Reading the Road

OTB · 10-11-2009, 08:02 PM

I'm human, and like most humans I'm a creature of habit; I am comfortable with the familiar. Give me some nice roads and I'll ride those things 'till I've worn grooves in 'em, refining lines, experimenting with braking, turn-in points and late and early apexing 'till the cows come home.

And that's one kind of riding; the hobby type of riding. Nothing wrong with it. Teaches precision, ups the speeds possible, allows for experimentation. Just doesn't get you very far.

I've fallen into the habits: life is busy, I have limited riding time, the Bimota likes expensive, short-lived sticky tires; don't wanna waste any of it on taking the chance on an "inferior" experience, right?

Problem is, familiar can also be boring, even if the roads are nice.

So I've changed my riding habits. I've vowed to take the rest of the season to explore the unfamiliar byways and highways of the Blueridge. Time to dust off my much-unused Road-Reading Skilz.

Riding unfamiliar roads well and safely is a set of techniques and mindset all it's own.

Sport Rider has a great article by Nick E. for riding in groups (http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_9...ing/index.html) and a lot of the tips there are helpful.

But even more so, when riding on unfamiliar roads, I keep my lines wider to give me the best view around blind turns; I keep my speeds down into the 60-70% level of the perceived radius, to give myself a safety factor in case that blind turn has a hidden decreasing radius component at the end. It's always easier to steer up with the throttle than to have to balance braking and turning if I go in too hot and get surprised or come up on debris ( or a stopped car, a fallen rider or a dusting of pea gravel...). A slow entrance will pay dividends in a smooth line out rather than juggling traction and running wide if I get surprised.

I also practice on looking up the road as far as I can in turns; the foliage, road signs and markers and terrain all give clues as to what's up ahead as far as the next series of bends. I play guessing games with myself as to what the following turn(s) will be like and what they will bring. I can't do that if I'm focused on 50 ft out from the front tire or the rider in front of me.

I also critique myself after a turn or series of turns, whenever the road straightens a bit and gives me a few seconds to rewind what I just did and judge how smoothly I did the turns, how well I picked the line, how well I read the terrain hints and why I made the bobbles I did.

Reading the road requires practice, just like any other set of riding skills.

Go discover a new road, and happy riding.

tached1000rr · 10-11-2009, 08:08 PM

I've been riding new roads for the past two days yesterday's ride went great, today I had an off day of keeping focus and was not sharp/smooth at all. I've been trying to avoid my usual routes and discover other roads and I've found some gems....

racedoll · 10-11-2009, 08:20 PM

This is something I was thinking about on the way home from my camping trip. I need to get better at it. A fellow rider from earlier in the year passed me his card. I need to contact him as he has some information on a class that helps you learn to read the roads better.

Fleck750 · 10-11-2009, 08:38 PM

As we have very few roads that have curves around here, I tend to seek out new roads almost every ride. It's nice to ride a good twisty, but I get complacent after awhile, just looking for the normal dangers, not enjoying it. I guess I enjoy seeing new things rather than riding the same road over and over.

marko138 · 10-11-2009, 09:32 PM

Leigh, next time your out let me know.

Gas Man · 10-13-2009, 12:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko138

Leigh, next time your out let me know.

F you Marko!

marko138 · 10-13-2009, 07:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gas Man

F you Marko!

I'll call you too, maybe you can meet us at the coffee shop in Balto.

Gas Man · 10-14-2009, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by marko138

I'll call you too, maybe you can meet us at the coffee shop in Balto.

I will do that this spring! Stop thru at your place... this is something we didn't get to during the rally time.

10-11-2009, 08:02 PM	#1
OTB The Man Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: CrabTown USA Moto: 00 Bimota DB4 Posts: 823	Reading the Road I'm human, and like most humans I'm a creature of habit; I am comfortable with the familiar. Give me some nice roads and I'll ride those things 'till I've worn grooves in 'em, refining lines, experimenting with braking, turn-in points and late and early apexing 'till the cows come home. And that's one kind of riding; the hobby type of riding. Nothing wrong with it. Teaches precision, ups the speeds possible, allows for experimentation. Just doesn't get you very far. I've fallen into the habits: life is busy, I have limited riding time, the Bimota likes expensive, short-lived sticky tires; don't wanna waste any of it on taking the chance on an "inferior" experience, right? Problem is, familiar can also be boring, even if the roads are nice. So I've changed my riding habits. I've vowed to take the rest of the season to explore the unfamiliar byways and highways of the Blueridge. Time to dust off my much-unused Road-Reading Skilz. Riding unfamiliar roads well and safely is a set of techniques and mindset all it's own. Sport Rider has a great article by Nick E. for riding in groups (http://www.sportrider.com/ride/146_9...ing/index.html) and a lot of the tips there are helpful. But even more so, when riding on unfamiliar roads, I keep my lines wider to give me the best view around blind turns; I keep my speeds down into the 60-70% level of the perceived radius, to give myself a safety factor in case that blind turn has a hidden decreasing radius component at the end. It's always easier to steer up with the throttle than to have to balance braking and turning if I go in too hot and get surprised or come up on debris ( or a stopped car, a fallen rider or a dusting of pea gravel...). A slow entrance will pay dividends in a smooth line out rather than juggling traction and running wide if I get surprised. I also practice on looking up the road as far as I can in turns; the foliage, road signs and markers and terrain all give clues as to what's up ahead as far as the next series of bends. I play guessing games with myself as to what the following turn(s) will be like and what they will bring. I can't do that if I'm focused on 50 ft out from the front tire or the rider in front of me. I also critique myself after a turn or series of turns, whenever the road straightens a bit and gives me a few seconds to rewind what I just did and judge how smoothly I did the turns, how well I picked the line, how well I read the terrain hints and why I made the bobbles I did. Reading the road requires practice, just like any other set of riding skills. Go discover a new road, and happy riding.

10-11-2009, 08:38 PM	#4
Fleck750 Spiker bike Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: KCK Moto: KZ750 Posts: 1,629	As we have very few roads that have curves around here, I tend to seek out new roads almost every ride. It's nice to ride a good twisty, but I get complacent after awhile, just looking for the normal dangers, not enjoying it. I guess I enjoy seeing new things rather than riding the same road over and over. __________________ I ride way too fast to worry about cholesterol. ~Author Unknown

10-11-2009, 08:08 PM	#2
tached1000rr WERA White Plate Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: NC Moto: 2009 GSXR 1300 Posts: 2,448	I've been riding new roads for the past two days yesterday's ride went great, today I had an off day of keeping focus and was not sharp/smooth at all. I've been trying to avoid my usual routes and discover other roads and I've found some gems....

10-11-2009, 08:20 PM	#3
racedoll AMA Supersport Join Date: Nov 2008 Moto: '04 Kawasaki ZX6RR Posts: 3,392	This is something I was thinking about on the way home from my camping trip. I need to get better at it. A fellow rider from earlier in the year passed me his card. I need to contact him as he has some information on a class that helps you learn to read the roads better.