riding tips

[indie]

1) Countersteering

This involves pushing the INSIDE handlebar AWAY from you when entering a corner, this makes the bike "drop-in" a lot better

2) Mass shifting and positioning

This is all about moving YOUR mass about to make the bike do what you want, this helps ALOT in braking, accelerating and cornering, but if you are inexperinaced will cause more problems as you can upset the bike.

Riding position varies from person to person, basically you should always be able to get your hand between your crotch and the petrol tank, also, riding with the balls of your feet on the pegs as opposed to the arch can give you more feel, but beware that you are not having to shuffle your feet to much to get the controls as you can upset the balance of the bike.

If the road is bumpy, I take the majority of my weight on my pegs, with my ass just touching the seat, I find I get much better control over the bike on bumpy b-roads

When riding fast, or in windy conditions, or when on dual carridgeways / M ways with buffeting, you will find the bike much more stable if you don't become too rigid, instead lessen the grip on the bars and loosen your arms/shoulders and grip the tank with your knees / inner thighs, this will make controlling the bike in these situations much easier, and you will get less fatigue.

3) Cornering

a) Get all your braking and shifting done BEFORE the corner, and accelerate smootly out of the corner, slow in, fast out
b) Look at the apex, where you want to end up, this is more for the track, but can help on the road.

4) General Roadcraft

a) What out at junctions, crossroads, use anything you can to anticpate what other vehicles might be doing, what the wheels of the vehicle are doing you can anticipate movement of said vehicle alot this way
b) Look ahead, but do not become so fixated on whats ahead that you lose track of whats directly infront of you.

5) Braking

NEVER, especially in the wet, grab a fist full of front brake, this will be a quick route to the nearest field/hedge, instead, apply the brake more gently at first, then as the tyre's surface patch increases due to weight transfer increase the braking force.

Rear brake usage.

Different schools of thought on this one, but me personally, I use it alot, if I have entered a corner to hot and need to scrub some speed off I will apply the rear brake, it is MUCH easier to recover a rear wheel lock up than a front, also I find it helps when riding two up as there is more weight over the rear wheel.

Beware in solo situations in the wet though, the rear brake will lock easily.

6) Pillion riding

a) The main rider will need to be aware of the added weight, take things slowly, have a "system" with your pillion where he/she can tell you if they need to stop.
b) the pillion will need to sit STILL, but not be stiff, they need to "go with the flow" of the bike
c) tyre pressures, suspension and headlight will need some adjustment to take a pillion

[grotbag]

Good tips there indie, thank you

[Bornagain]

Originally Posted by indie

1)
5) Braking

NEVER, especially in the wet, grab a fist full of front brake, this will be a quick route to the nearest field/hedge, instead, apply the brake more gently at first, then as the tyre's surface patch increases due to weight transfer increase the braking force.

Rear brake usage.

Different schools of thought on this one, but me personally, I use it alot, if I have entered a corner to hot and need to scrub some speed off I will apply the rear brake, it is MUCH easier to recover a rear wheel lock up than a front, also I find it helps when riding two up as there is more weight over the rear wheel.

Beware in solo situations in the wet though, the rear brake will lock easily.

I have to watch the braking because I have linked brakes. I forgot one day as I overcooked it into a righthander, hit the rear brake and the front jumped around to remind me I had linked brakes

[Singh600RR]

Originally Posted by indie

.....

4) General Roadcraft

a) What out at junctions, crossroads, use anything you can to anticpate what other vehicles might be doing, what the wheels of the vehicle are doing you can anticipate movement of said vehicle alot this way
b) Look ahead, but do not become so fixated on whats ahead that you lose track of whats directly infront of you.

Good tips Indie, I would add:

c) never hover or ride in a car drivers blind spot.

[robertall]

Haha i broke a few of those rules. Mainly the braking one on my old scooter.

And on my old scooter and on my CG, i use the rear brake more than the front all the time.

Rob

[Manky Cat]

2) Mass shifting and positioning

This is all about moving YOUR mass about to make the bike do what you want, this helps ALOT in braking, accelerating and cornering, but if you are inexperinaced will cause more problems as you can upset the bike.

Riding position varies from person to person, basically you should always be able to get your hand between your crotch and the petrol tank, also, riding with the balls of your feet on the pegs as opposed to the arch can give you more feel, but beware that you are not having to shuffle your feet to much to get the controls as you can upset the balance of the bike.

If the road is bumpy, I take the majority of my weight on my pegs, with my ass just touching the seat, I find I get much better control over the bike on bumpy b-roads

When riding fast, or in windy conditions, or when on dual carridgeways / M ways with buffeting, you will find the bike much more stable if you don't become too rigid, instead lessen the grip on the bars and loosen your arms/shoulders and grip the tank with your knees / inner thighs, this will make controlling the bike in these situations much easier, and you will get less fatigue.

Nice one for this Indie , it's nice to know i'm doing somthing right. I was out with "Scud' in Berkshire yesterday and was trying out the Mass Shifting thing, thr Bike got out of shape a couple of times, I felt it & Scud saw it, but I soon Corrected....

[tonh]

Originally Posted by indie

Rear brake usage.

Different schools of thought on this one, but me personally, I use it alot, if I have entered a corner to hot and need to scrub some speed off I will apply the rear brake, it is MUCH easier to recover a rear wheel lock up than a front, also I find it helps when riding two up as there is more weight over the rear wheel.

Beware in solo situations in the wet though, the rear brake will lock easily.

When you learn to ride, you are always taught how to brake correctly and when to use the back brake. This is taught presumably because it is right and works for all bikes. Unfortunately, we are lazy and on lightweight bikes it doesn't really matter if you predominantly (always?) end up using only front brake because even if the handle bars snatch the bike is so light it is easy to pick up.
Get loaded up with some weight though and the front brake becomes almost untouchable at low speed unless the handlebars are dead straight and it is much more difficult to stop 400kilos snatching you down if you make that mistake.
I think that this is the number one cause of minor spills by newcomers to bigger and heavier bikes - but it only happens once and then your lessons in the yard will come flooding back to remind you why it happened.