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 Acknowledgements

Editor
J o h nU l r i c h

Designand lllustration Photography

Joe SpencerDesign
Assistance
JudyCode- LifeSupport
DonnyGreene- WileyCoyote
Inspiration
MarcelDuchamp- Wordsintomotion
L. Ron Hubbard- "Keyto LiferM"courseCourtesy:Motorcyclist
-
DougChandler #1 his way
John Flory,pagesxv, 92
PatrickGosling,pages7,15,58,75,102
DennisScully,page 104
BrianJ. Nelson,backcover
LanceHolst,pagesxiii,47,1'12
F r a nK u h n ,p a g e s2 2 , 7 2
MauriceBula,pages14,32,59,84, 101,114
RichChenet,page 9
Magazine
Courtesy:Roadracing World

Copyright1993 KeithCode
Libraryof CongressCataloging-in-Publication Data
(revisedfor vol.2)
Code,Keith
A twist of the wrist.
Vol.2 has imprint:Glendale,CA, Code Break
Contents:v. 1. The motorcycle handbook-v.2.
roadracers The basicsof
high-performance riding.
1. Motorcycleracing- Handbook,manuals,etc.
D o u gC h a n d l e rl .l , T i t l e .
cv 1060.c53 796.7'502'02 82-73771
ISBN:0-9650450-2-1

All rightsreserved.No part of this book may be reproducedin any form or by

any meanswithoutpermission in writingfromthe author.

Printedin the UnitedStatesof America

Distributedby:
SuperbikeSchool,Inc.
California
PO Box 9294
Glendale,CA 91226
800 530-3350

Warning:Ridingandracingmotorcycles is bothfascinating partially

andexhilarating,
dueto thefactthatyouriskinjuryor deathby yourownor other'serrorsandactions
to nordoesit claimto removeanyof the
whiledoingit. Thisbookis notintended
potential
dangers lt is in factpossible
of ridingmotorcycles. thatreading
andapplying
this materialcouldleadto increasedexposureto any or all of the potentialdangersof
ridingmotorcycles. This bookcontainsa writtenaccountof observations made by the
authorand others:basedon theirpersonalexperience. The authorand others
acknowledge the fact that they have ignoredor were possiblyunawareof dangersto
themselvesand may have been in the positionto observethesethingsonly because
they knew it was dangerousand even desiredthat danger:and acceptno responsibility
for your individualapplication of the contentsof this bookwhichmightresultin any
harm,injuryor propertydamageto yourselfor others.

Alwayswear protectiveridinggear and observelocalspeedlaws.Consultyour state

VI approvedlicensingprogramfor properridingprocedures.
Foreword
The informationin this book got me where I am now in roadracing.From
what I can see, the whole idea of this book is for you to apply it to your
riding,like I do. A lot of the thingsmight look too fancy for the streetbut
mostlythey apply to both streetand track.

Some informationthat peopletell you just gives you a headachebut

Keith'sideasteach you how to think for yourself.Over the sevenyearswe
workedtogetherwe didn't have it all writtendown like this, so it shouldbe
easierfor you.

No one likesto think that panic reactionscan take them over but you need
to look at it as a barrierto be overcome.Once you see these mentalblocks
writtenhere you'll recognizethem becausethey happenall the time and
that'swhere your mistakeswill come from.

In lots of ways I'm just now gettingcomfortablewith differentpartsof riding

and I've been doing it for over twentyyears.Don't be in a hurry,I've seen
guys in a hurryand they don't make it. You'vegot to get these ideasfirm in
your mind and then get comfortablewith them in your own style,no matter
how long it takes;becauseif you don't get these ideasyou won't get any
farther.

Doug Chandler

vil
 Contents
Foreword
Author'sNote
lntroduction
CHAPTER ONE
2 The Enemy - "Survival" Reactions
The seven survivalreactions(SRs)that don't help you survive

SECTION ONE
CHAPTER TWO
6 Throttle Control - Rule Number One
Controland stabilitystartswith your rightwrist

CHAPTER THREE
12 Throttle Control - Suspension And Traction
Unravelingthe mysteriesof suspensionby tuningthe rider
CHAPTER FOUR
18 ThrottleControl- Everyman'sldealLine
What'smy line?At last,an answerto the ageold question
CHAPTER FIVE
24 ThrottleControl- Get lt On
Reducing (andtakinga few)
the risksby understanding
CHAPTER SIX
28 Throttle Gontrol - The Force
It's all in the mind:Think slowergo faster

SECTION TWO
CHAPTER SEVEN
32 RiderInput- RidersCreateMoreProblemsThan Motorcycles
Are DesignedTo Handle
Yourbikemaybe tryingto get ridof you
CHAPTER EIGHT
34 RiderInput- HoldingOn
are a control,nota worrvbar
Handlebars
CHAPTER NINE
40 RiderInput- The ProblemOf Stability
Wigglesandshakes:Workless-getless
CHAPTER TEN
46 Rider Input - Riding And SlidlnE
Let it slide:Overcontrolbitesthe hand that feeds it

CHAPTER ELEVEN
50 RiderInput- Man Plus Machine
How would it feel with a 150 lb. sack of jelly on your back

SECTION THREE
CHAPTER TWELVE
54 Steering - The Forces To Beat
Shakinghandswith confusinglorces puts you in control
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
58 Steering - Steer For The Rear
vltl
Look behindto find out what'shappeningin front
 CHAPTER FOURTEEN
62 Steering- The Rules
It'sdoneto a turn,whenyouflickit once
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
66 RiderInput- LazyTurnsAnd The Turn Scale
paysbigdividends
creditdepartment
The lean-angle in sparedegrees
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
70 Steering- StrangeLinesAnd QuickTurning
Do it now,anddo it quick
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
74 Steering- The Key To Speed
Visionsof tractioneatingmonsters radiusturns?
anddecreasing
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
80 Steering- The ThreeTools Of Turning
elevenmajordecisions
Pinpoint to do it there
by deciding
CHAPTER NINETEEN
84 Steering- Pivot Steering
yournewfactoryoptionon any bike
Powersteering,
SECTION FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY
88 Vision - Lost In Space, Or, Too Fast For What?
Look at it this way; it could get a lot worse

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

92 Vision- ReferencePoints(RPs)Revisited- The MissingLink
Blasta holein yourtunnelvision:Takea widescreenviewof things
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
96 Vision - Wide Screen:DifferentDrills
Try notto see it all for one minute- l'll betyoucan't
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
98 Vision - The Two-Step
It'sa danceyou do with curves
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
102 Braking - Nothing New
There'snothingeasierto make more difficult
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
106 Traction- Pros/ConsAnd Uses
Toomuchof a goodthingcan makeyou dull
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
110 Racing- The ToolsAnd Goals
Getthe partsright,getyourtimesdownand beatsomeguys

MarginNotesand Commentsby Doug Chandler

Chapter-endCommentsby DonnyGreene
Author'sNote
The 10 yearssincethe publication of the firstTWISTbookhave
beenexcitingonesfor motorcyclists. Thatvolumewas my firstattemptto
createa technology*of riding:I knewtherewasone,it wassimplya
question of findingit. Andrwlsr hasbeenwellreceived worldwide,mainly
becauseit providedriderswitha formatfor discovery andthinkingabout
theirriding;it was a usefulfirststep.ButTWISTOF THEWRISTVOLUME
ll containsmorereal ridingtechnologythanTWISTI and it addresses
the sourceof our classicriderproblems. Letme tellyou whatI meanby
real ridingtechnology.

Technology Versus Tips

I wantto outlinethe different

categoriesof informationyou might
receiveaboutridingyourbike.Therearefour;remember them.Eachpiece
of infothatcomes your waywillfall intooneof thesecategories.

D e stru cti veA d vi ce:

"Youdon'tknowhowfastyoucango untilyoucrash."
"Waittilltheotherguybrakes
andcountto two."

Friendly Advice:
"Keeothe rubberside down."
"Besmooth."

UsefulTips:
"Go wide aroundthat bump."
"Trythis sectionin the next tallergear."

Realtechnology:
"Youalwaysusea laterturn-entry
pointfor a decreasing-radius
t ur n* . "
"Goingoff andon the throttlein turnsaffectssuspension
compliance,reducestractionand makesthe bikerunwide."

R e a lS o l u ti o n s
Truetechnologyhas broadapplication and regularlyresolves
ridingproblems. lt containsa basicunderstanding of what the rideris
tryingto do andformsa constructive bondbetweenthe riderandthe
machine's dynamic-requirements. Counter-steering is a perfectexample.
( S e eC h a p t e1r 2 l o ra d e s c r i p t i oonf c o u n t e r - s t e e r i n g ) .
 everyone
Practically learnshowto ridewithoutany understanding
butthe momentit is fullycomprehended
of counter-steering, andapplied,it
opensthe doorto vastamountsol improvement in everypossible
situation
thatrequires the bike.Counter-steering
steering perfectlymatcheswhat
the riderwantsand needswithwhatthe machinewantsand needs.That's
whatI calltechnology.Do you seethe difference betweenthatand useful
tipsor friendlyadvice?
I'm notsayingthereisn'ta placefor tipsand advice,becausethere
is-when theydemonstrate an understanding of honesttechnologyin
practical Then
application. a tip or pieceof advicebecomes a usefultool'
to manysincerewordsof adviceon
But I'velistened most
riding, of which
wereworthless.

Discovery
To the enthusiast rider,motorcycles are all aboutdiscovery and
challenge. Thathasn'tchangedin the over100 years motorcycles have
existed,andthatwon'tchangeas longas thereare motorcycles, Riders
stillregardtheirtimein the saddleas a quality experience: There is
adventure in everycurveof the road,everyfreewayride,everytwistof the
. n du n l i k es o m a n yt h i n g si n l i f ew h i c hb e c o m eb o r i n go n c et h e ya r e
w r i s tA
understood, justthe opposite occurswhena riderbeginsto graspand
applythetechnology of riding.Thetechnology of ridingopensthe doorsof
discovery insteadof closingthem.

Accepted Technology
A Germanphilosopher namedSchopenhauer oncestated,"Alltruth
passesthroughthreestages.First,it is ridiculed-. Second,it is violently
opposed. Third,it is accepted as beingself-evident.." Ridingtechnology
hasundergone thissameprocess.
'1960,I
Goingthrougha set of esseson my 200ccDucatiin
discoveredcounter-steering. lt scaredme. lt didn'tmakeanysenseand I
nevermentioned it to anyone untilthe 1970sfor fearof beingtoldI was
nuts.Counter-steering didn'tbecomea pieceof understoodtechnology
until1973,duringan international conference on motorcycle safetyheldin
San Francisco.There, Dr.Harry Hurtand a group of Honda researchers
eachpresented technical papersdocumenting howcounter-steering
workedand howits conscious usecouldbenefitmotorcycle ridersby
makingit easierto avoid collisions.
The counter-steering hadopenedthe doorto riding
researchers
improvement ButI alsoremember
for everyone. the upsetsandarguments
veteran
to a disbelieving
createdwhenI triedto explaincounter-steering
with20 yearsof ridingexperience.
beliefthatusingthe frontbrakewas
it was a long-held
Similarly,
dangerous.
out-and-out This"advice"wasgivenfreely,especiallyto new
riders,usuallyby salesmen at motorcycle In somecirclesyou
dealerships!
couldalmostget intoa fistfightaboutit. Now,of course,"everyone knows"
thefrontbrake has the lion's
shareof stoppingpower.
 In 1976| claimedthatracerscouldimproveby simply
understanding moreaboutriding.I wroteup severalshortbulletins, mainly
usefultips,whichseemedto workfor myselfand others.when it leaked
outthatI was havingmy studentslookup wordsin a dictionary and
demonstrate thesewrittenideaswithdrawings or smallobjectson a table,
I wasopenlycriticized by manyof my fellowracers.Butthesestudents
beganmakingbig improvements in theirriding.ln fact,theyaveraged 7.0
secondsa lap faster.But it wasn'tuntila braveyoungjournalistand racer
namedJohnulrichtookthe programin 1977and publicized hisfindings
thatit got evena nodof recognition fromthe racingcommunity. The rest,
as theysay,is history.
In this volumeare a few morekey piecesto the puzzle.
Keith Code
PS:You'llnotethatkeywordsare indicatedby an asteriskwhen
theyfirstappearin thisbook.Knowingthe truemeaningof eachkeyword
as it is usedin the textis essential
to understanding.
Thedefinitionof each
keywordappearsat the endof the sectionin whichit firstappears.

D e fi n i ti o n s
Technology: The applicationof knowledge*for practicalends.
Knowledge: Acquaintancewith facts,truthsor principles,as from study or
investigation.
Decreasing-radiusturn: A turn that tightensup as you go throughit.
Dynamic: Forceas it relatesto motion.
R i d i c u l e d :M a d ef u n o f .
Self-evident:Plainor clear in itselfwithoutadditionalproofor
demonstration.

xtl
INTRODUCTION

Motorcycle Technology vs. Rider lmprovement

Sincemy firstmotorcycle (1957),machineevolution hasbeen

staggering.Bikesare lighter,fasterand handlebetter;tiresare stickierand
suspension systemsmorecompliant.. Butafter13 yearsandover20,000
students as headmaster Superbike
at the California School,I stillseethe
same ridingproblems in the 1990's whichexistedin the 1970'sand 1980's.
In fact,eventhoughour Superbike Schoolequipment is over20 mphfaster
thanit was 13 yearsago,studentlaptimeshaveimproved only1.0to 2.0
secondson the average. Thisfact,whencompared to the racer'stypical
lap-timeimprovement of 8.0to 10 secondsfor comparable equipment,
bringsup a numberof interesting questionsand answersto the subjectof
high-speed riding.

Machinetechnologyhas
moved ahead of most
riders'ability.

What's the Stop

Whatstopsridersfrombeingableto usethisclearlyimproved bike
technology? (Current tiregripaloneis probably
worth3.0secondsof
improvement). Whatare the commonbarrierswhichholdthemback?
(Theremustbe something if so manyare uncomfortableat speed).Can
moreeducation in ridingtechniques*aloneovercome the barriers?(The
1990srideralreadyknowsmorethandid his early1980scounterpart).
Doesmoretracktimehandleit? (Myexperience saysit is notguaranteed
by moresaddletime).Doesthe desireto go fastputone rideroveranother
in his questfor speed?(No.I'vehadpotentially* talentedriders,who
wantednothingmorein the worldthanto race,not makeit). Seemspretty
grim.for the would-beracer,doesn'tit? (Justholdon a moment).

xill

I call it the Mental Speed
Block.
The last thing to try is
charging the turns.
Survival reactionsnot only
consume your $10 worth of
attention,they are the cause
ol your riding errors.
Start with easy brakingand
get the line to prepare for
faster entries. Try to get
comfortablewith cornerspeed
then get the entry speed up.
Something like the Carousel
at SearsPoint with all those
bumps can get your attention
and you want to use the brakes
but it will lock up too easy.
You spend too much on them.
XiV
75 Percent Perfect
WhatI havediscovered is that95 percentof my studentsreach
unexpected newlevelsof confidence afteronlyhalfa dayof classroom
plustracktraining, and halfof themcan be coachedto a highdegreeof
technical skillin two days:but only if they ride at about75 percentof
their limit.Whathappensafter75 percent?Everyone agrees,In some
fashion,survival*reactaons- (commonly knownas fear)arethe ever-
presentbarrierto reaching theirgoals.Oncethe standardriding
techniques are understood, thisis the one button(alsocalledpanic)that
nearlyeveryone pushes,at their own personallimit.Thisagreed-upon
factis whatruins*riders'attempts to reachthe goalstheyhave
envisioned* for themselves. lt ruinsself-respect,confidenceandtrustin
oneselfin the process.
Your$10Bill
The idea (fromthe originalTwistOf The Wrist)that everyonehas
just so much attention. (like money)to spend on the actionsof ridinghas
not changed.lf you startout with $10 in your pocketand spend it all, you
are brokeand havingno moneycausesits own kind of panic. Havingno
attention left to performthe neededactionswhile riding(liketargetfixing
on some objectyou don't want to hit and then hittingit becausethat is
where all your attention was spent) alwayscreatessome panic.All
riders, at one time or another, have overspent their "$10 worth of
attention" and survival-reactions,like fear and panic, are the direct
results. In this book we figureout how to cheat (or raisethe limitof) and
defeat(beat)the maior source of riding problems, your panic button.
Spend your attention wiselyand push the button lightly.
This book is a greattool for helpingyou to understandwhat can push the
"panicbutton".Learningand practicewill allowyou to "push back"these
barriersand open up more room for havingfun at any speed.
D.G.

De f i n i t i o n s
Compliant: Yieldingto requestor demand.
Techniques:The body of specializedproceduresand methodsused in any
s p e c i f i cf i e l d .
Potentially: Possiblybut not yet actually.
Grim: Sternand forbiddingin aspector nature.
Survival: The act or fact of surviving,especiallyunderadverseor unusual
circumstances.
Reactions: Actionsin responseto some influence,event,etc.
R u i n : D e m o l i s hd, e s t r o yd, a m a g e .
Attention: 1. Focusedawareness.2. Directingthe sensestoward
somethingknownor not known.
Envisioned: Picturementally.

Donny Greeneat work.

With 5 National250 GP
titles to his credit and six
years as guest instructor
for the CaliforniaSuperbike
School,Donny's comments
are a welcomeaddition to
the text.

XV
Aru$TOFIIfi||IJ
UOLUMIII
 CHAPTER ONE

The Enemy
"Survival"Reactions
Survivalreactionsaretrulyautomatic becausetheyoriginate"
froma sourcewe do notconsciously monitor*. Forexample, we do not
haveto monitorour eyeblinks(to protectthe eyes)whensomething
unexpected happens.However,the reliability of thesereactionsis subject
to questionwhenone eitherfreezes(anotherreaction)or reacts
Survivalreactionsare nottotallyhealthy.I watcheda
inappropriately..
ridercrashin turnnineat Riverside Raceway(a four-lane, 40-foot-wide,
Survival reactions (SRs)
come from our instinct to bankedturnwitha steelboilerplatewallon the outside)on the bottomor
avoid iniury but often insidelane(10feetfromthe grass).The riderthenrancompletely across
cause the opposite. There of the turn,to a wall,
5.Q-foot "to safety,"
are 6even classic SRs
threelanesof track,to the outside
riders should know about. on a hot (openfor practiceor racing)track.

,.;.:'.
":*il
Survival Devices
Devices*and mechanisms* havebeendesignedto reduceinjuries
relatedto thesereactions.A workableexampleis the friction-reducing
metalor plasticskidson glovepalmswhichminimize sprainsand breaks
resultingfromridersextendingtheirhandsto "cushion" the impactof
crashing-oneof the classicsurvivalreactions.Anti-lock brakesprovide
a high-techsolutionto excessive,survival reactivebraking.To a degree,
stickytiresprovidea cushionfor overbraking and suddenextremelean
angles.

SurvivalErrors
Eachof the common,garden-variety survival reactionsmostof us
havecan eithercauseor contributeto crashing.On the lessdramatic*but
veryimportant side,theyare the sourceof 100percentof all ridererrors.
Theydo, in fact,ruin yourriding.Let'slook.On a motorcycle, survival
reactionshavespecific*results.Eachcarrieswith it enoughforceand
command* value*to changethe rider'smindand controlactions.Take,for
example,rollingon/offthe throttlewhilecornering.My surveyof over8000
ridersconcluded thatnot one of themeverrntended to rollon/off;that 100
percentof themintended to rollit on,throughout
the turn,as theirbasic
plan.Something changedtheirminds.Rollingoff the throttleis survival
reaction(sr) number 1. Surveyshowsit to be the frontlineof defense
whenanycircumstance* triggersa SR.The standard" SR triggersare:
"ln too fast."
"Goingtoo wide."
"Toosteepleanangle."
"Concerned
abouttraction."
Bumps,trafficand othersare secondary sourcesof unneeded
throttleroll-off.Thatridersmostoftenrealizethe roll-offwas not
necessary,rightafterdoingit, is alsofurtherproofit was an automaticsR.
Everhappento you?

Su r v i v a lR e acti o n s
The enemy is tough but limitedin number:
1. Roll-offthe gas.
2. Tightenon bars.
3. Narrowedand franticallyhunting*field of view. Survival raactions (SRs)
usually affect the arms
4. Fixedattention(on something). first" Your arms control:
steering, braking, throttle
5. Steeringin the directionof the fixed attention. a n d i n fl u e n c eh a n d l i n g .

6. No steering (frozen)or inetfective

(not quick enoughor too early)steering.
7. Braking errors (both over- and under-braking).
 Everyonehas had all of the above happento them. Are they
automatic?Take tighteningon the bars as anotherexample.Do you
commandyour arms to tightenup, or do you find they have done it on their
own? Do you chooseto have your attentionnarrowand targetfix? Did you
over-brakeon purpose?
Whetherfor a real or an imaginedreason,anythingthat triggers
one of the above survival reactions (SRs) is an attemptto reduceor
avoid injury.None of them work in harmony with machine technology
or rider control. In the followingchapterswe will see how to defeatthem.

It's greatthat these thingshave finallybeen pinpointedand insteadof just

beingthe adverseaffectof them everyonecan now see what they are.
Insteadof just continuingfrom one SR to another,perhapsnow riderscan
use this informationto nip them in the bud, beforethey becometoo
dramatic.After racingfor 13 years I hate to admitthat leven have them
b u t i t ' s l i k ea l i t t l ed e v i lo n m y s h o u l d e rt,h e y k e e p p o p p i n gu p . N o w y o u
can head them off at the oass.
D.G.

Definitions

Originate:To arisefromsomeoriginor source.

Monitor:To oversee,supervise.
In a mannernorproperor suitable.
Inappropriately:
made,usuallyfor a particular
Devices:Something workingpurpose.
of movingpartsperforming
Mechanism:An assembly a complete
functional
motion.
Dramatic:Of or likethe drama;theatrical,
vivid,striking.
particular
Specific:Definite, or precise.
Command:Theact of ordering,
authority.
Value:Theworthof a thing,importance.
detailor part,withrespectto time,placeor
A condition,
Circumstance:
mannerwhichaccompaniesan event.
Standard:Usual,commonor customary.
Hunting:The act of searching
for,seeking.
lmagined:Toforma mentalimageof (something
notactuallypresent).

Real accelerationis the exit
of the turn, the end of it.
6 do that?
CHAPTER
ThrottleControl
Rule NumberOne
Can a survival reactionlikeon-and-off the throtilebe educated
and practiced out?Whatdoesthe bikedo in response to thiscommon
error?Whatmotorcycle design*features*are violatedby survival
reaction-generated* throttleerrors?Arethererulesand procedures*for
combatting them?what are the positivesurvivaland skillimprovements
in storefor the riderwho beatsthem?Thisand the nextfourchapters
explain.
Understandingthe Gas
Throttlecontrol is a very precisesubjectwith its own rulesand
standards*.The techniquesof throttle control are direcilydescended*
frommotorcycle engineering.specifications*and allowyourbiketo
performup to the levelfor whichit was designed.Throttlecontrol
techniqueslist-outlikea manualof requirements any modern-day bike
demandsof its rider.Understanding yourbike'sspecifications of
performance is stepone in overcoming thethrottlecontrolSurvival
Reactions(SRs)whichdetractfromyourriding.
Traction Specif ications
Whenwe talkaboutcornering we aretalkingabouttractionas the
rider'smainconcern.To determinean ideal.scenefor traction. machine-
wise,we startby simplymeasuring patches*
the contact of the tiresto
discoverwhatthe basicdistribution*
of loadsshouldbe whilecornering.
Roughlyspeaking,thosemeasurements* showthat 40 percentof the total
loadshouldbe up front,60 percentat the rear.Bikesset up for racingand
realGP machines carrymorerearrubber,changing the useableloadbias.
(possiblyto as muchas 70 percenton the rear)to favorhardacceleration
comingoffturns.Eachbike'sexactidealweightdistribution mayvarya bit
fromthe basic40/60percentrule.The rider's task is to match the exact
load specs of his machinewith expert use of the throttle. Howdo you
 The distributionof
cornering loads follows
your tire's contact Patch
size-about 40% front to
600/or€dt. You adiust the
tire load with the throttle.
(shown smallerthan actual)

LightTouch
Consideringthat most machinesin a static*or constantspeed You can start the "drive" too
early by getting the front light
situationhave a 50/50weightdistribution(+ or - 5.0 percent)front-to-rear, and run wide. That will hurt
we beginto calculatethe guidelines*of correctaccelerationthrougha turn. your time for the straight.
By the numbers,we want to transfer*10 to 20 percentof the weight
rearwards,usingthe throttle.Technically, this is 0.1 to 0.2 G. of
acceleration. Simplyput, it's the force generated by a smoothfifth-gear ln every corner open the gas
as soon as possible;light
roll-onin the 4000 to 6000 rpm rangeon prettymuch anythingover 600cc. accelerationthru the middle.
That's not much acceleration-but it does the iob.
It seems ridersoften have diflicultysortingout this smallamountof
traction-maintaining-throttle throughturns,insteadtryingfor more dramatic
acceleration. This is most easilyseen in the commonerrorof beingtoo
"greedy"with the throttleat roll-on,which will make the bike run wide or
slide and lead to a roll-off.

R u l eN u m b e rO n e
Once the throttle is cracked*on, it is rolled on evenly, It's not worth trying to get to
the speedyou "think"you
smoothly,and constantly*throughoutthe remainderof the turn. should have had: you'll only
make it worse trying to get it
At the pointwherethe correcttransferof weightis achieved by the
(10
rider to 20 percentrearward) by usingthe throttle,
any big changes in
thatweightdistribution reduceavailable*traction.Oncethe bikeis fully Never play with the throttle
through the corner.
leanedintoa turn,changesin tireload,eitherevenly(bothwheels,most
easilydonein a crestedroadsituation) or alternately(frontto back,backto
front,fromthrottleon/throttleoff)musttheneitherunderweight or
overweight the idealloadfor thatparticular
tire/bike
combination.

