real world twities skills

Bajaedition

New member
There is always a lot of guys wanting to know about going fast, leaning off the bike, how to do twisties. Well I thought I would write something about it.

First we must realize that riding fast comes about with 2 things, training and experience. It is easy to learn how to go fast on a track, just go to a superbike school at a track or buy a book, they will teach you all you need to know about closed course riding. And I mean that, Closed Course. What that means is how to ride on a prepared groomed surface hanging off with knees dragging, it is a thrill. But face one thing, we live in a real world and ride on roads that are far from groomed, pot holed and sand in corners and we deal with traffic. What you can get away with on track will sneak up on you and bite your ass on the street.

I was in my sports bike faze when I learned something very important, I was doing one of my favorite uphill double switchbacks, just kinda hanging off when I saw a Goldwing in my rear view. After the end of the second switchback I pulled over a bit and let him pass. On his butt was a HD bagger and the two were scooting down the road at quite a clip. I got in line and followed them to the Lookout, a bit of a famous café on the top of the Ortega Hwy in SoCal and had lunch with them. Both were in their 60s, I was in my late 20s. We talked and they pointed out some stuff to me that really improved my riding and my riding style.

Wanna hear the secrets? Well here goes

The street is not the track, so do not treat it like one or you will end up a hood ornament.

Ever taken riding lessons? I mean street riding lessons? Go and take a experienced rider course, they will point out your bad habits and give you drills to work on. Practice those drills in empty parking lots. That’s right, practice. Learn how to do it right.

Now, about hanging off, ok that is good but do you really need to on the street? Just how fast are you going go before it is stupid dangerous on the street? So learn to properly lean with the bike. To many guys want to hang off way to soon, before it is needed just to scuff up some knee pucks. Get with the program. Learn to leanwith the bike when that is what is needed.

Learn to look where you want to be not where you are at, project yourself, you need to know what you are going to do before you are there and be doing it naturally when you get there. If you are looking at the road where you are at and not where you are going then you are always trying to figure out what to do. Project out ahead.

Read turn sign suggested speeds, if the turn is marked 25 mph the there is a reason, do not learn that reason once you are in it. That brings up a big point, the better you know a road, the faster you can go on it. You know it’s turns, its places the road is likely to be wet or have sand on it, where it is patched and rough. These things are important. You do not max speed a road till you have been up it or down it a few times. Guys go fast on courses because they only have to remember 8 or 10 curves, how many twist does your favorite road have and can you close your eyes and see them one after another in your mind, or do you need visual reminders? Nothing wrong with needing the reminders, but not knowing will get you with a wadded bike quick.

Lane control, needed real bad, getting over the centerline is as bad as going off the road. If you make a habit of any part of you or your bike going past the center line, one day you will meet a car or truck coming the other way.

Distractions, you do not need them. This is the real world, not a race track. Do not race, you need enough attention to see what is going on. Having to also monitor your rear is taking from your attention on the road, Save it for the track where you only have to remember 8 turns. Stay in your lane and your position in the pack.

I now go every 2 years to a Honda riding school, I get new drills to practice every time. Some of the instructors recognize me. There is usually a few older Goldwing guys in the group, I am a old guy now. The schooling gives me a discount on my insurance. But more than that bad habits are pointed out, I am given drills to practice, what was once moves I thought about are now natural. But the biggest benefit is that I do seem to go down the roads faster. I am more focused, I have years of experience to draw on. I have learned the correct way for the street.

Biggest thing is I am still alive and doing the twisties, I pull over at the Rock Store after a ride down from the top pull off my lid and my grey locks fall out and guys get embarrassed. Some old guy just swept them with a broom.
You see how you get faster is experience and knowledge, and doing the correct skill for the correct place. Track skills are just for the track, real world skills are for the real world. Plus learn to push it one step at a time. Never seen a toddler win a 100 meter race.

Hope this helps
Jim
 
Last edited:

MikeC

Weekend Rider
There is always a lot of guys wanting to know about going fast, leaning off the bike, how to do twisties. Well I thought I would write something about it.

First we must realize that riding fast comes about with 2 things, training and experience. It is easy to learn how to go fast on a track, just go to a superbike school at a track or buy a book, they will teach you all you need to know about closed course riding. And I mean that, Closed Course. What that means is how to ride on a prepared groomed surface hanging off with knees dragging, it is a thrill. But face one thing, we live in a real world and ride on roads that are far from groomed, pot holed and sand in corners and we deal with traffic. What you can get away with on track will sneak up on you and bite your ass on the street.

I was in my sports bike faze when I learned something very important, I was doing one of my favorite uphill double switchbacks, just kinda hanging off when I saw a Goldwing in my rear view. After the end of the second switchback I pulled over a bit and let him pass. On his butt was a HD bagger and the two were scooting down the road at quite a clip. I got in line and followed them to the Lookout, a bit of a famous café on the top of the Ortega Hwy in SoCal and had lunch with them. Both were in their 60s, I was in my late 20s. We talked and they pointed out some stuff to me that really improved my riding and my riding style.

