will england :: motorcycle notes and tips

How To make that curve you're going to blow

You, Me, Phil, Erik, and everybody else here SURE ain't Nicky.
When you think you are at the screaming limit, that there is
nothing left but lowsiding into the dirt, when all hope is lost,
all load is on the front tire...when you are POSITIVE of all
these things...the one thing I am CERTAIN of is...you are WRONG.

It WILL trailbrake more, it will corner more, it will, it will,
it will.

That is the part you must BELEIVE. Takes some practice...and some
butt cheek tightening, but it WORKS.

The theory is EXACTLY as you've stated, once you are at 100% use
of traction, there is none left to do anything else. But traction
isn't a 100% you live, 101% you crash kinda of thing. There is a
fine, razor edged line in between where....you SLIDE.  And when
SLIDING, one wonderful, terrific, butt saving thing
happens....you bleed speed. Thats what sliding DOES....it kills
velocity. Cages or bikes, if you can hold that slide for a
quarter second or a half, without even using the brakes, the act
of sliding itself will bring you back to the safe side of the
traction line.

I have a rule. When caught by surprise when the first instinct is
standing it up and braking...DON'T. EVER. Brake...and LEAN. Until
the cases are lifting the rear wheel off the ground and you DO
lowside into the dirt....you trailbrake with the fronts and LEAN.
I will lean, and lean, and lean, and brake, and brake, and brake
until I lowside into the pavement because some day I HAVE to
reach that limit, and then go past it...and then I'll crash.

But amazing, during many street mistakes over many years, it has
never happened. I've washed out the front, its slid, and my line
was altered by a foot or two in the process, but I made the turn,
stayed in my lane....and LIVED!

The reason I made this rule is because I used to do exactly what
you've described, stand it up, some front and rear brakes, cross
center.....until that one day when there was a Toyota pickup
coming the other way.

Having survived that head on collision, and not wanting to repeat
that mistake, I learned, and listened, and went to the
track...and thats where the RULE was developed.

Its a good rule too....perhaps I adhere to it more than most
because the last time I didn't follow the RULE.....I became
bumper bait. It hurts. Badly. But a bonus is the x-rays of my
back are purely inspirational...I keep a set around to remind me
to always....follow...the....RULE.

You will be amazed what the bike will do as long as you don't
overcontrol it. Loose on the bars, steady throttle or steady
increase/decrease, steady on or off the brakes, and the thing
will bounce and pogo and feel like its about to pitch you
off....but it won't.

Double gyroscopes are amazing things if just given the chance to
sort everything out for you.

"Troy the Troll" in alt.motorcycle.sportbike

September 19, 2002

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