No one is likely to chop the

throttle in World GP racing.
 Each guy feels something
ditterent. His set up and line
might not work for you. You
have to start by getting
comfortableon the machine.
No chopping on and off
beforeyou've made the
corner, it loads the front.
Work on getting it cracked
open first.
Entering a little slow isn't so
bad. You can get on the gas
earlier. You don't lose as
much time as you think you
would if you take advantage
of it by getting it picked-up
and exit quicker.
I
Riding Skill
The rider'sspecialskillin applyingRuleNumberOneis in his
understanding and sensingof the bike'srequirements
anddelivering them
withhis "bythe book"useof the rule.Ridersdo not improvetheir bikes,
they simply help their bikesto work correctly.
Obviously,
any majorhitches,hesitationsor throttleon/throttle
off
actionscauselessthanthe idealsceneto be achieved* and herein"lies
the problemwithSR #1: lt destabilizes.
the bike'stractionpicture*,
instantly.Thefasteryou'regoing,the moredramatic the effect.Gettingto
and keepinga 4O/60percentweightbalanceis yourbasicthrottle goal.
Throttlerule numberone combatsSR #1.
Lost Ground
Whetheryourbikeslidesor notfromthrottleon/throttle of{ isn'tall
thatcan happen.In a medium-speed turn (40 to B0 mph),eachthrottle
onlofflonwillcostyouat least0.10-second in laptime(intermsof
distance,overone bike-length)evenif you areverygood,and moreif you
aren'tverygood.In higher-speed turns,the samethrottleerrorwillcost
you morebecausethe effectsof wind-drag* in slowinga
are substantial.
bikeat the higherspeeds.
Survival Training
As a survival reactlon,on/offthe gas ranksfirst.Streetriding
makesthe consequences* of it seemmildandforgivable. In thissense,
streetriderstrainthemselves to do it wronglyby simplyallowingSR #1 to
occur.On the otherhand,the basicruleof throttlecontrolcan almost
alwaysbe applied,at any speed,becauseit holdstruefor 99 percentof
all turns andtractionconditions.(Theexceptions areveryrare,likea
longdownhill, decreasing-radius*, off-camber and bumpy-in-the-middle
turn.Butevenhereyoushouldn't youjuststop
reallyrolloff thethrottle;
rollingon for a moment).
Takea surpriseslipperyroadsituation,in a curve,as an example.
Comingup to it andsnapping off the gaswilltransfer70 to 80 percentof
the bike'sweightontothe front wheel,whichis designed to carryonly35 to
40 percentwhilecornering. Stayingon the gas is no guarantee the bike
won'tgo downbutyou haveto askyourselfthisquestion: Arethe chances
of makingit throughthe slipperycornerimproved or not improved by
keepingthe gasat leastcrackedon?Arethe chancesimproved or aren't
they?Consider the extremeerrorof applying the frontbrakewhileleaned
overand in slipperyStuff,an erroralmostcertainto resultin a crash:That's
the directionyou'regoingwhenyou roll-offthethrottle!
 Going off the gas while
sliding the rear would
createan enormous
h a n d l i n gp r o b l e m !

Gas lt
ls the bikemorestableor lessstablewhenit has the correct
amountof weighton eachtire?Theold racingruleof "Whenin doubt,gas
it!"doesmostcertainlyhavesomevalidity".
An extremeexampleof thishappened to DougChandler at SearsPoint
Racewayin 1989,whilehe ledthe 750ccSupersport raceon dry
pavement. His reartirewas so "cooked" thatit beganto slidegoinginto
the turnssimplyfrombeingoff the gas.(Another potentialhazardof on/off
t h eg a si n h i g h - l o a d - c o r n e sr i nt uga t i o n s . )
Onelap he putdowna stripof rubberat least30 feetlongas the
back"camearound"(slid)andthe steering wentall the wayto stop.
Stayingoff the throttlewouldhaveledto, withoutquestion,a massive
highside..Of course,beingthetalenteddirttrackerhe is, Chandlerturned
on the gas, the reartirespunandthe bikewobbledas it straightenedout
out he stayedon boardand in the lead.On the gaswasthe only solution.
Whatwouldyou havedone?
 Questions
W h a ti s S R # 1 ?
of good,standard
Whatis the definition throttlecontrol?
Doesit agreeor disagree
withmachinedesign?
Howoftendoesyour rightwristrolloff the throttlewithoutpermission?

Sinceeverybikehas a differentset-upit is extremelyimportantto havea

goodfeelfor whatthe bikeis doingin the corners.The information in this
sectionwillallowyouto finetuneyourweightdistribution. Thereis a thin
lineon throttlecontrolwhereyoualwayswantto be hardon the gas,I'm
guiltyof it too,butchampionshipsarewonwhenit'sdoneby the book.This
SR, on and off the gas,not onlycoststime but in 250 racingit costs
positions.
D.G.

Definitions
Design:Inventionof the forms,partsor detailsof somethingaccordingto
a plan.
Feature:A prominent
partor characteristic.
Generated:Produced,
broughtintoexistence.
Procedures:A courseof action.A way of performing
or effecting
something.
Standard:Something
considered An approved
as a basisfor comparison.
model.
Descended:Derived;comedownfroma source.
Engineering: The scienceand art of planning, and managing
constructing
of variouskinds.
structures
A detailedand exactdescription
Specification: of materials,
dimensions
andworkmanship for something or manufactured.
to be built,installed
An urgentor pressingrequirement.
Demand:To callfor as necessary.
Detract:To takeawaysomething Diminish.
desirable:
in its perfectstate.
ldealscene:An ideaof something
Gontactpatch: The actualfoot printof the tire whereit contactsthe road
surface.
intoportions.
Distribution:The divisionof something
or preference.
Bias:An inclination
Static:Showinglittleor no change.
Guideline:Anyguideor indication
of a futurecourseof action.
Transfer:To shiftfromone positionto another,

10
G: A unitof forceequalto the gravityexertedon a bodyat rest.
Cracked-on:Openeda slightbit intooperation.
Constantly:In an unchanging
manner.
Remainder:Anythingleftover;a remnant.
Available:Beadyfor useor service.
Achieved:Reachedsuccessfully.
Proportion:A portionor partin relation
to the whole.
Here-in:In this.
Destabilize:To disturbthe smoothfunctioning
of.
Picture:A situationor set of circumstances.
Wind-drag:The resistance
of thewindagainstthe bodyor bikeat speed.
Substantial:Ampleor considerable.
Consequence:The resultor outcomeof somethingoccurringearlier.
turn: A turnthattightensup as you go throughit.
Decreasing-radius
Whenthe insideof the roadis higherthanthe outsidein a
Off-camber:
turn.
Validity:Beingwellgrounded:
Soundness.
Highside:The act or situationin whichthe rideris thrownoverthe top side
of the bike,towardsthe outsideof a turn.

Notes

11

Use mostof the frcntend
travel and about 75o/oof the
rear. But, if you get it too
soft in front, the back end will
come around.
There's no substitute for
a correctly adiusted
suspensionbut it's the
rider's job to keep it in
range with standard throttle
control.
12
CHAPTER
ThrottleControl
Suspensionand Traction
Mechanically.speaking,we dependon the suspension"for our
traction.What can a riderdo to make the best of his bike'ssuspension?ls
it necessaryto have a $15,000set of GP-qualityOhlinsforks and shock?
Do you alreadyhave the tools for good handling?What is "good handling"
anyway?
At rest,a motorcycleis handlinggreat.No wiggles,wobbles,
bounces,shakesor slides:lt is stable-.A perfectsuspensionand rider
combinationwould keep the tires on the groundwith the bike stable,in all
ridingconditions.Good handling = predictable*traction. That is all it
means.
There'snothingquite like an unexpected loss of traction(slide)or
the threat of loss of traction(unpredictabletraction, like a good wiggleor
head shake),to stimulatesurvival responses in most riders.And just as
tire size has given us a good startingpointfor figuringmachinedemands,
a quick look at the suspensionparts helps us determinehow the rider can
put the suspension to best use with standard throttle control.
Suspension
Range
Goodsuspension dependson boththe hardware(shock,forks,
weightof parts)and its position on the bike,(headangle,fork offset,
enginelocation)for stability.
Throttlecontrolhasa hugeeffecton both.
 Shocks and forks producethe best road holding/tractionmid- ln long turns the front will
stay down if you increase the
stroke(in approximately the centerthirdof totaltravel).Fullycompressed rebound damping but too
("bottomed")suspensionis roughand "toppedout" (fullyextended) much will make it pack up: it
won't return from each bump.
suspension similarlylacksgoodresponse to roadconditions. Hardbraking
and hard accelerationoffer perfectexamples. When the rideris hardon the
brakes,the front-endfeelsheavyand reactssluggishlyoverany rough
pavementbecauseit is unableto reactto surfacechanges.(Note:This is
alsoa majorreasonwhythe frontwheelwilllockunderbraking. Thewheel
cannotfollowthe roadsurfacebecausethe frontforkswon'tmoveup and
downquicklyenoughor won'tmoveup anddownat all).Whenthe rideris lf you have too soft or too
hard a spring it can make it
hardon the gas,a lightfrontend tendsto shakeand tank-slap.In the chattet on the gas.
middlethirdof the suspension stroke(ortravel),you getgoodfeedback
andoptimum"response to the asphalt.

Riding Limits

Suspension limitshowwe can ridemotorcycles. We musttry to It's simple: Off gas turns
keepthe suspension in its mostuseablerange,as muchas possible, and quicker because it steepens
the front. On gas increases
allowthe biketo workfor us.The basicruleof standardthrottlecontrol fork angle and steers heavier.
doesprecisely that.Hereagain,the on-gas/off-gas ridingtechniqueused
by mostridersforcesthe suspension to solve*hugeweighttransfers (front-
instead
to-rear) of reacting to the pavement: Yet suspension designdoes
notallowit to do bothjobswellat the sametime.

Suspension Changes
Suspension characteristics*
can be adjustedto suitthe riderand
roadsurfaceby changing the damping'rate,springpressure andweight
bias,trontto rear.You nevereliminatebasicsuspensionproblems,you
onlymakeadjustments to suitconditions.
In racing,adjustments canmake
what happensat one lap-time/speed-range reoccurin a higherrange;in
that case,you'vesimplymovedwhere it happensso you can go a bit
quicker.
chatter*is a goodexampleof howtrickysuspension
Front-end can
be.Withsomebikes,chatterwillappearat slowerlaptimes,makingthe
riderthinkhe has reachedthe suspension's limits;morespeedmakesthe
chattergo awaybut it appearsagainwhenevenfasterlaptimesproduce
stillhighercorneringloads.A streetbike is typicallyset-upfor moregeneral
conditions,usuallyfor the rider'sfavoritetypeof turns.

The Rider's Suspension Adjustment

The handiestsuspension adjustment you haveis throttleposition.
Foreverybike,withinbasicdesignlimitations, gives
throttleapplication*
you enormous controlof howmuchweightis on eitherwheelwhile
cornering. Obviously,
throttleon too much transfers weightonto the rear
wheel,off the frontwheel.In the caseof a 600-pound bike-and-rider
combinedweight,you haveat yourfingertipsa control(thethrottle)which
move150poundsforwardor aft with no more thana few
will effectively
millimeters of movement! Throttlecontrol is the key to suspenslonset-
up.

t:-;ae*-ttiig'*--:= z -: :
Throttle control is the key
that unlocks the mysteries
of suspensionset-up.

Gas
Suspension
Riderscanchasea suspension problemforever,makedozensof
adjustments and never get anywhere. Nothing willworkif the riderruns
intoa cornerhard,offthe gas,waitsuntillatein theturnandthen,using
hardacceleration, triesto over-ride the ideal10-20percentweighttransfer
to the reartire.Thatapproach neverallowsthe suspensionto work in
its best range*.Thisis especially truein simple,medium-speed, 90-
degreeturnstakingonly2.0 or 3.0secondstotaltimeto enterand exit.
The sameriderswhofavorthe approach describedabovecan oftenbe
seen"testing" suspension in the pits,bouncingtheforksup anddownand
pushingon the seats.They'repayingthe mostattention to the partof the
suspension stroketheyrarelyuseon the track.
In 1989,JohnKocinski slaughteredthe 250ccclassherein
America, settingtrackrecordsno one could touch for years.He toldme
at the timethatthe teamhadmadeno significant suspensionchangesin
five races!He had made them withthe throttle.

Rear Suspension and Gas

Mostridersdon'tunderstand thissimplefact:Thehardertheytwist
the gas,the lesscompliant the rearsuspension is and andthe morethe
rearendtriesto rise.Mostridersbelievethat the backof the bikegoes
downwhentheyaccelerate. lt doesn't.(Totestthis,putthefrontwheelof
yourbikeup againsta walland beginto engagethe clutchwiththe
transmission in gear.The rearendwillcomeup.)
Again,the standardruleof throttlecontrol:once the throttleis
crackedon, it is rolled on smoothly,evenly,and constantly
throughoutthe remainderof the turn. As luckwouldhaveit,thisbasic
ruleworksperfectly facto{ motorcycle
withthe interesting dynamics
described above.In a turn,the 40/60-percentweightloadingthatproduces
the besttractionalsoputsthe suspension in its mostuseableandworkable
range.
14
 The rear-end (seat) rises
and sticks under heavy
acceleration.The harder
you are on the gas, the less
suspensioncompliance
you have to keep the tire on
the ground.

"Whacking"the throttleon stiffensthe rear suspensionand reduces Most guys chop it but the
solution to sliding is picking-
traction.That'sa problemfor most of us. Yet the best ridershave figured up the bike with the gas
out a way to completelyreversethe situationand use it to their advantage. steady.
In the case of a 500cc GP bike, (or even a good Superbike),when the
power startsto come on and the suspensionstiffens,the tire tends to spin
becausetractionis reduced.What do the best ridersdo? They let the tire
start to spin for the drive out of the turn. The suspensionactuallybecomes
more compliantrightwhen the tire beginsto spin, becausethe reduced
tractionrelievessome of the load. lt's the same principletaken to a new
level.
Fancy ridinglike that looksgood but the basicsstill apply.The
earlier the throttleis crackedopen and smoothlyrolledon, the less
"desperate"accelerationyou need to build speed coming off the turn, and
the more compliantthe rear suspensionwill be. That producesthe most
predictabletraction.This appliesto any kind of riding,not just racing.

Slide lnsurance

Throttlerule NumberOne, the smoothroll-on,has other distinct.

advantagesyou shouldknow about,especiallyduringa rear-endslide.
Providedyou weren't already too greedy with the throttle,your best
insuranceagainstmore slidingor a highsideis simplyto stop rollingon the
gas. The bike slows gradually,ratherthan quickly(as it wouldfrom
choppingthe throttle),and comes back into alignment*smoothly.Here
again,SR #1 is your majorobstacle.
(Obviously, tire condition,lean angle,suspensionand the ridercan
be big factors*in this but don't take my word for it, watch the best racers
get throughlittleslides.Does the throttlego off or do you hear the engine
continueto rev at a constantor higherpitch?)

15
 why?
Lookat machinedesign.lf the backend is "comingaround,,and
youchopthethrottle, you havea bigweighttransferoff the rearwheel.
Thatweighttransfercan promotemoreslidingof the reartireor overload
the fronttire,possiblyenoughto makeit stide.

Off-Gas Problems
So, off-the-gasalsohas its downside.Off-the-gas makesthe rear
Tryingto slowdownwith too suspension compressalongwiththe frontsuspension. lf you comeoff the
muchspeedor toomuchlean gas mid-turn,you losecorneringground-clearance*
willstartit sliding. at bothends,instanfly.
Hereis anotherSR #1 example: Saythe riderdragssomepartof his bike,
thenshutsoff the gas in surpriseor alarm;instantly
the bikeis dragging
evenmore,maybeevenliftingoneor bothwheelsoff the pavement. SR #1
has struckagain.
What is the basacrule of throttle control?
Once the throttle is crackedon, it is rolled on evenly,smoothly,
and constantlythroughoutthe remainderof the turn. (Sayit to yourself
1000or 2000times).

Moststandard suspension components can be set up to workadequately,

evenon the track,withoutthe needfor expensiveparts.Besidesthat,it
feelsreallygoodto beatthe guyswiththe trickparts.Goodpartsor not,
grabbinga handfulwon'thelpyouto go fast,that'sa dangerous wayto
makeup for lowcornerspeed.The bikeandthetireswillnot likeit. Once
you havethethrottlecontrolrulefirmlyunderstood and practicedandyou
cangetthe rearwheelspinning witha smoothroll-on, yourbikewillhandle
again.
D.G.

Definitions

Mechanically:Havingto do with machinery.

Suspension:The systemof springsand dampersthat protectsthe chassis
fromshockstransmitted
throughthewheels.
to suddenchange:Steady,reliable.
Stable:Resistant
Predictable:Beingwhatwas expected.Capableof beingforetold.
Standard:Authorized
or approved.
Optimum:Mostfavorable
or desirable.
Solving:Findingthe answerto.
featuresor qualities:
Distinguishing
Characteristics: Traits.
Damping:A restraining forceor factor.
or discouraging
Chatter:Thevibration fromthe tirescausedby the rapidgrippingand
of traction.
releasing
16 Application:The actof applyingor using.

Setting up a bike to both hold
your line and scrub otf speed
in slow and medium turns and
still work in the fast stuff is
one of the most difticult things
to clo.
It's simple: Crack it on - let it
settle- come into it.
No matter which line you
use, good throttle control
makes it work.
18
CHAPTER
ThrottleControl
Everyman'sldeal Line
Everyone hasa "line"througheveryturnhe everrides.lt is the
pathtraveled, of realestateusedto negotiate*
a description the turn:
you
That'sthe definition.
But,howdo determine.the bestline?lf youfind
a goodline,howdo you holdit? Whatcouldholdyou backfromchoosing
and usinga goodline?
Thewholesubjectof lines is far simplerthanI firstimagined, and it
followsthe basicruleof throttlecontrol:In fact,it is almostidentical..
The
line that allowsthe throttleto be applied,exactlyby the rule,is an
idealline.(Thelinethatdoesnotallowthethrottleto be applied,exactly
by the rule,is notan idealline.)
DifferentStrokes
I don't mean to misleadyou. The "everyman'sideal line"does not
exist, and it never will. Differentlines are the rider's own personalway of
seeingand doing his job: A concatenation.of his strongand weak points,
dos and can't dos and machinelimitations,and, of course,his SR
threshold..
Also, pavementvariations(bumps,ripples,patches,etc.) can affect
tractionadversely.and prompt the rider to change his line. To deal with a
pavementproblem,you (1) changeyour suspension,(2) changeyour line
or (3) ignorethe problemand continue. A top riderwillcomeup witha
combination solutionof all three.Numberthreeis the hardestto achieve
becauseit meansovercoming yourSR responsesto the trackconditions.
ridersroutinely.
On the racingcrrcuits, complainaboutthetrack
being"rougher thanlastyear."At any
first, changestheynoteare bad
ones.Yetnormally,by the end of the weekend,everyoneis goingfaster
thantheydid the yearbefore!

Find the Line

Eachtime you back off the throttleor slow your basicthrottle
roll-onthrougha turn, it costs time and stability.Yourapproach to the
turndetermines whetherthishappensor not.Decreasing radius(DR)turns
are theclassicexample(seediagram). Takinga standard approach to the
first radiusalwaysforcesyou to back-offthe gas in midturn.That'snot an
ideallinebecauseit immediately violatesthe throttlerule.
Let'snotconfusea double-apex turnwitha DR.In a double-apex
turn(seediagram) you maywellrolloff the gasto getthe biketurned
betweenthe two partsof the corner.Thisallowsyouto fully andcorrectly
controlthe throttleon the exit. of the secondpartof the cornerand not be
"stuck"withholdingthe gassteady.In fact,"stuckon the gas"is oneof the
primaryindicators thatyou havea "badline."Of course!lt violatesthe
throttlerule.

There is a blg dlfference

between a Decreasing
Radiusturn and a double
apex turn. Throttle control
is the key to both.

19

You can't say it too much:
Gradually increase the
throttle without getting out of
it.
20
Line FollowsGas
Line followsgas,or, ride for the throtile:a good line allows
standarduse of the throttle.Thereis no otherdefinition
of a goodline.
Stuck On the Gas
lf you aren'trolling-onthrottlein a turn,you'reslowingdown.
Indeed,youcan be rollingon buttoo slowlyand stilllosemph!Mostriders
thinkthatjustcracking the gason makesthe bikeaccelerate. Nottrue.Try
it. Go intoa turnon yourstreetbike, justcrackthe throttleandwatchthe
speedo.(Usea safeplaceto try this,likea racetrack). lf you'vegotthe
bikeleanedovermuchat all,you'llseethe speedometer readingdrop.You
haveto be rollingthe throttleon just to holda constantspeed(50/50
weightdistribution), let aloneto acceleratehardenoughto reachthe ideal
40/60weighttransfer.(Youhaven'tforgottenthis fromChapter2, have
you?)
Hold lt
Underwhatconditions willyourbikeholda constant* linethrougha
turn?Off-the-gas
transfers weightforward,tending.to makethe bikestand
up and runwide.On-the-gas too muchdoesthe samething.(Note:lf you
thinkyourbikegoes to the insideof the turnwhenyou comeoff the gas,
you'reunconsciouslysteeringit to the inside.Tireprofilesandsuspension
settingsmay havean effecton this as well).
The only reliableway to hold a constantline throughany turn
is with standard40/60throttle control. This is anotherone of those
machinerequirements*: lt is an idealscenefor the bike;it is howyou
achievestabilityin a turnwithrespect* to yourline'sradius*. Justask
yourself.ls it goodto havea predictableline?ls it a plusto knowwhere
the bikeis going,up aheadin theturn?Do you noticesmallchangesin
line?Mostimportant: Do changesin linefireup yoursurvivalreactions?
that"intoofast"or "goingtoo wide"triggerSR #1
lsn'tit interesting
In turns,SR #1 putsthe bikeprecisely
(roll-off)? whereyoudon'twantit,
doingprecisely whatyoudon'twantit to do (runningwide).
Exception
Thereis an exception" to the throttlecontrolrule:Wide-open, top-
gearturns.TurnOneat BrainerdInternational Racewayis a perfect
example. Youcomeintoit afterone mile of straightaway. On a current
600ccor 750cc production
or a 250ccGP bike,the turn is takenwiththe
throttlewide-open. Whatcan you do? Youcan'trollon the throttlebecause
it'salreadyfull on.Whathappensif you'rehalfwayor two-thirds of the way
througha wide-open turnandyou rollott/on?Yougo wide,right now,the
bikebouncesaroundand is not stable.(Thisis oneof the most
challenging andfunturnsin America.On a 250ccGP bikeit is takenat
13,000in sixthgear,or about159mphat the entrance).
sidenote:Howwouldyougearyourbikefor Turn
An interesting
Oneat Brainerd?Wouldyou haveit reachpeakrpmat the endof the
straight,a normalgearinggoal? Not on a 600, 750 or 250. Once you lean
the bike over it will pick up about 500 more rpm becauseyou're runningon
a part of the tire which has a smallerdiameter.,effectivelyloweringthe
gear ratio. So if you geared for the straightawayyou'd be bouncingoff the
rev limiterat the entranceto the cornerand the bike would not be near
40i60 weightdistribution. The solutionis to reachthe 40160goal with the
gearinginsteadof the throttle.lf you gearedthe bike to run 500 or so rpm
lowerthan normalat the end of the straight,the enginewill continueto pull
once you're in the turn and the bike will hold the line perfectly.

F i n eP o i n t ?
The aboveis, at firstglance,a veryfine pointof ridingbut it actually
containsa practicallessonfor everyturn.Remember thatleaningintoa
lowersthe gearratio.lf you downshifttoo manytimes
cornereffectively
and putthe enginein too highan rpmrangeat the turnentrypoint,the
momentyou leanoveryou couldbe stuckon the revlimiterinsteadof
pullingthroughthe cornersmoothly. The bikewill,of course,slowdown
fromthe corneringforcesand wind dragin anyturnand at Brainerd you
haveto downshift at the exitof TurnOneto keepthe revsup.The pointis
notto be stuckon the revlimitermid-turn.
Alongthesesamelines,youmayglanceat thetach(whilestill
leanedover)comingoff a longsweeperontoa straight,see the tach
needleat the redline,andthinkit'stimeto upshift:lt isn't,becauseas you
ontothe larger-diameter
stand-it-up. centerof the tire,the revswillthengo
down.lf you upshifttoo early(especially
on a 250ccGP bike)the bike
won'tpullstronglyandyou'llhaveto waitfor the engineto buildrpm.
Tlre dlameter varies greatly
lrom straight-upto leaned-
over. This has a big affect
o n e n g i n eR P Mi n t u r n s .

\
en ,tira-iinepoint is gearinga SOOcc GP bike so that it runs into
the rev limiter,on purpose,at the turn exit. In this case, the rider is
spinningthe tire and allowsthe rev limiterto cut in so the wheelspindoes
not becomeexcessiveand wind up highsidinghim. The powertapersoff
smoothlyand the ridercan leave it on the rev limiterfor a momentwith no
ill effects. The only drawbackis havingto shift beforethe bike is totally
vertical.How'sthat for precisionbike set-upand riding? 21

The tarther you lean it over,
the longer you will be
"stuck" with the throttle.
Starting the real acceleration
too early will make you have
to re-adjustyour turn ancl
lose time.
22
OtherExceptions
Thereare a few otherspecificturnsthatdo notfollowthe rule
mainlybecauseof bumpsand/ormid-turn(ott)camberchangesand radius
changes, andtheyare downhill. Thecarousels at SearsPointand Road
Americaare perfectexamples.Youdo haveto stopthe throttleaction(not
roll-off)for a momentor two or you witlsimplybe goingtoo fast and too
wideat the exitwherethe roll-onis mostimportant.
PowerLine
The powercharacteristicsof yourbikeand the suspension settings
havemuchto do withyourline.On a 500ccGP bike, you maydropsome
cornering speedto usethe acceleration. On a125ccGP bike,youcan't
sacrificecornering speedfor anything. makesthe bikea
lf its suspension
littleslowto turn,you'llhaveto waitlongerto standit up and be easywith
the gas mid-turn to avoidrunningwide.
Perhapsyou'venoticedsomeridersstandingthe bike up rather
quicklytowardsturn-endwhereasothersallowthe biketo arc. throughand
comeup gradually.. Slowsteeringmightbe the answeras to why.So
mightthefactthatthe rideris a bit greedywiththe gas,earlierin the turn,
and hasto keepthe bikeleanedoverto stayon the track.He mayjust like
to do it thatway. (Ofcourse,the quickerthe bikeis stoodup,the less
resistance* you havefromthe corneringforcesand the fasieryou
accelerate).
The End
Let'sclearsomethingup.Wheredoesa turnend?Eachturnhasan
exactpoint it
where ends. That for eachriderandeach
pointis different
Whereyou cando anything
bike.Definition: withthe gasyouwantto,
whereyou are braveagain,whereyourattentionis freefromthe turn,
whereyou are sureyoucando it betternexttime;that'sthe end.
point:there is a choicein lines but they all follow
The important
the throttle rule.

The tracksurlaceis the samefor everyoneon a racecourse,the best

ridersjust adaptquicker.Withproblemareasyou haveto comeup witha
planor a solutionso youdon'tbecomestuckin anything; mainlyyoujust
handlethe SRs and thatcoversit. I get a goodmentalpictureof myselfin
everyturnto get a startingpoint,thengo out and do it. I Usethe same
mentalimagepictures to getan ideaof whatthe bikeshouldbe doingas
wellas whatI shouldbe doingas an idealfor theturn.Thereis a timeto
thinkaboutit anda timeto do it.
D.G,

Definitions

movethrough,aroundor overa giventerrain.

