How To make that curve you’re going to blow
One from the archives, originally by "Troy the Troll" in alt.motorcycle.sportbike, posted on September 19, 2002
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