Gymkhana

[liquid_ice]

Originally Posted by explain

There was local competition. Here is the course layout used. It's in russian but should be clear. Translations of the sections are below

dimensions|1st half|2nd half
_________________________
start/finish

and correction - on upper marks there are 540° turns (1½ turns)

great layout, thanks man.
by the way, Russian always looks cool, haha


As a balance practice:

first:
stand still with bike in gear and one foot on the ground and the other on the pedal.
Place your foot from the ground on the pedal.
start driving

second:
stand still with bike in neutral and one foot on the ground and the other on the pedal.
Place your foot from the ground on the pedal, put it in gear and start driving

third:
stand still with bike in neutral and two feet on the ground.
Place both your feet from the ground on the pedal, put it in gear and start driving


I'm going to use this fairly simple practice at every traffic light (we got a lot of them in the Netherlands ;) )

[Rob.G]

I just found this thread... wow, cool! I've been interested in this for ages ever since seeing the police competition videos. It's a lot like autocross (SCCA Solo 2), which I've done for about eight years. I would love to get something like this setup here in Reno. I sent in an email to them for info on starting a group so we'll see what hey say.

Rob

[Bill_Z]

Rob: Do it! I'm organizing here in Kentucky. Slow going to start, but it's great fun.

[Rob.G]

Originally Posted by Elessar

Rob: Do it! I'm organizing here in Kentucky. Slow going to start, but it's great fun.

It won't be hard; the concern I have is funding. I hope AMGRASS has a big group insurance policy we can get in on, because it'll be the largest of the expenses... probably a lot higher than the SCCA insurance since there's a lot more (perceived) room for injury. Guess I'll find out. Then there's the timing system, a trailer to run the event from and store the cones and other stuff, and somebody to manage it all.

I know it'd be super easy to get going out in the SF Bay Area or SoCal, since there are tons of people there, and in LA you can run year-round. Here in Reno it'll be limited since our warm months are May through October, then it gets cold and potentially snowy.

The local autocross group (Reno SCCA) runs out of Stead Airport.. we might be able to do that too, so once (if) it gets rolling (no pun intended) I can investigate that too. An upside of this, though, is you can operate in a much smaller space so we might have some in-town options too.

Rob

[Marylander]

Just found this thread. Nice! I did Battletrax once back in the mid-90s when Buell brought it here to Frederick, MD. A local email list used to have practice days with large figure 8s and a set of small circles in a triangle pattern set up by one of the members. Here's a pic of me from back then to give you an idea of the size of the circles:


I can get the specs on the circles if you like.

Kirk

[Harvey Krumpet]

Mornin all.

It appears that my fascination with gymkhana is shared by my better half. I have sent her some of the videos posted in this thread & last night, out of the blue, she said "I really want to do that!" Hehe, I know I'm a lucky man.
Any hoo, she is a novice, only been riding for a few months & even then sporadically. She is a little challenged in the inside leg department & riding a trail bike. Another lady in almost the same situation (very n00b) is interested too, she is riding a 2ft tall cruiser with the turning circle of the Exxon Valdez & similar ground clearance.
I want to get the girls into this to develop their skills & confidence but want to keep it fun & safe for them, their reactions are still very considered not natural yet. Things like panic braking pop up in a minor way.....IYKWIM. I really do not want their confidence or their bikes to suffer at this stage.
I intend to start with figure 8's, slaloms into u-turns etc just like the basic test but would also like to lift the bar a little for them. Speed is not on the radar.
Any lateral thinkers who could give me some ideas out of the box to get them rolling? I liked the vid that was posted with the wee ramps etc. Good idea or no? Or just stick to bike control, riding position etc...

[Vulfy]

I say basic control for now. I highly recommend DVD "Ride like a Pro" for your situation. It is EXTREMELY cheesy, but the guy teaches pretty well, and exactly what they need. I'm very glad I bumped into it a few years ago, I honestly think it made me a better rider overall.
They will be having just as much fun as in gymkhana, only at the speeds that a new rider will be comfortable with, WHILE getting important skills hones.
And they will progress much faster.

[Harvey Krumpet]

Cheers Vulfy.

