Now that the year is coming to an end, several members of our Helmet Harbor team have started to evaluate their season. While most have progressively become faster, others have hit plateaus. It's easy to see, when you compare their progress with others in our racing clubs. At the first of the year they were hanging with some guys, dicing it up every race. But now these guys are getting trophies, while they are still bringing up the back. What's the secret? Not protesting to be an expert on the subject, but I do have a few opinions.
Racing isn't about the motorcycle, but the rider. Oh, and by the way, motorcycle racing is a sport. If you don't have the correct mindset, and work at your weaknesses, you won't become faster. Several of our members have decided that no practice is needed. They show up for the race weekends, and expect to do better than last month. How many sports do you know where practicing once a month leads to rapid improvement? If you're gifted, and there are some riders out there that are, this might be enough. However, the average rider needs practice to improve. Unfortunately, because our sport is expensive, extra practice is out of the question for some. Then what do you do?
The next step would be to practice when you have the chance. I've seen riders complain about their progress, but spend most of their practice time sitting in a chair in the pits. What sense does this make? If you're at the track, get out there and ride. I've heard every excuse under the sun. Everything from, "I'm saving my tires" to, "I don't want to tire myself out before the race." Ok, these would work, but if you’re not practicing, you’re not getting faster. If you’re out of shape, start working out. If you’re tires are worn, bring another set. They don’t need to be new, use a set of take-offs. The key is saddle time.
Suspension is another “Huge” excuse I’ve heard come from riders not improving. “My suspension sucks, and I don’t have money to fix it.” Granted, suspension is huge, but those that are fast, would be fast on “any” bike. They adjust their riding style, and overcome the bikes shortcomings. They understand that through practice, a bad bike setup is only an inconvenience. I’ve seen guys come into the pits, ask a fast guy to ride their bike to find the "problem", and watch as their bike travels around the track at near record times… This isn’t magic, the rider identifies the bikes weaknesses, and compensates.
There are those that can practice all the time, but still need help. This is where riding schools come in. You could be riding hard, but not smart. I don’t care who you are, everyone can benefit from a riding school. For those that want to improve, it’s a must. Again, it’s not about the bike, but the rider. If you’re out there making a ton of mistakes, you won’t get faster. And if you think you’re above attending a school, get used to the back of the pack. Every top-notch rider has attended some type of school. Whether it’s at the club level, an informal chat with a local fast guy who’s willing to help, or a professional school conducted by a seasoned nationally ranked rider. Knowledge is power on the racetrack.
There are times when you will do everything you can to improve, but yet your times don't come down. If this is happening to you, join the rest of us. It's normal. There will be times when you do everything you can to make progress, but don't. It might be time for a mental break. If you're riding, thinking about every corner, you won't be relaxed. Take a step back, and start focusing on having fun. There have been times when I've gone out on the track, and purposely entered corners out of position, just to see where I ended up. Stop focusing on improving, and just ride for the fun of it. Once your mind is clear, you will see that your times will start coming down.
The hardest part of improving, is finding your weaknesses. If it’s motivation, then decide where you want to go, and what goals you want to achieve. If you’re out of shape, start doing something about it. If you’re relying on natural talent to get you by, then start looking for a school. The bottom line is, what you’re doing now, isn’t working. It’s time to step outside the box, and find another approach. If you don’t, then start becoming content at your current level of progress. If you quit out of frustration, you were riding for all the wrong reasons. If you stay with the sport, ride because it's fun, and stop worrying about your lap times. Put the excuses in the closet, no one wants to hear them. We “do” have control over our riding progress. It’s all about commitment.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
When does racing hard, turn into racing stupid??
If you race, then you’ve either been involved in a 
tight situation, or caused one. But when does hard racing, turn into racing stupid? Is it when you try a tight pass on the inside, but mid-corner find you over estimated the room? Or found you couldn’t hold your line because you under estimating your entry speed? Hey, everything looked great just before you leaned the bike in. Should you be accused of being over zealous on the racetrack if things turn messy? Whether you’re racing for first, or second to last, it’s still racing. Decisions are made in a split second, which at times can make things a little dicey.
