How to improve your riding skills:

[pjfz1]

My Contribution.... I belong to alot of forums, and have alot of experience, both years and miles. I'm by no means an expert, but I feel I've gotten pretty good at what I do, and I thought that this might be a good spot to share one of the tips I give to riders who are trying to improve their riding, so here goes:
 
EVERY ride should be spent working on technique. You should read and study all you can (I recommend Keith Codes' Twist of the wrist II).
When you get on the bike you should have ONE technique in mind that you need to work on - Looking through the corner, keeping your head up, body position, scanning with your eyes, relaxing your grip on the bars, smooth throttle control, etc, etc..
 
Work on that technique for that ride, and as many rides as it takes to make it second nature, then shift to another technique till it's second nature, etc..
No matter how long you've ridden and how confident you feel, know what your weakest point is and be working on it for the next ride. A ride that you're not working on is a wasted ride.
 
Sometimes riders get caught up trying to ride someone else's ride, or trying to work on 4 different things at once, then get frustrated by lack of improvement, when all they really need to do is work on ONE technique at a time and they will find overall improvement and understanding through that one at a time method, and eventually find huge gains overall without getting themselves in too deep and while feeling the success of getting better.
 
Think in your mind right now about what single technique you'll work on with that next ride, and make a habit of it...

[effzee07]

thanks for the tip! I suck at right turns....i need to practice them. I don't know if its a "fear" thing, or maybe not looking through the turn enough or what, but left hand curves/turns are much more natural to me.....i seem to never get better at right ones though.

[GAZ]

Thanks. That's solid advice. I know before I went to take my MSF course I watched the video version of Twists of the Wrists II and it provided some great information.

[hobbs]

Solid advice. Also check out;
 
Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track
 
It really fills in the holes left by Wrist II and provides some great visual assistance. You're not left to guess or hypothesize anything. Just read, ride and practice.
 
 

[hippiebikerchick]

Solid advice. Also check out; 
Sport Riding Techniques: How To Develop Real World Skills for Speed, Safety, and Confidence on the Street and Track
 
It really fills in the holes left by Wrist II and provides some great visual assistance. You're not left to guess or hypothesize anything. Just read, ride and practice.
 

Thanks! I just rode out to the library to get this book. Another great book is Proficient Motorcycling by David Hough.

[howlinhoss]

Read The Pace and The Pace 2.0

[pjfz1]

Thanks. That's solid advice. I know before I went to take my MSF course I watched the video version of Twists of the Wrists II and it provided some great information.

  The Book as WAY more useful than the videos.. it's an easy read, just do it. 

[pjfz1]

thanks for the tip! I suck at right turns....i need to practice them. I don't know if its a "fear" thing, or maybe not looking through the turn enough or what, but left hand curves/turns are much more natural to me.....i seem to never get better at right ones though.

 Every rider has a side they are better at..   But at least you're trying to identify what is is.. when you do, work at that skill... 

[pjfz1]

this needed a fresh BUMP!

 

  It still applies, and I hope riders can get use out of it..

[mjh937]

I have never done this **looks around to see if anyone believes him** 

[r1limited]

I agree 100% with the OP, however there are varying points of technique but all really have the same values just differing applications.  Case in point the cruizer vs the back canyon aggressive rider vs the urban street rider vs the dual sport vs the adventure vs the pozer squid.

 

 

[pjfz1]

8 hours ago, r1limited said:

I agree 100% with the OP, however there are varying points of technique but all really have the same values just differing applications.  Case in point the cruizer vs the back canyon aggressive rider vs the urban street rider vs the dual sport vs the adventure vs the pozer squid.

 

 

Agreed. There may be different skills to work on for your environment.. I used to have sharp skills for riding in traffic, but now I rarely do, and when I'm in traffic I'm painfully aware of how rusty I am.  In my regular elements I'm much more competent.

