[Two Fingers On The Brake]

So, this is a pretty quiet forum and I feel like sharing pretty much every single thing I learned at school with you guys. Maybe it'll help you go "aha" too if you are somewhere near my location on the pathway of learning.

 

I have covered my front brake with my first two fingers ever since MSF school. I STILL do it in traffic because people are idiots. Most people can't see you and the ones that can want to hurt you or write you a ticket, so a fast hand on the front brake is always a good thing. Fast, but not hard. I think I can count on less than 2 fingers the times I've had an emergency stop result in the back tire lifting and I have ZERO desire to be a "stuntah." Wheelies, Burnouts and Stoppies are for people who don't mind destroying their bikes to impress chicks - I have to get girls the old fashioned way, by showing them my bank account and resume, if that doesn't work, I take off my pants.

 

 

Laugh, it's called "a joke."

 

 

 

Regardless.

 

As I've been practicing what I learned at school (safely, I might add, and well within the confines of 'acceptable' street speed) I have forced myself take my two fingers off the brake and grasp just the throttle. Again, I know my turn in speed, my roll on rate and my exit speed on MANY of these roads (as this is Florida and there are 10 roads south of Ocala that are worth riding at all - so you get to know them well). By taking my hand OFF the brake I have AGAIN found that I am smoother with my roll on.

 

I don't know if having two fingers on the brake makes roll on harder or not - I leave that to the experts (and ranting lunatics that seem to spend every moment of their lives on the internet waiting to get into an argument - c'mon, I know you nutjobs are out there, stop surfing for porn, adjust your tinfoil hat and give me an opinion).

 

I have found that having all four fingers on the throttle forces me to concentrate, takes away a false security blanket of "I can slow down if I have to," forces me to focus on the turn not the speed, and surprisingly go through faster.

 

Is there a "keep your hands OFF the brake" drill somewhere I need to look up in the book or one of the classes?

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

Chapter 6 of TOTW II. Not Chapter 1, Not Chapter 4, Chapter 6 is EXACTLY what I needed. Up to and including a really nifty picture showing EXACTLY what I needed to know. It's my fault, I've read and re-read the book so many times that I thought I knew it all when in fact it's been YEARS since I've sat down and actually READ the book cover to cover. Sometimes familiarity breeds neglect . . . it really is an amazing book. I've probably given 10 different motorcyclists a copy of it over the last 5 years.

[Photos Of Ourselves...]

Me at Homestead in 2008

 

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

In 1 & 2 the speed drops but I am also pretty sure that RPM also drops due to the net-effect changed gear ratios. Even having the throttle a little cracked will cause the bike to slow down.

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

That helps a LOT! Thank you.

 

Your quote that I am "no longer pushing on the handlebar to change the bike's direction" is exactly the clarity that I needed. I completely agree that each corner will be different, but the basic formula to approach the corner should be fairly consistent.

 

My big question was around the words "when your line is set" - that was driving me nuts. I have been given TONS of advice over the years, it was usually contradictory. I totally misread TOTW II as well, I mastered SRs, I understand what rolling on does, I even understood that I should be doing it consistently. What I didn't get was WHEN to do it.

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

Chapter 4 helps and watching onboard video of racers helps. It really isn't "coasting" into the corner, the throttle isn't completely and totally closed and they aren't in neutral or with the clutch pulled in. What you'll see, time and time again, is that they come in to a corner at a specific rev range and speed, as they approach the apex that speed decreases and the revs drop, but they don't go to 1,000rpm, they may drop down to 7 or 8,000 RPM. Once they hit the apex (or near it, no one is perfect every lap, every time) they roll on from the 7k or so that they were at coming and be as much as 2,000 RPM higher by the time the bike is upright again.

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

I have the book, I have read page 7 about 20 times. What I don't really see is a clear picture that says "roll on here, but NOT here." Lots of physics on what happens when the throttle is applied, not a lot on "here's the correct place to DO IT" I had read TOTW I and II about 50 times, with dog eared copies covered in highlighter ink and I had been doing it completely wrong until I sat in class and Dylan drew a corner and said "HERE" is where you apply the throttle.

 

 

I'm going to go re-read chapter 4

[Quite The Saves]

Anyone see Larry Pegram on the BMW at New Jersy Motorsports Park - last race of the AMA Superbike Season? Yeah, EPIC save.

[Throttle And Lean Angle, At The Same Time.]

I am finding myself more confused, not less, the more of these I read. As much as I love forum banter, what I'm looking for is knowledge. To simplify for my own sanity's sake:

 

 

When entering a single turn (not a set of switchbacks) you basically coast in gear from the turn entry point to the apex, at the apex you roll on and complete the turn. Correct?