After a winter off it can be hard and also dangerous to try and get back into the groove. There is a saying that to get to race pace you need to race and this is also true of your riding after a long winter lay off period. However, it is also easy to bypass the overambitious/crash/hospital method of the Spring with a few vital but easy to apply techniques.
Most people will tell you that you need to go slow and build back up which as a tip is fairly sound. However, as a tip it doesn’t really give you a plan of what you need to do and how you are going to go about doing it. Sure, build it up slowly but what is ‘it’?
In a nutshell it is machine control and your vision which will lead the way back to riding briskly. If you cannot control, or have rusty control of the bike it can lead to a bin. Same goes for your eyes, if they have (and they do) got lazy in the winter then you will have a reduced reaction time and a reduced amount of space to work in.
So the two areas that you must work on from the very first time you come out of the garage full of joy bravado and daring-do are throttle application and creating space.
ThrottleAfter two miles of taking it easy we very quickly fall back into the ‘wanna go faster coz it’s summer’ train of thought. This generally leads to late braking, delayed gas then over use of the throttle. You cannot do this as you have not gotten used to feeling for grip yet and this method asks too much of you and your tyres too soon.
So concentrate on getting the throttle on a tiny amount, a tiny bit earlier in the corner and rolling it open gradually and smoothly from that point. Keep working it and working it until you are soooo smooth with your right hand that you would make Troy Corser look positively ham fisted!
SpaceBut to have that smooth throttle action you need space to work in. This area takes more concentration to blow away the winter cobwebs.
For a start the human body has been designed to travel, on average, at a top speed of 11 miles per hour. At this speed, when we are running, we can take in all the things that are going on around us and still have time to change our planned route if needed with relative ease. As I said, all this takes place at 11 miles per hour.
Now we are travelling briskly along a straight and in front of us is a fast corner. We probably feel quite at ease at this exact moment because we can see a lot of space in front of us. But when we start braking hard we will lose all this room as you concentrate more and more on the space in front of you (the corner) – which is rapidly decreasing! Space is rarely a problem when we are travelling upright, in a straight line and off the brakes.
What we need to do is to make sure that the eyes are always one step ahead of the bike and our actual position into, during and out of the corner.
So at the entry the eyes look at the apex, at the apex the exit and so on. But because you have had a long winter lay off your eyes will still be working in 11mph mode. It will require a good amount of effort on your part of retrain your eyes. Be aware of this next time you ride.
Q. What is the difference between the corners that feel smooth and in control and the corners that feel uncomfortable and more than a little ragged...?
A. Where and when you where looking.
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Motorcycle News Confidence TrainingMCN CT is a low speed programme designed to get the best from you and your bike - it is all about MACHINE CONTROL and the confidence that can be obtained from understanding how you interact with your bike. MCN CT will benefit all riders, experienced or not, it is particularly aimed at two groups of riders, those who want to get some advanced training, but have no desire to go on a race track and new riders who want to continue their riding after passing their test and before picking up any bad habits
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RiDE In CONTROLA half-day’s riding learning and practicing three essential techniques to put you in control of your bike. Each technique has a pit-lane demo and explanation, then track time to practice, followed by a debrief and more track time to hone your skill. It doesn’t matter if you ride an R1150GS or a GSX-R1000. You never stop learning and the InCONTROL techniques will work for anyone. With a maximum of five pupils to one instructor, you are guarenteed personal attention.
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California Superbike SchoolThe world renowned training program covering four levels of techniques, dedicated to improving your Cornering Confidence. It takes a day to complete a level and everyone starts at Level 1. It isn't a basic level it is just our starting point - whether you are a road rider, track dayer or racer, you will see a benefit from a CSS course. A day starts at 7am and ends around 5.30pm. There are are five classroom lessons each followed by an on-track session with your riding coach and an off-track drill to complete.
Dates:Rockingham UK:June 5th,
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