I’m a huge baseball fan, and I marvel at how the pitchers can hurl a ball at nearly 100mph towards a small plate, just feet from a fellow human. These guys practice everyday, tossing 1000’s of pitches a week, working on the location of their pitches. But even after all this practice, batters get hit. Sure, sometimes it’s on purpose, but I would say most are by accident. The pitch just got away from the pitcher. The batter wears protective gear because of this possibility, and before he approaches the batters box, understands its just part of the game. And to those that think getting hit by 100mph pitch can’t cause damage, you’re nuts. That fact is, accidents will happen.
If you’re racing, you are going to crash. That’s just part of the game. Most of the time it will be caused by something you did wrong, bad tires, conditions, but there will be occasions when other riders will be involved. With time and experience most figure out how to limit those odds, but they will never get down to zero. Every racer is on the track to have fun, and should understand that passing someone in a turn can be dangerous. However, if riders never push themselves into attempting a pass, we wouldn’t be calling it “Racing”, but rather “Follow the leader”.
I’ll share an incident that happened to me in Las Vegas a few years ago while riding for The Helmet Harbor, LLC race team. I was mid-pack and dicing it up with a group of four. On the prior lap I had been measuring up the guy in front of me, and by the second lap I found a corner where I could get a better drive and make the pass on the following corner. Several corners before the move, I made a mental checklist. I told myself that if I didn’t get enough drive out of the corner and get even with the rider by the mid point on the small exit straight, I would not attempt the pass. However, if even, or slightly in front, and in the middle of the track, I would out brake him to the turn and go for it. I had practiced this during the two days of practice, and new I could make the turn from this point on the track.
As I hoped, I had a better line through the turn and found myself slightly ahead of the rider before the next turn. Every check on my checklist had been met, now it was time to make the pass. I got on the brakes hard, and unlike the practice sessions, the rear tire came up. I adjusted, got the rear tire down in time to get the bike leaned over, but I had gone slightly deeper than I had planned. No big deal, and I thought the pass was made. Just as I settled in, I was hit from the outside, knocking my bike to the ground. My bike slammed into the track, then taught and high-sided. The second rider involved recovered, but ended up riding off the track, only to crash after hitting a ditch in the run-off area. Later inspection of my bike showed rear tire marks on my bikes front fairing, wind-shield and fender. It appeared I had been clipped in the front at full lean as the other rider crossed in front.
What happened? Plan and simple, a motorcycle race. I had my plan, and the other rider had his. He apparently was looking to take the corner wide, allowing him to square it off and beat me out the other side. Great plan, but two great plans can lead to a crash. I wanted the pass; he wanted to stay in front. Could I have waited, and attempted the pass in another corner? Sure, but when would that pass appear any safer? Could the other rider had let up, and attempted a pass later? You bet, but again, he thought his plan, at this corner, would work.
Now I’m not advocating reckless riding. But short of intentional contact, where is that line drawn? Corners are where passes are made. They are also where crashes happen. As a racer, all we can do is sharpen our riding skills, and our track awareness. Get by those that appear to be possible issues, give room to those that have the advantage, and focus on having fun.
tight situation, or caused one. But when does hard racing, turn into racing stupid? Is it when you try a tight pass on the inside, but mid-corner find you over estimated the room? Or found you couldn’t hold your line because you under estimating your entry speed? Hey, everything looked great just before you leaned the bike in. Should you be accused of being over zealous on the racetrack if things turn messy? Whether you’re racing for first, or second to last, it’s still racing. Decisions are made in a split second, which at times can make things a little dicey.I’m a huge baseball fan, and I marvel at how the pitchers can hurl a ball at nearly 100mph towards a small plate, just feet from a fellow human. These guys practice everyday, tossing 1000’s of pitches a week, working on the location of their pitches. But even after all this practice, batters get hit. Sure, sometimes it’s on purpose, but I would say most are by accident. The pitch just got away from the pitcher. The batter wears protective gear because of this possibility, and before he approaches the batters box, understands its just part of the game. And to those that think getting hit by 100mph pitch can’t cause damage, you’re nuts. That fact is, accidents will happen.