Negotiate:To successfully
Determine:Decideor settle:To conclude
afterreasoning
or observation,
ldentical:Exactlyequaland alike.
in a series:A chain.
Beinglinkedor connected
Concatenation:
Threshold:The pointat whicha stimulusbeginsto producean effect.
manner.
Adversely:In a contraryor unfavorable
a usualprocedure.
Routinely:Regularly;
Exit:The endof a turn.
Constant:Notchanging
or varying:Uniform;
regular.
Tending:Beinginclined
to do something.
Thatwhichis necessary.
A thingdemanded.
Bequirement:
Respect:Withregardto, in relation
to.
Radius:A straightlineextending
fromthe centerof a circleto the edge.
Thecurveof a turn.
to the generalrule.
Exception:An instanceor casenot conforming
Diameter:Thewidthof a cylindrical
object.
position
Stand-it-up:To bringa bikefroma leaned-over to an uprightone.
Arc: To movein a curve.
by smalldegree;littleby little.
Gradually:Changing
Resistance:
A forcethattendsto opposeor retardmotion.
 CHAPTER 5

ThrottleControl
Get lt On
lf goodthrottlecontrolis responsible
for goodcorneringcontrol,
(i.e.,suspension in bestrange,tiresdeliveringoptimumtraction, line
predictable, etc.),whenwouldyou likeit to start?In whatpartof theturn
shouldyou haveall thesegoodthingshappening? Exactlywhen do you
get it on?

Street Lazy
Streetridersgenerallywait untilabouttwo-thirdsof the way through
a turnbeforetheyrollthethrottleon. Undernormallow-speed or urban*
trafficsituationsa motorcycle
doesnot seemto mindif you coastthrough
turns.Mostnewriderstaketo thiscoastingtechnique likea duckto water
becauseit doesnottriggerthe "intoofast"or "goingtoo wide"SR
responses. Undermorespiritedcornering all the positive
conditions,
resultsof good,standardthrottlecontrolare reversedwhileoff the gas,
decelerating.

Off-Gas Results

thefronttireand underloading
1. Weightis forward,overloading the
rear,reducing available
traction,
2. Suspension is out of its idealrange,causingthe biketo over-
reactto the pavement.
3. Steeringresponsequickens,addingto any twitchytendencies.
4. The bikewantsto wanderoutward,notholdinga line.
groundclearance
5. Cornering is reduced.
6. The bikeslows.
When you get to the throttledetermines wherethe bikeis actually
working.The earlierintoa corneryouget ontothe gasthe sooneryou
havethe suspension in-range*, and so on.The laterinto
weighttransferred
a corner you get ontothe gas, you
the morelikely areto be gas"greedy"
for the exit.(lt'sa termI learnedat a SkipBarbercar school,and I repeatit
herebecauseit describes perfectly).
thissituation

24
 When do you "get it on"?
When you want the bike to
start working - as soon as
possible.

When?

As soon as possible.Youget the gas on at the earliestpossible Youjudge how fast to enter a
momentin a corner.Thisdoesnotmeanat the apex*,rightbeforetheapex turn by getting to the point
where the back comes
or rightafterthe apexor at any partrcular
partof the turn,it meansas arounda little bit. But even
soon as possible. then you want to get it lined
up by getting the gas on.

How?

Thereare someadditionalguidelines. Normally,ridersdon'tget Steering and throttle are

backontothethrottleuntilafterthe steeringis completed.Thismakes linked. Turning the front end
into the turn and getting the
sense.Duringthe steeringprocess,it is verydifficult
to workbackintothe back to come arcund can
throttlesmoothlyenoughto keepit fromjerkingthe bikeand upsetting it. only be done on a few turns
in the U.S. Like the old turn
To meetthe throttlestandard,
steeringis completedbeforeyou startto #2 at Loudon. Youhave to
get it on. muscle the bike to do it and
you'vegot to be leanedway
In a turnandat speed,drive-linelash*is annoying;
it upsetsthe over or it will counter-steer
bike.Roughor suddenmovementof the throttle,fromoff to on, createsthe back up instead of biting and
turning in.
sameeffect.The changein weightdistribution from70 front/30 rear(off
the gas)to 40 front\60 rear(onthe gas)is doneas smoothly as possible
to maintainstabilityand traction.

25

'*;+,MH*E , ':.,).-,:,-. .. j:
Waiting too long for the
bike to settle is wrong
thinking. Gettingthe gas
on early does not add
problems,it solves them!
On a 500 you have to get it
upright as soon as possible
for the hard drive. One or two
tenthslate and it costs you
half a second on the straight.
You have to get them turned
and pointed. Corner speed
isn'tas importantas on most
other bikes.
26
Throttle Plan
Whatkeepsyou fromgettingit on soonerthanyou now do? lt can
be as simpleas (1)you neverthoughtaboutit, or (2) it scaresyou.Getting
the throttlecrackedand rolling-on
earlyandsmoothly shouldbe yourbasic
plan,at everyturn.
Overcoming the very strongSR trigger,whichforcesyou to stay
awayfromthe gas,simplyhasto be handledandcan be handledwith
practice.
Perhapsit can be tamedwithunderstanding.
lf you don't lose traction going in, getting to 40/60won't make
it crash,it will makeit handle.
Takeanotherlookat Off-GasResults1 through6 above:Youdon't
add newand unwanted you reducethemall.Yourjob
forcesby rolling-on,
is to reducethem as soon as possible.
Throttle 1/1Oths
In realtimeand space,each0.1-second that you stayawayfrom
the gas is overone bikelength
of distancein a 60 mphturn.In fact,it is 8.8
feet.(60mph= 88 feetpersecond;120mph= 176feetpersecond).
To put0.1-second in evenbetterperspective*, snapyourfingers
twiceas fastas youcan.Thatshorttimebetweenthe two snapsis 0.1to
O.2-second! Now,howmanyof thesepreciouslittle1/1Oths do you spend
whilewaitingfor the biketo settleor to get a fix on leanangleor speedor
traction?lt doesn'ttakemuchto burnup O.S-second (twolazysnaps)and
you're44 teetdownthe road.
It doesn'tmeanyou lostO.S-secondin laptime,it meansyoudidn't
havethe bikeworkingwelloverthat lengthof trackand thereis a time loss
aswell.
1 00ths
Averaging 1.0mphfaster(60mphvs. 59 mph)throughone short
turn(150feetmeasured fromstraight-upgoingin, to straight-up
coming
out)givesyou 3/100ths
of a secondimprovement in laptimeor putsyou
about2.6feetaheadof a competitor 1.0mphslowerthanyou;
travelling
 that'sabout1/3bike-length. On a nine-turn track(if all theturnswere60
mph),evenif you could not gain one foot on himdownthe straights, you
wouldbe nearly24teelaheadby the endof the nextlap;that's over three
b i k e - l e n g t hI snla l o n g( 1 2 8 0 - f o ot tu)r na t 1 2 0m p hv s . 1 2 1 m p ht,h e
difference in soeedtranslates into6/100ths of a secondand1-112
bikelengths. The reasonbehindthe old racer'ssaying,"9ofastin thefast
turns,"is obviousfromthesenumbers. The reasoning in the other
wisdom*,"don'ttry to makeit up in slowturns,"becomesclearas well.
You'dhaveto go nearly5.0 mphfasterto makeup that 1'112bikelengths in
a slow turn! Forget it!

Get lt On

Eachmomentyou hesitate*in crackingthe gas and gettingto 40/60 You always aim to get the
bike pointed by midlurn, that
reducesyouraveragespeedthroughthe turn,lessens
weightdistribution gives the most options with
controland handling laptimes.
and increases the throttle on the way out.

I try to getthethrottleon justbeforemaxleananglefor the turn.Thisis

howyougetthe biketo settleintotheturncomfortable. The gripon the
rightis the fun regulator.
D.G.

Definitions
Urban:Of or dealingwitha cityor town.
scopeof something.
In-range:ln the operating
Apex:The mid-point
in a curve.
andgears.
in the chain,cush-drive
Lash:Theamountof free-play
of oneaspectto anotherandthe whole.A
The relationship
Perspective:
view.
Wisdom:A wisesayingor teaching.
Hesitate:To waitto act becauseof fearor indecision.

'&W&&W-,.l^a

Sometimesyou can just get
overloadedand frozen, then
you windup off the outside ot
the track.
The various torceg created
while riding are both the
fun and terror of it. We use
these forces to gauge
ourselves.
28
CHAPTER
ThrottleControl
The Force
ls too much force* fuel for the panic machine?Too much speed,
too much acceleration,too much braking,too much corneringforce and so
on? Too littleor the rightamountof these forces neveroverwhelmed*
anyone.lf you could controlthem at a higherlevelthan you now do, would
your ridingbe better?Controllingthe forces on a motorcyclepreventsyou
from beingconfusedand overwhelmedby your survival reactions.
A LittleToo MuchForce
Confusioncan resultfrom eithertoo many forcesor too much.A
fascinating*experimentwas conductedwith peopleat a universityin which
a small amountof heat (not enoughto burn),and a small amountof cold
(not excessive),were added to an electricalcurrent(not enoughto shock),
and when touchedto the skin producedthe sensationof intense pain.
Riding involvesvarious forces that act on you; none of them are difficultto
handleindividuallybut how aboutwhen they come together,like in the
experiment?
Clearly,ridersare able to handlethe amountof speed that allows
them to stay on top of their survival responses and still keep track of the
otherforcesof riding-without becomingoverwhelmed.That'swhy most
riders have at least fair riding at 75 percentof their ability and big errors at
B0 percentand above. A very importantexamplefollows.
OO '99o"%
'/.r/rii
rfi,fr
7.
Charging
turns,the mostcommonerroris "charging"-
In high-speed-entry lf you start slow and
accelerateyou might feel
goingin as far as possible
withthe gaswideopen,thenchopping the
instability, front tuck or it just
throttlehardand havingto coastin or brakelightlyto the
scrub-off excess won't trackbut it could still
speed.Ridersalwaysgiveup far too much speedas a resultof thisstyle work at the higherspeeds:
start slow.
of riding.Andsincethe largestgainsin laptimesare madein high-speed
turns,chargingbecomesa hugebarrierto lap-timeimprovement.

Discharging

Herearethe stepsfor lowering

thevoltagefromthisself-
generated*
SR:
1. Approachthe turnat a speedyou know for sure you can The last thing to try is
turnandthefastguysare charging the turns.
handle.Let'ssaythisis a sixth-gear
goingin wideopenat 13,000rpm.Youstartout 3000or even4000
rpm underthat.Youapproachthe turnat a constantthrottle,at that
rpm.
2. As youturnin, roll-onthe gasto getthe 40/60weighttransfer.
Remember, speedso rollingon should
this is at a non-threatening
not produceany panicwhatsoever or do anythingexceptmakethe
bikestable.
3. The nextpassis donea few hundredrpmhigher.Depending on
the bikeandgearing,eachadditional1000rpmproducesroughly
10 to 15 mphin sixthgear.Everytimeyou moveup the scale500
rpm,you raiseyourspeedabout5.0to 7.5 mph.Each100rpmis
1 . 0t o 1 . 5m p h .
4. Continue steps1 through3 untilyou reachyourlimitor the bike's
limits.This getsthe speedrightand avoidsthe SR's triggeredby
"charging."
"Charglng" turns makes
you late coming back in the
throttle (1).The calm,
controlledapproach may
feel slower but usually it's
much faster (2)

Coast
Chop
Taperoff
throttle
Wideopen
Wideopen

Recharge
Forturnsthatreallyaren'twideopen,the additional
stepsto this Some guys think they have to
be just quick but you have to
d r i l la r e :
be controlled.
1. Approachthe turnwideopenbutstartthe roll-offwell beforeyou
wouldif youwerechargingand makeit a smooth,evenroll-off.

When the bike is tracking OK
it's easier to sort out your
speed. lf it goes out of line or
twitches from chopping it,
you can't feel it as easy.
The majority of your senses
going in are focused on
speed. Once in the turn, you
want to sense the bikes'
feedback.
30
2. Getthe throttlecrackedopenand rolling-on rightaway.As above,
if youare approaching it one stepat a time,youwillfindthe limits
of thisturnin the safestand mostcontrolled way possible.
The "kink"at RoadAmerica, the carouselat Searspoint,TurnNine
at Laguna,the infieldsweeperat Daytona, TurnTwoat Willow,are more
examples wherethishasworked.In manycasesthe riderfinds he never
had to roll-off completely.or, he findshe rolls-offbut onlyfor an instant,
just longenoughto knowwhereoff is. Any ideaof usingthe brakesis just
a memory.Another sR defeatedby understandingthrotfle control and
machinebasics.
Be Suspicious
In any turn (realbrakingturnsexcepted)whereyou are temptedto
chopthe throttleand/orusethe brakeslighily,lookat it witha suspicious*
eye and see if goodthrottlecontrolwon'tgainan evenbetterresult.
Amping-upyourSRs by chargingmay be excitingbut notfast and
chargingdoesn'tagreewithmachinedesign.
Throttlecontrol rule numbertwo: in any fast-entryturn,
calculatethe roll-offas carefullyas you would a roll-on.
Doesthis afsoagreewithsuspension
design,weighttransferand
traction?
Force Gauges
We use the variousforces createdby our machinesin many
ways; in fact, we gauge*most of what we do by them. Forcesproduced
by braking, accelerating,
cornering,
etc.arethe real stuff of riding.We
cometo depend.on someof themfor information or feedback. However,
as in the aboveexamples of Charging
turns,theycan be deceptive..
SortingOut The Forces
Perhapsit is difficultto sort-out*the differencebetweenthe higher
(around1.0G maximum) loadof the brakingand cornering forcesfromthe
muchlesspronounced acceleration (.1 to .2 G) requiredfor optimum
traction/suspension.Manyridershavetroublewiththispoint.Throtile
control producesthe leastof the forcesencounteredwhile
cornering-whendone correctly.As yourturnentryspeedscomeup and
you get on thethrottleearlier, youwillbeginto discover just howlighta
touchmid-turn throttlerequires.
Emotionally.,shiftingyoursensesfromheavybrakingand
corneringto lightaccelerationloadsmay havesomebearingon why it is
Afterall,abandoning*
difficult. a greaterforcefor a lesserone,whenyou're
tryingto go fast,evensoundswrong.However,we are talkingabout
machinerequirements, nota rider'sdreamsof factoryrides.
The Forces At Work
Any turn is full of importantforcesto monitor.There'sdeceleration
frombrake,engineandwinddragcomingup to the turn;the forcecreated
 by turningthe bike,the loadfromthe tires"setting,"
thencornering (tire
force);
frictionvs. centrifugal. then plus
acceleration corneringand wind
drag(infastturns)throughthe middleand exit.Justas in the pain
experiment, noneof themmaybe a problem,
individually, buttwo or more
togethercancauseconfusion.
Forcesare something youdealwithwhileriding.The standard
techniques of throttlecontrolputyou in commandovermanyof theforces,
and one of the by-products those
is defeatingthe SRs that accompany
forces.In correctlyusingthe throttle-to set entryspeed-you are making
it a littleeasieron yourselfandon the bike.
Speedis the force that lights up our SRs qulckerthan
anything:throttle control is the way to tame them.

At one trackit took Keith10 yearsto talk me intousingthe throttle

correctlyin the lastturnentries.Gentlyrollingoff and backon at a similar
ratecaneliminate timeconsuming complications suchas: shuttingoff the
gas,grabbingthe brakeand just gettingit crackedbackon just right.Of
course,all the ridingtimeI havehashelpedsortoutthe different loadsa
riderfeelson the bike but now I feelas though I can sortthemequally and
not haveany one of themconsumetoo muchattention.Anothersimplebut
usefultool is knowingthesedifferentwaysthatthe bikeslows(TheForces
at Work)eachof themcan be usedindividually or, sometimes,altogether.
D.G.

Definitions

Force:Strengthor powerexerteduponan object.

Overwhelm:To overcome as by physicalor emotionalforce.
completely
Fascinating:Havingthe powerto captureinterestand holdthe attention.
Self-generated:Producedfromwithin.
Suspicious:Believing to be false,undesirable
something or bad.
commonsenseor experience:
Calculate:To determineby reasoning, To
figureout.
or judge.
Gauge:To evaluate
Depend:To relyon.
creatinga falseappearance.
Deceptive:Misleading;
Sort-out:To findthe differences
betweenone thingand another:To clarify.
anyof thefeelingsof joy,
to emotion;involving
Emotional:Of or relating
fear,
sorrow, hate, etc.
Abandoning:Leavingor ceasingto operateor inhabit.
Centrifugal:Movingor directedoutwardfromthe center.
CentrifugalForce:The tendencyof a bodyrotatingaboutan axisto move
outward.

ffi&i,,,':,i*t;.-,,, t. ...-,
 CHAPTER 7

Rider lnput
RidersCreateMore ProblemsThan
MotorcyclesAre DesignedTo Handle.
Basedon the amountof wiggling,squirmingand overuseof
controlsmost ridersexhibit,the bike would, if it could,surelyask them to
leave.Much like an uneducatedpassengerwho tries to ,,correct" by
counter-leaning"mid-corner,riders create instabilityon their own mounts.

Hanging-On can be as
importantas Hanging-Off.
The awkward seating
position is an attempt to find
a stable place to hang on.

32
Rider TechnologY
As an example,mostNoviceKneeDraggers try to hangoff andsteer
at the samemoment.Thisis a big mistakeas it onlyservesto makethe
bikewiggleat theirturn-inpoint.Oneof the reasonsthe hanging-offriding
styleworksso well is thatyourbodyis alreadyin a low and stableposition
on the bikewhenyouflick it intothe corner.The correcttechnique is:

1. Getoverintopositionwellbeforethe actualsteeringinput,
just
usually before you rolloff the gasand pullon the brakes.
seatedso
2. Stabilizeyourselffor the brakingbut be comfortably
you will not haveto makeany additionalbody position
changes
throughout the entireturn.
3. Clampontothe bike,justtightenough,withyouroutsidelegor
bootpressedto the bodyworkor, in somecases,usethe tankby
pressingyourkneeagainstthe sideor yourarm acrossthe top of
the tank.or do all of the above'
You'rein theturn!
to the handlebars.
4. Applysteeringpressure

Stability
In the esses*,whereoneturnimmediately followsthe other,you /n esses, you're always trying
it quickerbut startslowerand
time your steeringso it comesrightafteryou settleto the seat.The smoother so you finallYget to
mistakeis tryingto turnwhileyou'removingfromone sideto the otherside turning it when your weight
anchoredto it' There'salmost hits the seat.
of the bikeand aren'tfirmlyand comfortably
no way to completely eliminate quick-turntransition* wigglesbut tryingto
steerwhileyou'reoff the seataddsunnecessary inputintothe bars
because they become your primary* pivotpoint.
Tryingto steerand hangoff at the sametime and tryingto steer
whilemovingfromone sideof the biketo the otherare just two of the ways
riderscontribute* fuelfor theirSR firesand upsetthe bikein the process.
The nextfourchaptersexplainhowto remainin maximum controlof your
bikewiththe minimumamountol effort'

useyour
Don'tjustsit therelikea lumpon the seat,helpthe suspension,
legslikean extraset of shocks.
D.G.

De f i n i t i o n s
Theactof a passenger
Counter-leaning: on a motorcycle in the
leaning
oppositedirectionfromthat of the rider.
Esses:Twoor moreturnsin succession, capableof beingtaken
generally
"S"
and laidout in an elongated shape.
at high-speed
or passagelromone place,state,stage,etc'to
Transition:Movement
another.
Primary:First:Firstin orderof anyseries.
Contribute:To give(money, force,etc')to a common
time,assistance, 33
supply,fund,effect,etc.

You have to build confidence
in the bike, your first
"instinct" is to tighten up.
Too tight on the bars ls
survival reaction #2.
34
CHAPTER
RiderInput
Holding On
Haveyou evernoticedyourforearmspump-upwhileriding?Do
yourhandsbecometired duringor afterspiritedcorner-carving sessions?
Thesearetwo of the mainindicators (thereare manymore)tellingyou
somethingis wrong. Whatare the indicatorssaying?Howyou holdonto
the bikeis quitean art all in itself. In fact,it is actuallya separate
technology with its own rules(Wouldn'tyou knowit?),its areas*of
agreement and disagreement wrthmachinetechnology and,naturally,
SRs
thatcan ruinyourridingtime.
Do you commandyourarmsto tense-upor do theydo it
automatically.? Do you needfurtherproofthisis a survivalreaction?Try
this.Takea seriesof turnsat-speed. and stiffen-upyourbodyon purpose
as you ridethroughthe turns;reallyholdthe bikeand barstight.Formost
riders,it'sthe onlywayto discoverexactlywhat'shappening. Generally,
ridersdon'tnoticetheirpumped-up armsuntiltheyslowdown.ls this
automatic?
l
j
Survival Reaction#2
Again,by surveyof over 8000 riders,the overwhelmingchoicefor
runner-upin the "unwantedridingconditions"class is: too tight on the
bars. The same triggersthat cause roll-off/roll-on
also fire up this
unconscious action. And yes, it is the sole* reasonfor the messageyour
arms and hands are sendinghome to you. The messageis: Pleasesend
oxygen, we are overworkedand starving.
My first inclination.is to simplysay, "relaxon the bike,"but,
becausewe're dealingwith SR's, it's not that easy.lf there was a way to
simplyhot-wire(bypass)these reactions,l'd tell you, but there rsn't.But we
can handlethem, usingeducationas our primarytool. So let's get smart
a b o u th o l d i n g o n .

Machine Demands

Dependingon road surfaceconditions,speed,tires and suspension Whenyou try to "force" the

your bike will head-shake,a littleor a lot, with some combinationof these bike to go faster on
acceleration the front gets
influences*.Any bike will do it. What most ridersfail to realize.is that this light and wiggles. That'sjust
shake is a necessary part of the bike's suspensionsystem*.This system you holding on too tight.

has two stages we can see right away, (1) the tire, and (2) the shock and
forks. The tire handlessome of the road's imperfectionsbecause it's As my confidenceand
rubber and flexes". When it reachesits limit of flex, the shock and forks understanding of the bike
increased the offset we had
take over to stabilizethe bike. What happenswhen these two systemsfail at the end of the season was
to handle the situation?The forks move, side-to-side. They are the next almost 10 degrees less than
at the staft.
thing that can move and they do. Why do they move?
When (1) and (2) above have reachedtheir limitsthe immediate
result is weight changes to the tires. Heavy/light,lighUheavy.A spread-out
contact patch* (when weightingis heavy) forces the forks to turn inwards. Don't judge your speed from
When weightinglightensup, the forks seek to returnto the centeredor mistakes. A slower entry
where you aren't tight and
neutralposition,to track*for the lean angleyou have.The fork doesn't makingit shake wouldhave
quite stop right at the perfect trackingposition,it goes slightlypast it. By worked better than upsetting
it and giving yourself a false
this time the tire has hit at leastone more surfaceimperfectionand is idea of speed.
goingthroughthe light/heavyphaseagain,spreadingthe contactpatch
and turningit inwards,then out and so on and so on. That'swhat shakes
the head.

Stop Shaking

No one is strongenoughto stop this from happening.In fact, if you

did stop it, the bike would instantly wobble violently and be totally
out of control. The good news is that if your bike is basicallytight Machine set-up and stability
(steeringhead bearingsnot excessivelyworn, forks and shock not sticking, help you to stay loose on the
bike. The balance is critical:
etc.)the head-shakestays up front and does not transferto the rest of the Enough weight on the front to
bike.The bad news is that these head shakesare transferred,back get it turned, but no more.
through the rider, after SR #2 has kickedin,
Riding a dirt bike in deep sand offers a dazzling*example of this
principle*.Hold tight and the bike feelstotallyunstableand readyto crash;
loosenup and it goes straight,even thoughthe front end is workingback-
and-forth.Ridingover rain groovescut in the highwaycan offer a milder
sampleof the same principle.
35
The process of Head Shake
begins when the tire hits a
rlpple and, along with the
suspension,compresses.
This throws the wheel
slightly off-center.

When the suspensionand

tire release,the wheel is light
and flicks back toward a
centeredposition,but again,
slightly off-center.

Still off-centerwhen it loads

again trom the next ripple;
again it is flicked past its
centered position.

The cycle ol flicking back

and forth repeals as the
front-end seeks to stabilize
through this automaticand
necessary self correcting
process.

36
 Relaxed on the bars allows
the front-endshake to remain
in the tront. Stiffeningon
them, transfersit, through
your body, to the whole bike.

Tight and Wide

Holdingtoo tightontothe barsalsomakesthe bike runwidein On a fast track you want
actionof the front- more fork angle or more
turns.Becauseof this self-correcting,
back-and-forth
otfset for stability-Slow
end and the outward-bound cornering forces, the bikewindsup going tracks: Whenyou steepen
widerthan it should.Also,the insidebar is the mostaccessable to hang head angle you also soften
the spring.
ontowhilecorneringand if the rideris stiff,he'scounter-steering* the bike
to the outside.

SteeringDampers
Whataboutsteeringdampers?Well,theydon'tstopheadshake When the bike is working
right AND you are working
completely,but theydo limitthe traveland intensityof the headshake.
right you don't need the
Becausethe damperis mountedveryfar forwardon the bike,it doesnot steering damper. Mine is at
havesufficient* leverage*to transferthe shaketo the restof the bike, the lowest setting.
althoughsomebikeswillshakeviolently if the damperis set too tightly.
Takingit one stepfurther,if the steeringdamperwas very longand
anchoredat the backof the bike,it wouldtransferthe head-shake to the
entirebike.The steeringdamperis notanotherdeviceto reducethe
effectsof SRs: lf you are stiffthe bikewill shakewith or withouta steering
damper.Dampersare necessaryon modernday motorcycles whichhave
steepsteering-head. angles,relatively* shortwheelbases and lotsof
power.

Faster Wobbles

the fasteryou go the morethe bikewill tendto head-

Essentially., Here again, too much weight
shake,especially comingoff the turnswhenthe frontreallyis lightand on the front will let the back
spin too easy and the bike
can'tfollowthe roadwell.Youhaveto ask yourself,"Howbad can head- shakes from spinning and
shakeget?" lf everything is tightandyoursteeringdamperis working hooking up but usually you
make it even worse.
okay,it onlygetsas badas you holdit tight!Remember to relax.
Overcoming the "tootight"SR is the hardpart.Allowingthe frontto "work"
is a standardridingtechnique whichagreeswithmachinedesign.
Too tight on the bars is the most common source of
motorcyclehandlingproblems.

37
 Bendingthe elbowsandwristsinsteadof straightarmingthe bikewillset
you up to be in a morefriendlyand relaxedposition on the bike.I onlyvary
o f t h a t ;m y g r i pi s a s
t h eg r i pw h e nl ' m m a k i n gs t e e r i ncgh a n g e sO: u t s i d e
equaland relaxedas I can makeit. Treatthe bikelikea friendand it won't
w o r ka g a i n syt o u .
D.G.

Definitions
Areas: Field of study,or a branch of a field of study.
Automatically: Starting,operating,moving,etc. independently.
At-speed: As fast or nearlyas fast as you could be or shouldbe going.
S o l e : B e i n gt h e o n l y o n e ;O n l y .
Inclination: A likingor preference.A dispositionor bent, especiallyof the
mind.
Influences:Thingswith the capacityor powerto be a compellingforce on
a n o t h e rt h i n go r p e r s o n .
Realize:To grasp or understandclearly.
System: A combinationof parts,assemblages,etc. forminga whole.
Flexes: The act of bending.
Contact patch: The actual foot print of the tire where it contactsthe road
surface.
Track: To follow the course or progressof.
Dazzling:To impressdeeply.Brilliant.
Principle: A primarylaw or truth from which othersare derived.
Counter-steering:To guide in an opposingmanneror direction.The act of
initiatinga turn by cockingthe handlebarsin the oppositedirectionto the
way you wish to go.
Sufficient: Enoughto do the job.
Leverage: The mechanicaladvantageor power gained by using a lever.
Steering-head: The forwardmostsection of the frame which holds the
bearings,steeringstem and tripleclamp assemblyby which the forks are
attachedto the bike.
Relatively: Comparedto others.
Essentially: Basically.

