On Wednesday we explained how Learning to Ride on Two Wheels Can Stir the Soul and is basically an extension of a few articles that we have written previously as well On Starter bikes and Riding motorcycles safely. Today we give you the Article Conclusion to Learning To Ride Can Stir the Soul which will give you more information to chew on and apply to your everyday riding skills. So lets continue with our conclusion to the article.
Riding
Most motorcycles have a power to weight ratio that rivals any supercar on the road — hell, even Milwaukee’s heaviest hogs can keep with a porker from Zuffenhaus these days. Putting that power to the pavement in a fluid and controlled manner will save you and your bike unnecessary embarrassment and, in a worst-case scenario, road rash. While wet clutches are generally more forgiving than their cable controlled counterparts, both are built to handle some abuse. Find an empty parking lot and experiment gently rolling on and off the throttle to find the sweet spot on your left lever, developing your southpaw’s kung-fu grip. It’ll pay off on those long, damp evening commutes. The goal here is to always leave the lights in a linear fashion and to leave the lurching to the cages.
On the road, upshifts are quick and easy and can be fired off with a sniper’s precision right from the start — slowing down is a different story. Some Motorcycles will spoil you with a slipper clutch (or similar technology) to keep your back wheel from locking up during ill-timed downshifts. You’ll understand how a Ride Can Stir the Soul when following these tips.
Braking
It’s the same story with braking. Dive on the binders too fast and too hard and you run the risk of locking things up. With 70% of the stopping power coming from that skinny front tire, it doesn’t take much to overwhelm its contact patch. In an emergency situation, you want to apply initial pressure to the brakes quickly but delicately and increase your pull while the forks bottom out. Transferring your weight will happen naturally, but try and stay centered so the rear end doesn’t wash out. It sounds more complicated than it is, but threshold braking can be a lifesaver, so try it out a few times to get the feel before you truly need it.
When negotiating tight spaces at low speed, ride your rear brake to keep power under control and learn how doing so can mechanically center the balance of your bike — you’ll be balancing your beast at a dead stop in no time with this under your belt. Not only will this keep things composed in commuter traffic, but uphill starts and dirt roads will be infinitely easier. Pay attention to your braking and You’ll understand how a Ride Can Stir the Soul.
Corners
Corners are where things get tricky — and fun. Come in too quick, and any corrections could make things messy. Do it too slow and watch your stability wash right out from under you, literally. The key to cornering correctly is in combining the elements you’ve learned already. Get on the brakes (both of them) and gear down in the straight leading into the turn to settle on a comfortable speed before you even think of leaning in.
Next, get off those brakes, stabilize your throttle and push on the opposite side of the handlebar that you’d think makes sense (right side for right turns, left side for left turns). Your body follows the natural lean induced from the bars; don’t fight it. Once you hit the apex and can see the corner exit, roll on the throttle to add speed and the bike will bring itself back into alignment. Now do it again, faster. When you park your baby after a corner-carving adventure, check the wear marks on your tires: when you lose the “chicken strips”, start booking some track days. Oh, and don’t forget to wave back, brother.
And that concludes our Learning To Ride Can Stir the Soul Article set. We hope it has been informative and has given you some food for thought.
~And as always….
~Live Free Ride Hard~
~AMERiders
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