If you’re racing, you are going to crash. That’s just part of the game. Most of the time it will be caused by something you did wrong, bad tires, conditions, but there will be occasions when other riders will be involved. With time and experience most figure out how to limit those odds, but they will never get down to zero. Every racer is on the track to have fun, and should understand that passing someone in a turn can be dangerous. However, if riders never push themselves into attempting a pass, we wouldn’t be calling it “Racing”, but rather “Follow the leader”.
I’ll share an incident that happened to me in Las Vegas a few years ago while riding for The Helmet Harbor, LLC race team. I was mid-pack and dicing it up with a group of four. On the prior lap I had been measuring up the guy in front of me, and by the second lap I found a corner where I could get a better drive and make the pass on the following corner. Several corners before the move, I made a mental checklist. I told myself that if I didn’t get enough drive out of the corner and get even with the rider by the mid point on the small exit straight, I would not attempt the pass. However, if even, or slightly in front, and in the middle of the track, I would out brake him to the turn and go for it. I had practiced this during the two days of practice, and new I could make the turn from this point on the track.
As I hoped, I had a better line through the turn and found myself slightly ahead of the rider before the next turn. Every check on my checklist had been met, now it was time to make the pass. I got on the brakes hard, and unlike the practice sessions, the rear tire came up. I adjusted, got the rear tire down in time to get the bike leaned over, but I had gone slightly deeper than I had planned. No big deal, and I thought the pass was made. Just as I settled in, I was hit from the outside, knocking my bike to the ground. My bike slammed into the track, then taught and high-sided. The second rider involved recovered, but ended up riding off the track, only to crash after hitting a ditch in the run-off area. Later inspection of my bike showed rear tire marks on my bikes front fairing, wind-shield and fender. It appeared I had been clipped in the front at full lean as the other rider crossed in front.
What happened? Plan and simple, a motorcycle race. I had my plan, and the other rider had his. He apparently was looking to take the corner wide, allowing him to square it off and beat me out the other side. Great plan, but two great plans can lead to a crash. I wanted the pass; he wanted to stay in front. Could I have waited, and attempted the pass in another corner? Sure, but when would that pass appear any safer? Could the other rider had let up, and attempted a pass later? You bet, but again, he thought his plan, at this corner, would work.
Now I’m not advocating reckless riding. But short of intentional contact, where is that line drawn? Corners are where passes are made. They are also where crashes happen. As a racer, all we can do is sharpen our riding skills, and our track awareness. Get by those that appear to be possible issues, give room to those that have the advantage, and focus on having fun.
Monday, August 20, 2007
I'm a VICTIM... Credit Card Fraud
If you've ever purchased anything from us, you know how careful we are about credit card fraud. Unlike other companies, we check every transaction by hand. No automation here. Trust me, the person I have in charge of this process would much rather go automated, since it's much easier. However, I just won't allow it. I want every order looked over in detail. Not just because of the reasons effecting my company, I just refuse to allow our customers to be ripped off.
Up to last week, credit card fraud was something I'd only read about. I was like everyone else, I was careful who I bought from online, and took every precaution I could. Well, last week I was looking through my credit card statement, and was shocked to see that my balance was way to large. I dug further, and found over $4600.00 worth of charges that I had not made. To say the least, I was shocked.
I did the normal thing. I called my wife to asked if any of the charges were hers. I was hoping they were (thou I wouldn't have been happy with her), but she didn't have a clue. By where the card was used, I knew the answer before she answered.
I called the credit card company and made my report. It pained me to do this because I knew what was going to happen. All these companies were going to end up eating all the loss. I've been on that side of things myself. The real shock came when I was told that my card had been swiped through a machine at the time of purchase. How could this be, since I was staring at my card as I spoke to the representative? This is when I first heard of credit card cloning, or "skimming".