Wanna hear the secrets? Well here goes

The street is not the track, so do not treat it like one or you will end up a hood ornament.

Ever taken riding lessons? I mean street riding lessons? Go and take a experienced rider course, they will point out your bad habits and give you drills to work on. Practice those drills in empty parking lots. That’s right, practice. Learn how to do it right.

Now, about hanging off, ok that is good but do you really need to on the street? Just how fast are you going go before it is stupid dangerous on the street? So learn to properly lean with the bike. To many guys want to hang off way to soon, before it is needed just to scuff up some knee pucks. Get with the program. Learn to leanwith the bike when that is what is needed.

Learn to look where you want to be not where you are at, project yourself, you need to know what you are going to do before you are there and be doing it naturally when you get there. If you are looking at the road where you are at and not where you are going then you are always trying to figure out what to do. Project out ahead.

Read turn sign suggested speeds, if the turn is marked 25 mph the there is a reason, do not learn that reason once you are in it. That brings up a big point, the better you know a road, the faster you can go on it. You know it’s turns, its places the road is likely to be wet or have sand on it, where it is patched and rough. These things are important. You do not max speed a road till you have been up it or down it a few times. Guys go fast on courses because they only have to remember 8 or 10 curves, how many twist does your favorite road have and can you close your eyes and see them one after another in your mind, or do you need visual reminders? Nothing wrong with needing the reminders, but not knowing will get you with a wadded bike quick.

Lane control, needed real bad, getting over the centerline is as bad as going off the road. If you make a habit of any part of you or your bike going past the center line, one day you will meet a car or truck coming the other way.

Distractions, you do not need them. This is the real world, not a race track. Do not race, you need enough attention to see what is going on. Having to also monitor your rear is taking from your attention on the road, Save it for the track where you only have to remember 8 turns. Stay in your lane and your position in the pack.

I now go every 2 years to a Honda riding school, I get new drills to practice every time. Some of the instructors recognize me. There is usually a few older Goldwing guys in the group, I am a old guy now. The schooling gives me a discount on my insurance. But more than that bad habits are pointed out, I am given drills to practice, what was once moves I thought about are now natural. But the biggest benefit is that I do seem to go down the roads faster. I am more focused, I have years of experience to draw on. I have learned the correct way for the street.

Biggest thing is I am still alive and doing the twisties, I pull over at the Rock Store after a ride down from the top pull off my lid and my grey locks fall out and guys get embarrassed. Some old guy just swept them with a broom.
You see how you get faster is experience and knowledge, and doing the correct skill for the correct place. Track skills are just for the track, real world skills are for the real world. Plus learn to push it one step at a time. Never seen a toddler win a 100 meter race.

Hope this helps
Jim

for some reason I just had this image of keith code in my head the whole time I was reading.
 

cambo

Avid Rider
for some reason I just had this image of keith code in my head the whole time I was reading.

hahaha me too! especially after reading the 'grey locks falling out of his helmet part" lmao!

Awesome, awesome stuff Baja...as a noob rider, I appreciate you taking the time to write this up!
 

Bajaedition

New member
I can remember taking my first Kieth Code superbike class.

I also still do a few track days, but not as much as when I was in my 30s

It seems that I figured out that sometimes, stopping to smell the roses is a lot better than seeing them at a blur.

Not old enuff yet to get a cruiser, but I love the naked bike look and got the YZ8 because it fit the hole in my life. I have a ZZR, thats 1200 ccs of Kawasaki in line 4 sports touring machine. The wife and myself love to go places on it, but I have missed my middle weight bike since I sold my last GSXR 750
soo
I got this and it reminded me so much of how much you use your real street skills over the supersport skills.
I guess I am that old guy now.
 

aj700

New member
Thanks for the write up.
By the way one of instructors at traffikschool was riding a r1, he was the one who taught me lollipop cone drill(quite similar...we need to do that for test here. Min 50kmph). He is 71 or 72 now. So i Guess you are never too old...
 

Bajaedition

New member
AJ
one of the things I love about the drills you get from the schools (MSF Schools are ones I like to go to) is that they are designed so you can find an empty parking lot and practice when you have free time. and it makes sense to use those parking lots, you can use the painted lines to measure or for obstacles.
 

pigdog

New member
it is so hard to learn to ride slow on this machine. 0-60 in 3.4 seconds. 0-100,, crazy. merry Christmas, ride on
 

DaKow

All the Saddlesores
Great writeup. It is completely within the realm of possibility that something you said in there will save a life or 2. Age is just a number, but the experience you have attained with that age can not be quantified or appraised.
 
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