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The Pace

One of the best reads of all time. Nick Ienatsch actually supplemented the pace with The Pace 2.0. It will be available in Cycle World Magazine for August's issue. He basically covers things that original Pace article missed out on and corrects some things. In a way, it's kind of a promotion for his school Yamaha School of Champions.
 
You know, that's exactly how I usually ride, and try to teach to others, without knowing this book.
I sometimes say that I go at the same speed either on straight or in bends... Never split lanes, and try to have my tyres in the most clean spot on the road: where cars put their outside wheels in turns.
This also gives maximum visibility of the road ahead, and gives plenty of space/time to react to any problem you may find.

Safe ride :)
 
Nick Ienatsch said:
Look down the road. Maintaining a high visual horizon will reduce perceived speed and help you avoid panic situations.

I consider this to be the most important single point that I have learned in performance riding. I think I learned it from Keith Code, but the lesson is the same. I used to panic at the perceived speed when entering a corner and found that by extending my horizon and looking at the exit of the corner instead of the entrance that everything visually slowed down and the panic went away. I can literally feel the bike lean lower as I look farther into the turn.

The hardest lesson to accept for me was that adding power can get you through a turn when you have over-obligated yourself. Powering (sensibly) through a turn will increase the ground clearance (which = cornering clearance) and will unload the (highly loaded) front wheel and load the (relatively unloaded) rear wheel. Applying brakes (or power off coasting) will do the exact opposite. It will reduce ground clearance when you need it most and will further reduce the cornering traction available to the front wheel by requiring it to also absorb braking forces. It also pays to remember that if you slide the front with brakes (in addition to soiling your underwear) it widens your turn, whereas if you slide the rear with power it will tighten your turn.
 
I consider this to be the most important single point that I have learned in performance riding. I think I learned it from Keith Code, but the lesson is the same. I used to panic at the perceived speed when entering a corner and found that by extending my horizon and looking at the exit of the corner instead of the entrance that everything visually slowed down and the panic went away. I can literally feel the bike lean lower as I look farther into the turn.

The hardest lesson to accept for me was that adding power can get you through a turn when you have over-obligated yourself. Powering (sensibly) through a turn will increase the ground clearance (which = cornering clearance) and will unload the (highly loaded) front wheel and load the (relatively unloaded) rear wheel. Applying brakes (or power off coasting) will do the exact opposite. It will reduce ground clearance when you need it most and will further reduce the cornering traction available to the front wheel by requiring it to also absorb braking forces. It also pays to remember that if you slide the front with brakes (in addition to soiling your underwear) it widens your turn, whereas if you slide the rear with power it will tighten your turn.

Executive Summary: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever chop the throttle shut in a corner. Maintain what you got in the right hand and when you see the exit start applying throttle and accelerate out of the turn.
 
Executive Summary: Never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever chop the throttle shut in a corner. Maintain what you got in the right hand and when you see the exit start applying throttle and accelerate out of the turn.

My MSF instructor actually said something to the effect of "If you find yourself in trouble in a corner because you are going to fast, hold your line, and roll ON the throttle." They explained further that the bike will probably outperform any one in the class's expectations in sticking to the ground when you are on the throttle, and it will match them exactly when you are coasting, it'll do far worse than your expectations when slowing down.


Plenty of people objected to this concept, it made perfect sense to me, it was how I was taught to drive a car, powering through corners (and drift steering in the 4-8 month of the year when the road is covered in snow).

Then again I think when my father was teaching his kids to drive he was doing so with the hope that we'd either become a) stunt drivers, b) race car drivers, c) secret agents like in the movies. (before I could take the drivers license test he required that I be able to (on snow) put his truck in reverse, get it up to about 4-5k rpms then with some quick clutch brake work do a full 180 without slowing down get it into first gear and accelerate out of the spin going the same direction... did it once when I was leaving work late and had an empty parking lot with fresh fallen snow... one of my co-workers saw me and assumed I wasn't going to be stopping until I made it across a border of some sort.)
 
Put simply: When in doubt, gas is out.

Greg
 
My MSF instructor . . . explained further that the bike will probably outperform any one in the class's expectations in sticking to the ground . . .
A year after taking the class I went back and visited with the instructor I had. There were three concepts stressed in the class - Curves, Swerves, & Maximum Braking. I told him there was a fourth idea that stuck with me - repeating his words from the class "Most people can't out-ride their traction". He said - "Yep, and most people can't even ride up to their traction". Then he went to inspect my tires to see if I was leaning the bike appropriately. He could see that I was and pointed that out. I learned a lot in that class and am learning more being here around you guys (and gals). Thanks!
 
Likes thread. :)

I've always noticed as well, that it takes far less skill to lean a wee bit more and give it slightly added throttle, than it does to: suddenly sit up, chop the gas, grab at the front brake, stab at the rear brake, not lock up your tires, try to see and be able to comprehend where you are headed for off the road, avoid being hit or hitting something in your careening path, and actually make it without faceplanting.