Apparently someone who had possession of my card swiped it through a credit card "reader". It takes everything off your magnetic strip, stores it, and then allows another card to be "written" with your information. It doesn't need to be a blank credit card, they can erase information on a stolen credit card, then write yours onto it. Doing some research online, I found that these "readers" are now made the size of a pager, so they can be easily hidden from view. Also, the stuff to make it happen (the reader and writter) are legal to purchase... Yep, they can buy everything they need online, and it's totally legal.
I was also told that 95% of the time this crime takes place at restaurants. You hand your credit card to pay for your meal, they swipe the card on the reader, pay the bill, then hand it back. You never know what hit you, until that first statement arrives. Of course, it can happen anywhere you loose sight of your card.
Needless to say, we will continue looking closely at every transaction that happens at our store here in Gilbert, and online. I don't want anyone victimizing our customers. I also hope that our customers are understanding when we explain our guidelines. Yes, it might be a pain when we can only ship to the billing address on the credit card, but there is a reason. It not only protects us, but our customers. As I found out, you can never be too careful. Personally, I would much rather buy from a company that is extremely careful, than one that could careless.
These low life criminals could careless about you, and the stores they steal from. All we can do is be as careful as we can. Shop at places you trust, keep an eye on our cards as much as we can, and understand that there are dirt-bags out there who are looking to rip you off.
Side Note: After I called the credit card company, I called every company where the card had been used. I gave them my information, and offered to help in their investigation. Few know that the retailer/s takes the loss, not the credit card company. Credit card companies rarely investigate these crimes. They leave that to the companies who were victimized. Often these companies just eat the loss, which can be a HUGE hit to their bottom line. I just hope they choose to contact me and catch these loosers. I also REALLY want to know where my card information was stolen, and who did it.
Up to last week, credit card fraud was something I'd only read about. I was like everyone else, I was careful who I bought from online, and took every precaution I could. Well, last week I was looking through my credit card statement, and was shocked to see that my balance was way to large. I dug further, and found over $4600.00 worth of charges that I had not made. To say the least, I was shocked.
I did the normal thing. I called my wife to asked if any of the charges were hers. I was hoping they were (thou I wouldn't have been happy with her), but she didn't have a clue. By where the card was used, I knew the answer before she answered.
I called the credit card company and made my report. It pained me to do this because I knew what was going to happen. All these companies were going to end up eating all the loss. I've been on that side of things myself. The real shock came when I was told that my card had been swiped through a machine at the time of purchase. How could this be, since I was staring at my card as I spoke to the representative? This is when I first heard of credit card cloning, or "skimming".
Apparently someone who had possession of my card swiped it through a credit card "reader". It takes everything off your magnetic strip, stores it, and then allows another card to be "written" with your information. It doesn't need to be a blank credit card, they can erase information on a stolen credit card, then write yours onto it. Doing some research online, I found that these "readers" are now made the size of a pager, so they can be easily hidden from view. Also, the stuff to make it happen (the reader and writter) are legal to purchase... Yep, they can buy everything they need online, and it's totally legal.
I was also told that 95% of the time this crime takes place at restaurants. You hand your credit card to pay for your meal, they swipe the card on the reader, pay the bill, then hand it back. You never know what hit you, until that first statement arrives. Of course, it can happen anywhere you loose sight of your card.
Needless to say, we will continue looking closely at every transaction that happens at our store here in Gilbert, and online. I don't want anyone victimizing our customers. I also hope that our customers are understanding when we explain our guidelines. Yes, it might be a pain when we can only ship to the billing address on the credit card, but there is a reason. It not only protects us, but our customers. As I found out, you can never be too careful. Personally, I would much rather buy from a company that is extremely careful, than one that could careless.
These low life criminals could careless about you, and the stores they steal from. All we can do is be as careful as we can. Shop at places you trust, keep an eye on our cards as much as we can, and understand that there are dirt-bags out there who are looking to rip you off.
