You need to be popping your counter twitches!
This was the advice given to me by a well-meaning internet dweller who was explaining how the
faster we go, the more important it is to make sharp and abrupt inputs.
Now listen, I think I know where he was coming from.
In a school I took years ago, the program and the instructors both emphasized that the
measure of a great rider is how quickly they can snap a countersteer, flick the bike onto
it’s side, and enter a corner at a very specific point.
Even going so far as to mark the track with tip-in points and then grading us on how abruptly
or “quote” precisely we could snap the bike over onto its side.
It was one of the most terrifying riding experiences of my life.
What bummed me out over this well-meaning advice was, simply the fact that this idea
is still floating around out there, being handed out to new and experienced riders alike,
as a credible way to enhance our riding proficiency.
A significant part of what we do as riders is manage grip, right?
And a hard and fast rule we need to understand is that grip comes from weight.
When we are accelerating, where is the weight of the motorcycle?
On the rear, right.
When we are on the brakes, where is the weight?
On the front.
When we are at neutral throttle, where is the weight?
We can get weight or load from cornering forces.
If we look at the data from a really good, fast rider, we'll see that in a long, neutral
throttle corner, when they release the front brake, the fork will stay pretty compressed
on cornering load.
But when we’re just rolling down the road at a steady pace, where is the weight?
Where is the grip?
Yamaha Champions Riding School has a great video about the 100 points of grip, I’m
going to link to it in the description, but if you haven’t seen it, you need to watch
it.
It explains the importance of smooth inputs and the danger of abrupt ones and how to manage
and use the grip we have in a dynamic environment.
When we’re abrupt it’s very easy to blow past whatever level of traction we may have.
When we are smooth, we can sneak up on our available traction, so if something starts
to slip or feel weird, we can back off a smidgen and regain that traction.
Remember, the tire will take a tremendous amount of load, but not an abrupt load.
We don’t want to surprise our tires.
I mean, what does popping a counter twitch even look like?
How is it even possible to be precise with a pop and a twitch?
It’s not.
Look, have you ever watched an expert craftsman do anything?
Watch a master luthier build a guitar.
It’s absolutely fantastic.
It’s conservation of motion.
Practiced, precise movements.
They may be moving quickly, but nothing, I mean, nothing is done abruptly.
Even a good drummer.
We would assume drumming would be abrupt, and rushed, This is Hannah Welton, Prince’s
drummer.
Incredibly complex drumming but look.
It’s the opposite of abrupt.
Look at her hands and her wrists.
It’s smooth and controlled, calm and almost relaxed.
She’s deliberate.
Moving precisely, not abruptly.
Same is true of riding a motorcycle fast.
We assume that we need to move faster and more abruptly as the bike goes faster, but
the truth is the opposite.
When speed is up, loads go up yes, but we need to be even smoother and more consistent
when the stakes get higher.
The stakes also get higher when grip goes down.
We don’t want to exceed our 100 points of grip.
Watch a MotoGP rider, the best and fastest riders in the world riding insanely powerful
motorcycles at unimaginable speeds.
Especially during free-practice and qualifying, where they are free from needing to make race
passes or block other riders from passing; where their focus is simply on turning a fast
lap.
It’s absolutely fantastic.
It’s conservation of motion.
Practiced, precise, decisive, deliberate, linear movements.
Nothing, absolutely nothing is done abruptly.
They have these brilliant on-screen graphics where you get an overview of what they are
doing.
Lean angle, throttle is this green line.
Brake is the red line.
Even at their speeds, watch how the tip in happens in a linear, controlled manner.
Watch as the brake pressure builds and then gently dissipates just as they get the motorcycle
turned.
See how the throttle comes on slowly as they take away lean angle.
Notice how you will never see them push the throttle against the front brake.
Notice how they don’t add more lean angle and more throttle at the same time.
Remember, its all about that first and last 5%.
Once the weight is transferred, and the tire has grip, these guys are trying to get to
WFO as quickly as they can.
Listen.
We need to abandon these adjectives.
Snap, grap, huck, send, whack, pop, twitch, flick.
We don’t want to “flick” the bike into the corner.
That is not the language of a proficient rider.
Instead, we need to focus on smooth, deliberate, linear and precise movements.
Ease, squeeze, roll, press.
It doesn’t matter if you ride an S1000RR, A Ninja 400, or a Honda Shadow, it’s all
the same.
As you head into this summer season of riding, make this your goal.
Stop popping your counter-twitches, stop grabbing the brakes and whacking the throttle.
We’re not gonna’ send it.
Focus instead on conservation of motion.
Practiced, precise movements.
Linear, decisive, deliberate inputs.
Gently squeeze the brakes, slowly building linear brake pressure, then slowly easing
off the brake, smoothly rotate and move your chest to the inside to look through the corner,
gently press on the handlebar, carefully roll on the throttle.
Slow hands make fast riders.
More importantly, slow hands make safe riders.
So, instead of “popping our counter twitches” what word or words can we use in their place
to emphasize the value of counter steering as a way of helping the bike change direction?
Lemme know what you’ve got!
Thanks so much for watching, ride on and ride well.