|
|
|
|
 |
| Author | Post |
|---|
Stealth
SHADOW RIDER
| Joined: | Sun Aug 26th, 2007 |
| Location: | Tucson, Arizona USA |
| Posts: | 2018 |
| Status: |
Offline
|
| Squid Power: |    |
|
Sun Oct 7th, 2007 03:37 am |
Riding Skills Series You Are Where You Look
 1. We know we're constantly harping on this subject, but we've seen one too many accidentslately that were caused by a rider getting into a corner a little too hot, locking up thebrakes and/or straightening the bike, then running off the road. We can't emphasize enoughhow important it is to not only look where you want to go, but to also scan far enoughahead of yourself; this is basically a recital of the racing mantra, "Don't ride the frontwheel." Riding a sportbike well means being in control, and though it may not appear thatway, it's vitally important for a racer to constantly be on top of his motorcycle'shandling. Since racers are more often than not traveling at warp speed, they mustanticipate what their racebike is going to do long before it happens--which means lookingfar ahead of their present location. This is why racers seem to be checking out spectatorson the side of the track when entering hairpins. Instead, they're looking at where they'dlike to be in a 10th of a second. Yamaha 500 Grand Prix rider Norick Abe demonstrates.
 2. Try practicing your vision skills at a fairly tight corner, either on your favoritecanyon road or on the racetrack. As you approach the apex (or a fixed, readily visiblepoint on the pavement), note how close you are to that mark before you begin to scan aheadfor your next reference point. If you are staring at that point until you are nearly ontop of it, you're target fixating--if the corner ahead tightened up or if you found anobstacle in your path, it would be difficult to correct. In fact, if you're looking atthat point even 25 to 35 feet before you get there, you're still not looking far enoughahead.
You need to get your steering and vision skills honed to the point where you can hit acertain spot on the pavement repeatedly without having to actually look at it. Thisinvolves using your peripheral vision to see the intended path of your tires, while stilllooking ahead at the next reference point (or as far ahead into the corner as possible).Try this: Find a tight, second-gear corner, have a buddy stand on the side of the road,and have him observe how close you can come to a fixed point on the pavement repeatedlywhile keeping your head turned as you scan far ahead into the bend.
 3. Heading into a corner with a little too much speed or having a turn unexpectedlytighten up on the exit is terrifying for a novice rider. Modern sportbikes are highlycapable machines, and as long as the suspension is even halfway close to being dialed-inand the tires are in decent shape, you are likely to be astounded at the leanangles/midcorner corrections they can achieve.
The most important point to remember when faced with having to tighten your cornering lineis to look ahead into the corner--where you want to go. If you come into a turn a littletoo fast, roll off the throttle gently and force yourself to keep your vision fixed on theexit; don't panic and stare at the outside of the corner or the hazard you're trying toavoid. When you see racers making close passes, you'll note they're not looking at oneanother as they go by--they're looking past the object they need to avoid in order to getto their intended destination.
 4. Another disturbing habit we see with some sportbike riders is the tendency to "hug" thecenter dividing line when entering left-handers. The problem with this practice is thatwhile your tires are technically on your side of the road, your body and some bikecomponents are in the oncoming lane. Should there be a car or truck (or even another bike)drifting toward the line as you're headed in the opposite direction, you'll be in for anasty surprise if you don't change your line. Plus, you drastically cut down on youravailable options if you find them drifting into your lane.
Try to keep your tires far enough on your side of the center dividing line to allow yourbody and bike parts room while leaned over. You should also remember that if you're closeto using all of the available ground clearance while riding on the street, you're "ridingon reserve"; get thee to a racetrack, where you can practice riding at that level in a farsafer environment.-
____________________
|
|
|
Will-Lee Wonka
|
Posted: Sun Oct 7th, 2007 05:59 am |
Very good post.
The photographer at AZTrackday used to have a ton of example pics on his website of people looking anywhere BUT where they were going...they were hilarious. Now if only I could find them again....
____________________
Straight roads prove who's bike is faster, curves prove who's riding faster...
|
|
|
Current time is 03:14 am | |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Icon Legend
Forum
New Posts
Topic
New Posts |
Announcement
Important
Topic Locked
Poll
|
|
|
Login
