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Fast Thursday Tips For Going Faster
Riding fast and being in control, especially around those tricky turns does take some time to master, and there really isn’t a substitute for those gruelling hours spent on the saddle.
There are some basics which you can implement in your riding style, and it would start reflecting in the way you ride rather instantly. Equipped with these basic techniques, you can then hone your control over the motorcycle to slice through those bends even faster.
Here are five very simple yet effective riding techniques which will help you go faster around corners on a motorcycle and make you a more confident rider.
1. Look ahead, and look where you want to be
It’s such a simple thing, it almost sounds stupid to even state, doesn’t it? Yet, that’s the most basic mistake most novices, or even riders with middling skills commit almost all the time.
2. Push the inner bar
Yes, you heard that right. Push the side of the handlebar where you wish to turn the bike. So if you are taking a left hander, push the left handlebar while leaned over; ditto for right. Sounds stupid, right? Not without reason is counter-steering such a mystifying concept.
3. Stay loose, stay easy
While being on a motorcycle, you need to be fluid and flexible, and move your weight around it without any jerky movements. Your speed around bends is also a function of how smoothly you transfer your weight from side to side, without unsettling the motorcycle.
4. Brake, gear and throttle
Another aspect of being smooth is your hygiene with the throttle position, braking and gearshifts when you go around bends. Sure, while being on the street you don’t know the exact curvature of the bend ahead when you are out on a longish ride. So a good idea is to practice this skill on roads and corners that you are very familiar with. For negotiating a corner in the smoothest manner possible, the ideal way is to finish your braking, and gearshifts before you enter the corner. Once you dip the motorcycle in, with a constantly smooth throttle input, only very slightly modulated should take you to the apex, and thereon you start cracking open the throttle to power out. Now, how late you can brake, what speed and gear you carry into the corner, and how well your body controls the direction of the bike through a corner are a few things that’ll carry you through faster. So learn to brake late, understand the optimum gears for your bike at specific speeds – once you start taking note of all these things, you’d realize that you’ll be smoother, and thus faster through the corners.
5. Practice the ideal position of knees and balls of your feet
Weight transfer on a motorcycle, as mentioned above, should be done in a fluid, smooth manner. To facilitate this, you should practice foot positioning on the bike so that it’s easy for you to lift yourself up and move from side to side without unsettling the motorcycle. Don’t use the handlebars for weight transfer; use the foot-pegs and leverage your legs to shift your weight. Putting the balls of your toes on the foot-pegs is a good idea, and suits a majority of the riders though you should keep practicing and find your own sweet spot. Secondly, the stress on your arms and hands should be minimal, as stated before. However, during heavy braking, as you’d imagine, it’s difficult to not let your hands get stressed. The remedy here is to grip the tank tightly with your knees to brace for the severe deceleration. Your knees also help you keep latched on to the bike with reassurance as you lean off it. Press your outer thigh towards the fuel tank to make a study contact. The knee recesses on sport bikes are meant specifically for this purpose.