That's why I posted, I am not a teacher so all help is good. I may invest in some specific training for them (us) once the ball is rolling. It's amazing how one small tip or pointer can make a big improvement. None of us can remember our young & bullet proof days so it's brains over balls this time around.

[ohgood]

Originally Posted by M-Cat

It looks like fun on a closed course, but I don't know that I would try it on any parking lot. Too much sand, gravel, etc on the surface. Knobbies probably wouldn't help much either.
What about one in the dirt? Hmmm....

knobbies help, they keep the bike centered in reality, or at least your mind. a little too much throttle, or a little too much lean, and you feel it. the good thing is it's recoverable, most of the time.

as far as offroad: i've been playing on some gravel out in front of barber's motorsports park, figure 8's a nutso hard to do in gravel (for me). running an entire course like the one the local guru puts together on DIRT would be a blast ! sliding, washing, wheelies, and lots and lots of dirty backsides.

when you see a buddy pushing hard around a turn, the suspension working, HIM working (just to stay up) on a big bike, it's very cool. knowing just how freaking slick the pavement is while he's doing it, and how close he is to sliding - another reality check. i'm definitely hooked !

[Reconstructed]

Got to watch this one.

[chief 06]

"I filmed my own runs here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIthyL7uYq4
I'm hovering in 39-40 second range."

Vulfy, few years back, I too bumped into “Ride like a Pro” DVD, and soon, was spinning fig8 like a maniac. Cheesy it is, so I gave it to my riding buddy and he stopped dragging and walking his bike at low speed maneuvers.

Now, just watched your fig8 video and if I can be any help you need to focus on your vision …look over and far behind your shoulder and not at the cones or in between, you are not looking far enough,
say the bike is heading North, the very moment you arrive at your turning point, your head and most importantly your eyes should be facing South.
But you need to set your turning point, before you get there; you should know where it is with your eyes closed! Lee Parks has a nice little trick for this; we should get together for a little practice. I need some exercise myself, makes a HUGE difference! Thanks for the inspiration.
BTW, I'm in Brooklyn

[Vulfy]

Yes, I do notice that I'm not turning my head enough. Not to make excuses, but a lot of stuff is going on at the same time in those turns, even though that they look pretty tame on the video. But yes, I'm getting same feedback from different sources, about head turns. Thanks.

This is the latest video. A bit more head snap, and completely different line into the cone. Also was practicing with applying more front brake to scrub speed faster.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv7Unuvvh-o

There is a very interesting comment over at amgrass forums, about turning the bike on its rear wheel. I'm definitely trying that out in the next session.

I'm definitely interested in practice sessions, I'll send you a PM with details.

There is a bit more lively discussion on Gymkhana going on over at amgrass.com
Good info and feedback there, if you are interested.
I'll still keep this thread going with whatever info I or whoever else can provide.

[Harvey Krumpet]

I've roped the girls into doing some practice this weekend if the weather is clement & intend videoing it for them & myself to see areas that need practice. Head turning is a biggie...
If allowed, I will share. Last weekend we went mud plugging so they are feeling very confident, unlike myself.

[liquid_ice]

Originally Posted by chief 06

Vulfy, few years back, I too bumped into “Ride like a Pro” DVD, and soon, was spinning fig8 like a maniac. Cheesy it is, so I gave it to my riding buddy and he stopped dragging and walking his bike at low speed maneuvers.

I have 2 DVD's about offroad riding and it helps a lot.
I'm interested in the “Ride like a Pro” DVD.

Is there other good learning materials available that help with this?

[Vulfy]

None that I know of, unfortunately.
The closest is probably Ride Like a Pro for super slow maneuvers and just handling the bike overall, and Lee Park's Book and his training (haven't taken the class yet).
For now the best source are the forums. One of the founders of UK Gymkhana organization mentioned that they are producing a book on Gymkhana, but when it will be ready or what exactly it will included in it, I don't know.
They do seem to be very capable riders, with connections over at Japan, so their info should be coming straight from the source.

For now, YouTube, forums and practice, lots of practice. Questions raise up, post them here. At this point, a few people are practicing this, so somebody will probably respond with their experience and what helped them.