| Motorcycle
Riding Techniques Ultimate Objective If you were to select a single ultimate motorcycle riding objective or technique then you should consider becoming a smooth rider. The smoother you ride, the more control you have over any potential loss of that control. The further you can safely push the envelope of control, the better and safer a rider you become. The keyword here is safety. Pushing past one's ability to safely control the bike in an emergency, no matter how unexpected the situation may be, is what novice riders are notorious for doing with devastating results. In fact, a really good way of having your first accident is to go out for a group ride with more experienced riders and trying to keep up with them if they are making progress at a faster pace than is within your envelope of abitlity. You are put in an invidious position: not wanting to appear a whimp while trying to keep the shiny side up. Much better to slow down and go at your own pace - meet up with the other riders at the next refreshment rendevous! 85% of all motorcycle accidents involve riders with less than 2 years of riding experience. Smoothness enhances safety and smoothness cannot be achieved without using and applying the techniques outlined in this presentation. On Level One at the California Superbike School training school, you are required to ride round the race circuit without using your brakes. Sounds crazy but you soon get into the habit of looking well ahead so as to be prepared for the severity of the next bend and track conditions. Paradoxically, being a smooth rider doesn't mean that you are a slow rider. If anything, a smooth riding technique is generally faster. Why? Because you cannot be a smooth rider without constantly looking well ahead and planning in advance what is going to happen (and how you are going to react) within the next five to ten seconds. I often follow riders who are accelarating into a zone of traffic ahead that you can see to be stationary and will require both of us to stop. Simply looking ahead and adjusting your speed to arrive at the delay can often result with not having to stop at all. They must have shares in the brake pad industry. Another good example is the approach to a roundabout - have you ever accelrated up to a roundabout only to brake and stop because there is no gap for your entry? The disadvantage here is that you are now having to start off from stationary. If you had looked ahead and adjusted your speed to coincide with the gap in traffic on the roundabout then you would already have the momentum to take advantage of an even smaller gap than could be handled from a stationary start. Mind you, I have yet to see such a thing as a roundabout in the Philippines! It is the mastering of these techniques that can give you even more satisfaction and pleasure from your biking when they are executed with skill and panache. So, being a Smoothy is Groovy! Look and plan ahead instead! |