Sport Riding Techniques

[ChriSTian_64]

A new book arrived in the mailbox.
Sport Riding Techniques, by Nick Ienatsch.

 

[dduelin]

Very instrumental to me when I resumed riding and I still refer to it.

 

[Terminator2]

Hahaha.....Does it include: Lean angles, Holding a speed line into twisties.......things like that? Things I need to improve on. I'm interested. I'm 64, so I need it more than you?

 

[STRider]

It's one of the better riding technique books I've read. I like Nick.

 

[mello dude]

Nick Ienatch is the best .... He still writes a column for Cycle World every Tuesday.

Ienatsch Tuesday

www.cycleworld.com

 

[dduelin]

Hahaha.....Does it include: Lean angles, Holding a speed line into twisties.......things like that? Things I need to improve on. I'm interested. I'm 64, so I need it more than you?

Among other subjects yes it does. At 65 myself I don’t want to ride with the same skill set I started with 50 years ago. Other good reads are The Upper Half Of The Motorcycle (B. Spiegal), Total Control (L. Parks), Street Strategies (D. Hough), Ride Hard Ride Smart (P. Hahn).

 

[Weaselinsuit]

I have two of David Hough's books; Proficient Motorcycling and Mastering the Ride. Both are excellent.

 

[drrod]

The books are very good for learning the theory but nothing beats riding under the guidance of a good instructor.
Find a good high performance school and invest in a few lessons. Many times you may think you are doing the right thing but you are not. I liken it to golf. You can read all about the technique but until you practice, under supervision, you may be reinforcing bad habits or poor technique.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

Things I need to improve on. I'm interested. I'm 64, so I need it more than you?

64 ?

No, no.
You can't learn anything at this age.

Just kidding. I'm not far behind you, at 57.

And you certainly have much more riding experience than I do. I just got my first road bike, last summer.
An easy one though : ST1100.

But eventhough we just run touring bikes, not sportbike, there is always a thighter curve than we taught, that we will enter a bit too fast, or a deer (or a matress) that will show up right on our trajectory.

Those situations happend. And trying to brake while you lean your bike in a curve can be tricky.

So, yeah, if I can learn and practice a few tricks, who knows... it might save my underwear, one day.

 

[ad.hom]

The books are very good for learning the theory but nothing beats riding under the guidance of a good instructor.
Find a good high performance school and invest in a few lessons. Many times you may think you are doing the right thing but you are not. I liken it to golf. You can read all about the technique but until you practice, under supervision, you may be reinforcing bad habits or poor technique.

100% this.

For work things, I've been taught how to use frameworks by the folks that wrote them. I've had a conversation or 3 with authors of the books I've read, and bounced back & forth with them about why their opinions are wrong/too narrow to apply globally etc.

For bike things, I've been lucky enough to attend courses and the instructors were the folks that designed the course itself.

I have, and regularly read books on the subjects, nothing wrong with doing that, but doing only that isn't doing quite as much as I like.

 

[Tor]

The books are very good for learning the theory but nothing beats riding under the guidance of a good instructor.
Find a good high performance school and invest in a few lessons. Many times you may think you are doing the right thing but you are not. I liken it to golf. You can read all about the technique but until you practice, under supervision, you may be reinforcing bad habits or poor technique.

^ What he said.

Walk before you run. Get under the wing a good instructor, or a friend that knows what he / she is doing. Get some track time under your belt, if you can. It will open a new world as to what you and your bike is capable of. Get to know your bike better. Don't just ride. Feel it. Get familiar with what your bike is doing , and how the bike geometry is changing, when you get on the brakes, front, rear or both. What is your bike doing when you are leaned over and hit the stoppers, or when you cut the throttle. Get familiar with how to adjust your suspension, and why you adjust it. Don't practice more than one aspect of your riding at a time when you're out practicing. Learn how to read the road. Road vanishing point, vanishing point, vanishing point. Always know where it is, and watch it. As you get more confident with your bike, (and with yourself), pick aspects of your riding to try out: Trail braking, how to get on the gas earlier, or brake later, how do you hit the apex perfectly every time, how to relax your arms, what is your body doing when leaned over, and what are your hands doing? How are you holding your grips? Loose? Elbows? Loose?

