What about being smooth?
Smoothness.If there was ever an over all blanket mantra for successful riding, this is what I think of first.
Everything you want to do on a motorcycle should be done smoothly as physically possible. It starts from the moment you swing your leg over the saddle, the action of the controls, the line you choose to ride, the method you use to control your body while negotiating transitions, to the very moment when we stop the bike and finally dismount. It is my primary control goal no matter what the environment, from stop and go traffic in downtown Grants Pass to dropping 100 mph entering turn 7 at Sears Point.
I constantly practice smoothness every time I am on a bike. Smoothly rolling on and off the throttle, the application of the brakes and releasing them, moving my body and weight to the inside of the turn and picking my line of sight. Anything that has a input to the control of the motorcycle is done smoothly. Motorcycles are inanimate objects but they react to us exactly as we treat them. If we grab at the controls or bounce around in the saddle the bike is going to get even - usually when we want the most out of it, during a panic situation. And it will do its best to toss you off.
To demonstrate this, over the years I have worked with students at the track in a clear physical manner. While standing in front of them, I ask which of these two methods of moving them feels best: First I push them with good force on a shoulder. I can promise you nobody likes it. Next I push gradually and smoothly on the same shoulder, moving them to the point where they are out of reach.
It is this simple while controlling a motorcycle. Force will be greeted with an equal reaction. Smooth, gradual input will be tolerated and accepted. An observation technique used is to watch the front forks while someone is using throttle control or braking. Watch how smoothly the forks compress and extend. It should be a smooth action like ocean waves, not the harsh diving and extensions that would form a sharp peak and valley on a graph.
This is the concept of smooth and neutral direction control in a nutshell. You should never stop practicing being smooth, not ever.
Everything you want to do on a motorcycle should be done smoothly as physically possible. It starts from the moment you swing your leg over the saddle, the action of the controls, the line you choose to ride, the method you use to control your body while negotiating transitions, to the very moment when we stop the bike and finally dismount. It is my primary control goal no matter what the environment, from stop and go traffic in downtown Grants Pass to dropping 100 mph entering turn 7 at Sears Point.
I constantly practice smoothness every time I am on a bike. Smoothly rolling on and off the throttle, the application of the brakes and releasing them, moving my body and weight to the inside of the turn and picking my line of sight. Anything that has a input to the control of the motorcycle is done smoothly. Motorcycles are inanimate objects but they react to us exactly as we treat them. If we grab at the controls or bounce around in the saddle the bike is going to get even - usually when we want the most out of it, during a panic situation. And it will do its best to toss you off.
To demonstrate this, over the years I have worked with students at the track in a clear physical manner. While standing in front of them, I ask which of these two methods of moving them feels best: First I push them with good force on a shoulder. I can promise you nobody likes it. Next I push gradually and smoothly on the same shoulder, moving them to the point where they are out of reach.
It is this simple while controlling a motorcycle. Force will be greeted with an equal reaction. Smooth, gradual input will be tolerated and accepted. An observation technique used is to watch the front forks while someone is using throttle control or braking. Watch how smoothly the forks compress and extend. It should be a smooth action like ocean waves, not the harsh diving and extensions that would form a sharp peak and valley on a graph.
This is the concept of smooth and neutral direction control in a nutshell. You should never stop practicing being smooth, not ever.