Things I Learned At Superbike School

[vorontzov]

The "when" of the roll on is covered in Twist 2, anyone know the exact section?

 

You mention a delay, specifically, "It is here where I may have to wait a little.." Why the delay?

 

CF

 

Thank you for joining in, Cobie.

 

The "when" is indeed explained in Chapter 5, more specifically (at least in my 9th printing of the book) on Page 25.

 

 

"It is here where I may have to wait a little" – refers to the topic initiated in this thread by Rainman: possible exceptions to the Throttle Control Rule. To give you (and other people who may be reading this) a brief recap, Rainman asked in which situations the Master Rule my have to be modified. I consulted the Good Book, found in it precisely 10 "exceptions", and listed them – without fully understanding their meaning, because I hadn't yet encountered such situations on a track (and, as I understand, that's not having practical experience is one of the fundamental barriers to effective learning).

 

Let me copy and paste the same list here:

 

1. In a rear-end slide, it may be advisable to stop rolling on the gas (but not to roll it off). The motorcycle will slow down smoothly and gradually, and the slide will be corrected.

 

2. A double-apex turn should be treated practically as two separate turns, which means slowing down smoothly, even by rolling off the gas and straightening the bike before the second entry.

 

3. In top-gear, full-throttle turns there's no way to continue rolling on the gas simply because it's already open all the way. In that case, the necessary pull through the turn should be created by coming into the turn roughly 500 rpm lower than normal, and then when the motorcycle is leaned over, the rpm will pick up and the engine will pul the motorcycle through the turn.

 

4. In the crested turns, getting on the gas should be delayed until after the the bike "lands" after the crest, because it's already too high on the suspension, and getting on the gas too early may lift t even higher, which may result in the front wheel pop-up. It may even be necessary to roll off the gas slightly and smoothly, if the crest is really steep (in that case the motorcycle may still be accelerating even as the throttle is being rolled off).

 

5. If a motorcycle is leaned over to the extreme, the rider has to wait until the beginning of the Pick-Up to start rolling on the gas (this is not so much an exception, but rather a modification of the Golden Rule).

 

6. If there are bumps in the middle of the turn, the throttle roll-on may be slowed down or stopped temporarily till the end of the bumps. (No roll-off, though.)

 

7. A long downhill turn may require a brief delay in rolling on the throttle.

 

8. Changes in camber in the middle of the turn, or off-camber turn, may require a brief delay in rolling on the throttle.

 

9. A decreasing-radius turn may need a brief delay in the roll-on.

10. Any combination of all of the above may also require slowing down or temporarily stopping the roll-on.

 

 

As I already discussed with Hotfoot, #6 on this list seems to be my error: I found this in the book, but somehow misinterpreted it. That's why I crossed it through. I would very much like to get the proper interpretation of this, because it is from "Twist II", I didn't invent it, I just, uh, "twisted" it. There may be other errors / misinterpretations on the list, so I would personally very much appreciate your further comments on this subject.

 

I'm also thinking that the subject is too deep for this particular thread of the forum, because my idea for this thread was just to jot down the "notes to self" I made during my most recent bootcamp. I think a separate thread on Throttle Rule Exceptions would be a good idea.

[vorontzov]

In the meantime –

 

XXXIII. It's not really possible to work on one thing at a time

 

Unless you're a genius of concentration. Well, I'm not such genius, anyway, and whatever I'm practicing, I can't help having some other things not too far back in the back of my mind. (For example, if I'm working on the Wide View, there's inevitably the Lock-On, the Three-Step, and the whole family of them, demanding attention.)

 

It's like trying not to think of a pink rhinoceros. Go ahead and try it! Or rather, make it "pink rhinoceros covered in pieces of silver and gold reflective tape" (for visibility). Next time you're on a track, try to not think about that beast riding a Beemer somewhere on the same track, gaining on you.

 

Just kidding. Wipe your mind clean. I'm sure you'll have better and more important things to try not to think about. Try not to think about the throttle (once it's cracked on, it's rolled on evenly, smoothly, and constantly throughout the remainder of the turn). Definitely try your hardest not to think about that.

 

Seriously though, you have to have perfect Zen to be able to practice just one thing at a time, and I suspect very few of mere mortals have it.

 

But that's precisely why (I think) we must do our best to practice one thing at a time! Because we won't be able to, anyway, but at least we won't allow all the things competing for our attention to get the free reign in our mind / body. That's why, I'm inclined to think, the coaches instruct students to practice not just one thing at a time, but to practice that thing in just one particular turn.

 

So, practicing one thing at a time may be impossible, but we should strive to do that, all the same.

[vorontzov]

More:

 

XXXIV. Don't do too many things too late

 

Until recently, I used to have a tendency to lock on, stick the knee out, turn my head, lean the bike AND roll on the throttle (!) simultaneously, right on the X, marking the turn entry. Silly and dangerous as it sounds, that's what I believed to be the correct technique. Needless to say, not only I risked crashing a bike every time I turned, I also was unnecessarily busy, entering every turn.

 

It took a while to sink in, but all of those things of course have to be separate in time.

 

Hip Flick drill helped a lot in sorting it out. Thanks to it, I start by locking on when I see the X, then I look into the turn, then I stick my knee out and lean, and then I roll. The turns have become so much easier!

 

XXXV. If you want to pass someone, don't look at the rider, look for a "doorframe".

 

It's really difficult to pass someone if you target-fixate on him / her. Looking somewhere next to the rider and seeing the "doorframe" in which you can fit, can make you immediately aware of how much space you've got. That can male passing considerably simpler.