E-XPLOR > PERFORMANCE CENTER TECH TIPS BY JIM MILLARD
PERFORMANCE CENTER TECH TIPS BY JIM MILLARD
Riding position
- On-road and off-road riding positions are VERY different. On-road you sit and off-road you mostly stand. Each position provides the appropriate control needed for the environment you’re riding in.
- On-road: Sit upright with balls of your feet on the pegs.
- Off-road: Standing position with feet centered on pegs.
- Stay relaxed on the bike, this will allow for better feel and response.
- Your body weight and where you position it on the bike has a big influence on getting the bike to do what you want. A good riding position is a great place to start when it comes to having your weight in the right spot.
- Eyes are the most important tool you have as a rider. Your eyes are how you take in the majority of the information you need to process when riding. So using your eyes in the right manner can make all the difference to your riding experience.
- Look where you want the bike to go. Easily said, but must be practiced all the time. Your hands will follow your eyes. If you look where you want the bike to go, you significantly increase the odds of getting it there. We have a tendency to focus on things we are trying to miss rather than where we want to go.
- Where you look changes with speed. At slow speed you don’t have to look as far ahead as you do when you are traveling at say 70 mph. The faster you go, the farther ahead you need to look. As we said, you are processing information gathered by your eyes. So at higher speeds you will need more time to process the information. You give yourself this time by looking farther ahead.
- On-road: Most braking is done with the front brake, except at slow speeds. When riding at low speeds you should use only the rear brake. Slow speed being speeds under 20 mph or so, like in a parking lot or driveway. Using the rear brake causes the bike to want to stay upright whereas the front brake can make the bike want to dive or tip, especially if the handlebars are turned.
- Squeeze the brake. Don’t be too abrupt with your inputs, even in a panic stop. During an emergency just squeeze the brakes harder and faster, but try not to grab them.
- ABS is a beautiful thing. Knowing how to use it to your advantage is an excellent training.
- Off-road: A lot of front brake is still used, but you will use more rear brake than you typically do on the street. The front brake still does a lot of the slowing of the bike, but now you can also use the rear brake to get the bike to turn.
- Just like on-road riding, you use only the rear brake at very slow speeds for the same reasons.
- For panic stops on gravel or loose surfaces, lock rear brake and squeeze the front. It will take some practice and training to get comfortable with stopping fast on loose surfaces.
- When off-roading turn the ABS off.
- Stay relaxed with your arms. The bars will move around. The front tire has a tendency to bounce off the sides of the rut. If you fight the bars you will go down! Just try to relax and keep looking ahead.
- If the bars need to stay relaxed then how do you steer? Peg weighting. Use peg weighting to steer the bike. Put your weight on the peg on the same side of the bike as the direction you need to go. For instance, you need to move to the right while in a rut, then put your weight on the right peg and the bike will move to the right.
- Don’t let your eyes get focused on the ground in front of you. As stated before, your eyes will tell your hands what they need to be doing or what the goal is.
- Maintain constant speed. Try not to decelerate in ruts. This puts more weight on the front tire. Try to keep things as evenly distributed front to rear as possible by shifting weight and maintaining a constant speed. If you have to change speed, do it smoothly.
- Eyes up the hill first. Always lead every movement of the bike with the eyes.
- Lean forward. As the front of the bike is starting up the hill, the momentum will naturally lean you back. Make a conscious effort to lean toward the front of the bike. This also puts weight on the rear tire as you press your weight to the foot pegs.
- Don’t be too slow or too fast, either one can cause problems.
- Try to keep the front tire on the ground as you crest the top. If you go flying over the top of the hill (especially if it’s new territory to you and your wheels aren’t touching the ground) it makes it difficult to control the bike should you need to stop or change direction.
- If you recognize you’re not going to make it up the hill. Use the brakes and stop the bike IN GEAR, let it stall and hold it up if you can.
Remember, all these things will make you a better, safer rider which means you’ll ultimately have more fun! To learn more techniques and skills, or to simply brush up on the ones you have, check out the BMW Performance Riding School. You can find out more about us by calling 1-888-345-4269 or you can check us out on the web here. Keep checking into XPLOR as well for more from the BMW Performance Center Motorcycle Rider Training Course.
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