On and on and on. You will realize you have come a long way when your bike becomes an extension of your body, and you can feel every little nuance as to what the bike is doing. Those times you scare yourself half to death, learn from it. What happened? Why did it happen?

Riding good, winding roads at a fast, but safe pace don't come overnight. But, you'll now when it comes, because you'll be in the..... zone.....

Ride safe.

 

[larryg]

I highly recommend Keith Code's "A Twist of the Wrist". It's both entertaining, and informative.
It will greatly help you get to the skill level where you're "One with the bike", as my good friend and riding instructor says. You'll know when you reach that stage.
I bought both the DVD and the book, and learned a lot from them.

 

[Terminator2]

64 ?

No, no.
You can't learn anything at this age.

Just kidding. I'm not far behind you, at 57.

And you certainly have much more riding experience than I do. I just got my first road bike, last summer.
An easy one though : ST1100.

But eventhough we just run touring bikes, not sportbike, there is always a thighter curve than we taught, that we will enter a bit too fast, or a deer (or a matress) that will show up right on our trajectory.

Those situations happend. And trying to brake while you lean your bike in a curve can be tricky.

So, yeah, if I can learn and practice a few tricks, who knows... it might save my underwear, one day.

So glad to hear that you are learning sound riding wisdom. Sounds like you are a newbie to street riding. I belong to a big riding group and every week it seems someone has crashed or died. A couple weeks ago, I was riding with an aggressive group and I came into a twistie too hot. I went wide (as in, there's the barb wire fence and ditch). The flashback of YouTube videos I've seen riders miss a turn and end up with a bad day occurred. I tried not to panic (it happens), and kept the bike upright, braked enough to slow bike to wiggle through the turn. *whew*....Caught up and told leader ' I'm done for the day ', as I lost my confidence. One thing I lack is confidence to 'really lean the bike ' on tar snakes. Anyway, I'm alive, and the saga continues. Yes, I still love to ride. I've got the sport riding gremlin in my veins.

 

[ChriSTian_64]

@Terminator2 Glad to hear you were able to make it and that your OK.
For now, I still prefer to ride alone. But, that's the story of my life, I guess.
On youtube, if you search Mulholland Snake ( a section of mulholland drive in L.A.) that's a place were there is a lot of bikers who comes for the twisties, and of course, there is one place more tricky, where every 20 minutes or so, a motorcyclist crash.
That is a place where it turns left while climbing, and you don't see the end of the curve. So, most riders (specially guys with sport bikes) have a tendency to open the throttle, since it is climbing and it's a smooth curve with a lean toward the inside of the curve in the road. So, you're adjusting your speed to the curve, lean your bike and keep going.
Then, as you approach the end of the curve, you see that it leads to a climbing straight section.
So, you open up your throttle a bit more, but before you notice it, there is no more tilt angle in the road. You had kept the same lean angle on your bike, but since the road itself had no more tilt angle, your screwed, because you are now tilting to much : your pedal touch the ground, you brake a bit and crash.
There is so many crash there. People stop on a nearby parking to see others crash.
Brand new real expensive bikes...

The author of my book says something interesting. He says that modern sport bikes are very powerfull and capable machines. Still, lots of new riders, eventhough they have a machine much more capabable than they are themselves, they want to modify the suspension, have high performance tires, bigger air filter, modify this and that.
But, the real best way for them to get more from their bike... is simply by improving there riding skills.