38
 CHAPTER

RiderInput
The ProblemOf Stability
lookthe waytheydo? ts it just
Whydo modernsportbikes
cosmetics?
Doesyourmachinehavedesignfunctions
you'renot using?
By beingrigid.on theirbikes,ridersCAUSEhandling difficutties.
Countlessnumbersof aftermarket* shocks,forks,steeringdampers,
customframes,tire profilesand otherparaphernalia*havebeendesigned,
manufacturedand wronglypurchasedby ridersto cureself-generated
handlingwoes.(However, a goodridercan benefitfromusingsuch
paraphernalia).

SR #2 Solutions

A numberof featureshaveevolvedto assistthe riderin becoming

lessof a bad influence
on the motorcycle.
Someof thesesolutions are:
High-backed(racingstyle)seatsanchorthe ridermorefirmly,
the needto hangon by grabbing
reducing the barstightly.
Largetanksprovideelbowor forearmrestsduringcornering.
Kneeslotson the gastank'ssideprovidea morestablewayto hold
on,allowingthe riderto usethe barsless.Talltankscanalso
providea chestrest.
Rearsetfootpegsgivethe ridera morestablepivot-point*
for
movingaroundand steeringthe bike.
Similarly,clip-onor loweredhandlebars allowthe riderto relyless
on the barsfor a pivot point,dropthe riderout of the buffeting"airstream
and put the riderin a morefavorable*steeringposition.

SR #2 Effects

Undersiandingthe functions*of the now-common

motorcycle
designfeaturesdescribedaboveand usingthemcorrectlywillputyou into
agreementwithyourbike.

Wind Riding

Mostridersbecomeanxiousaboutbeingblownaroundin the wind

andtightenon the bars.As the upperbodyis buffetedby the wind,it acts
likea sail..The bikeis thenbeingsteeredby thewind!Ridelooseand low,
andthe wind'seffecton the bikeis reducedby at least75 percent.

40
Some design leatures help reduce unwanted bar pressure

High-backedseats. Tall tanks for torso rest.

Arms rest on large tank. Knee "slots" in tank.

fr;)
Rear-setstyle footpegs. Cruiser style bikes rely on the bars as a primary pivot point.
 Auto Throttle

Otherkey riderjobs are similarlyatfected.Ridingthroughbumpy

turnsand beingstiffon the biketendsto rollthe throttleon and off:the
bikebucksevenmoreas you bounceup and downon the seat.Both
suspension and tractionare affectedbecausestandardthrottlecontrolis
not maintained. Thiscan be quitedramatic. Solution:Usethe "elbow
check" in turns.lf youcaneasilyand looselymoveyourelbows,you
aren'ttoo tighton the bars.

InsideInfo
Tryingto anchor*yourselffirmlyon the bikerequires a placeto hold
on. Unfortunately,
the insidebar is the handiest thingto holdon to. The
problemcreatedis that the bikewill go to the outsideof the turnbecause
youare counter-steering (pullingon the insidebar)towardthe outsideof
theturn.Holdingontothe bikewithone legor bothlegseliminates this
oftenbafflingproblem.Restingthe elbowon the tankcan helpand having
the seatsectionshortenoughto useas a pivotpointfor the bodycanalso
be a workable solution.

FastTurns
In very-high-speedturns the wind is trying to twist you back off the
bike, especiallyif you have a knee out; the knee acts like a sail. Stayingas
low as possibleon the bike helps. Keepingyour leg/kneeas close to the
bike as possibleis also good.

Hanging Off
Thehanging-off
ridingstylehasan unfavorable
side-effect
in store
for riderswho don't understandhandlebarinputs.Movingup and over from
one side of the bike to the other by pullingon the handlebarsimmediately
makesthe bike wiggle,especiallyunderacceleration.But pullingyourself
back onto the seat by usingyour outsideknee or leg againstthe tank
reduceshandlebarinputsand and avoidsthe problem.

DriveShakes
The samegoesfor accelerating outof turnswhenthe frontof the
bikeis lightand/orthereare ripplesin the pavement.The bikeshakes
becauseyou'reholdingon tight.Alsoconsidergoodthrottlecontrol;a nice,
smooth,evenroll-onis verydifficultwhenyou havea deathgripon the
bars.

Wheelie

Theverysameprinciple appliesto settinga wheeliedown.Tighton

the barsandwheelnot linedup withthe bike'sdirection
at set-down
producesthe shakes.

42
 False Speed
Holdingon tightalsotransfersmoreenginevibrationto yourhands
andarms.Thisnotonlytiresthemoutand makesthemnumb(which
causesyou to holdon eventighter)but alsogivesthe impression- you are
goingevenfasterthanyou are and/orthat the engineis turningoverfaster
thanit is.

FalseSuspension
Hereagain,holdingon too tightmakesthe riderreceivetoo much
input;the ridersenseseverymovementof the bikewhenit isn'timportant.
Thetighteryou holdon,the biggerthe bumpsseem.Smallshakesof the
front-endare amplified.as well' SR #2 makesthemall worse.

Lefts and Rights

The age-oldmysteryof riderspreferringleftturnsor rightturnsis

easyto resolve*.They'reuncomfortable on the bikein one or the otherand
are simplyholdingon too on
rigidly, their"bad"side.

BlurredVision
Ridingrigidlycanshakeyourhelmetand headenoughto blur
vision.Hereagain,bumpsand windbutfetingare dramatically
exaggerated'whenriderskeeptheirbodiesstiff.The moreyou try and
holdyourheadstill,the moreit movesin short,choppyjerksthat blurthe
visionand makeyournecksore.

SR #2 Conclusions
Confusion is the resultof too muchinputto the riderat onetime.
Holdingon too tightlycouldcauseup to 11 badeffectsin onesingleturn'
possiblyevenall at once.SR #2 createsan exhausting of
chain-reaction
unwanted inputandcorrections to the machine.

By beingcomfortable and havingthe ideayoufit on the bike,yourbody

position
will be moreconducive to makingit easierto controlthe bikeand
use good ridingtechnique.In thiswayyou'renotfightingyourself. lt's most
importantto usethe footpegsto unweightthe bodywhilechanging
positionson the machine.This holdsexcessivehandlebaruseagedownto
a minimumand reducesupperbodyfatigue.
D.G.

Definitions
Rigid:Notbending;inflexible.
Aftermarket:The marketfor replacement parts,accessories
and
equipment product
of the original
for the careor enhancement afterits sale
to the customer.

,,&)a'uiii€W*:,;;;
 Paraphernalia:Equipment
or apparatususedin or necessary
for a
particularactivity.
Pivot: A pin,pointor shortshafton the end of whichsomethingrestsand
turns.
Point: A particularspot.
Buffeting:Strikingor pushingagainstrepeatedly.
Favorable:Advantageous;
givingadvantage,
opportunity
or convenience.
Function:The kindof activityproperto a personor thing.The purposefor
whichsomething is designed.
Sail: A pieceof canvasor clothspreadto the windto causea vesselto
move.
Anchor: To securefirmlyas if by an anchor.
lmpression:A strongeffectproduced
on the intellect,
feelings,
etc.
Amplified:Madelargeror morepowerful:
Increased.
Resolves:Reachesa solution
to: Solves.
Exaggerate:To increaseor enlargeabnormally;
to magnify.

44

When it slides, that first
instinct says Chop lt but the
bike is making a tighter
corner from the slide and you
don't have to. You stand it uD.
If you don't raise it up in a
slide, the back end just keeps
on coming around.
46
CHAPTER 10
RiderInput
Riding and Sliding
ls a motorcycle trulyoutof controlwhensliding?Howdo you save
it whenthefrontor reartiregivesup traction? Whydon'tthe fastguys
crashwhentheirbikesslide?Whilewigglesandshakesare distracting,
thereis a far moredramaticand deadlyresultfrom SR #2 that you should
fullyunderstand and it hasto do withsliding.
Perfect Design
Takethis idea:A motorcycle in motionis a prettystabfe*unitif left
aloneby the rider.Putthe bikeintoa slideto see if it'strue.Doesthe
motorcycle feelstableto you whensliding?lt should,if you'redoingit
right.
ln the mosttypicalof slides,you havethe backend ucoming
around."Whatisn'tunderstood by mostridersandsomething thatbrings
up a very realdrawbackof SR #2, is the factthat the bikeactually
compensates*for this slide automatically.
In a rearendslidethe frontendturnstowardthe direction the bike
is actuallygoing-intothe slide.The mainmassof the bikeis moving
outwardandthefrontwheelturnsjustthe rightamountto stabilize it. This
featurecomesfree of chargewitheverymotorcycle. In a car, if the back
endcomesaround,the frontwheelsturnto the insideof the turn,creating
a pivotpointfor the car'smass,and it spinsout.Learning howto drivea
car in the snowis mostlya matterof understanding that you haveto
manually turnthe wheelintothe skidto stabilize
it. Youdon'ton a bike.
Whenthe bikeslidesandSR #2 is triggered, the riderwithgood
reactionsand a strongbackis in trouble.lf the rideris successfulat
holdingthe barstightenoughthattheydon'tturnintothe slide,the bike
nowactslikethe car:The frontcontactpatchbecomesa pivotpoint,
exceptthata motorcycledoesn'tspinout,it highsides.
Morelittleslideshaveturnedintofar worsesituations thanyou
wouldcareto know,becauseof thisdramaticresultof SR #2. I supposeit
paysto be slowandweakin thiscircumstance. In my ownexperience,
havingthe bikeslideandthenbeingstunned*intoinaction(an SR of a
kind),thennoticing the bikereallydidn'tdo anythingwrong(didn'tcrash),
mademe understand aspectof motorcycle
this self-correcting dynamics.
Fordirtriders,thisis the maintoolfor cornering.
 M a n ys m a l ls l i d e st u r n i n t o
much worse situationfrom
excess rider input.

SR Combination

Chopping the throttle(SR#1)andtightening on the bars(SR#2) Front or rear slide and

throttle chop will make it stick
togetherforma deadlyduo.The normalresultof chopping the gaswhen and launchyou over.
the backslidesis immediate whichstandsthe bikeup.Thisis the
traction,
firststageof a highsidecrash.lf you catchit beforethe backis too far out,
usuallyit isn'ta problem; the bikejustshakesa bit as the wheelscome
backintoalignment. lf you don'tgo completelyoff the gas,the bikeis far
morestablethanif youdo! You get to appreciate the
guys who can keep it sliding,
tire-spinning,
Controlled, driftslikeour herosdo on the
acceleration bring it up just the right
500ccGP bikes,wouldnot be possibleif theywereverytighton the bars amountand take it to the
paint, on the gas. That's
or if theychoppedthe throttle.Youhaveto be ableto overcomebothof impressive to me and Freddie
theseSRsto do that yourself.(Nowwe see why 500ccGP guysget paid was the best at it.
so much).

Motorcycles automatlcally
F r o n t Sl i d e s compensate for rear-end
slides by pointing the front
wheel into the slide (1 & 2).
I was watchinga race on TV one day and a pro rider I know lf the rider tenses up or
crashed.As I thoughtabout it, he had been crashingquite a lot recently.In turns the bars to straighten
this situation,he got into a turn too hot and the front-end.beganto slide, them, he risks high-siding
the bike (3 & 4).
or "push."A pushingfront-end"tucks,"or turns furthertowardthe insideof
the turn than it normallyshould.The wheel snappedback to "normal"
positionand then he crashed. Front-endpush isn'tas nice
and not as common.lt
Front-endslidesusuallyoccur becausetoo much weightforcesthe happensbecausethe bike's
tire past its tractionlimit.lt is possibleto have it slide when underweighted; wrong, not set up right, or the
tire is wrong.
as when acceleratingout of a turn with lots of lean angle,but usuallythe
rear gives up first underthe acceleration-plus-corneringload.
47
 Ga s On S o l u ti o n
Themoststandard
solution frontis to getonthegas
fora pushing
enoughto transfersomeweightfromthefronttireto the reartire.
(Remember, the bike'sidealis about40 percent/60 percent,fronUrear).
Manually turningthe barsonedirection or the othercauseswhatI sawon
TV (described above)to happen.Witha pushingfront-end,turningthe bars
backto a "normal" positionis counter-steering,whichwouldmakethe bike
leanover even more,whichis alsowhathappened. Lettingthe bike"do
its ownthing"opensmoredoorsfor escaping the abovethanit closes.
Mostimportantly, the pushingfront-end is slowingthe bikedownat a rapid
rateand as it slowsthe forcesare lessened andthe biketendsto standup,
get backin alignment, andcontinue throughtheturn.That'swhatyou
want.Far,far more front-endand rear-endslides have been "saved"
than lost.
In a very realway you are dangerousto yourselfas longas this SR
can gripyou in its claws:But it can be overcome.Takecontrol...Relax.

It hastakenme yearsto be ableto keepfromchopping off the throttle

whensliding.I holda steadythrottlewhena slidestartsor evencontinue
the bikeup justa littlealsoworksto getthe bike
to rollintoit. Standing
"hooked-up" smoothly.lf youchopoff the throttlewhenthe front-end
pushes,it willtransferevenmoreweightto thefrontandthenyou needa
smallmiracleto saveit. Keepyour headand a steadythrottle.Useyour
kneeto holdthe thingup if you haveto.
D.G.

Definitions
to suddenchange;steady;reliable.
Stable:Resistant
Compensates:Makesup for or offsets;Actsas a counter-balance.
astounded;
astonished;
Stunned:Stupefied, amazed.
Front-end:The fork assemblyincludingthe frontwheelof a motorcycle.

48

Hold back from making big
changes on the bike until
you've had two practice
sessrons.
Don't always blame yourself
for errors. Even if you run the
same bike, conditions
change, suspension doe sn't
always pertorm the same.
You could be doing it right
and the bike needs set-up
work.
When you brake hard, stiff
armed, you can get the idea
you are braking harder than
you are.
50
CHAPTER 11
RiderInput
Man Plus Machine
Do you believemotorcycles
are basically
stableor unstable?
Are
theypredictable Whatpartdo you playin this?
or unpredictable?
Predictable
Justas in a slide,(explained in the previouschapter), yourbikecan
be countedon to act in a predictable*and consistentfashionin virtually*
everysituation.The rideris the wildcard,the unpredictable andvariable*
component* in the package. And his problemis withthe SRs thatare
triggered,
nothingelse.But,fromtalkingto mostriders,youcaneasilyget
thefalseideathatmotorcycles aren'tpredictableat all,thattheyhavean
uncountablenumberof vicioustricksto playon the unwitting. pilot.l'll give
youan example.
Every Four Laps
At a nationalevent,one of my privatestudentstold me this:'Aboutevery
fourlapsthe bikeshakesviolently goingthroughthe kink(abouta '120-mph
turnleadingontothe backstraight), comesoff the ground
the front-end
(heavychatter)and I can'tfigureout whatsuspension changesto make."
He wasveryconcerned aboutthisand I couldn'tblamehimso all
the possiblefixeswentthroughmy mind.Finally, the fog of vague*mental
pictures,likebrokenframesand leakingshocks,cleared."Waita minute,"I
said."Motorcycles don'tdo anythingeveryfourlaps.Onlyridersdo. So,
loosenup on the barsthroughthe kink;it willstopshaking." lt did.In fact,
to provethe point,his leftclip-onhandlebarbroke off aboutthreelaps
fromthe end of the Superbikeraceand he stillwoundup fourthand only
running2.5 secondsoffthe winningpacefor the day!Youcertainly can't
holdon too tightwithonlyone handlebar.
Holding On and Traction
Ridershavea varietyof waystheymakethistypeof thinghappen.
Basically,all thatresultsis a lossof tractionandstability
butthosetwo
partsof ridingare the biggestattentiongetters(SRtriggers)thereare.
Weighttransferson the bikeare an obvioussourceof traction
as we haveseenin the throttlecontrolchapters.Butthis
reduction,
businessof holdingon hasa hugeeffecton tractionas well.Therearea
numberof waysto minimize thiseffect,onceyou understand it. Brakingis
a goodexamplebecausemostridersgo prettystiffwhentheyget on the
brakesandthustransfermoreweightontothefrontthanis needed.
 Takingsome of the weight of braking-deceleration against the tank
l e s s e n st h e a m o u n to f w e i g h to n t h e b a r sa n d t h e r e s u l ti s : ( 1 ) Y o u h a v e
the rear wheel on the ground(in reallyheavy braking)a littlelonger;and
(2) in less-than-all-out brakingthe front end has more travelto work with
the pavementripples,maintainingbetterstabilityand traction.

Stiff Corners
After braking,some riders stay stiff-armedon the bars; the upper
body is drivenforwardby a deceleration force of about0.2 to 0.3 G,
leavingextra weighton the front-endof the bike. Potentially, up to 100
poundsof weightis transferredto the front end when that weightcould be
on the seat or tank,24 to 36 inches further back. Forgettingto relax is all
this reallyis.

Stlft-armed whlle braklng

and in turns can make your
iob more difficult by
transferring extra unwanted
weight to the front-end.

Smoother Throttle

Anotheradvantageof relaxingcomeswhenyou get backon the

gas.lf the rideris alreadyrelaxedon the bike,thereis up to 100pounds
you don't haveto transfer,frontto rear,withthe throttle.Thatmakesthe
transition,fromoff-the-gas to back-on-the-gas, muchsmoother,rightfrom
the beginning of thethrottleaction.Thistotallyagreeswithmachinedesign
and yourgoalof gettingthe bikesettledto its 40/60positionas soonas
possible. Allow your body to relaximmediatelyafterthe steering
action completed.In fact,ideally,you wouldbe looserightwhenthe
is
tires"bite,"at the momentyouare at full leanangle.

Active Suspension

Thereis anothertrickthatwillkeepyoufromadversely the

affecting
suspension over rough sectionsand pavement lt
transitions*. a is Try to keep your weight off
the seat excepton the
technique borrowed fromdirtridingand horseracing.On abrupt.
straights and mid-turn.
fromflat to elevated(likegoingup ontothe bankingat Daytona)
transitions
or viceversa*,liftingoff the seatslightly,
evenwhilehangingoff, makesthe
legsan activepartof the suspension. The rider'sweightis carriedloweron
the bike;and becausethe riderisn'tbouncing up anddownon the seat,he
avoidscreatingevenmoreloadchangesfor the suspension and
51

Weight off the seat /ets lt
shake as much as it wants.
Sometimes it will shake your
feet off the pegs but that's
ractng.
Being up ofl the seat when
the bike slides and catches
can reduceyour chancesof
crashing.
It's better to get your weight
in one place on the bike and
leave it there so you can sort
out the bike. lt can be
confusing if you move around
on it. I like to sit forward.
Any way you sit on it is fine:
just make it the same.
52
eventually"
affectingtraction.
Thisappliesto any roughroadsurface.use
yourlegsto holdyourweightup;don'toverusethe barsto holdyour
weightup or to holdontothe bike.
Tankslapper Damper
Pickingyourweightup off the seatif the bikewobblesviolenilyor
slidesand catchesalsoworksto reducethe effectof yourbodymassbeing
so highon the bike.Thisallowsthe biketo correctandstabilizeitselfmuch
easier.The lessof a "whippingbackandforth"massyou become,the
quickerthe bikewillstabilize.
sit stitl
Suspension set-up is
done for a given amount of
weight in a given position, not
for a variable amount of
weight or weight positioning.
All it means is that the bike can't
"think"with you movingaround
v
on top of it. One of the most
obviousthingsabout a GP bike
is that you can't move very far
forward or backwardon the seat.
I ran intoa problemwithweight
transfera few yearsback.In an attemptto
fullyrelaxon the bike,I tookto layingmy
upperbodyweighton thetankin turns.lt
improved the handling in a numberof placeson
thetrack,especially the slow-to-medium-speed turns.
I didn'trealizehowmuchmovingthe weight,whichwas
nowtransferred to thefront,was unloading the rearwheel.
Whenmy laptimesgotgood,I unexplainably "lost"the rear
end in a fastturn.I experimented withthis on otherbikesand
foundthe samething,(without crashing);the back-end getsloose
mucheasier,on mostbikes,withyourupperbodyweighton the tank.
The bikewas set-upfinefor my bodyweight,it justdidn'tlikewhereI was
puttingit and I wasn'tsmartenoughto adjustthe suspension to my new
bodypositioning.
WeightTransfer
Withyourfeet on the pegs,weightshiftsforwardand backdepending
on your upperbody'sposition.'10to 40 poundscan transfer,off the rearonto
the front,just by leaningforwardfroma straightup sittingposition,without
eventouchingthe bars.A littlemoreif you reston them.For the purposeof
traction,that is significant.
However,afterthe clutchis droppedin the classicracetypestart,
w i t h u rb o d yo v e rt h e t a n ka n d l e g sp o i n t e db a c k ,n o a d d i t i o n awl e i g h t
y o
for antiwheelie ballastis actuallyon the front-end- until you get your
feet onto the pegs. Becauseof acceleration forceit's stillthe most
comfortable position;but get the feet up quick.
SweeperWeight
In fast turns,it is particularlydifficultto stay back on the seat
becausewind drag on your body is tryingto tear you off the bike. Most
ridersfind themselvespullingforwardon the bike in an attemptto hang on,
reducingrear tractionto a degree. Stayinglow on the bike and keeptng
your knee tuckedtightto the bike helps.Adjustmentscan also be made to
the suspension,transferringmore weightto the rear if it is a problem.
Loweringthe rear,raisingthe front,raisingthe whole bike and movingthe
rear wheelforwardare four adjustmentswhich wrlltransfermore weightto
the rear.
But here again,the basicactionof pullingback on the bars can
create adverseeffecton the bike, makingit shake and run wide in the
an
turn. Not what you want.

RiderInput
Suspensioncan be adjustedto a varietyof road and track
conditions.Mismanagedrider input createsan unpredictable factorwhich
cannotbe adjustedfor. By being looseon the bike and allowingit to work,
the rider reducesthe variablesto a bare minimumand allowsa workable
suspensionset-upto be reached.
Also, wronglyhavingthe idea that motorcyclesare unpredictable
can start a paradeof survival reactions with the all-too-realand very
devastatrng.resultbeingdoubts in your own ability.

the bikeintoa cornerefficiently

Thereis no way to counter-steer after
brakingwithbotharmsstifl.Be prepared,be relaxed.
D.G.

De f i n i t i o n s
Predictable:Beingwhat was expected;capableof beingforetold.
V i r t u a l l y :A l m o s tw h o l l y ;n e a r l yc o m p l e t e l y .
V a r i a b l e :L i k e l yt o c h a n g e ,i n c o n s t a n t .
C o m p o n e n t :A n e l e m e n to r i n g r e d i e n t .
Unwitting: Not knowingor unaware.
V a g u e :I n d r s t r n cnt ;o t c l e a r l yd e fi n e d .
Pavementtransition: The exact pointwhere one kind of pavementmeets
another,creatinga distinctchangein surfaceas well as occasionalbumps.
A b r u p t : U n e x p e c t e d lsyu d d e n .
Vice versa: The reverseorder.
Eventually: Finally;at some latertime.
Devastatang:Layingto waste:Ruining.

53

When you can quick-flickyou
are confident of the settings
and the bike.
54
CHAPTER 12
Steering
The ForcesTo Beat
Howprecise.shouldyoursteeringbe?Whataretheforces
Howdo youcomply.withthose
involvedin steeringa motorcycle?
dynamics? Howquicklyshoulda bikebe turned?Whatactuallyhappens
whenyouturn?Whatarethe limits?Howdoessteeringaffectthrottle
control?Whatarethe SRs andSR triggers?Howdo theyworkagainst
you?Whatarethe dosanddon'tsof standardsteering.
Skill Scale
Youcandetermine any rider'sbasicskilllevelby howwellhe can
changedirections, steerhis bike,flickit in, leanit, get it turned,bendit in,
bendit over,crankit over,tilt it over,stuffit in, snapit in-call it whatyou
will,thereis a scaleof riderabilityand nowhereis it moreobviousthanin
thisactionof riding.Let'sreviewthe basicsfirst.
BasicSteering
Everyonetips over(crashes)theirbicyclewhentheyfirstlearnto
ride.Do you remember? Afterthe trainingwheelswereremoved,(if you
hadthem),you crashed.lf you neverhad trainingwheels,you stillcrashed.
Of courseyou did;therewasn'tanyonearoundwho understood counter
steeringandevenif theydid,it'shardto communicate it to someonewho
hasneverbeforeriddena single-track, tandem-wheeled(onebehindthe
o t h e r v) e h i c l e .
Countersteering:Twomagicwords.Counter:In an opposing
manneror direction. To guide.lt meansto guidein an opposing
Steering:
manner.Simpleenough.Youhavethe barsin yourhandsandyou'regoing
straight,butyouwouldlikethe biketo turn,let'ssay,to the right."Toguide
in an opposing manner,"youthenapplysomepressure, at the handlebars,
to the left.The bikegoesright.
 CounterSteeringis basic
steeringtechnology:Turn
it one way and it goes the
other.

P
strange Forces
couldpossiblyprepare Anytimeyou arc hesitantto
Verylittlein anyone'spreviousexperience
turnquickyou mustfix it so
themfor thatturnaround. Practically elsein the worldworksthe you
everything can justslamthe thing.
oppositeway;pushor turnto the rightand it goesto the right,pushor turn
to the left...
Twothingswhichmighthavesimilarlyconfusedyou are the toy-
storegyroscopeand holdinga spinningbicyclewheelby the axle.In each
case,youreffortsto turnthe rotatingmassneverseemto workpredictably
in any direction.Theforceyou feel is calledgyroscopiceffect.The
motorcyclehas two very large parts which producegyro-effect:the
front and rear wheels.Verysimply,a gyrois stablewhenleftaloneand
quitea handfulwhenany attemptsare madeto changeits angle-whichis
preciselywhatyou mustdo to steer.

Gyro: The Force To Beat

A motorcycle in motionis a relativelystablevehicle.The fasteryou
go, the moredifficultit is to turn becauseof the gyroeffectcreatedby the
wheels.Thattwistingforceyou feelwitheitherthe toy gyroor the bicycle The closer the contact patch
is to the Center of Mass, the
wheelis transmittedbackup theforklegto theframe,whereit forcesthe quicker and easierthe
steeringheadto oneside(tiltingthe bike). machinewill steer.

