Do you like riding with BA? if so read this and see if it makes good sense
to you too. It's a re-post that's worth reading (again and again...)

ChR1sT

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PACE YOURSELF

The street is not the track - It's a place to Pace

Two weeks ago a rider died when he and his bike tumbled off a cliff
paralleling
our favourite road. No gravel in the lane, no oncoming car pushing him wide,
no
ice. The guy screwed up. Rider error. Too much enthusiasm with too little
skill,
and this fatality wasn't the first on this road this year. As with most
single-
bike accidents, the rider entered the corner at a speed his brain told him
was
too fast, stood the bike up and nailed the rear brake. Goodbye.

On the racetrack the rider would have tumbled into the hay bales, visited
the
ambulance for a strip of gauze and headed back to the pits to straighten his

handlebars and think about his mistake. But let's get one thing perfectly
clear:
the street is not the racetrack. Using it as such will shorten your riding
career and keep you from discovering the Pace. The Pace is far from street
racing - and a lot more fun.

The Pace places the motorcycle in its proper role as the controlled vehicle,
not
the controlling vehicle. Too many riders of sport bikes become baggage when
the
throttle gets twisted - the ensuing speed is so overwhelming they are
carried
along in the rush. The Pace ignores outright speed and can be as much fun on
a
Ninja 250 as on a ZX-11, emphasizing rider skill over right-wrist bravado. A

fool can twist the grip, but a fool has no idea how to stop or turn.
Learning to
stop will save your life; learning to turn will enrich it. What feels better

than banking a motorcycle over into a corner?

The mechanics of turning a motorcycle involve pushing and/or pulling on the
handlebars; while this isn't new information for most sport riders, realize
that
the force at the handlebar affects the motorcycle's rate of turn-in. Shove
hard
on the bars, and the bike snaps over; gently push the bars, and the bike
lazily
banks in. Different corners require different techniques, but as you begin
to
think about lines, late entrances and late apexes, turning your bike at the
exact moment and reaching the precise lean angle will require firm, forceful

inputs at the handlebars. If you take less time to turn your motorcycle, you
can
use that time to brake more effectively or run deeper into the corner,
affording
yourself more time to judge the corner and a better look at any hidden
surprises. It's important to look as far into the corner as possible and
remember the adage, "You go where you look."

DON'T RUSH

The number-one survival skill, after mastering emergency braking, is setting

your corner-entrance speed early, or as Kenny Roberts says, "Slow in, fast
out."
Street riders may get away with rushing into 99 out of 100 corners, but that

last one will have gravel, mud or a trespassing car. Setting entrance speed
early will allow you to adjust your speed and cornering line, giving you
every
opportunity to handle the surprise.

We've all rushed into a corner too fast and experienced not just the terror
but
the lack of control when trying to herd the bike into the bend. If you're
fighting the brakes and trying to turn the bike, any surprise will be
impossible
to deal with. Setting your entrance speed early and looking into the corner
allows you to determine what type of corner you're facing. Does the radius
decrease? Is the turn off-camber? Is there an embankment that may have
contributed some dirt to the corner?

Racers talk constantly about late braking, yet that technique is used only
to
pass for position during a race, not to turn a quicker lap time. Hard
braking
blurs the ability to judge cornering speed accurately, and most racers who
rely
too heavily on the brakes find themselves passed at the corner exits because

they scrubbed off too much cornering speed. Additionally, braking late often

forces you to trail the brakes or turn the motorcycle while still braking.
While
light trail braking is an excellent and useful technique to master,
understand
that your front tire has only a certain amount of traction to give.

If you use a majority of the front tire's traction for braking and then ask
it
to provide maximum cornering traction as well, a typical low-side crash will

result. Also consider that your motorcycle won't steer as well with the fork

fully compressed under braking. If you're constantly fighting the motorcycle

while turning, it may be because you're braking too far into the corner. All

these problems can be eliminated by setting your entrance speed early, an
important component of running the Pace.

Since you aren't hammering the brakes at every corner entrance, your
enjoyment
of pure cornering will increase tremendously. You'll relish the feeling of
snapping your bike into the corner and opening the throttle as early as
possible. Racers talk about getting the drive started, and that's just as
important on the street. Notice how the motorcycle settles down and simply
works
better when the throttle is open? Use a smooth, light touch on the throttle
and
try to get the bike driving as soon as possible in the corner, even before
the
apex, the tightest point of the corner. If you find yourself on the throttle

ridiculously early, it's an indication you can increase your entrance speed
slightly by releasing the brakes earlier.