 

[ST1100Y]

Even while a bit dry to read in some passages I found this quite revealing:

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook: The Stationery Office: 9780117081888: Amazon.com: Books

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook [The Stationery Office] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook

www.amazon.com

Things you're somewhat unconsciously aware off, but never actively think about/analyze or verbalize on...

 

[Fawlty]

I can recommend that @ST1100Y . I have the 1994 edition.

 

[ad.hom]

Even while a bit dry to read in some passages I found this quite revealing:

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook: The Stationery Office: 9780117081888: Amazon.com: Books

Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook [The Stationery Office] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Motorcycle Roadcraft: The Police Rider's Handbook

www.amazon.com

Things you're somewhat unconsciously aware off, but never actively think about/analyze or verbalize on...

That book was on my desk in the office before the pandemic. It now lives in my top box.

Some folk have given me an odd look for having a read at biker hangouts in the past. But they're usually dressed like power rangers, so I give them an odd look back.

 

[ST1100Y]

... they're usually dressed like power rangers...

Yeah, even when piloting yogurt cups, pure race track techniques won't cut it on public roads...

 

[Dale_I]

...the real best way for them to get more from their bike... is simply by improving their riding skills.

The rides we get to mount these days are technologically advanced and far more capable than most riders (me included). I took a cornering clinic a couple years ago and it transformed my abilities. Bike didn't change, but my body positioning and attention to specific details made all the difference.

I will forever be a proponent of ongoing training. I'm also a believer that, as in any sport, a strong foundation in the fundamentals allows advanced training to have a positive affect. I still practice figure 8's in a parking lot waiting for other riders to show up.

 

[Terminator2]

@Terminator2 Glad to hear you were able to make it and that your OK.
For now, I still prefer to ride alone. But, that's the story of my life, I guess.
On youtube, if you search Mulholland Snake ( a section of mulholland drive in L.A.) that's a place were there is a lot of bikers who comes for the twisties, and of course, there is one place more tricky, where every 20 minutes or so, a motorcyclist crash.
That is a place where it turns left while climbing, and you don't see the end of the curve. So, most riders (specially guys with sport bikes) have a tendency to open the throttle, since it is climbing and it's a smooth curve with a lean toward the inside of the curve in the road. So, you're adjusting your speed to the curve, lean your bike and keep going.
Then, as you approach the end of the curve, you see that it leads to a climbing straight section.
So, you open up your throttle a bit more, but before you notice it, there is no more tilt angle in the road. You had kept the same lean angle on your bike, but since the road itself had no more tilt angle, your screwed, because you are now tilting to much : your pedal touch the ground, you brake a bit and crash.
There is so many crash there. People stop on a nearby parking to see others crash.
Brand new real expensive bikes...

The author of my book says something interesting. He says that modern sport bikes are very powerfull and capable machines. Still, lots of new riders, eventhough they have a machine much more capabable than they are themselves, they want to modify the suspension, have high performance tires, bigger air filter, modify this and that.
But, the real best way for them to get more from their bike... is simply by improving there riding skills.

I moved away from Southern California in 1990. Been all over ......except for Mullholland Drive. I can only imagine. Don't need to visit it. The sierras have all the challenging twisties a man could ask for ( I can hear Colorado riders mocking me already ). Glad to hear you continue to study/practice riding techniques. I admit, time for me to study some more. I ride alone quite often, so there'll be no one around to pick up the pieces, heh. I leave any ego at home when I ride and try to embrace all the blessings of each and every ride. Riding is quite alluring when you know, there's more to learn and practice. How cool is that. Thanks for sharing the book. I'll have to look into it. Time to jab beemer riders. Yesterday, May 25. Came up to a stop sign with a BMW Adventure rider that just exited the freeway. We both were going to use freeway frontage road. He zipped ( didn't know beemers had it in them ), no problem, cranked on throttle and caught up to him, to notify him his top box was open with key in it! He pulled over, mumbled, smiled and off I went. Probably why I don't have a top box cuz I'd do the same thing......Have fun riding! I am.