Contact Center Contact Center

Patch of Mass Patch of Mass

*g*AeWtA***.;,,

The main advantage in all the
high-tech. light wetght wheel
and brake parts ts turning it
qurcker
On a 500, when the front 6
shaktng. get it on the back
wheel.
Your mtnd refuses to let you
come tnto the throttle when
you don t know where it's
gotng.
P r e d i c t i n gt h e e x a c ta n g l e
y o u r b i k ew i l l g o t h r o u g h
t h e t u r n ,a t y o u r T u r n -
Entry-poant, requiresskill
a n d g i v e sc o n f i d e n c e .
56
This is part of the reasonthat motorcycleswith steep steeringhead
anglesturn so much quickerthan those that don't;the "levers"connected
to the gyro force (the fork legs)are at a more efficientangleto tilt the bike
over. lt's also due in part to the contactpatchbeingthat much closerto the
c e n t e ro f t h e b i k e ' sm a s s ,m a k i n gs t e e r i n gt h e b i k ee a s i e r T . hesteering
h e a da n g l ei s e x t r e m e l yc r i t i c atl o y o u r b i k e ' sb a s i ch a n d l i n g
c h a r a c t e r i s t i-c.s
The gyro etfect,from the rider'sperspective.,is simple:When left
alone,the bike has some stability;when steeringforce is appliedthe bike
becomespotentially unstable until left atoneagain.The best exampleof
this is when you encountera bump while steeringyour bike: it will wiggle.
Yet the same bump withoutthe pressureof steeringdoes nothingto the
stability.
SteeringAffects Throttte
There are quite a numberof SRs and SR triggers attachedto this
steeringbusiness.By simpleobservationit can be seen that ridersdon't
want to committhemselveswith the throttleuntilthey know their steeringis
c o m p l e t e da n d t h a t t h e i rl i n ew i l l e x i to n t h e a s p h a l t n, o t i n t h e d i r to r r o a d
b a r r i e r sI. w h o l e h e a r t e d al yg r e eo n t h i s p o i n t ,b u t t h e b i k ed o e s n ' ta g r e e ;i t
w a n t st h e g a s . T h i s a s p e c to f f i n i s h i n gt h e s t e e r i n gi s w h y m o s t r i d e r sd o n ' t
get the gas on untiltwo-thirdsof the way throughthe turn. Everyonedoes
this at some time or another,especiallyon roadsthey don't know.I don't
believethere is any way aroundthis one exceptto continueto force
yourselfto crack open the gas and overcomeit. But we are talkingabout
steeringand it does bring up a very importantpoint aboutsteering:In
these situations,the rideris unable to accurately predict the final
l o c a t i o no f h i s b i k e ,o n t h e r o a d ,f r o m t h e s t e e r i n gh e h a s a l r e a d yd o n e .
 This and other aspectsof steeringare important.lt is very
observablet h a t r i d e r sb e g i nt u r n i n gt h e i rb i k e s :
1. Somewherebut not alwaysat the rightplace.
2 . N o t a l w a y sq u i c ke n o u g h .
3. Not alwaysto the correctlean angle.
Your final destination in a turn is the result of getting all three
correct.
The next five chaptersare about how you masterthe steering
forces.

While there isn't an idealor set standardon precision,once you know the
basicsand know your bike and what you want from it, you can reachyour
ideal. lt will be differenton a touringbike from a race bike.As an instructor
at the SuperbikeSchool,I see ridersgettingstuck,steeringfor their mid-
turn pointsand forgetaboutthe exit of the turns.The apex is just a
steppingstoneto the exit, Steeringis definitelydone for the throttle. Turn
to burn!
D.G.

De f i n i t i o n s
Exact;
Precise: definite.
Comply: To act in accordwith demandsor conditions.
Characteristics:Qualities;distinguishing
attributes.
Perspective: A point of view.

..i{ffi&;,,',=

The apex point is where
you've accomplished the
entry completelyand are
beginning the exit. lt's where
you start to concentrateon
the rear grip and getting oft
the turn straight.
You can set it up so it tuns
easy and thenyou've got a
boat anchor throughthe
middle. You set it up for the
least amountof effort through
the turn.
A leaned-overbike holds
its angle becauseof the
gyro elfect from the rear
wheel.
58
CHAPTER 13
Steering
SteerFor The Rear
Therearetwo gyros,so whichoneof themdoeswhat?Whichend
actuallysteersthe bike?Thefront,right?Yesand no.
According to a numberof technical reasons, lawsof physics.and
engineering principles,
thefollowing is true:As longas youapplyforceto
the bars,the bikecontinues to leanfurtherover.However. once the bike
is fully leanedinto a corner,the rearend "steers"the machine.The
front-end "turns"the bikeor changesleananglebutthe momentthe
motorcycle is leanedoverand stable,the mainmassof the bike-from
steeringheadback-determines the leanangleit willhold.
Thefrontwheelmayhopand shakebut it willnotdeter*the rear
fromdictating*yourleanangle.As alreadydiscussedin the RiderInput
chapters,tightening
on the barsnotonlyadverselyaffectsthe handling
but
is a wasteof energybecauseof this knownfact.
lf yourthrottlecontrolis standard,theonlythingsthatwillchange
the leanangleof the biketo any greatdegreeare a slide/catch actionor
steeringinput.The mostconvincing illustration
of thisis doinga wheelie
comingoff a corner.The leanangleof the bikeremainsthe sameeven
thoughthefrontwheelhasleftthe ground!
Front-End Duties

Onceleanedoverin a turn,thefrontend is no longersteering the

lt helpsstabilize
it but not it. the functionis The rider's weight lower
bike: does steer But frontend's
and to the inside,among
stillimportant.The 30 or 40 percentof the cornering
loadit is carrying other things, helps the bike
accounts for aboutthatsamepercentage of corneringspeed.In other to turn. Look at the
differencein Doug's style
words,if you added30 or 40 percentmoreloadon the rearwheelat in one year of 500cc GP
speed,youwouldcertainly slideit. racing.

youwantweighton thefrontto getthatbite and turn

Forsteering,
action.Fromthis perspective,
you can get on the gas too early,beforethe
bikehasfinishedgettingthe extraturningadvantagefromthe loadedfront.

Weight on the tront-end

helps the bike "hook" into
turns. Gettingon the gas
too early starls the bike on
a constant radius arc
before you get it pointed.

Arc

Fa l s eT i m i n g
Turnswith a big bump in them can add anotherinterestingtwistto Thinkingyou are at the limit
this. Turn Seven at Road Atlantais a prime*example.There is a dip in the from a bump is going to stop
you.
middlejust by the apex and riderswait to hit it beforeturningthe throttle
on. lt incorrectlybecomesa Pointof Timingfor them; they think that if the
bump makes the bike wigglewith the poweroff it will make it wiggleeven
more with the power on. But that'sbackwards;the f ront end is working
overtimeyet 95 percentof all riderswait beforedoingthe one thing that
will make it better:Gettingon the gas.

59

Flat or off-camberturns need
sotterspnngsso you can
keep the same weeht
transferfront to back.
The gyro effect of the rear
wheel conlrols the stability
tor most of the bike's mass
lf the f ront feels ltke it's ridtng
too high for the back. moving
the torks up doesn t always
handle it. here s where the
softer spnng can help.
The btke's gotng to fight you
when you push hard. You are
always looktng for that ltmtt
so you can ratse !t.
60
U n d e r s t a n d i ntgh a t t h e r e a ro f t h e b i k e i s m a i n l yr e s p o n s i b lfeo r
stabilitywhen the bike is leanedover puts this and many other potentially
c o n fu s i n ga s p e c t so f r i d i n gi n t op e r s p e c t i v eT.r y i n gt o a d j u s ts u s p e n s i o n
for the Turn seven bump would be an enormouswaste of time and would
be just the kind of thingto stick in a rider'smind becausesRs make riders
gun-shy"of situationsthat they don't understand.When you beginto
anticipate-problems,as above,it just gets worsefrom there.
S ta b l eS u sp e n si on
lf you think of the rear (from the steeringhead back)as the center
o f s t a b i l i t yo n c e t h e b i k e i s i n t h e t u r n ,i t b e c o m e se a s i e rt o m a k eo t h e r
suspension d e c i s i o n sT. h e f r o n tn e e d sj u s t e n o u g hw e i g h tt o s t a b i l i z e
itself: Too much makes it feel harshand too littlemakes it feel vague with
n o t e n o u g hf e e d b a c k .W h e n t h e f r o n th a s j u s t t h e r i g h ta m o u n to { w e i g h t ,
it feels plantedand followsthroughwith the directionthe rear of the bike is
g i v i n gi t . I n o t h e rw o r d s ,h o l d i n gy o u r l i n e .
Y o u w i n d u p w o r k i n gh a r d e rb y r e a c t i n gt o t h e f r o n t - e n da n d b u m p si t w i l l
h i t . l t ' s l i k ea n S R a l l o n i t s o w n :w h e n y o u a n t i c i p a t fer o n ts h a k e sa n d s t a l l
o n t h e t h r o t t l eY . o u c a n g e t s o m e h e l pw i t h s t e e r i n gt h e b i k e b y t h e s l i d e
a n d c a t c hm e t h o db u t y o u h a v et o h a v e i t t u r n e dm o s t l yr i g h tt o b e g i nw i t h ,
i t ' s n o t a t e c h n i q u ey o u u s e i n e v e r yt u r n .
D.G,
D e fi n i ti o n s
Physics:Thescienceof matterandenergyandof interactions
between
t h et w o .
f romacting.
Deter:Preventor discourage
D i c t a t i n gC
: o m m a n d i nugn c o n d i t i o n a l l y .
 CHAPTER 14

You don't try to compensate
for your error that time in that
turn, you wait for the
following lap to fix it.
You have to have confidence
that the bike will make it
through.
Steering
The Rules
Howmanytimesdo you steeryourbikein anyoneturn?How
manytimes,do you guess,is the rightnumber?One single steering
actionper turn, is correct.That'srule numberone for steering.
Whatwe call"mid-turn steering (oneor more
corrections,"
additionalsteeringinputs)is a survivalreactionset off by normalSR
triggers:In too hot,too wide,lostin theturnand so on. In an attemptto
correctfor theirturn-entryerrors,ridersusesteeringchangesas a catch-
all*,cushionor buffer*to handlethe uncertaintybroughton by the above.
Mid-turnsteeringcorrectionis our third survivalreaction(SR
#3).And unfortunately,
this ridererror,likeall the othersgenerated.
by
SRs,goesagainstthe grainof machinetechnology andgoodcontrol.

A clean line starts with

steering rule number 1:
One steeringchange per
t ur n .

Mid-turnsteering
corrections can start a
chain of rider errors and
even result in a slide.

62
Off/On + Lean
Do youget howthisworksas an SR?The riderseesa situation he
doesn'tlike(goingtoo wide,for instance)
anddecidesto correctit withthe
steeringbut,for thatmomentof REACTION, doesn'trealizehis leanangle
willchange(becomesteeper)as a directresult.Believeit or not,thiserror
is as commonas throttleoff/throttle
on.
To compound- the error,a throttleofflthrottle on is usually
combined withthe steering"correction," causingadditional, unwanted load
changeswhichaffectsuspension andtraction. Alternately, if the riderhas
standard throttlecontrolbut makesa mid-turn steering"correction," he is
c o m i n gi n t ot h eg a sA N Di n c r e a s i nt h
g el e a na n g l e m
, a k i n gt h eb i k el e s s
stableand reducing traction. Andfinally,the steeringchangesrequire
unwanted riderinputmid-turn. lt'sa mistakein everycase.Onesteering
actionis ideal.

Low-Speed Slides

Overthe years,studentshavecometo me or my instructors with

storiesof slidingour schoolbikesin oneturnor another.Lookingat their
lap times(typically15 secondsoff the pace),thesestorieshad us
scratching our headsin wonder.
The mysteryclearedwhenit was foundthat,uniformly, theseriders
weremakingmid-turnsteeringcorrectionsin combination withthrottle
control errors (off/on),producingjerkylittleslidesthroughthe turns.In
mostcases,it proceeded to get worsewiththe ridercompounding his
errorsby (1)straightening the biketo gainstability;(2)goingtoo wide;and
(3) then leaningthe bikeovereven more in an attemptto avoidrunningoff
the track.(ln somecasestheydid runoff).

fn OverYour Head
You may view this varietyof errorsin many ways but the bottom
line is, you're in over your head if you can't make the turn with one steering
input.Why? One steering movement is the ideal scene for the bike.
Look over some GP videotapesand see how many times Eddie Lawsonor
Wayne Raineychangelean angle in a turn.
As rulesgo, there are alwaysexceptions*and this one followssuit.
I don't think there is anyonewho gets it rightall the time. Small steering
changesin mid-turnare nothingto be ashamedof. Loss of tractionand
bumpsthat throw the bike off an intendedline will be correctedfor by the
best of riders. Please realize,though, that these correctionsmay not even
be noticedby the guy directlybehindbecausethey are very slight,very
subtle.and not quick or jerky.
Realizealso that 90 percentof these correctionsare unnecessary, It's one of the hardestthings
that they are truly SRs to your currentsituation.Most riderscan figureout to feel at ease with,
everythingis easier than
that theirthrottlecontrolerrorsweren'tneeded,that they could have left understanding front-end
the throttleon insteadof going off/on.Likewise,mid-turnsteeringfix-up contact and having it stay
"underneathyou".
jobs are just doing extrawork. We've provenit over and over at the
SuperbikeSchool;with an on-bikevideo cameralookingover the rider's
 shoulder,we havebeenableto identifyup to five steeringchangesper
turn,noneof them needed!The originalsteeringinputwouldhavehad
the riderwindup in the sameplace!

Set lt and Forget lt

The basicrulehereis: Getthe steeringdone with one positive
motionand don't put any more attentionon it. Thereare a numberof
thingsmoreinterestingand moreimportant onceyou'releanedoverin a
per
turn.Thefewersteeringchanges turn,the better.Onesteeringaction
per turn is perfect.

Mid-turnon/offsand readjustinglean-anglecome from not knowingthe

limitsof your steeringeitherway - too slow or too fast. You should
experimentwith quick and slow steeringjust to get a good feel for the
rangeyou can work with. With schoolstudents,you can see when they get
it rightfor the first time, not stiff.I know exactlywhen I'm in over my head.
That'swhen l'm using my knee to keep it from crashing.
D.G.

D e fi n i ti o n s
Catch-all: Somethingthat covers a wide variety of items or situations.
Buffer: Any device or materialused as a shield or cushion to reduce the
danger of interactionbetweentwo or more things.
Generated: Started;originatedby.
Compound: To increaseor add to.
Exceptions: Instancesnot conformingto the rules.
Subtle: So slightas to be difficultto detect.

64

There are fearless guys who
can just get thru a section
quick (steeilng) but don't
know why and they crash.
What is your maximum
"Quick Flick" rate? lt is one
of the key skills of riding,
You don't use a flat deck lean
angle very often.
66
CHAPTER 15
Steering
LazyTurnsand The Turn Scale
Youspendsomeamountof time"turning" or steeringyourbike
(goingfromstraightup to leanedover)at everycorner.Howmuchtimeand
attentiondoesit costyou to performthis very importanttask?Haveyou
evernoticedhowquicklythe top guyscando it? ls thisjust becausethey
havesuperiorequipment?
lf howquicklyyou canturn/steeryourbikewereon a scalefrom1-
10,wherewouldyou be? lf we callthisyoursteeringrateand Eddie
Lawson,WayneRaineyor DougChandler areat 10,whereareyou?With
as much as a 2.O-second
steerrate beingreadilyobservablein most
streetriders,(Eddie,Dougor Waynecando it in 0.5-second), I placethe
averageriderat about3 or 4 on the scale.Whatdoesit taketo moveup
the scaleandWHYwouldyouwantto? Whatprevents youfromsteering
yourbikemorequickly?
Grade Steering Rate
o . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 1 1 . 1 1 . 2 1 . 3 1 . 4 1 5 1 . 6 1 .27 1 . 8 1 . 9
Timein secondsto fullleananole
Steering SR's
quicklyis scary:Youfearit might
Let'sfaceit, steeringa motorcycle
go outfromunderyou;tractionat a quicklyachieved, leaned-overposition
can be doubtful; and,alongwiththesteeringprocesscomesleanangle,
one of the moreclassicSR triggers.Newridersare generally not
interested in overwhelming themselveswitheitherturningtoo quicklyor
steepleanangles.
The Lean Angle Credit Card
Oddlyenough,eventhoughtheyresistit, streetridersin "tense"
corneringsituationsalwaysusefar too muchleananglefor theirspeed;so
do mostracers.This is the lean angle credit card: Whetheraffordable
(maysafelyleanoverfarther)or not (theframe,pipe,bodywork,or etc.is
alreadydragging on the ground)theycrankit oversomemore!| have
repeatedlyobserved riders draggingparts, when a rider who understood
steeringand lean could go throughthe same turn, on the same bike,5 or
10 mph faster and still have leaned-overgroundclearanceto spare!ls it
betterto be at Steeperlean angles?Wouldyou preferto be leanedover
less and still go as fast?

Most riders lean their bikes

over more as a solution to
an earlier problem.lt's
good to have lean-angle
credit but not always good
to use it,

Error:Too MuchLean
A motorcyclebecomespotentially*less stable as lean-angle With extreme lean you are
running out ol tirc or
increases
dragging something and
lifting them.
The steeperyou go, the worseit gets.For example,bumps,ripples
and slipperystuffarefar morelikelyto causethe biketo wiggleor slide
with morelean.And,as we haveseen,throttle-control playsa hugepartin
stability;the steeperyou go, the betterthrottlecontrolmustbe. Of course,
beingcornerjunkies,we loveit, rightup to the pointwhenthe SRs are
triggered our goals. and purposes.for this
and ruinit. So, let'sestablish
part
important of ridingand controlit.
The purposeof steeringis to makedlrectionchanges.The goal I've noticed I had lean-angle
of steeringis to get throughthe turn accurately,with as little lean left over and then tried to use
it but it didn't help lap times.
angleas possible(forthe speedyou aretraveling).

SteerRate,LeanAngle and Speed

Everybodyknowsthatthe fasteryou go, the steeperyou haveto
leanto get arounda turn.Right?Okay,I agree.The morespeedyou have,
the morecentrifugalforceis generated"pushing"you to the outsideand
steeringto a steeperleananglecompensates* for thatforceandallows
youto holdyourline.Butthat'snotthe wholestory.To helpillustrate this
point,let'sdrawa simpleturnand setthe speed,turn-point*, maximum
leanangle,lineand steerratefor the rider.Seedrawing"A"page68.

67
At this speed, using this
turn-entrypoint, and going
to this bike's maximum
lean-angle,this rider at
grade 4 got through the
turn fine.

On the nextpassthroughthe turn,(Drawing B) our riderbecomes

lazy andhe steersit a bit slower but usesthe sameturn-point,speed,and
maximumleanangle.Wherewillthe bikego?Wide,of course.(Redline)
On thethirdpassthroughthisturnlet'shaveour riderusethe same
speed,the sameturnpointand maximumlean-angle buta quackersteer
rate.Wherewillhe go now?Toofar to the inside.

lf the rider slows his steer

rate he will run wide. (B) lf
he flicks it quicker he will
run too far inside.(C)

Howcan he getthroughthisturn (Drawing C) usingthe exact

same turn-point,line, and speed,but a quicker steer rate?Whatare his
options?

Spend lessattentionon the

track surface and more on
your riding. Once you have
confidenceyou can get it on
your mark every time, You
can work on other stuff.
mightworkbutwouldyou do it if the oneyou
1. A laterturn-point
had was alreadyworking?Chancesare you and he wouldn't.
2. Get backon the gas earlier.Maybe,if he can.
3. Geton the gasharderto makeit runwider,out ontohisoriginal
line?lt is a PossibilitY.
4. Backin the gas bothearlierand harder?Again:maybe.

Doohan is the only one wha 5. Uselessleanangle?(Drawing D) The leananglehe was using
is getting away with a lot of put himintothe grass.WhYnot!
lean-angle.
Of all the options,#5 opensmoredoorsthan it closes.Forexample,
onceyou'vedoneit withlesslean-angle,it is an easystepdecidingto go
68
decidingto go throughit fasternexttime,usingup the leftoverground
clearance,stillholdingyourlineandstayingon the road'
Whathappensnowif the riderwantsto increasehis speed
throughthe turn?lf he wantsto keepthe samelean-angleandturn point,
he willagainhaveto turn it quicker.
Flicking it quicker with less
lean angle (D) gets the iob
done for that speed but if
he wants to go faster, he
witl have to turn it even
quicker. (E)

Whatdo we nowknow?For a givenspeed,the quickeryou turn

your bike,the less lean-angle to havelesslean-
you use. ls it desirable
angle?Yes.Wouldit giveyou a safetymarginto havemorelean-angle /n esses, the /ess angle you
use from your quick flick, the
available(if neededto get aroundroador trackhazards)?Yes. ls the bike Iessyou have to move the
morestableat lesslean?Yes.Couldyou go fasterwiththe spare bike (side to side) to get
Yes.ls tractionbetterwithlesslean-angle? Yes.Doesthis through it.
clearance?
alignwiththe basic goalof steering?Yes. Do you agree withall of this?

The majorimportantpointis howquick,not howfar.WhenI showa school

studenthow you canturnone,thatopensthe doorlor themto do it quicker
themselves.
D.G.

Definitions

Potentially:Possiblybut not yet actually.

thingsto achieve.
Goals:Objectives;
for doingthings.
Purposes:Reasons
Compensates:Makesup for or offsets;Actsas a counter-balance.
on the road, where you start
Turn-point:Yourexactpositionor placement
to steer.

Getting an apex figured out
keeps you from searching for
a comfortableline and keeps
vou from low entries.
Too early an entry creates a
decreasingradius turn and
opens the door to
practicallyevery error in
the book: steering,throttle,
braking, rider-inputand
vision. lt's a common
mistake.
Low entries keep you leaned
too long.
70
CHAPTER 16
Steering
StrangeLinesand QuickTurning
partof a turn,the insideor the outside?My
What'sthefriendliest
8000studentssaidthe inside.Beforeyou'veactually*begunsteeringyour
bike,if you believeyourspeedto be a bit too high,do youaimfor the
insideof theturnor the outside?Unlesstheyhavedecidedto go straight
and runoff,theyaimedfor the inside.
EarlyTurningErrors
Riderswho are lazywith steeringalwayscompensate for a higher
turn-entryspeedby beginning to turnthe bikeearlierthantheyshould.
Thisis a perfectexampleof survivalreactions#4, #5 and #6 working
together.Theredoesn'tseemto be anyotherchoice.lt seemslikethe bike
willrunwiderightawayfromthe higherspeedif you don'tstartturning
earlyandchancesareyourattention is fixedon the insideof the turn,(the
safe,friendlypart),andyouslowlysteertowardsit, possiblydragging the
brakeas well.
Thisis the veryfirst,andeasiestto observe,errorridersmake
whentheybegin"tryingto go fast."By takingthe lowlinein, the rideris
simplytryingto buy-off.his in too fast trigger.The problemwiththisrider
setsoff SRs #1, #2,#3 and#7 as well!
error is thatit routinely
Lowlineslikethismayyieldshort-term gainsin racingwhereyou
can passand blockthe other throttledrivebut in the longrunyou
rider's
usuallywindup losingmphthatwouldhavereducedthe timeit takesyou
to reachthe nextturn.
 It'sextra work becauseyou haveto turnthe bikeat leasttwiceand
thensweatout a very hardacceleration throughthe turn'sexit.Besides
that,you willwindup withan extra-steepleananglefor at leastpartof the
time.All of thesethingsare attention
consuming and providean opendoor
for mistakes,notto mentionthe SRs that are easilytriggered.Theseare
the actualresultsof lazysteering.

SteeringRuleNumberTwo
What'sthe rule?Steeras-quickly-as-possible
in every turn. The faster the corner the
slower you turn it because it
As-quickly-as-possible means:Accordingto the turn'sdemands. will upset the bike.
Obviously, youwouldn'tgiveit a snap-over at 10 mphin a parkinglot,
becauseyouwillfall.On the highend,(say,comingup to a 120-mph turn),
you'renotgoingto get it turnedthatquickly. Youwon'tnecessarily fall,but
you just can'tsnapa bikeat 120mphbecausethe gyroeffectis too strong.
So, the as-quickly-as-possible is tailored.to the turnbut it's always
A.Q.A.P.

Rider Quick-Turn Technology

The rider'sbodyactionon the bikeis a key in makingquick-turns.

Oneof the reasonsthe hangingoff ridingstyleworksso wellis thatyour
bodyis alreadyin a stablepositionon the bikewhenyou flick it in. Partof
the techniqueis to get over intothat positionwell beforethe actualsteering
input,usuallyjustbeforeyou rolloff the gasor pullon the brakes,early.
Oftentimesnew riderscan be observedtryingto hang off and
steer the bikeat the samemoment.This is a big mistakeand only
servesto makeyour bike wiggleat the turn-inpoint.

Racer'sAdvantage
The subjecthereis howquickyou turn and,becauseof the hang-
offtechnique, the racerhasa distinct.advantage. whilewe knowthe knee
is his lean-anglegaugewe mustnotforgetit giveshimpositivefeedback
on his quickturnas well,helpingto combatlean-angte SRs.ThisSR is
generatedfrom uncertainty aboutjust two things:
1 . H o wf a r a m I l e a n e d ?
2. Howfar can I lean?
lf you alwaysknowexactlyhowfar you can leanit and howfar you
haveleanedit, wouldyoufeelmoreconfident aboutturningquicker?Using
yourkneeas a lean-anglegaugeanswersthatquestioneverytimeyou
turn.Howwouldyourcornering skillslookandfeelif youcouldturnit
quicklyandthenspendlittleor no attention
on the lean-angle?
Howfar you can lean(themaximumsafeangle)is a questionthat Turningit too quick will shake
is answered withyourmachine,
by experience buton anysportbike, your thebikeor windyou up on
theinside.
kneecan be downway beforeyou'vearrivedat the maximumsafeangle.
An experiencedracercanfindthatlimitin a few turnsby usinghis knee!
Thenhe'sreadyto turnquickly.
 Using the knee out style
helps the racer find his
quick flick lean-angle
accurately.

Whenyou're"charging" you'llwindup on the bottombecauseyou lookin

and blowoff the turn-point.
Backoff,get yourturn-point andthendo it
right.Theaccuracyis moreimportant thanthe speed.lt makesyoufeel
satisfied.
Hanging-off is partof the racer'spackageof techniques.
When
my toe skidand kneeareon the ground,I knowthat'sthe limit,I knowthe
wheelswillbe off the groundif I go anyfarther.
D.G.

Definitions
Actually:In reality;factually.
Buy-off: Paymentor bribe.
to meetthe needsof a particular
Tailored:Adjusted situation
Distinct:Unmistakable;
clearto the senses.

72
 CHAPTER 17

Steering
The Key To Speed
Whatstopsyou fromgoingintoturnsquickerthanyou do? How
manytimeshaveyou noticed(at mid-turn) thatyourcornerentryspeed
couldhavebeenhigher?Exactlywhatsignaled youthatyourspeedwas
too highcomingup to the corner,whenit reallywasn't?Thissmellsa lot
likeSRs,doesn'tit? Let'stakeup howthisrelatesto steeringand howit
feelswhenit goesright.
Approaching a turn,haveyou everfeltas thoughyouweregoing
you you
lf arehesitant,aren't too fastwhenyou werecertain you couldturnthe bike?Or, if you are
confident' confidentyou can turnthe bike,doesyourentryspeedeverseemtoo
high?(That'sthe samequestionposedtwo ways).All of the 8000students
surveyed saidno. I say no,too.Whatdo yousay?Let'sgo a
immediately
stepfurtherandaskthis:lf yourabilityto turnquickercameway up the
scale,couldyou be confident.
goingintosometurnsat speedsthatnow
scareyou?Do yougetthe ideaI'mtryingto "sell"you something? You're
right.I am.