As you sweep past the apex, you can begin to stand the bike up out of the
corner. This is best done by smoothly accelerating, which will help stand
the
bike up. As the rear tire comes off full lean, it puts more rubber on the
road,
and the forces previously used for cornering traction can be converted to
acceleration traction. The throttle can be rolled open as the bike stands
up.

This magazine won't tell you how fast is safe; we will tell you how to go
fast
safely. How fast you go is your decision, but it's one that requires
reflection
and commitment. High speed on an empty four-lane freeway is against the law,
but
it's fairly safe. Fifty-five miles per hour in a canyon may be legal, but it
may
also be dangerous. Get together with your friends and talk about speed. Set
a
reasonable maximum and stick to it. Done right, the Pace is addicting
without
high straightaway speeds.

The group I ride with couldn't care less about outright speed between
corners;
any fool can twist a throttle. If you routinely go 100 mph, we hope you
routinely practice emergency stops from that speed. Keep in mind outright
speed
will earn a ticket that is tough to fight and painful to pay; cruising the
easy
straight stuff doesn't attract as much attention from the authorities and
sets
your speed perfectly for the next sweeper.

GROUP MENTALITY

Straights are the time to reset the ranks. The leader needs to set a pace
that
won't bunch up the followers, especially while leaving a stop sign or
passing a
car on a two-lane road. The leader must use the throttle hard to get around
the
car and give the rest of the group room to make the pass, yet he or she
can't
speed blindly along and earn a ticket for the whole group. With sane speeds
on
the straights, the gaps can be adjusted easily; the bikes should be spaced
about
two seconds apart for maximum visibility of surface hazards.

It's the group aspect of the Pace I enjoy most, watching the bikes in front
of
me click into a corner like a row of dominoes, or looking in my mirror as my

friends slip through the same set of corners I just emerged from.

Because there's a leader and a set of rules to follow, the competitive
aspect of
sport riding is eliminated and that removes a tremendous amount of pressure
from
a young rider's ego - or even an old rider's ego. We've all felt the tug of
racing while riding with friends or strangers, but the Pace takes that away
and
saves it for where it belongs: the racetrack. The racetrack is where you
prove
your speed and take chances to best your friends and rivals.

I've spent a considerable amount of time writing about the Pace (see
Motorcyclist, Nov. '91) for several reasons, not the least of which being
the
fun I've had researching it (continuous and ongoing). But I have motivations

that aren't so fun. I got scared a few years ago when Senator Danforth
decided
to save us from ourselves by trying to ban superbikes, soon followed by
insurance companies blacklisting a variety of sport bikes. I've seen
Mulholland
Highway shut down because riders insisted on racing (and crashing) over a
short
section of it. I've seen heavy police patrols on roads that riders insist on

throwing themselves off of. I've heard the term "murder-cycles" a dozen
times
too many. When we consider the abilities of a modern sport bike, it becomes
clear that rider techniques is sorely lacking.

The Pace emphasizes intelligent, rational riding techniques that ignore
racetrack heroics without sacrificing fun. The skills needed to excel on the

racetrack make up the basic precepts of the Pace, excluding the mind-numbing

speeds and leaving the substantially larger margin for error needed to allow
for
unknowns and immovable objects. Our sport faces unwanted legislation from
outsiders, but a bit of throttle management from within will guarantee our
future.

THE PACE PRINCIPLES

Set cornering speed early.
Blow the entrance and you'll never recover.

Look down the road.
Maintaining a high visual horizon will reduce perceived speed and help you
avoid
panic situations.

Steer the bike quickly.
There's a reason Wayne Rainey works out - turning a fast-moving motorcycle
takes
muscle.

Use your brakes smoothly but firmly.
Get on and then off the brakes; don't drag 'em.

Get the throttle on early.
Starting the drive settles the chassis, especially through a bumpy corner.

Never cross the centreline except to pass.
Crossing the centreline in a corner is an instant ticket and an admittance
that
you can't really steer your bike. In racing terms, your lane is your course;

staying right of the line adds a significant challenge to most roads and is
mandatory for sport riding's future.

Don't crowd the centreline.
Always expect an oncoming car with two wheels in your lane.

Don't hang off in the corners or tuck in on the straights.
Sitting sedately on the bike looks safer and reduces unwanted attention. It
also
provides a built-in safety margin.

When leading, ride for the group.
Good verbal communication is augmented with hand signals and turn signals;
change direction and speed smoothly.

When following, ride with the group.
If you can't follow a leader, don't expect anyone to follow you when you're
setting the pace.

Nick Ienatsch
Sport Rider Magazine
June 1993
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