Race/Riding tips
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Race/Riding tips
Bike set-up.
What you put in is what you get out. If you are riding somehting that has sack of ***** tyres then dont expect them to get you out of trouble. If you're racing then its different as you will just lap slower then fall off, on the road you may be killed. So, check the tyre pressures, THE most important thing you can do and the cheapest performance upgrade available. Make sure they are cold, that means if the bike has been in the sun the tyres have been in the sun and they are not cold.
Like I said know your tyre pressures, forget Ohlins, in fact I wonder how many of you who ride each and every day check them each time before you start, I never used to. Get a small digital keyfob guage, simple.
Clean your bike. Sounds simple, but you will never spot a fault if your bikes covered in *****.
Suspension set-up etc can be found all over the web, all I will say is that you can spend $1000 on an exhaust and dyno run and have less improvement than if you had learnt to set your bike up properly. Dont even think about it unless you have decent tyres though.
Dull piece over with.
Riding. This is all my opinion and learned from riding and racing, if you disagree then that's fine, like I said its just an opinion. Dont blame me for any harm that comes to you through anything I say here.
There are good things and bad things on a bike. Regard things as friends and enemies. Your friends will allow you to aid you in your progress, your enemies will slow you down.
Public enemy #1 is your weight. It is there to disturb the bike. The bike hates you attached to it messing up its centre of gravity. The tyres and suspension try to soak up the road whilst dealing with the infinate variations of you moving around. You can help your weight by 'grounding' it through the bike. Find a wall and prop yourself up against it, about 3/4 arms length. Now press down on the peg facing the wall, dont do anything else at this pointjust apply that pressure. You will feel the bike shifting. Gently apply pressure left right, just through the pegs and you will be able to move the bike left, right. No handlebar input just feet.
You bike will turn on the pegs, but you have to initiate the turn with the biggest input, your body. If you dont hang off then try it. Its not about looking kewl, its about moving you, the centre of gravity into different places.
Brakes are your other enemy. Think that every time you are on the brakes you are NOT in control, its fact. Outbraking people, should be called, out thinking as the work is not done on the brakes. Approach the corner and brake early, get it done, dont trail them unless you have to. Brake, turn in and on the throttle. Once you are on the throttle YOU are in control. On the brakesd you ARE NOT in control. Think about it, you lose the front 9.9/10 you will not recover it. You lose the rear under power you back it off to slow down, you have the ability to control the input to the bike. The brakes upset everything, load and unload suspension which causes problems.
Approach a right turn, using the pegs gently shift your weight. Use the pegs to lift your weight off of the seat and then move your *** so its about one cheek off. You will naturally put more pressure on the peg and the bike will respond by going down. Your shift in weight will leave only a whiff of bar input needed. If you get your knee down or not it doesnt matter, its where your weight is.
As you exit the corner try this. Pick the bike up off the throttle. I mean pick it up, dont wrestle it up through the bars. As you accelerate the bike will want to stand up, you will feel it through the pegs, let it come upright all on its own.
You will feel slower when you try braking early and getting on the power sooner. In reality it is not the case, you feel slower because you are not in blind panic, things are calmer, you have time to think about where you are going. Look ahead and plan your turns. If racing, let someone outbrake you get back on the power when you should be and you will blast up the inside of them as they run out wide.
Final tip is you can only go as fast as your head will let you. Some are nuts, some are not. Speed comes at a slow learnining pace and needs to be nurtured. I made the mistake of getting sucked into someone elses pace, it did me no favours. Learn the lines and stick to them, speed will come when you have the lines.
Smoothness pays, even on the street, especially in the wet, you have to be smooth to get anywhere at pace.
Maybe this is of use, if not, oh well take it for whatever its worth
What you put in is what you get out. If you are riding somehting that has sack of ***** tyres then dont expect them to get you out of trouble. If you're racing then its different as you will just lap slower then fall off, on the road you may be killed. So, check the tyre pressures, THE most important thing you can do and the cheapest performance upgrade available. Make sure they are cold, that means if the bike has been in the sun the tyres have been in the sun and they are not cold.
Like I said know your tyre pressures, forget Ohlins, in fact I wonder how many of you who ride each and every day check them each time before you start, I never used to. Get a small digital keyfob guage, simple.
Clean your bike. Sounds simple, but you will never spot a fault if your bikes covered in *****.
Suspension set-up etc can be found all over the web, all I will say is that you can spend $1000 on an exhaust and dyno run and have less improvement than if you had learnt to set your bike up properly. Dont even think about it unless you have decent tyres though.
Dull piece over with.
Riding. This is all my opinion and learned from riding and racing, if you disagree then that's fine, like I said its just an opinion. Dont blame me for any harm that comes to you through anything I say here.
There are good things and bad things on a bike. Regard things as friends and enemies. Your friends will allow you to aid you in your progress, your enemies will slow you down.
