First try on a big bike!

[Tigs]

I had a go on a big bike today - and really it was not massively different .. .I need to be more solid on the revs.. and look more - like - twist at the hips look - rather than with my eyes (pretty much exactly the same issues I had on my CBT).. but it's given me something to work on.. I've booked my DAS.. course for the beginning of Dec.

Those front breaks - far stronger than on my meek little CBF 125

[Horse]

.. and look more - like - twist at the hips look - rather than with my eyes

Yup, it's vital. Point your chin where you want go - chòose the gap between cones or bit of road surface that you want to travel over.*

* And as you're heading towards 'it' look ahead further, and repeat. It's a continuous process/action.

Temptation will be to look at the things that concern you.

Don't

OK, easier said, etc., but really worth overcoming the urge. Master it off-road and it will be much easier on road.

On-road you'll usually only need head turns. The 'hip twist' is helpful for really tight turns, near full lock.

[wheelnut]

Just be a little more circumspect with your throttle openings while leant over on the bigger bike.

If you’re ham-fisted on a cold wet morning on the 125 you’ll get away with it. On a 600 you’ll be sat on the road on your arse watching a spinning bike and wondering how that happened.

[weeksy]

Just ride, don't think, don't worry. It's a bike, you'll get it, just enjoy it

Too much thinking spoils the actual enjoyment

Feel the speed, so what if you 50p the corner

[Tigs]

I could defiantly feel the the 'look' in my back - I do too much looking with my eyes!! not so much hip as 'shoulders ' maybe - definitely a bit of a of hip shift to counter balance.. I have on two occasions driven the bike into the kerb by 'looking at it' .. so am better at looking down the road - far down the road into the open space..

The bigger bike was a bit smoother than mine - and - whilst I was a bit nervy of dropping it - I could control it quite well - just need to trust myself

[Ditchfinder]

Overthinking riding can ruin a ride for me, I try to spend more time looking for things ťhat might kill me instead

[Bigyin]

I could defiantly feel the the 'look' in my back - I do too much looking with my eyes!! not so much hip as 'shoulders ' maybe - definitely a bit of a of hip shift to counter balance.. I have on two occasions driven the bike into the kerb by 'looking at it' .. so am better at looking down the road - far down the road into the open space..

The bigger bike was a bit smoother than mine - and - whilst I was a bit nervy of dropping it - I could control it quite well - just need to trust myself

On the subject of look where you want to go i do hear "point the chin" as Horse said above. I would say i have had a couple of people point their chin in the correct direction but look out the corner of their eye at a kerb/wall....... guess where they went towards

Look where you want to be next by turning your head as well as using you eyes .... i use this image as part of my training as its a good example of "turn the head, look at the place you want to be next and the bike will follow". At the extreme end of the scale but the message is the same



While following a student back from MOD1 test last week on a 600 after he had just passed i saw him start to run wide on a fairly gentle right hand bend, so cut in on the radio "look where you want to go, not at the hedge" and the bike immediately went back onto the right line. When we got back he laughed and said "as soon as you spoke i realised what i was doing wrong"

It will come with practise as will the feeling with the bigger bike but now you know why we dont use the front brakes for slow speed control

[Horse]

Yup. A good instructor will pick up when your eyes start to flick

[Yorick]

What bike?

[Tigs]

The picture actually does help - it makes sense - its just training my body to do it!

The bike was a Kawasaki sv650 . I thought it would be heavier but the last big bike I tried was a Honda cbf 600 - and that was super heavy (the weight was lower _ i think).. I felt pretty stable on the Kawasaki.

[Horse]

- it makes sense - its just training my body to do it!

You don't have to be on a bike to practice this, you can do it when walking around. IIRC it's taught by Alexander Technique practitioners


Here's a slightly more relatable photo.

- head turn
- 'loose' shoulders & arms
- bend at the elbow
- forearms low

[The Spin Doctor]

I could defiantly feel the the 'look' in my back - I do too much looking with my eyes!!

That's tension.

Before you attempt any slow manoeuvres, try this.

Close your eyes, take a series of deep breaths as you consciously relax your neck, shoulders and arms, then mentally visualise exactly what it is you want to do.

Then open your eyes and do it.

This often helped riders having trouble with the U-turn manoeuvre.

And remember - focus your eyes on the INSIDE of a tight turn and the bike will keep turning towards it. Look at the outside of a turn and(whether it's a kerb or a parked car you're trying to avoid, you'll go straight for it. For example, if you're turning right into a side road mentally focus on turning around the white line down the middle of the road, and not getting inside the far kerb. The thing about 'looking where you want to go' is that you MUST have a target to aim for first of all - just vaguely gazing in roughly the right direction isn't enough.

PS... just DON'T follow Horse on his dress sense!

[Horse]

PS... just DON'T follow Horse on his dress sense!

What? Bloomin cheek!

20221119_165335.jpg (397.18 KiB) Viewed 516 times

[The Spin Doctor]

You had that printed on a cushion or something?

[Horse]

You had that printed on a cushion or something?

Superbike magazine



.... but not a bad idea ...


[We did flog training centre T shirts that had my picture on ]

[Tigs]

Some cutting edge fashion there..

And remember - focus your eyes on the INSIDE of a tight turn and the bike will keep turning towards it. Look at the outside of a turn and(whether it's a kerb or a parked car you're trying to avoid, you'll go straight for it

THAT IS WHAT I DO!!! I hadn't thought of 'inside' - the curve - but that makes so much sense. I've been 'driving round' my house all - day - but its feeling more natural (even if I do look like a nutter)

[Scootabout]

It's great reading your account of your issues, Tigs. We've all been there. And in fact, I find I go there again! Somehow I regress unless I practise some of these skills, so it's actually useful to read all this stuff again, even after 23 years of this lark.

[The Spin Doctor]

It's great reading your account of your issues, Tigs. We've all been there. And in fact, I find I go there again! Somehow I regress unless I practise some of these skills, so it's actually useful to read all this stuff again, even after 23 years of this lark.

Practice makes permanent...

But to keep it fresh, you have to keep practising.

[Horse]

It's great reading your account of your issues, Tigs. We've all been there. And in fact, I find I go there again! Somehow I regress unless I practise some of these skills, so it's actually useful to read all this stuff again, even after 23 years of this lark.

Practice makes permanent...

But to keep it fresh, you have to keep practising.

And you need to practice the 'perfect'.

I don't agree with the 'you can be anything you want to be' philosophy, but do I trust positive self-talk. Use that 'perfect' to inform what you tell yourself.

In my head there's often a voice saying "you need to do this ___ by then ___ ".

[tricol]

I feel like I need to go back and do some basic training.

Getting nice memories though of the first few yards on a big bike. Nowhere near as intimidating as it looked.