Some good advice here:
http://www.cycleworld.com/five-moto...ctice-every-ride-nick-ienatsch-tuesday#page-5
In addition to the parking lot workouts,
My Big Five practice checklist focuses on the most important things that I started with five years ago, and continue to practice each and every ride, with or without a passenger.
1. Eyes:
- I scan what is behind me (using mirrors), to the sides and in front of me, constantly looking for potential hazards.
- Your eyes can continue scanning back and forth, even when your head turns and sets up body position for anticipating the bike's next direction.
- Target fixation can be deadly, so I practice avoiding it in turns or on straights by visually selecting something on the road (debris, dark/light patches, etc.) and immediately looking farther down the road. The brain retains a short-term map of what was just seen and the rider then guides the bike around the imagined hazard. With enough practice, you don’t even have to think about it, and your reactions kick in to steer you away from trouble.
2. Trail Braking:
This technique is the bomb. I took to trail braking right away, as I found that a gentle application of the front brake would immediately control speed and direction. I had been using snow-ski edges (brakes) for the exact same reasons while hauling down steep mountain slopes since I was a kid. Aside from “Eyes” I practice trail braking more than anything else. Just like my skiing, more brake control equals significantly greater exhilaration and reduces the frequency of panic-prayers. I saw a real-world application of this when riding behind Nick through the Colorado mountains. His brake light came on just before he started leaning into a right-handed turn. From out of nowhere, a deer bounded directly into our lane. Because Nick was already on the front brake, he was able to quickly, yet smoothly stop, even at lean angle.
3. Emergency braking:
Nick has emphasized repeatedly: “If you ride at 100 miles an hour, you need to practice braking at 100 miles an hour.” I practiced braking the scooter from that speed a couple of times and didn't feel comfortable at all. But I've found that 80 mph is about the high end of my comfort zone, so that's the speed at which I usually practice, either solo or with a passenger. Caution: Braking with a passenger on board is quite different than riding alone, and may require some extra practice, especially if your passenger is your precious-cargo girlfriend. In these instances, I started at much lower speeds and worked up from there. (Note: Merrilee, my girlfriend, forced me to write that last part. She's not the boss of...Nothing, sweetie. Just humming to myself. Love you!)
4. Body position:
I like watching professional riders set up their next turn. First, their rear ends shift off the seat in the new direction they will be going. Next, their heads lean toward that same direction to utilize body weight for steering. Having a turn already set up like this has helped me avoid big trouble while enhancing the experience of cornering. It not only reduces target fixation significantly, but also sets the tone for the entire turn. While practicing the essentials at slow speeds in parking lots didn’t seem like such a big deal, I’m glad I did because they become exponentially more important at street speeds.
5. Rolling on and off the throttle:
First, I triple check that no vehicles are behind me. Next, I put the bike in first gear and get to a pretty good clip so the torque is instant and pronounced. Then, I work on speeding up and slowing down smoothly. At higher revs, the feedback does little to sugarcoat my errors and pathetic excuses. In emergency situations, the best outcomes are usually a result of the body immediately reacting to correct techniques that have been practiced ad nauseam. I need more work on this.
That's it:
My Big Five techniques I practice every ride. Oh, there's another fabulous concept I picked up from my friend, Walt Bayless, who, among other things is a jiu-jitsu master. Walt said he frequently exchanges his black belt for a white one and starts training all over again with the basics. “When I start feeling complacent and confident,” he said, “that's when I'm most vulnerable to injury and I swap out belts and go back to the essentials.”
Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki said, "In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few." So, every time I swing a leg over the bike, I remember that as long as I am a beginner, I can justify another ride to practice my essentials while enjoying the stunning beauty in our corner of the universe. We riders truly are lucky bastoids.
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