Common*Denominator
Even though they want to, riders have lots of reasonsfor not going
into turns quicker,e.g.*:I didn't know the turn; I thoughtI would run wide; I
would have to lean it over too far; there was trafficin the oncominglane;
and the usual,fear of losingtractionas the ultimate.bad result.While
each of these seems like a separate,differentreason,they all mean you
doubted your ability to get it turned. The usual responseto this doubt is
in two parts:(1) Stay on the brakesor off the gas; (2) Steer earlierand
slowerthan intended.

Speed Decision
TheSecond quickas possible-hasother
Ruleof Steering-as
uses.Deciding to go fasterintoa cornermustbe accompanied by a
quickersteeringchangeor you go wide.We know you can use lotsof
up
unnecessary leanangleby lazyturnsbuthereis another, equally
important,
consideration. Yourquick turn abilitiesdetermineyour
corner entry speed. Period.Endof story.
Thereare a numberof waysto lookat this.lf youare confident you
canturnthe bikeat yourcurrentspeed,it doesn'tfireup your SRs.lf you
aren't,it does.Prettysimple.Solution:Learnto turn.Whathappenswhen
you can'tturnit anyquickerandyou'veusedup all yourcornering ground
, clearance? Youare done.That'sthe limitfor you andthe bike.
74
 Note:Ridingpastthislimitmeanslosingtraction.Manytop riders'
plansincluderunningintoturnsfastenoughto slideor push*thefronttire'
Thatmayworkin somesituations, suchas passing,but if waitingfor the
biketo stopslidingkeepsyou away fromthe throttletoo long,it canslow
you down.

Turning Too QuicklY

Canyouturntoo quickly?Yes.lt is possible to steerthe bikeso I don't thinkyou could ever
turn the bike quick enough to
quicklythatthe suddenloadon the tiresis enoughto completely lose lose the front unless it was
traction.Thatis the reallimit.Howoftendoesit happen?well, howmany set up wrong or there was
timeshaveyou seensomeoneturnin, losethe front-end andcrash(being something on the track.
too heavyon the brakesandturningat the sametimenot included)? lt's
very rare.On-gascrashesoutnumber these500-to-1. The obviousother
exception is turningtoo quicklyon wet or otherwise
slippery surfaces'
Suspension settoo soft,allowingtheforksto bottomout,canalsopromote
lossof tractionat turn-entry.

Turnlng the bike whlle

draggingthe brake is
delicate work.

Quick-TurnSRs
Whateveryour steeringskill level,pushingpast it is guaranteedto
fire-up your SRs. In fact, the SRs make ridersdo it backwards. The "in too
fast" buttongets pushedand the riderslows up his steeringrate, uncertain
of himselfand what to do, when the steering rate should be quickened.
Of course, you can't quicken the steeringif you're still hard on the brakes.
As mentioned,most pro riders are constantlysearchingfor a speed that
pushes(slides)the front-endslightly, at turn entry.This givesthem a real
limitto shootfor but not to overstep.

Track Positioning ll you don't have to use full

track don't. You can use too
much and waste time.
Somelean-angle changesshouldnot be madequickly.Positioning
witha lazyturnin (to set up for yourmajorsteering
the bikefor a turn-entry
action)mightbe lookedon as makingtwo steeringchanges. Thiswould

'P e*# '2,,2-.,=':

-. :l : : :...,:..-r.i4-:'-a"i..:a

It isn't necessaryto use the
whole road it you don't
have to. Positionsteering
is iust putting the bike
where you want it for the
major steeringchange.
Pushing straight down on
the bars has no eftect. As
you lower your elbows your
steering input becomes
both more powerfuland
efficient.
violatethe Firstand secondRulesof steering(onesteeringaction/as-
quick-as-possible) butit reallydoesn't.lt is track positioningand hereare
someexamples of whenit is useful:
1. The entranceof the turnis verywideand it wouldbe a wasteof
timeto startyourturnfromthe far outside.
2. A quick,under-acceleration
steeringchangewouldshakethe
bikeexcessively.
3. A slow-turn-in,
under-braking whenpositioning
turn-entry the
bikequicklyfor theturnpointcouldoverloadthefronttireand
causethe frontwheelto lock.
4. A badbumpat theturn-entry mustbe hit square-on
withthe bike
nearlyvertical*;
the bikeis thenquicklyturned.Makinga quick-turn
actionor usinga steeplean-angle overthe bumpwillbottomthe
suspension andcausea lossof traction.
Position
Steering
Quick-Turn Remedy
Stiffon the barsunderbrakingand at turn-entrymakesturningthe
bikefar moredifficult.
The mostefficient*wayto steeris withyour
forearmsas flatas possible,
directing yourenergyintosteeringand not
partially
wasting yourenergyby pushingthe bardownward. Youinstantly
"becomestronger" (andableto turnit quicker)
witheverydegreeof angle
youdropyourelbows.
PowerTo Turn
Howmuchpressure canyouactuallyapplyto a set of handlebars?
BothEddieLawsonand FreddieSpencerbent standard "mustache" bars
on late-1970s and 100Occ
early-1980s Superbikes! You'dhave to see it to
you
believeit, right?Well,something cansee is modern-day frame design
whichallowsridersto turnquicker,
withouthinge-in-the-middlewobbles.
Modernperimeter. havetwo advantages
framesbasically when
comparedto the frameson thewobble-prone of a decadeago.
Superbikes
The modernframes:
whenthe riderappliessteering
1. Keepthe wheelsin alignment
input.
2. Keepthe wheelsin alignmentwhenthe tirestakethe cornering
load.
The perimeter frameis a veryhigh-tech to the SRswhich
solution
usedto accompany turninga bikequickly.A quickturnusedto windup the
framelikea springand payyou back in entrywobbles.Quick-turning a big,
overloadedtouringbikecanstillgiveyouthis 1970sracebike thrill!

Errors
Steeringtoo slowlyopensthe doorfor lotsof errors:
1. Turningtoo soon.
2. Goingtoo wide.
3. Waitingtoo longto get backon the gas.
4. Makingmid-turn
steeringcorrections.
5 . U s i n gt o om u c hl e a na n g l e .
6. Goingrigidon the bars.

The Limit

The major limit to your turn-entryspeedis how quicklyyou

can steer.lmprovingthisone abilitywilldo morefor yourturn-entry
confidencethananyothersinglethingandwillhelpsolveall six of the
aboveerrorsandSRs.Canyou practice thissafelyon the street?
Learnto turn.

Confidence in the biketo steerit takespractice.Youhaveto forceyoursell

to getout of the brakesandturnthe thing.Youhaveto remember thatthe
act of turningthe bikescrubs-off speedall on its own.I seestreetriders
brakingandturningat the sametimebecausetheydon'tknowthisand
theyalwayswindup witha lowentryspeed.Theyget hitwiththe SRs of
g o i n gi n t ot u r n s I. t h i n kf i n i s h i ntgh eb r a k i n g onyour
a n dt h e nr e l y i n g
steeringis the rightwayto learninsteadof dragging the brakesintoturns.
D.G.
77
 Definitions

Confident:Sureof oneself;havingno uncertainty.

common Denominator:A traitor characteristic

commonto all members
of a group.
e.g.:(Latin,exempligratia);Forexampleor suchas.
Ultimate:Greatestin sizeor significance.
Maximum.
Push:Whenthefrontendslides.
Vertical:Straightup anddown;upright.
Efficient:Actingeffectively
with a minimumof wasteor unnecessary
effort.
PerimeterFrame:A framewherethe mainframerailsrunaroundthe
outsideof the enginefromthe steeringheadto the swingarmpivot.

Notes

78
 CHAPTER 18

Steering
The ThreeToolsOf Turning
Youcan usethreetoolsfor steeringa motorcycle:
1. How quickly. slowlyor this was covered
earlier).
2. How much.(Asin, leanangle;thiswas alsocoveredearlier).
3. Where.(Yourbeginning
Turn-Point),
All threepresentthe riderwithimprovement the form of
mechanical and SurvivalReactions.
limitations
In the caseof NumberOne,HowQuickly, improvement barriers can
by
be illustrated imagining
a streetrider tryingto leanin a Gold Wing with
worntiresand loadedsaddlebags. By comparison, DougChandler flicking
his racebikeintoa cornermakesit lookrelatively easy.In thiscase,you're
a Leaner(a slowsteerer)or a Flicker(a quicksteerer),or something in
betweenthe two.As usual,SRs are the maior barrier.
It'seasyto visualizethe mechanical limitationsfacedin Number
Two,HowMuch:There'sno comparison in the attainable lean-angleand
availablecorneringground-clearanceof a Harley chopper vs. a GSXR
sportbike;it'sobviousfromthe mid-cornershowerof sparkstrailingthe
chopper.Andthefearof too Steeplean-angle is one of the all-time-classic
panicbuttons.
NumberThree,Where,partlydependson howquicklyand how
muchyoucansteeryourparticular bike.Youwouldlikelynot runyour
andsnapit over.And,usingan
Vulcan1500intoa verylateturn-point
is completely
earlyturn-point almost SR-generated andone of the most
commoncorneringerrors.

On the open road or track

you should choose your
Turn-EntryPoint. lt takes
some practice and
understandingto see its ryf"1-**t"""'
true value.

'f -4qf
"d '6
r'

I
I
80 \r
WhereTo Turn
So,wheredoesa turnbegin?Wherever you startto steerthe bike. My turn-point is top priority
you and everything e/se ls /ess
Do you choosea turn-point each time approach a curve?Youshould. important as I go around the
Wheredo youstartto turnif you don'thavea turn-point?Usually, where turn.
yourSRs forceyouto!
A turn-pointis the exactpositionor placementon the road,
where you start to steer.
Pickingturn-pointsand usingthem is an indispensable* tool in
combattinggeneralturn-entry panic. And it is probably
the most
toola riderhasfor accuracy
important andconsistency. Withouta selected No turn-pointand you will
whole corner. You
you are leavingit up to the "windsof fate"to determine
turn-point, a turn- blow the
have to keep everythingin
entrypoint.Riderswhodon'tfindand useconsistent turn-points
look line and if you error early in
raggedon thetrack;theirentriesdon'tlookcleanand precise, they the turn you go off line and
missyour mid-turnmarks.
sometimes makeseveralsmallsteering changesgoingintoa turnandthey
oftenhesitatewiththe gasor go on-and-off the throttle.Thisis another
exampleof survival reaction#6: Ineffective steering.

Major Decision/lndecision
Everyone whethertheyconsciously
hasa turn-point; selectedit or
not is the key.A predeterminedturn entry point is one of the most
important decisionsyou make,(if you makeit).lt's importantbecauseso
manythingsdependon thatdecision. Let'smakea listof them:

There are actuallyeleven

importantrider decisions
that hinge on this simple
tool - The Turn Point.
(see text)

81

My apex is an imaginary line
that splits the corner, entry to
exit and it's a point you want
to run across.
Late turn your decreasing
raotus ones so you can
accelerate through the entire
thing.
Correctly adjustlng a DB
turn is done with your turn-
entry-point tool.
82
1. Wherethe brakesgo on.
2. Wherethe brakesgo off.
3. Wherethethrottlecomesbackon.
4. Wherethe bikeis pointedoncefullyleanedover.
5. Whereyouwillfinishtheturn(howwideyou runout at the exit).
6. Whereyouwilldownshift.
7. How much leanangleyouwill use.
8. How many (if any)steering youwillmake.
corrections
9. How quicklyor slowly youwill haveto steerthe bike.
10.How much speedyoucan approach
the turnwith.
11. How quicklyor slowlythethrottlemaybe applied.
Pleaselookoverthislistagain.Arethesethingsimportant? Takea
simplething,likedownshifting, andsay you waited too late to do it. Would
that crowd-upgettingoff the brakeand steering?lt could.Doeshavinga
turn-pointgiveyou an exactideaof whendownshifting shouldbe
completed? l'm notsayingthisis a majorproblemfor everyone butyou
mayblowtheturnby startinga needless chain-reaction of smallerrors.
Anotherprimeexampleof the importance of usingyourturn-point
as a tool comesin a decreasing radiusturn.A too-early turn-point
creates
problemswithall 11of the above.Turn-points mayvarygreatlyf rom rider-
to-rider:Thereis no perfectturn-pointfor everybody, whichonlyproves
thatanyconsciously selected turn-pointis betterthannoneat all.We
alreadyhavea guideline for this:lf youcan'tapplyThrottleRuleNumber
One,thefirstcorrection youtry shouldbe to changeyourturn-point.
Traffic and Mistakes
Trafficand mistakesmay both alter a turn-point. Be advised,
though,the man who has a consciouslyselectedturn-pointknowswhere
he is and the man who doesn'tis lost to some degree.Missing a turn-
point gives you immediate knowledge that something else will have to
change-before you find it out the hard way.
Sharpen The Tool

A turn-pointis a tooland,likeanyother,requiresgettingusedto.
Streetridersarefacedwiththesesame11 ridingobjectives.. The easy Anytime you are pushing,
you end up over-riding the
flow of normalridingprovidesan excellentpracticefor findingand using bike: then you try to
turn-points.Thereis no reasonwhyyourridingshouldnotbe accurate at compensateby riding even
all speeds.And,if youcan'tfindturn-pointsand usethemat lowerspeeds, harder. Ninetimesout of ten
it doesn't work.
don'tthinkthey'llmagically appearwhenyou needthem,at highspeed.
Go out to the racesand observejust how accuratetop ridersare
withturn-points.Thisis one of the mostrevealing thingsaboutthe best
riders.Whetherit is fromknowledge or feel,theirturn-pointsare
extremelyaccurate, sometimes onlyvarying inchesfromone lapto the
next,throughoutan entirerace.

Free Attention
All too often,riderstry to coverup theirbasicerrorsby going
quicker,hopingtheflowof fasterridingwill"carrythemthrough." lt doesn't, You think it should be easier
if you are going quick but it
becauseridingerrorsare amplifiedby speed-mostlybecauseof the SRs isn't.
attractedwiththe dangerof goingfast,and notchoosinga turn-point
opensthe doorfor all of them.
Whileit is trueyouwill makeandconsumefar moreadrenaline and
getallthe excitement youcan handleby ridingwithoutusingturn-points,
lap-timeimprovement Eachof the 11thingslistedabove
willbe difficult.
carrieswithit a triggerfor the panicbutton.Eachcanconsume
potential
some,if notall,of your most valuedasset,free (notcaptured) attention.
Havingand usingturn-pointsfreesup attentionbecauseyou are
ableto thinkaheadby simplylocating point of timing Observewhat the fasterguys
the mostimportant
you rightoneor are usingfor turn-points.
whether
thereis. lt's not reallyimportant havethe exact
not.Havingthe "wrong" turn-pointis betterthan not havingone at all.
It willstillfreeup yourattention.
EveryCorner Has A Turn-Point.

Howquick and howmuch areonethingbutnotas important as where.At

the SuperbikeSchoolwe tapeturn-points on the trackto helpstudentsget
Youhaveto be ableto pickyourown before
the feelof usinga turn-point.
you go Banzaiin anyturn,streetor track.By pickinga turn-point it gives
youan ideaof whereyouare andwhereyou needto be.Attacking corners
screwsup timing,ridingis a flow.lf it flowsit goes.
D.G.

De f i n i t i o n s
Essential;
Indispensable: necessary.
absolutely
Objectives: Somethingworked toward or aspired to; goals.

83
 CHAPTER 19

Steering
PivotSteering
At howmanypointsdo youcomeintocontactwithyour
motorcycle? Whensteeringthe bike,whichpointor pointsdo you use as
yourPivot Point.?lf youdon'thavea solidpivotpoint,is it harderto steer
the bike?ls any pivotpointor combination
of pointsbetterthanothers?
Whichonesagreeor disagree withmachinedynamics.?

There are thirteen different

Pivot Points you can use to
hold onto the bike. Some
work with the machineand
some work against it.

O Seat Back (1)

O Seat Base (1)
O Footpegs (2)
@ goots to Bodywork (2)
6 Center of Mass
(E Knees or Thighs (2)
€) Stomachor chest (1)
@ Forearms(2)
0 Handlebars(2)

Flick Errors

The pivot steeringtechniqueis aboutefficiency. My attentiongot

ontothis becauseof an observedinabilityin 90 percentof the rrderswe
seeat the Superbike School.Whenaskedto demonstrate a quickright-left-
rightflicklikeracersuseto scrub-in* or warm-up a tire,they failed.lt's not
thatthe bikedidn'tgo rightand left,it'sthatthe riderwas pushingthe
bike underneathhimself, motocross style-ratherthancorrectly and
comfortably movingwithit.
On anyasphalt-going motorcycle,thisdefeatsbothmachine
dynamicsand ridercontrolby usingmorelean-angle thannecessaryand
lf youcouldget around
makingthe steeringprocessitselfhighlyinefficient.
a turnat the samespeedwithlessleanwouldthatbe betterfor youand
the bike?Of courseit would.Theoppositeof thispush-it-under styleis
hangingoff. Whilein the turn,hangingoff deliversexactlywhatis needed:
less anglefor a givenspeed.Let'ssee howyou can makeit more
84 efficient.
My Drscovery
I made an interestingdiscoverywhile racing 250cc GP bikes. lt
correctsthe vague*and cumbersome*steeringstyle describedabove.On
the back straightat Road Americathere is a long,fast, sweepingturn,
taken in fifth and sixth gear, where I noticedthat bar pressureto turn the
bike lasted3.0 seconds,maybe more.That'stwo to four times longerthan
the average steeringinput on any bike. I also noticedthat even though the
pavementwas somewhatrippledand I was acceleratingwith steering During the races, I have
trouble with the windscreen
input,the bike was not showingthe normal(underthose conditions) hitting my helmet. I've broken
tendencyto wiggle.I was happyfor the no-wigglehandling.On the next a few of them thisyear
because l'm up on the pegs
lap I noticeda startlingthing: I was using the outside peg as my
and active on the bike.
steering pivot point.
Mysterysolved as to the lack of wiggling.My weight was on the
peg, more than 12 incheslowerthan the usual pivot-pointat the tank or
seat. How did it get so low?

We i g h tR e d i stri b u ti o n
Usingtheoutsidepegasyourpivotpoint-whilepressure
is being
appliedto the bars,eitherby justpushingor usinga combination pushand You need to use your feet
your and be on them.
pull-reducesyour weighton the seat and putsthe majorityof
weighton thatlower,outsidepeg.Doesn'tputtingweighton the outside
peg makethe biketry to standup? Notat all: Don'tforgetthe gyroeffect
fromthe wheels.
In fact,sinceyourweightis nowcloserto the center-of-mass*for
the machine, the bikeis mucheasierto steer.Technically, I understand,
the bikerotatesaroundthe center-of-mass, so the more of the totalweight
that can be put at or closeto the center-of-mass, the better.This is partof
factoras well.Yourbodyis notactinglikea satellite,
the stability far away lf you fight the bars it will
skate the bike.
fromthat center.The center-of-mass is the part of the bike that moves the
leastso gettingyourweightcloserto it meansyou haveto movethat
weightlessdistance. Yourbodyactuallydoesmovebutthe bike"thinks"
it'scloserto the centerbecausethe pegis weighted, insteadof the seat,
tankor someotherpart.
Pivot Steerlng starts wlth
the opposite footpeg,
moves through the torso
and down to the bar. lt teels
like Power Steering.

Body Strength
in thisposition.
hugebenefitin thisis thatyouarestronger
Another
It'slikea cameratripod;the fartheroutyou spreadthe legs,the more
stableit becomes. In thiscase,the rideris usingthe farthestpotntdown
andawayfromthe handlebars as his pivot-point,withthe sameresult.
Usingany of the other 13 pivotpoints on the bikegivesyou lessstability
and lessstrength.
85

This is also how you get your
short-track or TT bike turned.
You set up your short-track
bike with a long, low footpeg
so you can use it to turn the
bike easier.
86
strengthcomesfromthefactthatyoucan nowuse
Theadditional
moreof thetorso*musclesto helppushor pullon the bars.Usinganyof
theotherpivotpointsreducesthe numberof musclesyoucan bringinto
play.Notthatyou needthemall to do thejob-using more musclesiust
makesit easier.Anytime you steer,it forcesa twistingmotionthroughthe
entiretorso.Usingmoreof thetorso'smusclegroupsmeansit twistsless
and is therefore
a morestablestructure.
P u s h - l t - U n d e rS o l u t i o n
So whataboutthe push-it-under-you problem?Pivot steerlng
solves it. When pushing off from the outsidepeg,you ratherautomatically
go withthe bike.Pivotsteeringanswersthe reasonbehindpush-it-under-
steeringas well.In the push-it-under scenario,the ridersimplydidn't have
a stablepivot point andwasattempting to usehis ownbodymassfor
Steering
stability. the bikein thisfashionis liketryingto pushsomething
awayfromyouwhilein the water:Youhaveno pivotpoint,so you move
awayfromthe objectas muchas makingit moveawayfromyou;whichis
a greatdescriptionof the push-it-under style.The push-it-understylealso
makes ridersvisiblytense-up differentmuscles in an attempt
to become
morestable,andtheyget moretiredas a result.Do youseethis?
SteeringAdvantages
Evenif you haveyourkneesfirmlyclampedon thetank,yourlegs
yourgut andforearmson the tank,your
pressedtightlyto the side-panels,
buttup againstthe seat-backand seatbase,bothfeet solidlyon the pegs
or the power
anda deathgripon the bars,youcan'tget nearlythe stability
Pivotsteeringputsyou in
of usingonly the outsidepegand pivotsteering.
complete harmonywithmachinedesignanddynamics andaddsa stability
you neverhadbefore.Takesometime
to steering working thisout:lt
seemsa littlestrangeat first.
Note: Choppersand cruisers,or any othermotorcycles with
footpegslocatedfar forwardof the seat,willnot respondto thissteering
technique.The peg locationmakesit impossible to usethe outsidepegas
pivotpoint.
an efficient
Whenand Where
You haveto retrainyourselfto steer this way. I foundthat in two
streetrides,abouttwo-and-a-half hourstime,it became"automatically" the
way I steeredthe bike.On the otherhand,I testedthisouton a streetrider
who is abouta three(ona scaleof 1-10)andwe rodefor 90 minutes,
generally workingon steeringandthisas well.He wasjustbeginning to
get it right,althoughstillin an awkwardway,in aboutoneturnout of 20!
I hadtroubleunderstanding why he couldn'tdo it untilI realized
that pivot steeringis actually,for lackof a betterterm,double
backwards.Notonlyis it counter-steering, but pivotedf romthe opposite
sideof the bikeas well.In additionto this,the factthatyou can putso
muchmorepowerintothe barsmadehim nervous: He was simplyafraidto
turnthe bikethatquickly. Youreallydo haveto abandonall of the "l leanto
turn"habitsand thinking to makethiswork.
All The Points
Eachof the 13 pivot pointsandtheircombinations are useful.The
undersides of most5OOGPccriders'sleevesare dirtyfromcontacting the
tanks,duringand aftersteering. often,aluminum partsare shinyfrom
heavycontactwiththe insideof the rider'sboots.Kneeandthighcontact Use the four maior Points of
contact (hands to push/Pull
smudgedandthe sticky-backed
pointsare routinely foampaddingon and feet to pivot from).
racingseatstakesabusefromthis same process of holdingon to the bike Anything else and you will
have trouble with wiggles.
bothfor relaxingon it (as coveredbefore)and for steering(as covered
here).Glovesstretch,palmsblister, etc.,etc.Usingpivot steeringwillfree
you up to usethe otherpivotpointsefficiently
and correctly.

Drill
Beforepracticingthis,firstgo outandfindwhatpivotpointsyou are
now using.Then,whilemastering pivot steering,go backnowandthen
to the pivot points you were using beforeand comparethe two results.
Youmightalsonoticethatsteering thanto
the biketo the rightis dilferent
the leftand it'sbecauseof the throttleaction.Youmayfind yourselfboth
pullingand pushingto go rightwhereasyou'llonlyneedto pushfor the
left-handers. Butit doesn'tmakeanydifference; thissteering technology
stillworksbetter.
Whatdo youthinkwe shouldcallit? Criss-Cross-Steering? Youare
goingacrossthe bodylikean X for the pivot/steeraction.Center-Steering?
Youdo steermore from the Center-of-Massof the bike.NewSteering? lt is
a newtechnique. you
I callit pivot steeringbecause movefroma definite
andstablepivotpoint.Butcallit whatyou like,it'sthe missinglinkin crisp,
highperformance
efficient, and it works.
counter-steering,

To learnthis you mightstartby usingsomethinglikethe seator yourknees

as pivotpointsand graduateup to usingthe pegsor peg.Justdo it a step
at a time. Thisisn'tmakingthe biketurnit just makesit morestablewhile
turningit at speed.
D.G.

Definitions

Pivot Point: A placeto mounton, attachby or movefrom;a support,

braceor foundation.
motionare related'
Dynamics:Howmotionandtheforcesaffecting
up the surfaceof a newtireby ridingon it'
Scrub-in:Roughing
notclearlydefined.
Vague:Indistinct,
Cumbersome:Clumsy,burdensome.
Center-of-Mass: The pointof a bodyor systemof bodiesaboutwhichall
the partsexactlybalanceeachother.
the headand limbs.
Torso:The humanbody,excluding

-*
 CHAPTER 20

Vision
Lost In Space,or, Too Fast For What?
There'sno suchthingas too fast, too wide, too deep,too hard,
too easy,exceptwhenyou referto an amountof space.Toofastfor the
Corkscrew at LagunaSecawouldbe far too slowfor the bankingat
Daytona.Tooslowfor the banking(relativeto yourcompetition) at Daytona
wouldbe unthinkably too fastfor the Corkscrew.
Space does change from
but a rider's view of space can changefromlap-to-lap,
track-to-track; in
the same turn!lt changes fromperson to person:
AuntMary thinksall
curvesarefrighteningly narrow,at anyspeed.

SR Space
Youmay regardthe space/areaof a turnas beingfixed,
Following a guy who loses if, unchanging in everyaspect*and dimension, but practically*
speaking,it
you follow him with Your eves
isn'ttrue.Whenfor somereasonyourattentionbecomes(1) narrowed
to avoid it and forget about
what you arc doing. or (2)fixedon something
and huntingfrantically (SurvivalReactions#3
and#4),the dooris thrownwideopenfor everyerrorin the book.And
becausetheseSRs reallydo happento people,the amountof space
theycanactuallyseeand useis reduced.Thisis bad.
Instantly reduced
awareness of your
surroundingsis a bad
survival reaction which
ko
can, at least partially,be
overcome with practice.

88
 Whileriding,everydecisionyou makeis governedby the
amountof spaceyou have,think you have,feel you have or believe
you have.Lookoverany ridingactionyoucareto andthisis truefor all.
The two basicfunctions(speedanddirectionchanges) of a motorcycleare
totallydependenton the amountof space you haveto do of
either them.
Unlikemostof the standardridingprocedureswe haveinvestigated, this
one hasno mechanical gadgetsto assistyou.

