she was much more responsive to throttle modulation up there.

Now, I just picked up my S1k last week and still have the rev limiter. I have no idea what she feels like above 9k but from the demo ride. From what i've read on the forums, she's a supernatural beast up there. This leads me to re-evaluate my cornering technique.

I would imagine taking a corner at the same RPMs as my old 6 with a near 200hp power band would SIGNIFICANTLY reduce the margin for error most any adventurous lean angle. This is my first liter bike and really don't know what to expect. I've already done a few twisty runs but with the limiter,but i still don't know where to keep her at when she's cranked over with the RPMs over 9k...

What RPMs are you guys setting on turn in? Am i right to assume that i may need to back off, say to 8-10k, or risk spinning the rear? TIA!

S1000RR ROB · 05-11-2011, 07:57 PM

TRACTION CONTROL

and corners tend to differ somewhat

ride the bike take it easy see how u feel on it......

and go do the rest of superbike school......

shashankmittal · 05-11-2011, 08:27 PM

I typically tend to keep it above 7k while cornering and at agressive lean angles between 8k and 11k...but thats just me, you might develop your own comfort range.

siglite · 05-11-2011, 08:33 PM

Oh... I'd say as low as you're comfortable with. But you'll find discomfort builds as number-plates keep flashing by you on corner exit.

I haven't had the S1000 on the track, but I've ridding literbikes since '98. They key is SMOOTH application of that power on exit, and avoiding the red mist. It's tempting when someone just passed you to try and really hammer that exit to reel 'em back in. 'Tis a recipe for a high-side on just about anything.

I do look forward to being able to answer this question first-hand in relation to this specific bike. I figure I'll enter corners just short of peak power-delivery so it's on tap for me at corner exit. Hopefully I'll be able to use it smoothly so as to keep the shiny side up.

gzer · 05-11-2011, 11:41 PM

My main concern of the bike just uncontrollably exploding with power while leaning is hopefully just an exageration on my part. I forgot to mention i have one of the few bikes without traction control so smoothness is going to be critical here. With the 6 there was some leeway obviously. I'll inch my way up the ladder 500 rpm at a time until, as stated above, i find my comfort zone.

I've never been the type to succumb to red mist as i'm a family man and really cant afford to be so careless...or have thaaat much fun

Thanks for the responses so far guys!

H-2 CHARLIE · 05-12-2011, 01:13 AM

For me i bought the bike just cause i know that the top end was very tricked out and after a year and 4,000 miles its a real handful . I was much faster on a 600cc bike in the cyns . but power is king so set your rear shock up to the best feel .

Reciprocal · 05-12-2011, 01:57 AM

To me, the tachometer is useless on the track. I put the power down based on how it feels, not some arbitrary rpm number. I have to feel the traction, feel the powerband. The exception is when up shifting near redline on the straights, but even there, the BMW makes it easy. I just set the rpm shift light to flash at 13,000 rpm. I don't even have to take my eyes off the track to see it flashing and I just shift when I notice it.

Steve Evil · 05-12-2011, 12:30 PM

You'll notice in the book it suggests keeping the bike spinning in the upper ranges of the revs, so any slides will only have a few hundred RPM to 'grow' into, if you're sat at 9000RPM and a slide kicks in, you've got 5000RPM left for the slide to develop into, whereas if you're at 13000RPM in the same corner, it can't get quite so out of hand.

I tend to be pretty gentle on the throttle in a corner though and it's running much lower down the rev range, so it's a lot more docile. I could probably do with being in a lower gear and maximising the drive I'll get out of a corner.

The traction control will kick in before any of this though on the BMW, plus depending on the mode you're in, you'll only be able to apply a certain amount of throttle beyond a certain lean angle.

Edit: Just noticed you've not got the traction control, so I guess you'll have to experiment and do what feels right.

RRrider · 06-01-2011, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steve Evil

You'll notice in the book it suggests keeping the bike spinning in the upper ranges of the revs, so any slides will only have a few hundred RPM to 'grow' into, if you're sat at 9000RPM and a slide kicks in, you've got 5000RPM left for the slide to develop into, whereas if you're at 13000RPM in the same corner, it can't get quite so out of hand.

I tend to be pretty gentle on the throttle in a corner though and it's running much lower down the rev range, so it's a lot more docile. I could probably do with being in a lower gear and maximising the drive I'll get out of a corner.

The traction control will kick in before any of this though on the BMW, plus depending on the mode you're in, you'll only be able to apply a certain amount of throttle beyond a certain lean angle.

Edit: Just noticed you've not got the traction control, so I guess you'll have to experiment and do what feels right.

I hadn't noticed this! This does prompt the question, if smooth is the primary concern, what mode are people running in on the track? I notice in Keith codes CSS, he puts people in rain mode to start and then let's you go up to sport. Several of the instructors run in race mode, not slick! What do people here run (and pls calibrate with track experience level)?
Thx

markjenn · 06-01-2011, 06:23 PM

Watch the MotoGP or F1 telemetry and you'll see that even with their 17K peak-power engines, they'll let the RPM's drop quite low in the tightest corners, often well under 10K RPM. The reason is that at extreme cornering limits and lower speeds, you can't use the engine's full power anyway, so why not let it drop down into a lower RPM where you get more precise throttle control? And as you exit the corner, the engine will be coming nicely up to the range where it starts making huge power again, right in sync with the the time when the tire can start taking big driving loads again. A final bonus is you avoid an downshift and an upshift and keeping it simpler is always a good strategy. The really good riders shift less, not more. It all works in synergy.

So I wouldn't get hung up a great deal on having the engine, especially a 180-RWHP engine like the S1000RR spinning super fast, at corner entry. You're just making excess noise and making your throttle control task more challenging.

As others have said, I never even look at the tach when I'm pressing. Too busy.

- Mark