Side Note: After I called the credit card company, I called every company where the card had been used. I gave them my information, and offered to help in their investigation. Few know that the retailer/s takes the loss, not the credit card company. Credit card companies rarely investigate these crimes. They leave that to the companies who were victimized. Often these companies just eat the loss, which can be a HUGE hit to their bottom line. I just hope they choose to contact me and catch these loosers. I also REALLY want to know where my card information was stolen, and who did it.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The ups and downs of change.
Lately much of my time has been devoted to putting the final touches to our new online store. It's been a VERY long process, and as ussual, nothing went as planned.
Of course I have a great group of guys around me, which has allowed me to spend much of my time hammering out the final details, and putting out fires. Thanks guys (and gals).
It's hard to believe that this project has taken over 2 years, and still isn't 100% perfect. I'm a firm believer that keeping things "simple" is often what makes design "hard". I can't tell you how many times I would suggest a change that I assumed was a simple thing to implement, only to find out later that it would take several weeks of programming. Like I said, nothing is easy, and if it was, something isn't right.
When I started The Helmet Harbor it was just me and Microsoft Frontpage. What you saw online, was designed by me. No fancy software, no programmers, no one helping. While I thought we had a great selection of product, it was very slow to use. I also noticed that other online companies were getting away from the basics, and using more customized software. This really didn't bother me, since I thought my design was simplier to use. Less fancy bells & whisles, but to me, they did nothing to help the customers make a sound purchase. I'm very attached to simple design, and my customers agreed.
While I'm on the subject of fancy websites, what's the deal with all the Flash sites I'm seeing out there? I never really "got it", and don't really understand why it's used. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a place for Flash animations on a website. But PLEASE, right down to the navigation buttons? On some sites they literally make me dizzy.
In 2005 the industry had grown, and quality manufactures were popping up all over the place. There was no way I could keep up, so I decided a change was needed to how we designed and used our site.
I sat down with some programmers and told them what I wanted. My list of needs was simple.
The process has been very difficult, but I think we have managed to keep our "down to earth feel", while still providing a HUGE amount of information. I'm proud of that, and have a new found respect for those involved. We still have a ways to go, and I don't really think it will ever end completely, but the journey has been interesting.
Of course I have a great group of guys around me, which has allowed me to spend much of my time hammering out the final details, and putting out fires. Thanks guys (and gals).
It's hard to believe that this project has taken over 2 years, and still isn't 100% perfect. I'm a firm believer that keeping things "simple" is often what makes design "hard". I can't tell you how many times I would suggest a change that I assumed was a simple thing to implement, only to find out later that it would take several weeks of programming. Like I said, nothing is easy, and if it was, something isn't right.
When I started The Helmet Harbor it was just me and Microsoft Frontpage. What you saw online, was designed by me. No fancy software, no programmers, no one helping. While I thought we had a great selection of product, it was very slow to use. I also noticed that other online companies were getting away from the basics, and using more customized software. This really didn't bother me, since I thought my design was simplier to use. Less fancy bells & whisles, but to me, they did nothing to help the customers make a sound purchase. I'm very attached to simple design, and my customers agreed.
While I'm on the subject of fancy websites, what's the deal with all the Flash sites I'm seeing out there? I never really "got it", and don't really understand why it's used. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a place for Flash animations on a website. But PLEASE, right down to the navigation buttons? On some sites they literally make me dizzy.
In 2005 the industry had grown, and quality manufactures were popping up all over the place. There was no way I could keep up, so I decided a change was needed to how we designed and used our site.
I sat down with some programmers and told them what I wanted. My list of needs was simple.
- It had to be easy to use.
- Allow us to continue to add unlimited information for each product.
The process has been very difficult, but I think we have managed to keep our "down to earth feel", while still providing a HUGE amount of information. I'm proud of that, and have a new found respect for those involved. We still have a ways to go, and I don't really think it will ever end completely, but the journey has been interesting.
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