Fixed Attention

Eachof us knowshis personal spacehas,at onetimeor another, Through the comer if you
have some bad spotsyou
beenmanipulated by SRs.A crackin the pavement, a darkor discolored tend to look at them and miss
spoton the road,curbs, manholecovers, whitelines,patches,anyand all the rest of the turn.
can be a sourcefor concernandattentioncapturingfixation.In
motorcycle riding,too muchspacerarelyis a problem: Notenoughspace,
alwaysis a problem. SRs connected with space are the worst.
have"not enoughspace"
All ridingsurvival-reaction-triggers
as their commondenominator.

FaultyDesign
A realor imagined uncontrollable reduction in spacehasharmto lf I am having trouble, trying
too hard or tense, I tend to
the bodyas a potential result. SRs #3 and#4 are the immediate result.lf funnel everything down too
youweredesigning your body,wouldyou haveit staring.at the carwhich tight-
just pulledout in frontof it, or wouldyoudesignit to havea broadviewof
the road,to findavenuesof escape?The"reasoning level"of thistypeof
survivalreactionis easyto understand, evenif faulty:"Keepan eyeon
t h i n g sw h i c hc o u l dh a r my o u . "
Narrowedor f rantically
hunting visual awareness=
lost = no decisions = no
time = tull blown Survival
ReactionPanic. You may
call it an adrenalinerush:
We call it rider error.

89
 ldeal See

We'vespentnearlyan entirebookfiguringout whatthe bikewants

fromits riderand howhe can manipulate
thosedesignfeaturesto getthe
bestpossibleresult.Nowwe'relookingat what the riderwantsfrom the
rider: Howhe can see enoughspaceto staycalm,get hisjob doneand
makecorrect,accuratedecisions.

You can get stuck in a rut on how far aheadto look.There isn'tany
standardto this but usuallylookingout a littlefartherhelps most riders.
Wiley Coyotewould not run into so many walls or off so many cliffsif he
lookedahead more.
D.G.

Definitions
Vision:Theact of sensingwiththe eyes.
Aspect:Part,featureor phase.
Practically:Froma practical
pointof view;fromthe standpoint
of actual
usage.
Staring:To lookwitha steady,oftenwide-eyed,
gaze.

Notes

90

SometimesI just go out and
watch the othet guys ride to
get a ditterentperspective on
the track and what l'm doina.
ls someonefollowing? At
club level racing too much
attention is spent on the
rider in front. Follow the
leader is a common Sfl
generated error.
92
CHAPTER 21
Vision
ReferencePoints(RPs)Revisited,
The MissingLink
The subjectof ReferencePoints (RPs) was apparenily*covered to
everyone'ssatisfactionin TWIST l. Using RPs on the road or track works
and graduatingup to wlde screen vision, where you can use all of the
RPs and still see the whole scene in front of you, is an important,practical
and usefultool.
The only thing missingfrom that technologyon "How to See" was a
betterunderstanding of survival reactions. The discoverythat vision SRs
always accompany breaks in "concentration" gives us a crack to drive
a wedge into that barrier.
Wide Screen Review
Howabouta quickreview
of thewidescreenvisiondrill?
D ri l l On e :
1. Picka spotor an areaon thewallor spacein frontof youto look
at. Stareat the areabutdo it in a relaxedmode,notglaring"
intently-.
2. Withoutmovingyoureyes,becomeawareof the wholefieldof
yourvisionso that eachobjectin frontof you can be identified,
(a
 chair,,alamp,the door,etc.),withoutlookingdirectlyat the
individualobjects.
3. Stilllookingat youroriginalspot,moveyourawareness
(attention), in frontof you'
not your eyes,fromobject-to-object
4. That'swide screen.Do it somemore.

Drill Two:
1. Withyoureyes,f indoneobjectabout45 degreesto the rightof
yourfieldof visionandone45 degreesto the left.
as fastas youcan,getting
2. Shiftyourfocusfromobject-to-object
a senseof howlongit takesto do so.
3. Go backto staringat the originalspotin frontof you (fromdrill
one).
4. Thistime,moveyourattention(awareness) on
back-and-forth
the two objects (onyourright
and getting
left), a senseof howlong
it takesto do so.
Whichmethod,movingyoureyesor movingyourattention, is the
quickest?Howmuchquickeris it? Obviously, flickingyour
aroundin yourfieldof visionis far quicker:lt moves
attention/awareness
withthe speedof thought.

Movlng your awarenesg

around in your field of view
without moving the eyes
gives a broad, continuous
visual understanding of
your surroundings.

Loss Of Concentration
Whenwe see howwellthe wide screenviewworksandthinkof
the ideaof losingconcentration
it seemsodd becauseconcentration
meansto focusdownon something. That'sexactlywhatwe don'twant!Do
one moreexperiment for me.
1. Pickfourspotsin frontof you,onea few feetin frontandto the
rightof you,one a bit fartherawayto the left and two on the wall,
one on the rightandoneon the left,in yournormalfieldof vision,
as if youwerelookingat the roadand hadfourRP's.

Your Attention can be
distracted by anything. I
crashedonce becauseI was
on a tighter line getting
arounda backmarkerbut had
the same speed as last lap
My $10 was on him not the
sDeecl.
ln faster stuff you can look to
the farthest point ahead to
judge the distance.
Whenyou do this it opens up
your thinking.
94
2. Moveyoureyesas rapidly as possiblefromone to the next,
stoppingas brieflyas possibleto focuson eachbeforemovingto
the next.
3. Do thisfor about30 seconds.
4. Howdo youfeel?
Almosteveryonegetsat leastsomeslightfeelingof disorientation if
notoutrightdizzinessfromdoingthis.Disorientationis one of the direct
effectsof SRs #3 and#4.Thisis the primarycauseof mentalfatigue
whileridinga motorcycle,
especiallywhenridingfast.lt is a badthing.
if youwill.
Onemoreexperiment,
1. Pickthe samefourspotsas above.
2. Thistime,whilemovingyoureyesfromoneto the other,keep
wide,so you canbe awareof the restof the
yourfieldof attention
areawhereyouare sitting,whileshiftingyourfocusfromone point
to the other.
3. ls thateasieron you?
4. Finally,just to makeyou teel better,"stare"at yourfarthestpoint
and shiftyourawareness, notyoureyes,fromeachoneof thefour
pointsto the next.
5. Better?lt shouldbe. (Giveme a callif it isn't).
ControlledView
The abilityto get a wlde screenviewis clearlyunderyourcontrol,
when you rememberto do it. lf you lookaroundthe roomnow,it is
practicallyimpossible to see it anyotherway butwide.Whenyou ride,this
isn'tthe case.SRs closedownyourviewof spacewhentriggered;it's a
reactionto something.ll yourchairweresuddenlymovingat 70 mph
throughthe room,wouldthattriggerSRs?
Mechanically speaking, the eyedoesn'tactuallynarrowdownwhat
canbe seen, you simply aren'taware of all you canseewhenyour
attentionis captured or directedelsewhere. Whenyou rememberto do
it, the width of your awarenessis totally controlledby the mind. Can
youtrainyourselfto remember? Willpracticehelpputyou morein control
thanyou are now?| say it can,butyou haveto decidefor yourself, by
practice. ls yourattentionwiderightnow?Couldit alwaysbe "heldout"
thatwide?
Street Traffic
l'll tell you my secret.I discovered this wholethingone Sunday
morningin 1974whileridingto GriffithParkto streetracewithmy friends.I
hada vicioustequilahangover. My fieldof viewwas abouttwo feetwide
and I knewthiswasn'tgoingto work;I feltloston my ownstreet!| suppose
out of necessity, my attentionpoppedout wideand I could"see"again;it
evenmademostof my "condition" disappear. Fromthenon,whenI leftmy
house,I wouldusuallyremember to pushmy attention out wide.The most
amazing thing happened as a result.I neveragain had anytroublein

Whenyou get too "focused
you need a new perspective
to improve.
Narrowed attention locks you
into one particularline and
that's trouble.
96
CHAPTER 22
Vision
WideScreenControl:DifferentDrills
Everyonehas experiencedwhat is descriptively.but incorrectly
called"tunnelvision"or "targetfixation."I say incorrectlybecause,after all,
the "lights"are always on if your eyes are opened but SRs distractyou
from keepingthe wide screen view. The eye doesn'tactuallynarrowdown
what is seen,you simplyaren'table to see the wide view when your
attention is capturedor directedelsewhere.ls there a difference?A big
one.
UnderControl
Thedifferenceis whetherit is underyourcontrolor not:whetherit
is a totallyunchangeablefunctionof the bodyor if it is adjustable
withthe
mind*.Fromthe drillswe'vealreadytriedyoushouldbe ableto see it is
controllable when you rememberto do it.
Take A Walk
A greattimeto practice"holdingout"yourattentionis whiletakinga
walk.Whilewalking,see howlongyoucan keepyourattention outwide.A
slightlytougherdrillis to walkcurbsor railroadtracks,balancing
on the
curbor track.lf youobservesomeonetryingthisyouwillseetheybeginby
lookingoneor two feetin frontof themselves, just likenewridersdo. My
gameis to lookas far downthe streetor railas possible, keepingthewide
screenviewand my balanceas well.lf you runfor exercise, do the same
basicthingbut noticewhenyourattention narrowsdown,andthen,
commandit back out. Youmayexperience somevery interestingthings
whiledoingthis.
It May Be Hard
Youmightnoticesomeresistance whiledoingthesedrills.lt may
makeyoufeelstrangeat first.Youmayalsoexperience something
pleasant,bothmentallyand physically.Generally, whenyoufeelgoodit is
easier,andwhenyou don't,it'sharder.In fact,it is observable thata
personwho is feelinggoodhas his attentionoutwideandonewho is
feelingpoorlydoesn't.ls it anywonderthatsomething whichwasworrying
a personcan be foundto existas a causefor mostaccidents
(distracting)
and mistakes? And,oddlyenough,simplywidening yourfield of attention
can make you feel better.

You don't have to spend that
much attention on where you
are going if you're looking at
the whole track in front of
you.
Everything you notice
costs affention. Wide-
Screen-Visionmakes them
less expensive!
98
CHAPTER 23
Vision
The Two-Step
Howmuchof whatyou can see on a roadsurfaceis really
importantto you?ls it possible
to havetoo manyRP's?Whatstepscan
you taketo defeatthe SRs connectedto visionand space?Howcan you
tellwhenyou are "overyourhead"?Whatis the differencebetweena point
and a referencepoint?
On any roadsurface, your attentioncan hang-upon most
anything.Chewedup or discolored pavement are classicattention
stickersbut rarelyaffectthe bike.In traffic,anycar (parkedor in motion),
pedestrian,surfaceirregularity,trafficlight,intersection,
anythingthereis,
canclaimyourprecious $10 worth of attention. So why do you lookat
them?Whatif you didn'tlookat them?Theseare all guaranteed SR #3 or
#4 triggers.And likethe otherSRs,whena riderbecomesawareof
fixed attention,he knowsit detractsfromhis riding.
Master Link

It'sveryeasyto linkall of the otherSRs to this one. Throttle

changes, steeringadjustments, tighteningon the bikeand brakingerrors
all occurbecauseof somesituation thathasfixedyourattention. You
wouldn'tgo on/offthe gas if youweresureof yourspace.Thesameis true
of mid-turnsteeringcorrections andtensing-up on the bars(to be readyfor
steeringchanges):Withoutfixed attention,none of them would
happen.Do you agree?

Reduced RPs

Someendurance racershavebeenknownto ridenearlyas fastat You've got to get comfortable

with the track around you.
nightas theydo duringthe day.Evenwithgreatlights,you can'tsee most You sweat in the AM to get
of the thingsvisibleduringthe daytime.I havea similarsituation.
At Willow good times and then find you
Springs,in lateafternoon,partsof threekeyturns(theexitof TurnOne, can do them eftortlesslyin
the PM.
the entranceto TurnTwoand the entranceto TurnNine)becomesheetsof
goldenlight.To me,it'seasierand lessdistracting.to ridethoseturns
duringthattimeof daysimplybecauseyoucan'tseetrackdetails.
Am I sayingto abandonRP's?Yes,whentheyarejust distracting
thingsand not true ReferencePoints.

The Two-Step
At the SuperbikeSchool,we havedevised*a methodto cheatthe
problemsof fixed attentiongoing into turns; we call it the two-step
turn-entry.At the entranceto everyturnwe tape marksdownon the
pavement.(l supposeit seemslikean odd ideato put giantmarksdownon
the pavementfor the purposeof trainingridersto quit lookingat other
markson the pavement,but it works).The firstmarkis a reminderto look
intothe turn because99 percentof all ridersleavethis importantjob until
far too late.The secondmarkis the turn-pointitself.The two-stepgoes
l i k et h i s :
1. Youspotyourturn-pointas earlyas possible.
Thiscouldbe
beforeyou brake,whilebraking,
anywhere-asearlyas possible.
(That'sone step).
2. Justbeforearrivingat yourturn-pointyou lookintotheturnto
seewhere(exactly) the bikeshouldgo. (That'sthe secondstep).
It'salsocalledthe two-stepbecauseit makesyou awareof two The two-step is good
pracilce.
majorsteps,(1)whereto turnand (2)whereto go afterwards,
beforeyou
havedone them.
Thedifficultpartof thistechnique is allowingthe biketo go straight
untilyou havereached your SRs are beggingyou to turnthe
turn-point.
bikeat the sametimeyou lookin. Thisis the "gowhereyou look"survival
reaction,SR #5.Thetwo-steptechnique helpsyoudefeatit.
(1) Step one of the fwo
Step: Spot your turn-entry
point as early as possible.
(2) Step two: Look into the
turn to your mid-turntarget
amoment BEFOREyou
steer the bike.
100
Two-StepSolution
The two-step solvesan enormousnumberof potentialproblems.
Firstof all, what wouldtell you how quicklyto turn the bike and how far to
lean it over if you didn't already know where you wanted to go? You have
to make those decisionswhile turning the bike if you don't do the two-
step. Practicallyspeaking,that's too late. In other words, the two-step
gives you all the informationyou need to produce*accuratesteeringas
quicklyas possible.
Knowingwhere you're goingalso gives a betterpictureof the turn
and allows you to set the speed more accuratelyfor the turn-entrypoint.
This also takes some of the stress* out of braking because it is clearer how
much brakingis neededand where it is needed.The overbrakingSR can
be linkedto this as well. And looking-inearly pavesthe way for getting
back into the throttlesooner,startingthe whole throttle control processat
the earliestpoint.
Using the two-step and wide screen attention together gives you
an ideal scene whereby you can keep track of your turn-pointand where
you wish to go in the turn, at the same time.
The two-step is a riding technique for handling turn-entry
space. The same problemsof fixed attentioncan of courseoccur mid-turn
or in the exit as well as in the entrance.Let's set up a drillto handlethe
w h o l et u r n .
Speed and Space
Thethrottleis yourspaceregulatorandcontains
halftheanswer.
The more you wind it on the less space you have to see and act in a given
amountof time. At 60 mph you will be 100 yards down the road in about
3.0 seconds;at 120 mph, you'rethere in half that time.
When you can't see everythingthat you want to or feel rushedto
look at too much with too littletime to do it, you are riding over your
head. Try this:
1. Back-offon the speed for a lap or two, (or on one sectionof your
favoriteroad),so you can see everythingyou need to see, without
 feelingrushedor havingto "hunt"yourwaythroughit. Attention
g n t h i n g si s a n S R .
s t i c k i no
to be in. Go
2. Makethe spacefor thatturnor sectioncomfortable
only as fast as you can see. When going quick, I think I'm
on the verge of missingmy
3. Bringthe speedup gradually,usingwhatyoucan see as a turn-points,but that'sjust
gaugeof yourrealskillin thatarea. part of going quick.

4. Whenyou againnoticeyouare goingfasterthanyou can see,

realizethat you are running into the same barrierat a new,
higherlevel.
Looking in early, aligns
your vision accuratelyfor
the mid-turnand exit.

Go a l O f T h e D ri l l
The goalof thisdrillis to findthe speedwhichallowsyoutotally
comfortable,wide-screen, smooth-flow trackingof spacethroughthe whole
turnor sectionof road.lt's notan easydrillbut if you persist,the
breakthroughs are reallyrewarding.
Unstickyourattention
andwin.

Thishelpssolvelotsof turnentryproblems becauseyouare aheadof

yourselfand helpsto keepyoufromthrowingoutthe anchorgoingin.Too
manyRPsis notgood;thefeweryou havethe better.I usemy turn-point
as an end-of-breakingmarkeras well.Getoff the breaks,turnit andget
backto the gas;that'swherethefun begins.Thetwo-stepsetsup for
doingthiswithcontidence.
D.G.

Definitions

Distracting:Diverting
the attention.
Devised:lnvented.
Produce:To createby physicalor mentaleffort.

:--;4.;'--
 CHAPTER 24

Braking
NothingNew
The averagebrakingdistancehasn'tchangedmuch in the past
15 years!Forstreetbikes oncethe backwheelis off the
or racebikes,
ground,with 100percentof the bike'sweightbeingcarriedby the f ront
wheel,that'sthe endof the gamewherebrakingis concerned: You'verun
up againstthe lawsof physics.Racershavebeenableto getthe back
wheelup,underbraking, for two decades!
Thisis a remarkable whenyouconsider
statistic thetechnical
improvements madein the past15 years.
Brakediscsare madeof carbon
fiber;a 900ccstreetbike weighsabout150poundsless;tiresare stickier;
forktubediametersare way up and{orkflex is way down;framesare
stiffer;suspension is muchmorecompliant and muchmoreadjustable;and
everything is muchmoreexpensive.
Also unchangedis the terror of hard braking.No othercontrol
on the bikecan producesuchdramaticresultswith so littleeffort.SRs run
wildwithmostridersunderheavybraking.

Hard braking is easy: Being

controlledand hard takes
know how.

Practicallmprovements
including:
There have been improvements,
1. A more positivefeel from the bike;feedbackunder brakingis
positiveand accurate.
102
 allowsfor steeperleanangleswhile
2. Radialtiretechnology The lighter wheel parts are
a big reason you can carry
braking.So,whilethe maximum forcesare prettymuch
straight'line more brake into the turns
the same,the techniqueof carryingsomebrakingdowndeeperinto than before.
theturnsentrance has been improved andyoufindmanyriders
u s i n gi t ,
3. Brakingoverroughpavement is somewhat lesslikelyto lockup
thewheelbecauseof all of the aboveimprovements, especiallyin
the areasof weightandsuspension. Thisis an importantfactor
whenyou considerthe factthat mostracetracks havepavement
ripplescausedby racecars; thoseripplesare usuallyat the braking
points.
Youcan be prettysureof
4. Brakefade has nearlybeeneliminated.
what you'll
have when the is
lever squeezed.

Efficient Braking
You'reableto structure*yourbrakingfrombeginningto end in a
numberof ways,including: Easyat first,gradually
applyingmorelever
pressure;hardat first,theneasingup; light,
then thenlightagain;
hard,
andall the combinations in between. Whichis best?
Trappingyourself into heavybrakingat your turn-pointis
working againstthe desiredresult.The basicproduct(endresult)of
brakingis to get the speedset accurately
for the turn.lt's difficultto
overcome the SRs (#7)whichcompel*mostridersto gradually increase
the brakingforceandwindup withtoo muchat the end.Thereare at least
fivepotentialbadresults:
1. Turningthe bikewithtoo muchbrake;one of the morecommon
causesof crashes.
2. The turnentryspeedis wrong;usuallytoo slow.
3. Toomuchattentionon the brakingforce;not enoughon where
you'regoingandwhatyou'redoing.
putsyouoff linegoingin.
4. Missedturn-point;
gradualinsteadof decisive
5. Toolowa turn-entry; turningto avoid
SR #7 above.
The listcouldprobablyalsoincludetoo muchsuspension
actionat
thetransition
fromon-the-brakesto off-the-brakes.

Rear Air
Gettingthe backendoff the groundwiththe brakeis,for someodd
reason,fun to do.All we'retalkingabouthereis when it shouldbe otf the
groundanddoingit at the beginning is moredifficult
for mostriders.
Everyonehas the feelingthey can abusethe front brakewhetherthey
have ever locked it up or not. Butthereare onlytwo realrulesof front
brakeuseand abuse:
1. Don'tsnapit on too quick.(Thatbottoms*
thefrontsuspension
andwillallowthe wheelto lock).
103

Snappingon the brake
lever too quickly is not
productive except for
photos.
Grabbing it too hard, too
quick upsets the bike. Pull it,
let it settle. then hard, then
liaht at the end.
I'm going to use the rear if
I'm off the track.
People using rear brake hard
are scary to me. You can see
the shiny spots on their tire
wherc it locked up.
It's just a waste of time, You
spend too much effort getting
a liftle braking from the rear. I
don't even put my foot on it
except coming into the
garage.
104
2. lf the frontwheellocksup, loosenup on the lever,so the wheel
can turn and stabilizethe bike.(Youlose 100percentof your
steeringwhenthefrontwheelis locked).
lf the bikebottomshardunderbraking,you needmorespringor
morecompression damping-providedyou aren'tsnappingthe brakeon
SRs go off like
butare pullingit as youshould,firmlyand smoothly.
fireworks if you lockup the frontwheel.The SuperbikeSchoolhasa brake-
trainingbikeequipped and it'salmostimpossible
withoutriggers, to crash.
Yetevenon that machine,mostridersare tentativewiththe brakesat first
pull.
RearBrake
It is my recommendation thatyou masterusingonlythefrontbrake
except when riding in slippery Lockingthe backbrakealsoputs
conditions.
the bikeout of control.The rearwheel,spinning, providesthe vastmajority
of stabilityfor the bikefromthe steeringheadback.In otherwords,
everythingbut the front-endis keptstableby the gyroforceof the spinning
rearwheel.
The obviousmathematics of the situationare thatthe frontwheel
can do 100percentof the brakingandthe backat thatpointjust locksup
no matterwho you are. Learnto totallyrelyon the frontbrakefor quick,
cleanstopping; then,if you stillhavea usefor the rear,go aheadand use
it. But realizethat the rearbrakeis the sourceof a hugenumberof
crashesbothon and off the track.l'll leavethe finaldecisionup to you.
Whileit is truefor mostridersthata motorcycle willcometo a fullstop
quickerwithbothbrakesapplied,in racing,youdon'tcometo a fullstop
untilyou'redone.
ln-TurnBrakes
Everyonehas usedthe frontbrakein a turn beforeand mostbikes
havea tendencyto standup whenthe brakesare applied.Whileit is true
thatyou shouldavoid using the brakeonce settledinto a turn, there
are exceptions (likeemergencies)
whereit is necessary.Crashesoften
occurwhenthe riderleavesthe bikeat a steepleanangleor triesto holdit
tightin the turnwhilebraking.Applyingthe front brakeand consciously
bringing the bike up at the sametime is the correct procedurefor
emergencyin-turnbraking.

Braklng alter you are In a

turn is an error but some-
:'',t,.\
,-u times necessary.What is
---A ./
the right way to do it?

mRry

BrakeMagic
There is no real magic in high-techbrakes except HOW you use
them.Workingthroughthe SRs that keep you from usingthe brakesthe
most efficiently(harderat the beginning)puts you in control.Controlwith
brakesmeansyou have options*.Beingstuck with a big handfulat the end
is the leastattractiveof all and SRs drive you into that scenario.

You can use the brakes to your advantageby braking earlierthan someone
who goes in reallydeep becausehe can go wide and you repasshim with
a betterplannedentrance.lf you can make a late brakingmaneuverwork
by still gettingyour turn-pointlhat's great.lf not, then you are just racing.
Some ridersgo on and off of them while settingup a turn. Brakingis a one
shot deal, no on/off/on.
D.G.

Definitions

Structure:To givearrangement
to. To constructa systematic
framework.
Gompel:Oblige;to forceto a courseof action.
Bottoms:Compresses
to the limit.

A little tire spin helps to get it
turned on the exit. Excess
tire spin looks great but it is
going the wrong way.
How do you llke your
Traction? Scratchand
slide/gripbite: Your idea
ot it can affect your style.
106
CHAPTER 25
Traction
Pros- Cons and Uses
Whatdo you do withtraction?
Wherecanyou useit best?Howcan
you abuse*it? Howdo SRs maskyourabilityto findtractionlimits?What
is traction?
Doesunderstandingtractionmakeit anyeasierto findthe
limits?Doesit alljustcomedownto howbraveyouare?
subjectbut it canget blown
Yoursenseof tractionis an important
outof proportion;
it canevenbecomethe causeof mistakes andflawed.
ridingplans.
New Technology

Newtire and suspensiontechnologycan cover up and allow

ridersto "get awaywith" basicridingerrors.Goingcanyonridingand
trackracingin the 1990sis an interestingsituationfor someonewho Gettingtheexittractionright
startedridingmotorcycles in 1957.Old traction memories and standards ;Lil #; i;:::i:;fri:
die hardand I'm notthat brave.The 1990srubberhas nearlyunbelievable
grip in comparisonto what I lastracedon in the 1970sbut out on the track
I seethisas a problem for newhot-shotriderscomingup and I'm
continuallyamazedat howfastsomeof themgo withouta clueas to how
andwhy.

TractionRiders
Aff of the things that arise from this are very interesting.Riderswho A ne.w totheturn
approach
relysolelyon the perception" tractionhavea certainstyle-they',?:f:,!i:":;::il::n:iY"
of maximum
develop.Theyappearto be lostif theycan'tfeelthat particularbandof toomany at once.
thinss
tractionand don'tbelievethey'regoingfastunlesstheydo feelthat
traction.Hereare someof the results:
theirway intoturns,(tooslowturn-inrate).
1. "Feeling"
2. Lowentries,(startturn-intoo early).
(slowturn-inmakesthe finalresult
steeringcorrections,
. 3. Mid-turn
uncertainuntilmid-turn).
4. Toomuchleanangle,(fromslowturn-inand froman attemptto
getthe tireloadup so theycan"feel"it).
5. Greedymid-turn (tofeelthe tirebite).
throttleapplication,
6. Excessivewheelspinat exit,(to keepit looseto knowwherethe
tractionis-usually,butnotalways,a pluspoint).
7. Changingturn points,(theirobjectis not to get the biketurned Easing off- notcharging -
accuratelybut to bringthe tractionto their range). t":::"i;X::,';:',:,:,"i^lf'

set too stiff, (also,to feelthe tractionbetter).

8. Suspension notcharyins'
speeds

possiblenegativeresults.
Theremostprobablyare additional

SmartTraction
Don't get me wrong, finding the traction limits of the new rubber is Thehardest parlis rinding
an accompfishment. How you find it and then use it is our topic. Look at it '!:^?:': timitsoinsin:the
easiest isontheexit'
this way; if maximumtire grip is your major target for a turn, ii*;u;";;;;
how you ride.Any line which gets a traction rider to a pointwhere his
tires give back this grunt and bite feeling againstthe pavement,will be a Trytoexptore
different
tines,
goodline. But it isn'ttrue,at leastnotfor all turns,and,it it getsout of ',ZXi-;:t:;:f::y;In.'*
hand,it canaddthe aboveeighterrorsto the rider'sportfolio of
techniques.
I remember WayneRaineyin 1986-1987 spending an enormous
amountof his time at the racestryingto f igureout how to makea fast f irst Thereattyhardpartisfinding
lap and it was a battlefoughttotallywith traction.ls it any wonderthat he thetimiteverv
turn,
every tap'
ledso manyfirstlapsin hisWorldChampionship-winning years,1990-
1991-1992? In 1986-1987 he was makingall of the aboveeighterrorsin 107

. -a+;'c--.#G;*-".