Public enemy #1 is your weight. It is there to disturb the bike. The bike hates you attached to it messing up its centre of gravity. The tyres and suspension try to soak up the road whilst dealing with the infinate variations of you moving around. You can help your weight by 'grounding' it through the bike. Find a wall and prop yourself up against it, about 3/4 arms length. Now press down on the peg facing the wall, dont do anything else at this pointjust apply that pressure. You will feel the bike shifting. Gently apply pressure left right, just through the pegs and you will be able to move the bike left, right. No handlebar input just feet.
You bike will turn on the pegs, but you have to initiate the turn with the biggest input, your body. If you dont hang off then try it. Its not about looking kewl, its about moving you, the centre of gravity into different places.
Brakes are your other enemy. Think that every time you are on the brakes you are NOT in control, its fact. Outbraking people, should be called, out thinking as the work is not done on the brakes. Approach the corner and brake early, get it done, dont trail them unless you have to. Brake, turn in and on the throttle. Once you are on the throttle YOU are in control. On the brakesd you ARE NOT in control. Think about it, you lose the front 9.9/10 you will not recover it. You lose the rear under power you back it off to slow down, you have the ability to control the input to the bike. The brakes upset everything, load and unload suspension which causes problems.
Approach a right turn, using the pegs gently shift your weight. Use the pegs to lift your weight off of the seat and then move your *** so its about one cheek off. You will naturally put more pressure on the peg and the bike will respond by going down. Your shift in weight will leave only a whiff of bar input needed. If you get your knee down or not it doesnt matter, its where your weight is.
As you exit the corner try this. Pick the bike up off the throttle. I mean pick it up, dont wrestle it up through the bars. As you accelerate the bike will want to stand up, you will feel it through the pegs, let it come upright all on its own.
You will feel slower when you try braking early and getting on the power sooner. In reality it is not the case, you feel slower because you are not in blind panic, things are calmer, you have time to think about where you are going. Look ahead and plan your turns. If racing, let someone outbrake you get back on the power when you should be and you will blast up the inside of them as they run out wide.
Final tip is you can only go as fast as your head will let you. Some are nuts, some are not. Speed comes at a slow learnining pace and needs to be nurtured. I made the mistake of getting sucked into someone elses pace, it did me no favours. Learn the lines and stick to them, speed will come when you have the lines.
Smoothness pays, even on the street, especially in the wet, you have to be smooth to get anywhere at pace.
Maybe this is of use, if not, oh well take it for whatever its worth
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From: Rochster, NY, Grubby Nettles
Re: Race/Riding tips (Jinya1004)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Jinya1004 »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> 
Thanks for the wisdom</TD></TR></TABLE>
agreed.
So i just have a couple questions:
1) Do you intend for the pressure-on-the-pegs method to be used on the streets?
2) The centre of gravity explanation makes a lot of sense but is this practical for 20-30 mph/basic around the town riding? (not arguing- just asking)
Thanks for the wisdom</TD></TR></TABLE>agreed.
So i just have a couple questions:
1) Do you intend for the pressure-on-the-pegs method to be used on the streets?
2) The centre of gravity explanation makes a lot of sense but is this practical for 20-30 mph/basic around the town riding? (not arguing- just asking)
Thread Starter
Honda-Tech Member
Joined: Aug 2001
Posts: 2,825
Likes: 0
Re: Race/Riding tips (NatakuBlitz)
<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NatakuBlitz »</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
agreed.
So i just have a couple questions:
1) Do you intend for the pressure-on-the-pegs method to be used on the streets?
2) The centre of gravity explanation makes a lot of sense but is this practical for 20-30 mph/basic around the town riding? (not arguing- just asking)
</TD></TR></TABLE>
It depends what you are trying to turn, but IMO I would try to adopt the same style for the road as it makes you smoother and you wont have to put as much effort into riding, therefore you will get more out of it.
Town riding is a little different but shifting weight is usefull if you are talking about 30mph, by that time you will already be countersteering, i.e applying opposite lock to turn so weight transfer applies to it.
In town anything you can do to allow you to concentrate on what is around you, rather than the physical effort of turning or moving the bike has to be of benefit.
agreed.
So i just have a couple questions:
1) Do you intend for the pressure-on-the-pegs method to be used on the streets?
2) The centre of gravity explanation makes a lot of sense but is this practical for 20-30 mph/basic around the town riding? (not arguing- just asking)
</TD></TR></TABLE>
It depends what you are trying to turn, but IMO I would try to adopt the same style for the road as it makes you smoother and you wont have to put as much effort into riding, therefore you will get more out of it.
Town riding is a little different but shifting weight is usefull if you are talking about 30mph, by that time you will already be countersteering, i.e applying opposite lock to turn so weight transfer applies to it.
In town anything you can do to allow you to concentrate on what is around you, rather than the physical effort of turning or moving the bike has to be of benefit.
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