Adding a tiny bit more gas and a tiny bit more lean won't outrageously add to your subjective speed and momentum if you do slide and/or deck out, but going through all the panicky flailing about trying to turn your bike into a poor simulation of an F18 doing a Carrier landing, pretty seldom ever works out, lol
 
...by extending my horizon and looking at the exit of the corner....
My Basic Rider instructor said essentially the same thing. That is, the bike will pretty much go where you're looking. If you're looking at that tree directly ahead as you enter the curve, there's a good chance you're going to hit it. Forget about where you are. It's history. Look where you want to be.

Also agree with Anglachel about what we drive/ride - that they tend to have more (and some times way more) capability than the driver/rider. Certainly true in my case on both counts.
 
There is a lady on this forum, who races. If she races AMA, she has been to the required racing course. This course is the next step in learning. Goldwing riders show for this class, so type of bike does not matter. This class goes into great detail about throttle control, bike setup, and etc. Everything is hands on in this class. If you can take this class, I would suggest taking it to the next level.
 
3 simple skills that made motorcycling make so much sense to me.

1) cutting grass with a lawn mower. one because it's a small engine, similar to the bike, regularly checking the fluids, and basic maintenance makes it go for basically for ever. Also if you want straight lines in your yard, it's all about where you look, not down at where you have been (like my wife does) but up at where you want to be. if you look down you'll make a mistake at some point, or swerve to avoid something in the yard and you'll repeat that mistake over and over and over again each pass with the lawn mower.

2) Bicycling... again simple maintenance will keep the bicycle running for just about forever, and a precheck will save you a lot of effort in the long run. Also operating on two wheels where it's all about throwing your weight around to go where you want to go, and also looking up at where you want to go to make a straight line there... (plenty of other relatable piece here as well with aerodynamics, posture, balance, and counter steering)

3) driving a car. Again it's about looking up at where you want to go, and also prediction what is going to happen where you are headed. Sure some other pieces about rules of the road, understanding what drivers are thinking (or not) basic mechanics, clutch control (I drive a manual, up until my wife taught me (mostly by laughing at me) I struggled to drive an automatic... damn thing shifting by itself... black magic.) braking etc.


Learning to do all 3 of these things the idea of looking up at where I was headed was drilled into my skull, so that is second nature to me now. Amazing how transferable some of these skills are.

few important things not to take away from each when operating a motorcycle:
1) don't drive on peoples lawns... they seem to hate that.
2) location for the brakes are all messed up, consider carefully before grabbing what was the rear brake on your bicycle hard on a motorcycle. Also I cover my brakes when bicycling most of the time (habit from mountain biking) and my MSF instructor didn't like me always covering the brake and the clutch.
 
2) location for the brakes are all messed up, consider carefully before grabbing what was the rear brake on your bicycle hard on a motorcycle. Also I cover my brakes when bicycling most of the time (habit from mountain biking) and my MSF instructor didn't like me always covering the brake and the clutch.
Yea, my MSF instructor got on me for the same habit.
 
...location for the brakes are all messed up, consider carefully before grabbing what was the rear brake on your bicycle hard on a motorcycle.

First, I thank you for many chortles on my part reading your post, lol :D cracked me right up, they did

Second, being a motorcycle obsessed type all my life, I always changed over any bicycle I had, left to right for front and rear brake levers to match the standard I am used to, as a matter of course. This nearly killed on of my buddies once, who was big into bicycles, and not so much motorbikes at the time yet. He did a spectacular crash on my borrowed 10-speed, neglecting to remember my penchant for lever side switching...:eek:
 
I have Code's books, and have watched his video(s). I also have Parks' book. I would like Ienatsch's book, but don't have it.

When I had my CBR, I found that I could lay that bike over so far I was POSITIVE I'd drop a slider-less knee or elbow or even hip before the bike would let go in a corner. I could ALWAYS push just a touch harder on that inside bar and she'd lay down, hook up, and pull me out. I haven't yet gained that confidence in the NCX. I really like the bike, and yet it's a bit of a 'lazy' bike, and I've not kept up on my skills. I used to lay the CBR over and push it around a large traffic circle leading to a neighborhood where family used to live, about 70% as fast as I 'thought' I could, just for fun and practice. I've not done anything like that in 9,000 miles on the NCX. I have accidentally rubbed the sole of the toe of my boot a time or two, being thus reminded rather quickly that this bike _won't_ lay over anything like the CBR, and I have to pick my feet up into proper position (instead of lazy-man-toe-down position) ahead of time to avoid these kinds of surprises.

What do you all do to not become a lazy rider on such a 'comfortable' or 'lazy' bike?
 
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The pace, without any doubt, is the best (mostly) safe way to have years of great fun riding the back roads and mountain roads. Masters of The Pace taught me how to have massive fun 20 years ago. Everything I learned still applies!
 
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