dob@ihlpa.UUCP (Daniel M. O'Brien) (04/14/86)
Well, I was recently cured of the new bike flu. The medicine was a little expensive, but very tasty... Anyway, I now have this new sport/tourer (VF500 Interceptor), and never having owned a bike that handles this well, I am a little at a loss as to proper braking and cornering techniques. How do I go about setting up for a 90 degree corner? Something like: Throttle off, brake, clutch in, brake some more, down-shift twice (close-ratio box!), start turn, clutch out, throttle on, accelerate out of corner? This all seems so complicated compared with my old thumper (SR500). Just throttle off, brake, and either downshift or just lump-lump around the corner, then throttle on :-). What do you other Interceptor, FZ, Ninja, GRSX, FJ, etc. rider/racers do? I also read in one of the current (6 months or so) mags that one shouldn't use your engine too agressively when slowing down. Brake pads are better and easier to replace then connecting rods and bearings. This makes sense and I have been incorporating this into my riding style, but it took some getting used to. I wonder if anyone would care to comment? And what about this knee dragging stuff, anyway? -- Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihlpa!dob) AT&T Bell Laboratories IH 4A-257, x 4782 Naperville-Wheaton Road Naperville, IL 60566
joe@dual.UUCP (Joe Weinstein) (04/15/86)
Turning techniques all involve awareness of traction and smooth weight transfer during transitions. Yes, brakes are for braking. Furthermore, the more you brake, the less you want to brake with the rear wheel. Just keep the engine in the gear and at the speed to smoothly apply power when you get to the start of the exit portion of the curve. Hanging off is fun and it works, but don't overdo it. Make sure that all weight transfers are smooth and that you maintain body contact throughout the movement, so that you still know what is happening to the bike. Knee dragging is just a minor extension of hanging off. The wind resistance of the extended body and leg is also useful at high speed. Dragging the knee is like a curb-feeler. It lets you guage your tire traction because you know exactly where the road is. Don't think of knee dragging as a goal! I've seen squids screw themselves badly with a "screen-door-in-a-storm" style on residential streets, trying so hard to scuff their new trick knee pad. Knee stuff is best in LOOONG fast sweepers, where there's enough time spent in the curve to justify the effort of hauling your body all the way off the side of the bike and hanging ten, so to speak. Needless to say, this is very rare in the street. I suggest locating a race-riders school at a track near you. Joe Weinstein.
gt@hpfcmt.UUCP (04/28/86)
>/***** hpfcmt:net.cycle / vax2!marauder / 8:45 am Apr 21, 1986*/ >In article <1267@ihlpa.UUCP> dob@ihlpa.UUCP (Daniel M. O'Brien) writes: >>... >>little at a loss as to proper braking and cornering techniques. How do I go >>about setting up for a 90 degree corner? Something like: >> >> Throttle off, brake, clutch in, brake some more, down-shift twice >> (close-ratio box!), start turn, clutch out, throttle on, accelerate >> out of corner? >> >>This all seems so complicated compared with my old thumper (SR500). Just >>... >>I also read in one of the current (6 months or so) mags that one shouldn't >>use your engine too agressively when slowing down. Brake pads are better and >>easier to replace then connecting rods and bearings. This makes sense and I >>have been incorporating this into my riding style, but it took some getting >>used to. >> Daniel M. O'Brien (ihnp4!ihlpa!dob) >... Smoothness is the key along with good moves and good lines. Your >engine deceleration is the most predictable and smooth form of braking >that you can have when approaching a turn and you should always use >it. Never pull in the clutch, other than to quickly shift down, when >going into a turn. It creates a coasting enviornment where you have >to then brake harder to compensate for the lack of engine >decompression and it just messes you up on your concentration. > ******* I'm afraid I have to disagree a little. Smoothness is definitely the key but Bill's aproach will not always yield it. I've seen many students in our road race school get wildly out of control (and not a few end up trying to motocross their roadracer through the outfield) because of confusion on this important issue. The first thing to get straight is the environment we are in. Daniel seems to indicate a street environment (90 degree corner) whereas Bill seems to be talking about racing (getting passed in the corner). There are very important differences. I want to concentrate on the race environment because it's the one I'm most familiar with and also the most critical (being more at the edge of things). When you go into a turn on a high performance, narrow powerband, close ratio, four stroke motorcycle there ARE several things you have to do; sorry but it just takes more work than riding a thumper. An Interceptor with good sport tires (eg. Hi-Sports) is perfectly capable of doing endos with hard front braking. There is no need to do any braking with the rear tire if you can stand the thing on its nose with the front. Given this, there is a definite problem with engine braking (or rear brake braking) because it is soooo easy to lock up the rear tire when it's all but off the ground. What happens when you do lock it up while it is unloaded is that it starts hopping up and down, and as often as not, sideways. This is a simple way to get even more adrenalin pumping. The cure for this is NOT to just hold the clutch in but to make sure your revs are way down before going down a gear AND reving the engine good before easing the clutch out. Yes, this is even one more thing to worry about that you didn't have on your list Dan. It is not uncommon on the track to have to down shift three or four gears for some tight corners at the end of straights. This is where novices get into trouble by downshifting too fast and not getting the engine revs back up before engaging the clutch. **** > >On a tight upcoming turn where you are going to have to drop two or >more gears and you are approaching the turn in 5th at say 8000 rpms, >first shift down a gear and brake at the same time, and as you are >decelerating and still braking down shift again, blipping the throttle >just a little to match your rpms. And as you go into the turn if >possible, be in the gear that you are going to exit it. Avoid >shifting in the turn unless it is a gradually opening up turn as you >exit. > >I realize as I am writing that there are so many exceptions to these >situations but the main points are not to "coast" with the clutch in, >don't downshift into an over red line rpm, and work your brakes in >conjunction with your engine all together with as smooth and flowing >motion as possible. If all other things are equal, the smooth rider >will win and stay up longer than a jerky rider. > > Bill Landsborough >/* ---------- */ **** I mostly agree with Bill except for the added important point about engine braking I stated above. I absolutely agree with the point about smoothness (Kevin Schwantz notwithstanding) and that is the reason for my emphasis on NOT relying on engine braking. Finally, when it comes to 90 degree corners on the street (or ANY street riding) I suggest that you just practice going SLOW and being smooth. The street is ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY ***NOT*** the place to put your Interceptor through its paces. If you want to do that then get the thing out on a racetrack! I've been letting my daughter practice some by riding up the canyons with her but it has been scaring me s***less even though I make her keep her speeds down. I can't wait until this weekend (our first race of the season) when she will get out on the track and start riding in a controlled environment. George (never missing a chance to remind you that speed belongs on the racetrack) Tatge
Unknown@hplabs.UUCP (04/28/86)
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