The cornering bible... |
I listened to an interview with a senior Honda engineer (I can't remember where) and he said that after World War 2 the engineers that couldn't go into aviation (because of the U.S. embargo that prevented a Japanese aviation industry from re-inventing Zeroes) went into motorcycle engineering because the dynamics are similar (motorcycles work in 3 dimensions like airplanes). Victory in World War 2 meant the end of allied motorcycling manufacturing as they knew it... an irony of victory, but I digress.
The Ninja takes a breather at Higher Ground, the lovely coffee shop at the top of the Forks of the Credit in Belfountain. |
I spent this afternoon riding over to one of the few curvy roads in the farming desert I live in to practice my throttle control and make a conscious assessment of my fear reactions to riding. I'm determined to get rid of the 'chicken strips' on my tyres. I got down to my peg feelers on a couple of the long corners, finally.
The distance between driving a multi-wheeled vehicle (which I've got a lot of experience on) and two wheeled vehicles is massive. You have to fight a lot of habit and psychology to give the bike what it needs to corner well; the dynamics are completely different and counter-intuitive if you're overly four wheel focused. Even the process of approaching and exiting a corner is much more complex on the multi-axis two wheeled conveyance. Driving and riding are two very different processes, and I'm frankly enjoying the complexity of the simplicity of two wheels by comparison.
Reading/watching Twist of the Wrist should be a requirement for anyone wanting to take on motorbiking, it'll make you aware of the mechanics of riding.
I really need a track day, not for the speed but for the ability to focus on process without worrying if the person coming the other way is texting.