 

[crsnhppr]

My 2 cents. Find a gravel or dirt road and practice going up and down that to where you get comfortable with the bike being difficult to control and all wiley. It helps you in tough situations on your because your less likely to freak out when the bike gets upset because you will be use to riding it when it's a little unstable. Just don't grab a handful of front brakes, get use to feathering your rear brake it helps with learning that. Also if you manage to lock up your front wheel from time to time you can get use to feeling the front end sliding  under and can learn to correct it before you crash.  I wouldn't reccomend you just slam in the front brakes at speed but slowly and in gravel going slow enough to catch the bike if it tips over with your legs or at least not full on crash it might fall over but it shouldn't hurt much if you cushion it. Or a big grassy area/ sand. 

[r1limited]

It would be better in my opinion to just buy a dirtbike a crf 150, ttr250 something you can trash witout any hindrence.  Training in the dirt is the number 1 response I use for new riders, if you ride a dirtbike for a min of 2 years, mud sleet, rain sno or ice, your skills on the street will multiply by 100.  Muscle memory when a rear kicks out or your front is pushing will save your ass more than naught.

 

For street, get in a parking lot empty of course a park and ride lot on a weekend.  Go through your basics MSF Training, figure 8s, panic stops, looking ahead etc etc.  The pebbles dirt and debri on tha lot is going to give you shudders to begine with.  To go faster, you must go slower

[Cruizin]

I agree on the dirtbike advice. Best bike training there is for newbs, then a good MSF course for the street. Dirtbikers know what to do when back tire slides out(woo hoo) but alot of streetbikers freakout in a slide and end up highsiding. 

[gregjet]

I will just reiterate the Twist of the wrist post. Best to learn good habits early , so you don't have to unlearn them later.

Dirt riders that come to the road are almost always better road riders even to the very top level. You learn a lot more about you and your bike when it is past the edge of traction.  And dirt bikes are pretty much as much fun as you can have with your clothes on.

Mountain bike riding is also a good addition as it makes to concentrate and happy when riding in limited spaces and sharpens your reflexes. It also gets you fitter whole body for motorcycle riding.

[Beemer]

I'm on board with getting out in the dirt and learning a thing or two. Besides, you'll never have more fun getting dirty! 😆

[shinyribs]

This idea that riding dirt helps you ride street kind of surprises me, and I'm starting to see it said a LOT on the internet over the past few years. 

 

There is a lot of things that don't cross over from dirt to street. If you try to ride a street bike like you ride a dirt bike you'd be in bad shape pretty quick. And vice versa. The body positioning and brake use alone are vastly different between the two types of riding, and those two things make up 90% of how you handle a bike. Both environments will become second nature to you, but there's very little between the two that are the same. Very little. 

 

The only time off-road skills become relevant in a street bike is when you have a street bike on a gravel road and it's swimming around under you. Otherwise, they don't have anything in common at all. 

 

I think there is something valuable to take away from dirt riding, but applying it to street riding can be dangerous if you take it too far. That thing is " don't fear the bike- going down is no big deal". In the dirt, you go down often and it doesn't really matter. The bike can take it and you generally walk away with a few scratches, bruises or nothing at all. If you're not afraid to push a bike, you can really get a good feel for what's going on when you're at the tip edge of losing all traction. Then when you unexpectedly find yourself in that position, your instincts know how to react. 

 

It's good to have that same mindset on the street for the unexpected patch of gravel and such. You see some new riders absolutely freeze up on their street bike if it ever slides or moves around under them unexpectedly, and freezing up is the last thing you need to do in these situations, so it's good to know how your bike will feel in these situations beforehand, but sliding in dirt and sliding across pavement are two entirely different things and require totally different maneuvers to ride out. So yeah, I agree that riding dirt can help prepare you for that sensation, but how you apply it to a street bike doesn't cross over. 

 

Two totally different types of riding, and I love them both. 

 

The coolest thing ever is to have a dual sport and feel your riding style completely transform as you ride that same bike on-road and off-road. You know it's the same bike, but the rider inputs are completely different and you adapt without even thinking about it. 

[r1limited]

Sorry I disagree 100%, with ^^  Then Roberts, Rossi, Hayden, Stoner, The Spanish  Fly Midget, Dohaan, Shobert etc etc  are all full of what?  There are huge comparisons street to dirt and dirt to street.  Dirt riders are far more comfortable getting on a street bike then a street rider to dirt.  Not starting a pissing match but I just cannot agree at all with anything stated

[bornagainbiker]

I'm not sure weather it translates to street riding or not, but the most smile inducing experience I have ever had was sliding a motocross bike around a corner on a dirt road, whilst stabilizing the bike with my left foot and steering straight ahead with the bars.  Pure exhilarating joy.  