Too much entry speed can
also foul you up if you go oft
line.
Good entry speed makes the
mid-turn easier.
Just this yeat I finally got a
good feel for the middle of
the turns where I knew what
the bike was doing under me
You never seem to have
enough traction if you are
pushing.
108
searchof the tractionlimits.ls it a crimeto makethoseerrors?No.lookat
whathe did withthem.The pointis that it isn'tthe onlyway to go aboutit:
EddieLawsondid it withoutthe extraexcitement.
Traction Terror
The lion'sshare*of survivalreactionsconnected to tractionare
at theturn-entries.We knowthatthe verydefinition of going in too fast
is "notsureif youcanget it turned".And,whilerunningwidein theturnis a
concern,possiblelossof tractionrankshighon the listof SR triggers.ls
thistruefor you,too?
Oncein the turn,yourthrottleactioncontrolstractionbut rightat
you are essentiallyat the mercyof the speedyou have
the beginning,
when the brakesare released.
CrashStatistics
Factually,it's uncommonto go into a turn too fast! Watch
racingtor 20 or 30 yearsandtell me whatyouobserve.My eyestell me
going in too fast is lowon the scaleof crashcauses.lt is rare.Goingin
withthe brakeson too hardandcrashingis anotherthing;thatcauses
crashesfairlyoftenand is an obviousridererror.Thatmostridersmisjudge
theirturn-entryspeed,usuallyon the slowside,is a majorstumbling block
to cleanand quickturnexecution.
Braveor Smart?
It may requireextraordinarybravery but the most productiveuse of
maximum traction is right at the turn-entry.The speed you have at turn-
entry is "free"(you don't have to do anythingmore for it) but any significant
speed increaseswill have to be earnedin the hardestand most dangerous
ways: with extra mid-turnand exit acceleration, the two most common
causes of crashing.
My advice?Get a good, solid groundingin standardriding
techniouesand add the tractionlimitslater.Technioueis where most riders
are weak and when you combinethese two elements,you are hard to beat.
Equallyimportantis the fact that good techniqueallowsyou to approach
the limitsof tractionand defeatmany of the SRs connectedto it.
Traction Defined
Traction amountof grip neededto get the job
is the necessary
done. You decideif the job is to ride on the tractionlimitor get throughthe
turn quickerand cleaner.You'rewinningwhen you can do both!
Someguysslidethefrontandsomethe back,I liketo get bothendsgoing
and playwithtractionat the endof the turn.To me that'sthe mostfun but
slidingisn'tbravery,
it'san extensionof yourskillandabilityto controlthe
bikewiththrottle.
D.G.

Racingcarriesover to strcet
The high speeds of racing
make the street easier. YoL
have more control because
you adapted to higher
speeds. You don't go into
panic mode as easy.
On a 500 I work on getting
off the corners better so I can
improve the bike, Iike making
rideheight changes, gearing
selection, etc.
Suspensionadiustability
goes up with dollars spent;
both factors are practically
limitless.
110
CHAPTER 26
Racing
The Toolsand Goals
Whatis the differencebetweenridingand racing?Howimportanta
partdoesyourridingskillplayin racing?Whatarethe partsof racing?
Whenit'sjustyou andthe trackit can be perfect:Otherridersadda
to the game.You'vegotall the standardriding
newset of barriers
techniquesto dealwithplusthe competition's
relentless*argument that
youdon'tbelongin frontof them.SRs addyet anotherdimension* to the
gameof racing,as do yourowngoalsto succeedand improve.
The Tools
thesegoals,
Racinghasa numberof tools you useto accomplish
subjectin itself.
andeachone is a complete
1 . Y o u rb i k es e t - u p .
2. Yourridingskill
3. Yourown attitude,or "mental"condition.
4. Yourphysical
condition.
Thefirst,bikeset-up,is practically
a mysticart for mostriders.No
matterhowadjustable the bikeis,findingthe correctset-upis oftena
procedure
tedious*trial-and-error evenfor the bestriders.Suspension,
gearingand enginecombinations thesedaysare practically limitless.This
bookdoesnot addressthosesubiects.
-\
cS\
 The second,yourridingskill,hasa numberof partsto understand:
That'smainlywhatwe'retalkingaboutin thisbook.lt oftenrequires great
effort to applywhat you know to situations
ditterent and not become stuck
in a ridingrut.Everytop riderI knowhashaddayswhentheytriedtwice
as hardandcomeup withno changein laptimes.On the otherhand,
understanding correcttechniques,whichagreewithmachinedesignand
riderrequirements, allowsyou to spotandeliminate ridingerrorsand not
confusethemwithotherproblems.
The third,attitudeor mentalcondition,is oftenthe mostdifficultto
adjust.Manyriderscounton racingto smoothoverlife'sroughedges,at
leastfor the timetheyare riding,but life'supsetshavea way of ridingwith Focused but not too focused
is the right way to go racing.
us. Savefor mechanical malfunctions, I havefoundthereto be an actual
reasonfor reducedperformance or crashing, whichcouldbe uncovered
withcarefulquestioning, in everysituation.That'sthe downside. The
important partis thatmentalconditionis yourhorsepower to push
throughSR barriersandgainunderstanding, inspirationandefficiency
withyourridingskills.
Thefourth,yourphysicalcondition, mustbe goodenoughto do the Good physical condition
job of riding;if it'snot,yourattention
can becomehopelessly stuckon the makes it easier to do
consistently. You've got to be
manifestations of poorphysical Racingis an outward-looking good for the duration.
condition.
activityandattention on the bodydrivesyou inward.Physical
conditioning.
is oftenconfusedwith mentalconditioning. Theydo affecteachotherto a
degree.Mainly,a tiredbodytriggersSRswhichresultin mentalfatigue.
Therearethousands of qualified
healthcareprofessionals
whoaddress
this.
Numerousexamplesexist,bothpastand present,of ridersstrong
in oneor two areasbut lackingin others,who haveneverquitemadeit.
Yetguyswho are just mediocre*in all four havedoneextremelywell.
Seriousflawsin onewillaffectall the others.Withoutgettingtoo
complicated,can you gradeyourselfon each?

lmportantParts
of racingare nottoolsbut are
The two othermaincomponents
quiteimportant:
nevertheless
1. The competition.
2. Thetrack.
Thefirstof these,the competition,usuallyhassomeaffecton how
hardyoutry.Traditionally*,
laptimescomedownwhenthe competition is
toughand staythe sameor slowerwhenit isn't. Thisis a partof the game
whichis playedbothon andoff thetrack.Whatthe competition is doing Everybody wants to get
underneathyou going in and
caneitherinspireor deflateyouto somedegree.Riderswillinstinctively- you have to go off your good
useanything theyseeas a weakpointagainstyou.A commonexampleof lap time marks to protect
thiswould be to "showa wheel"to someonein a placewhereyou'rea little your inside. Once you break
free, then you can put some
quicker(butcan'treallypass),tryingto rattlethem.Passingin a place time on them.
whereyou knowthe otherguywillgetyou back,butdoingit to breakhis
rhythm.,is anothervery workableexample.
The secondof thesecomponents, thetrack,is the playingfield.
Hereagain,youare usingthetoolsof racing,mainlyridingskillandbike 111
Doug Ghandlerbecoming
the 1990Superbike
Champion.One of the few
riders who has all four
tools of racing in order.
lf you use someone else for
a marker,you're lost,PaY
attention to your own riding.
112
!'
hb.".
b%
set-up,to conquerit. Whileeachturnhasits owncharacter, your iob is to
correctlyreapplythe standardridingtechniques to eachturn.The mental
aspectcan definitelycomeintoplayhere.Ridershavetracksthey likeand
dislike,typesof turnstheyfeelstrongin and sometheydon'tfeelstrongin'
Troublewithdownhillsectionsis a complaint I oftenhear.Bumpysections
are anotherclassicsourceof trouble.The old saying,"everyoneridesthe
sametrack,"is boththe goodandthe badnews.lf you'regoingfasterthan
the competition, you'vefiguredit out betterthanthoseguys;if you aren't,
you haven't.
ln Competition
Yourridingskillis justoneof the fourimportant toolsbutwithouta
plan
rock-solid on howto approach the track, in close youcan
competition,
windup ridingthe otherguy'srace.Whatis thereto be gainedby changing
yourridingto matchanother's, whiledicingfor 25thplace?Realistically,a
competitorin 25th placeis makingas many or more errors
than you are in
basictechnique. lt'sfunto beatsomeonebut long-term improvement is
moreimportant.
 Running valuable laps practicing yOur own style puts you to Don'tfottow, neverpass
you'tt
work on your problems, not solving someone else's. Stickwith your
plan, it is the one you can change.

That's Racing

Nevermakethe mistakeof thinkingsomeoneis holdingyou up;

that'sracing,andyou'reholdingyourselfup. Nevermindthatyou runup
histailpipein the middleof everyturnand becomefrustrated; that'sracing.
you
You'refasterin theturnsbut he outbrakes and gets ahead;that's
racing.The unfortunate truthis thathe is in frontandyouare blowingit in
moreplacesthanhe-for whatever reason.(ln fact,if you runup on
someoneand haveto rolloff,that'syou blowingthe basicsof throttle
control).
I couldhavehadhimin anotherlap.
My tireswentoff.
Tratficgot me.
I knowI can beattheseguys.
Thereis anotherold saying:"TheBS stopswhenthe greenflag
drops."And one of the greatjoysof racingis the factthat everyoneis
tryingtheirbest,no matterwhattheysay.That'sracing.

Racing Gauges
Thereare a numberof waysto gaugeyourskillor improvement:
1. Who you can beatand whereyou can beatthem.Home-track
guysare hardto beaton theirownturf. lf bothof you go to a new
trackandyousmokehim,that'san interesting Yourskills
statistic.
transferto othertrackswhereashis don't;you are better.Unti
you'rerunningup front,thisis the leastimportantgauge.
2. Your overall lap time improvement.Frompractice-to-practice You'll find lots of
at the sametrackyou shouldbe improving
or race-to-race yourlap imorovementat firstthen it
gets harder when you are
times.Keepyourlap-time sheetsin a binder*for accurate closer to the quicket times.
comparison.
3. How fast others have gone on the type and model of bike
you have.Thisis especiallytrueif you aren'trunningup-to-date
equipment. Findout howfastotherswenton whatyou'rerunning.
4. Your times comparedto the fastest guy or the lap record. lf
you startoutthe seasonrunning10 secondsoff the leadersand
thencutthatgap downa bit eachrace,that'sa goodindicator.
5. Yourtrack section times, both in terms of improvementand
measuredagainstsomeonewho is faster.Cut the trackinto
important sectionsandgeta friendto timeyouand someone faster
in eachsection.Thispinpoints the exactareasto targetfor
improvement andshowsyouwhereyoureffortsareworkingand
whereyoureffortsare notworking.Haveyourtimerseparate the
fast sectionsfromthe slowoneswheneverpossible.
113

^.;*A,S"t-
You should be able to
improve in the race a bit and
at least do the qualifying
times consistantly.
I'm trying to get race distance
settings on the bike so I run
the weight, tires and fuel load
for the race in qualifying.
Sometimesyou just get PO'd
and have to go for it, like
when you don't find good
settings until the final
practrcesess,on.
The baslc idea in racing is
to beat the other guys.
Once you have your riding
technologywell in hand
and have some command
over your SRs, it will
happen more easily.
Keep it fun.
114
6. Yourpracticeor qualifyingtimes comparedto your race
times.At the top,you rarelysee bigtimedifferences fromoneto
the other.In the middleand lowerskilllevels,ridersoftenrelyon
getting"pumped" for the raceto go faster.I supposeyoucouldcall
thata plan butat whichskilllevelwouldyou liketo be riding?
Inspiration
Inspiration comesunderthe headingof mentalcondition.lt is the
areaof breakthroughs in racingand it reallyis a tool.Addinga dashof
inspirationto go fasteris an importantpartof racing.lt takesthat very
ingredientto pushthroughthe SRswhichfightyou,tooth-and-nail, for
everysingleadditional increased 0.25-mph, for everyhalfdegreeof lean
angle,for every1/1OOth-second earlieron the gas,for everyadditional
ounceof steeringinputpressure, for everyfootof widenedattention on the
track.Pushing throughsurvivalreactionsmakesyou feel good. lt can
be a conscious or an unconscious decision to go faster,turnquicker,
slide
moreandso on.
Whatdoesthatmean?lt meansyou'rewinningthe internalstruggle
againstthe SRs andthat'sguaranteed to improveyourspirits.Whenwe
talkaboutit as a tool,thatmeansit shouldbe usedonlywhenneededand
whenappropriate* and notas a cure-all,
Thereare dozensof examples of
riderswhostartedoff strong,trulyinspired,butcameto a grindinghaltin
theircareerswheninspirationalonewouldno longerwork.
T h e B a si c R a ci n gGoal
The goal in racingis to beat the otherguys. You have to figureout
how to go fasterthan them. There are four tools to use for that purpose
and even thoughyour ridingskill is the most importantone and will bring
you the most reward,it can be "overused"
 Think aboutthis: Once you have a good understanding of the
standardridingtechniques,it's time to look towardthe other tools for help.
Over the long run, new ways to applythe basicswill presentthemselves.
But on a particularrace day, it's unrealto improveyour basic skillsenough
to matter.At the next lap time "band,"these basicswill still be sittingthere
as the main barriers.I can promiseyou that.
It's not easy to get all the basicsunderyour control.Far f rom it.
Riderswho consistentlyget them rightare rare; but you can be beatinga
dead horse,expectingmore from the standardtechniquesthan is available
on a singleday. Just as being in good physicalconditionwill not improve
o r e n g i n e ,y o u r r i d i n gs k i l l sc a n n o ti m p r o v ea s o u r o u t l o o k
y o u rs u s p e n s i o n
on the day, a mis-jetted carb or a lack of sleep.
What'sthe conditionof your four tools of racing?How well do they
work? Which is your worst?Which is your best? Don'tforgetyour best.

Gettingoutwithotherridersgivesyoufirsthand experiencewiththem.lt's
you
valuablebecause can see what not to do. In manycases thatcan be
moreimportant thanseeingwhatto do. Yourbikeset-upshouldbe done
by experiencedpeoplewhocanget it rightand safe.Ridingskill - You
acquirethat.Afterreadingthismaterial,you knowwhatthe proper
techniquesare.Nowyou needsomesaddletimeto perfectthem.Mental
condition- By beingprepared andhavinga planyoucan keepit fun and
havea goodattitude. -
Physical Basicslikegoodfoodandcardio-
vascularexerciseare neededto stayfit.Adequate shapegivesyoufull
to spendon the race,especially
attention towardsthe end.
I beganracingbecauseI was inspired by oneo{ my idols.Youcangeta
terrificamountof personalsatisfactionout of thissport.My personal
goalis
to perfectmy skillsagainstthe track(notthe publicroads);beatingthe
otherguysprovesI was moreskillfulthanthemon thatday.Winninga
nationalchampionship meansI hada clearerpictureof the seasonand
madeintelligentdecisionsthroughout the year.
D.G,

Definitions
pitiless.
Relentless:Unyielding,
D i m e n s i o nE: x t e n s i oi n a g i v e nd i r e c t i o n .
or boringdueto extremelengthor slowness.
Tedious:Tiresome
C o n d i t i o n i n gM: a k i n gs u i t a b lfeo r a g i v e np u r p o s e .
in quality:Average.
Mediocre:Moderate-to-low
practice.
A time-honored
Traditionally: methodor manner.
A customary
tnstinctively:Prompted natural;unlearned.
by instinct,
Rhythm:Regularrecurrence in a systemof motion.
of elements
coverwithringsor clampsfor holdingpaper.
Binder:A notebook
fitting.
Appropriate:Suitable;
115
Rider Ghecklist
1. Oil at Proper Level
A. Engine
B .T r a n s m i s s i o n
C .C h a i n
D.Forks
2. Wheels Are In Line

3. Forks Don't Bind

4. Ghain Adjusted
5. Tire Pressures Are Gorrect
A . C o l dP r e s s u r e sF r o n t - Rear-
B . H o t P r e s s u r e sF r o n t Rear-

6. Steering Head BearingsTight

7. Front Axle Gap Bolts Tight

8. Axles Tight
9. Wheels Are Balanced
1O. Controls Are Comfortable and Usable
1 1. Fork Travel Correct
(Forksshould not bottom out or top out)

1 2. ShockTravel Gorrect
(Shocksshould not bottom out excessivelybut should use most of the shock
t r a v e l).
13. Throttle Operates Smoothly
(Doesn'tstick, no excessivefree play.)

14. Brakes Work Well

A . P a d sa r e m a k i n gg o o d c o n t a c to n d i s c .
B . P a d sa r e n o t b i n d i n gd i s c .
C . E n o u g hp a d m a t e r i a l .

15 . T i r e s H a v e E n o u g h R u b b e r
A . U n e v e n l yw o r n o r s t e p p e dt i r e sc a n c a u s eh a n d l i n gd i f fi c u l t i e s .
B . O l d r a c i n gt i r e sd r y o u t a n d b e c o m e" g r e a s y . "
C. Racetires work best when they havejust been scrubbedin and have plenty
of rubber.
16 . E n o u g h F u e l

17. Master Link in Pface

( M a s t e rl i n k s h o u l db e s a f e t yw i r e d u n l e s si t i s a n e n d l e s sc h a i n . )

18. Someone to Record lap Times

M o s t o f t h e s ei t e m sa r e n o t t h i n g st h a t a t e c h n i c a il n s p e c t o rl o o k sa t . T h e ya r e
i t e m st h a t d i r e c t l ya f f e c ty o u r a b i l i t yt o p u t y o u r e q u i p m e n t o u s ea s a r a c e r .
T h e ye n s u r et h a t y o u c a n m a k e r t a r o u n dt h e t r a c kw i t h o u t m a i o rm i s h a p s
( e n o u g hf u e l ,e t c . ) .
 ( U s et h e s ea n d m a k e
copiesfor your notes.l
Race Day Record O
Date
Track
R a c i n gO r g a n r z a t i o n
L e n g t ho f T r a c k
N u m b e ro f T u r n s
W e a t h e rC o n d r t r o n s
A m b i e n tT e m p e r a t u r e
Elevation
C l a s s e st o b e R u n
T i r e sR u n :B r a n d
Comoound/Number F r o n t- Rear
T i r eP r e s s u r eF: r o n t - C o l d Rear-Cold
Front-Hot Rear-Hot
T r r eM i l e a g e F
: ront Rear
Jettrng
Mains Prlot Arr Correction-Air Screws
Needle Slide FloatLevel Other
G a s o l i n eT y p e
G a s / O rR
l atio
l g n r t r o nT i m i n g

S p a r kP l u gH e a tR a n g e
C a mT i m i n g I: n t a k e Exhaust
V a l v eA d r u s t m e n: tI n t a k e Exhausl
Gearing
Countershafl RearSorocket OverallR a t i o
S h o c kD a m p e n i n g
F r o n t - C o m o r e s s r o- R
n ebound R e a r - C o m o r e s s i o- n
Rebound
S p r i n gS e t t i n g s
Front- Pre-Load R e a r -P r e - L o a d
LapIrmes
Practice
P o s r t i o nE a c hL a o
Points Earned
P r r z eM o n e y W o n

Comments
Rider Checklist
1 Oil at Proper Level
A. Engine
B .T r a n s m i s s i o n
C Chain
D Forks
2. Wheels Are In Line

3 Forks Don't Bind

4. Chain Adiusted
5. Tire Pressures Are Gorrect
A. Cold PressuresFront- Rear.--
B. Hot PressuresFront Bear-

6. Steering Head Bearings Tight

7 Front Axle Cap Bolts Tight

8. Axles Tight
g Wheels Are Balanced

1O Controts Are Comfortable and Usable

11. ForkTravel Correct
( F o r k ss h o u l dn o t b o t t o mo u t o r t o p o u t )

1 2. Shock Travel Correct

(Shocksshould not bottom out excessrvelybut should use most of the shock
t r a v e l).
1 3 Throttle Operates Smoothly
( D o e s n ' st t i c k ,n o e x c e s s r vfer e e p l a y . )

1 4 Brakes Work Well

A P a d sa r e m a k r n gg o o d c o n t a c to n d r s c
B . P a d sa r e n o t b r n d i n gd i s c .
C . E n o u g hp a d m a t e r i a l .

1 5 Tires Have Enough Rubber

A . U n e v e n l yw o r n o r s t e p p e dt r r e sc a n c a u s eh a n d l i n gd i f fi c u l t i e s .
B . O l d r a c r n gt r r e sd r y o u t a n d b e c o m e" g r e a s y . "
C R a c et i r e sw o r k b e s tw h e n t h e y h a v el u s t b e e ns c r u b b e di n a n d h a v ep l e n t y
of rubber.
1 6 Enough Fuel
tt Master Link in Place
( M a s t e rl r n ks h o u l db e s a f e t yw i r e d u n l e s sr t r sa n e n d l e s sc h a t n . )

1 8 Someone to Record lap Times

M o s to f t h e s er t e m sa r e n o t t h r n g st h a t a t e c h n r c ailn s p e c t o rl o o k sa t . T h e ya r e
I t e m st h a t d r r e c t l ya f f e c ty o u r a b r l i t yt o p u t y o u r e q u r p m e ntto u s ea s a r a c e r .
T h e ye n s u r et h a t y o u c a n m a k e t t a r o u n dt h e t r a c kw r t h o u tm a l o rm t s h a p s
( e n o u g ht u e l ,e t c )
 (Usetheseand make
copiesfor your notes.)
Race Day Record @
Date
Track
R a c i n gO r g a n i z a t i o n
Length olTrack
N u m b e ro f T u r n s
W e a t h e rC o n d i t i o n s
Ambient Temperature
Elevation
Classesto be Run
Tires Run: Brand
Compound/Number Front- Rear

Tire Pressure: Front-Cold Rear-Cold

Front-Hot Rear-Hot

T i r eM i l e a g eF
: ront Rear

Jetting
Mains Pilot Air Correction-Air Screws

Needle Slide Float Level Other

GasolineType
G a s / O i lR a t i o
l g n i t i o nT i m i n g
S p a r kP l u gH e a tR a n g e
C a mT i m i n g :I n t a k e Exhaust

V a l v eA d j u s t m e n t I: n t a k e Exhaust

Gearing
Countershaft RearSprocket OveralR
l atio

S h o c kD a m p e n i n g
- Rebound
Front-Compression- Rebound Rear-Compression

Spring Settings
Fronr- Pre-Load Rear-Pre-Load

Lap Times
Practice Races

P o s i t i o nE a c hL a p
P o i n t sE a r n e d
PrizeMoneyWon
Comments
Rider Checklist
1 . Oal at Proper Lavel
A. Engrne
B .T r a n s m r s s i o n
C .C h a r n
D.I-orks
2 Wheels Are In Line

3. Forks Don't Bind

4 Chain Adjusted
5. Tire Pressures Are Correct
A . C o l dP r e s s u r e sF r o n t- R e a r-
B. Hot PressuresFront Rear-
6. Steering Head Bearings Tight
7. Front Axle Cap Bolts Tight
8. Axles Tight
9. Wheels Are Balanced
1O. Controls Are Comfortable and Usable

1 1 . Fork Travel Correct

( F o r k ss h o u l dn o t b o t t o mo u t o r t o p o u t )

1 2. Shock Travel Gorrect

(Shocksshould not bottom out excessrvelybut should use most of the shock
t r a v e l).
l3 Throttle Operates Smoothly
( D o e s n ' st t r c k ,n o e x c e s s r vfer e e p l a y . )

14. Brakes Work Well

A . P a d sa r e m a k i n gg o o d c o n t a c to n d i s c .
B . P a d sa r e n o t b r n d i n gd i s c .
C . E n o u g hp a d m a t e r r a l .
I 5. Tires Have Enough Rubber
A . U n e v e n l yw o r n o r s t e p p e dt r r e sc a n c a u s eh a n d l i n gd i f f i c u l t i e s .
B . O l d r a c i n gt i r e sd r y o u t a n d b e c o m e" g r e a s y"
C . R a c et i r e sw o r k b e s tw h e n t h e y h a v e . ; u sbt e e ns c r u b b e dr n a n d h a v ep l e n t y
of rubber.
1 6 Enough Fuel

1 7 Master Link in Place

( M a s t e rl r n ks h o u l db e s a f e t yw i r e d u n l e s st t t s a n e n d l e s sc h a r n . )

1 8 Someone to Record lap Times

M o s to f t h e s et t e m sa r e n o t t h i n g st h a t a t e c h n i c a il n s p e c t o rl o o k sa t T h e ya r e
i t e m st h a t d i r e c t l ya f f e c ty o u r a b i l i t yt o p u t y o u r e q u t p m e n t o u s ea s a r a c e r .
T h e ye n s u r et h a t y o u c a n m a k e r t a r o u n dt h e t r a c kw i t h o u t m a l o rm r s h a p s
( e n o u g hf u e l ,e t c . )
 ( U s et h e s ea n d m a k e
c o p i e sf o r y o u r n o t e s . )
Race Day Record @
Date
Track
R a c i n gO r g a n i z a t i o n
L e n g t ho { T r a c k
N u m b e ro f T u r n s
W e a t h e rC o n d i t r o n s
A m b i e n tT e m p e r a t u r e
Elevation
C l a s s e st o b e R u n
T i r e sR u n :B r a n d
Comoound/Number F r o n t- - - - - Rear

T i r e P r e s s u r eF: r o n t - C o l d Rear-Cold

F r o n t - H o t- , R e a r -H o t

T i r eM i l e a g e F
: r o n t- - - - -- Rear

Jetting
Mains Prlot A r r C o r r e c t r o -n- Air Screws

Needle S l r d e - - . .- . - - --. - Floal Level Other

G a s o l r nT
eype
G a s / O i lR a t r o- -
l g n i t i o nT i m i n g
S p a r kP l u gH e a tR a n g e
C a mT i m i n g .I n t a k e- - --_- Exhaust

V a l v eA d l u s t m e n t I: n t a k e -- Exhaust

Gearing
Countershaft R e a rS o r o c k e t OverallRatro

S h o c kD a m p e n i n g
F r o n t - C o m o r e s s r o- R
n ebound R e a r - C o m p r e s s r oR
n -e b o u n d

S p r i n gS e t t i n g s
Front- Pre-Luao R e a r -P r e - L o a d

Lap Times
practice ._, Races
E a c hL a p
Posrtron
P o r n t s E a r n e d-

P r r z eM o n e vW o n -
Comments
 CORNERING SCHOOT
t Cornering is the fun...andthe fear
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h u n d r e dosf t h o u s a n d s 0K N 0 W .

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 RAINEY'SW
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-$r',it<o.*,
$t "THE SOFTSCIENCEOF ROADFACING