Because there's only so much risk I'm prepared to take on the road and because I want to keep my license I have two 'games' I like to play now and again when out riding on my own. It helps to keeps my speed down, improves my technique by making me focus on one particular aspect of riding and can refresh the fun of roads that have become a bit too familiar. I was wondering, particularly you racers and track daemons,if there are other useful riding tasks you know about? Not ending up in a hedge and go as fast as you can don't count, we all know those ones 1 No Brakes - not allowed to brake for corner entry, makes you think about and plan your entry speed and timing more and completely changes some corners. 2 No Acceleration on Straights - you can build speed through corners only, whatever speed you exit at you have to keep to it on the straight. Makes you think more about throttle control when tipped in and your corner exit drive. Any others?
I often play both of these games. Anything to take my mind off the fact that I cannot give it big handfuls on the Queen's Highway
Speed on straights isn't that much fun really, the reward is certainly not worth risking your license for, but makes it even easier to be doing big numbers without noticing.
100% agree finm. I get all excited when I see black and white chevrons there's nothing like the feeling of stringing together a couple of really well executed corners, and that doesn't necessarily need to be at track pace. Improving my riding skill is addictive but still have loads to work to do.
bit strange perhaps,, but i like to corner as much as possible without banking the bike, just using body position.. sometimes just my head.
I'm with you there too, the idea is to lean the bike less, not more. Don't know how to make body position into a 'game' though. What surprised me is how little body I actually get off the bike when it feels like loads.
I find I can only corner hard while hanging off the bike, I can still ride well sitting straight on bike but when pushing on I need to hang off .
Yep, that's physics for you. Sitting there like a sack of spuds and leaning just looks and feels wrong to me.
Used to occasionally follow a guy called Phil. He rode a GSXR1000 years ago. Quite quick too but I noticed he always sat straight up with the bike. If the bike was 45deg over, his body was 45deg over, in direct line with the bike. I have no idea how or why he rode like that
There is almost no feeling like knee on the deck in your fav corner looking at the exit and starting to accelerate out......vroom
I love the feeling when you tip in just right, entry speed judged perfectly and you're balancing the grip with the throttle mid corner, to me that's where the magic of the 848 is, it's pure poetry. Problem is it doesn't happen as often as I'd like I've scraped my toe slider a few times but never had my knee down. Got that to come with any luck
well that is very reasuring guys,, i dont go riding with many fast folk but some i was out with recently ( the local group ) and they all were well amused at my leaning angles,, they were mostly very quick, mostly quick enough for me !! but they all did the banking the bike rather than leaning off even in slow tight corners...and many were " advising " me to change !!
Sounds like you're doing it right to me, don't listen to them. The instructor at castle Combe told me I need to get off the bike more, and I can tell you it felt like I was going to fall off! I know when I'm doing it right when my arm is pressed across the top of the tank and my head is as low as I dare to get it. Look at moto gp riders body positions. Head and shoulder off and low. You want the weight to follow a shorter path, that will keep the bike more upright which allows you to get on the power sooner and with more grip, reduce the centripetal forces that want to make the tires let go. The other thing I see sometimes is people actually pushing the bike down lower, as if that is the objective.
When really hammering on I feel as though I fire myself to the side and pull the bike after me, if that makes sense
That is all very well if you have a view around the bend but if you are hanging off you are either on the limit or posing and if you are on the limit then you have nowhere to go if the unexpected occurs, as it eventually will. The road is not the track. However I like the idea of the 2 games outlined in the OP, provided they are played within normal limits
There is a road not far from where I live with lots of lovely sweepers but mostly poor visibility. A few years ago two bikers were giving it the beans when around one of these bends they came across a car broken down. One biker died and the other was seriously injured. Like I said, the road is not the track.
TBH mate,, i think you are entirelly 180deg wrong !!!!!! my theory is that if the corner tightens then i know i have lots of bike lean in reserve !!
my only doubt ( being a relative learner ) is that if there is lean in reserve then why not use it,, to which i would say, it is a lot easier to lean the bike over quickly than it is to manouever your body over in an emergency situation
IMO you should be shifting body weight as the first port of call, not a last ditch effort once you run out of lean. The object of shifting body weight should be to *reduce* lean angles, and for the road thats surely safer because the bike is more stable, you have more grip and its already more stood up should you need to take evasive action. The bike always feels more stable when I ride like that. The handy thing is it works at slower speeds as well so you can practice good track technique on the road without caning it. That said I did feel like I was posing when I first started trying, now I don't at all because I understand its an essential part of good (fast) riding technique. I have not even got my knee down on track so I have no desire to try it on the road.