[r1limited]

30 minutes ago, bornagainbiker said:

I'm not sure weather it translates to street riding or not, but the most smile inducing experience I have ever had was sliding a motocross bike around a corner on a dirt road, whilst stabilizing the bike with my left foot and steering straight ahead with the bars.  Pure exhilarating joy.  

Mert lawell was asked how did you learn to slide, he said, keep doing it until you stop falling on your ass

Feet on the pegs full lock in a tuck is a thrill only a dirt tracker will understand

[shinyribs]

3 hours ago, r1limited said:

Sorry I disagree 100%, with ^^  Then Roberts, Rossi, Hayden, Stoner, The Spanish  Fly Midget, Dohaan, Shobert etc etc  are all full of what?  There are huge comparisons street to dirt and dirt to street.  Dirt riders are far more comfortable getting on a street bike then a street rider to dirt.  Not starting a pissing match but I just cannot agree at all with anything stated

I agree that riding in dirt can really help you get more comfortable with the feel of a bike, especially when things are starting to get away from you, but you can't ride dirt and pavement the same. You steer completely different on tarmac than you do in dirt, and you brake completely differently, too. 

 

Now, racing dirt track is NOT the same thing as riding an harescramble, enduro, etc. I'm talking about enduro riding. 

 

Turning fast on dirt: torso upright while leaning the bike down in to the corner, throttle on to spin the rear tire and let it slide around the corner. 

 

Turning fast on pavement: torso leans  WITH the bike, or even FURTHER in the same direction. Completely opposite of turning on dirt. You don't kick your inside foot forward, but you may drop your inside knee down ( which you would never drop a knee on dirt). WOT to spin/arc the rear tire through a turn?....very, very rarely ever done. 

 

Dirt riding is basically drifting. Typical street riding is trying to prevent a drift. 

 

90% of all street braking at speed is done with the front brake, exact opposite in the dirt. You almost always use the rear brake on dirt, unless maybe a steep downhill section.

 

Countersteering in the dirt? Nope, that's another technique for street riding that doesn't apply to dirt. How many times do you see moto GP heroes standing on the outside peg while railing a corner??  

 

They are two totally different types of riding. 

 

 

[r1limited]

NnnnnnNo, with respect to your definitions about the only thing you have correct is two styles.  Counter steer, sliding, drifing offcamber are all translated to Street.  Twisties, tight hair pins corkscrew at Laguna all take skills the same as dirt bikes.  Its obvious you have yet to toss a bike sideways 1 buck 20 plus and steer it through a corner nor drift a road racer thorugh a tight apex in the same fasion.  I am no being demeaning at all here.  But picking a road bike up when the front is pushing south is no different then a dirt bike.  Hare scrambles is a flat hout MX for 2 hours, enduros are pretty much boring IMO.

[shinyribs]

A harescramble IS an enduro race, and has absolutely nothing to do with a MX/ stadium jump fest. 

 

You drag knee in the dirt? You countersteer in the dirt? 

 

Are you calling AMA flat track dirt riding? Or are you talking about riding offroad. Because they are two different riding styles again. Dirt track racing is a complete different form than offroad or street riding. 

 

Drifting a road race bike at "1 buck 20" really doesn't have anything to do with street riding. 

 

[norcal616]

dirt biking has taught me to slide around in the seat to manipulate the way you want the bike to respond...even using the rear brake more on the street... even using the full range of each gear... even dirt biking has taught to use multiple lines rather than shuffle into a "race line" ... even get comfortable on chattery road surfaces which requires good steady throttle control or using your legs as shock absorbers when sitting a few inches above the seat to handle chattery surfaces...even using my knee to push on the gas tank to stabilize the bike in corners or help quickly change a line in a corner...dirt biking just expanded my knowledge of how to manipulate the bike more to sum it all up...