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Riders, start your track days.
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Just as when enrolling for that first motorcycle class, enrolling for that first motorcycle track day also generates its own share of excitement and apprehension. Much has been said over the years about proper track technique and how to achieve this. Terms like "backing it in … trail braking … etc" have been "used" extensively to explain the many facets of track riding. As the ultimate mecca for sport bike fans the track conjures both the images of speed and superior riding proficiency. For the track novice though, proper riding technique becomes a jumbled mess of do's and don'ts when faced with the realization of speed and of actually being on the track that first time.
Unfortunately speed is not all that it's cracked up to be. Having worked corners certain peculiar and at times funny behaviors have reared their ugly heads. Behaviors that seem common regardless of experience or skill level. It is quite telling when about 8 out of 10 riders who go by seem to lose their most basic of skills especially when approaching and negotiating a turn. It is also something to hear, even more than see, when riders forget that simplest of riding techniques the slow, look, press and roll. It is almost humorous to hear riders heavy on the brake, closing the accelerator in mid corner in total opposition to the gyroscopic principles of the slow, look, press and roll. It is almost as though riders have forgotten that key essential technique equates to an ideal slow in, fast out.
So how does one combat this "forgetfulness" when it comes to track riding? Here as much as on the road honing one's own technique is a must. Just as when attending a Motorcycle Safety Foundation Experienced Riders Course increases one's own skill level on the road, so does attending classes given during your local track. This is a must for all who wish to increase speed and safety within a very controlled environment. Nowhere else have so many factors been controlled to provide not only a safe but, a fun environment conducive to learning.
The tools are all there for anyone who wishes to combat all their acquired bad habits. It is quite disheartening to hear riders screaming by in top gear and at top speed while on the straights only to see them lock up and freeze when a entering the turn. As previously stated proper technique (slow, look, lean and roll) dictates that as a rider approaches the turn all the key factors such as speed, braking and shifting are to have been fully completed by the time the bike enters the turn, i.e. slow. Once entering the turn, as the bike begins to turn the rider should not only be looking at where they want to go but, also pressing the handle bars to initiate the turn, i.e. looking and pressing. Finally, in order to keep the motorcycle tracking true and straight through the turn a smooth and continuous application of the throttle should be implemented, i.e. roll, resulting not only an increase in power but, an increase in traction and stability.
Riding a motorcycle is above all else a very dynamic and most importantly a proactive process. Nowhere is this more so than in a turn. At tracks around the country rider skill, knowledge and ability come together once more to build on the foundation of proper riding. Tracks are where skills, knowledge and ability can be honed before they make liars of us all. For sports bikes especially, nothing will ever surpass that feeling of having negotiating a turn correctly because after all, the most fun one can have is within a turn and not in between them.
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