Yearly Goals

[McLovin']

New discussion topic. What is everyone working on this year? What are you doing to improve. At the advice, well maybe not so much advice but just general discussion, of Miguel I started listening to Ken Hill's podcasts. I've got a lot of valuable information. My biggest goal for the year is working on my eyes, and moving them up more as I ride to slow things down.

In one of the podcasts he talked about the difference between a professional pianist and new pianist, and the difference in where they look and how they move their eyes. One of my biggest downfalls I've noticed is I over slow for corners. I realize once I'm in the corner I could have taken it quicker; meaning if I'd had my eyes up more I would have judged it better and possible taken a corner with more confidence.

That being said, question to the guru's. How did you improve your eye movement? How did you make your vision on the motorcycle more deliberate? Donkey has spent countless hours with me to help body position, and I am still working on that. Also a shout out to Ride Red also, he has taken time to help also (others have too, I just can't remember your handles). However; the use of my eyes I think will drastically improve the body position I dearly seek.

Sound off!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVvY8KfXXgE

[Johnmark101]

This is a good topic. For me, if I am using my vision skills correctly everything else seems to fall automatically into place.......like muscle memory. Keeping my head up or as one person put it, "leading with your chin" helps me to keep my eyes focused up the road through the curve.

[Railing]

It's repetition. Seat time. Same roads. Same corners. It's being familiar with the road/track you are riding enough that you don't have to judge the corners, and you learn what you can do in a corner by the gearing and the sound of the motor, not the speed. This is a big reason a lot of people tell you to cover your speed on the track. It's one less thing to try and take in while riding. Eliminate as much of the external items as possible.

In terms of eyes, as stated above, it's muscle memory. Not just vision. A lot plays in to using your eyes, besides your eyes. The more you eliminate, the more brain power you have to give your eyes while at speed. I will ride roads I know, and I'll zone. I will feel like I am not moving, and instead the world is moving beneath me. I see the trees and roadside move at my sides, yet I feel stationary, I feel I am just moving side to side. This happened after I really started to use my peripheral vision, and actively work on it while sitting at work, driving, mowing the yard, etc. I actively think when I want to look at something, is it in my field of view, can I see this without turning my head or moving my eyes, can I look and process what is there, including details without really focusing on it.

Things to try...

1. I sit at a desk with three monitors at work, lots of other things around my desk, digital photo frame, actual photos, puzzles, toys, my phone, notepad, pencil, coffee cup, keys, etc. I can see all that stuff on my desk without focusing on it, it's in my vision, but I'm not so tunneled that I only see what I am typing you. I get a notification on one of the screens, I have three options, I can turn my head and look direct with my eyes focused, I can shift my eyes and never move my head, or I can actively think about what is happening on the peripheral of my vision. I can pay attention to the new email that just popped in, while focused on typing this. I might not be able to see the email, read it, or know who it's from or what's it's about, but I know I received one because I saw the motion on the other screen, I knew what program was active on that monitor and I knew the program itself. I am aware of what I have and what is there.

2. Spacial awareness. Be aware of your surroundings. Know where things are without looking at them. Know your cockpit controls, know your warning lights, know where your RPM gauge reads, know your shift lights and what they mean, know your bike RPM, know what gear you're in at all times, etc. Your brain will be able to "see" everything around you, and process with practice. With practice, you'll know the exact sound of the bike when you need to shift, you'll know based upon the movement of the RPM gauge, roughly what RPM you're hitting without ever looking.

3. Practice. It's like dry firing a handgun. It's practice practice practice. No flinching when shooting. When I'm driving in my car I try to focus forward, far ahead, and actively think about my controls, speed, what's in front of me all through my peripheral vision. I try to change the radio without every removing my eyes, I try to pay attention to movement in my mirrors without moving to shift my focus. I memorize the cars around me while driving and learn to quickly judge from a glance instead of a look. Train yourself to see in a glance instead of a focused look. I know there are many games to help you look at a photo for a couple of seconds, and then report what you saw. Can you draw it. What shirt was the giraffe wearing, you didn't see a giraffe wearing a shirt, why not?

Now with all that said, it's about the speed at which you can process the input, and the only way to do that is to train yourself to process quicker. When you ride fast on the street, your brain finally starts catching up to the speed. 70 MPH becomes normal, and your brain is processing the input at that speed, then when you go 20 MPH, you feel "super powered", your brain can process everything with minimal processing and you feel like you're crawling. This carries over to the track. The more riding you do, the more at speed riding, the easier your brain can process the input. The more muscle memory for controls, speed, RPM, gearing, etc. allows you to pay attention further down the road, allowing you to keep you focus far forward, but at the same time, know everything close.

So it's more than just eyes. I think you ride with ear plugs, and if not, ride with them. Having ear plugs eliminates many sounds that distract and allows you to focus on the RPM, and takes away some of the things that you need to process. The more your brain does second nature, the less you have to process in the moment.

[Danhor7]

I want to get my knee down in the rain. I've been so close so many times. This is my year I can feel it.

[cowasockee]

I want to get my knee down in the rain. I've been so close so many times. This is my year I can feel it.

Longggggger. Pucks.

[april]

Longggggger. Pucks.

Hm, I am liking that idea!

[McLovin']

So I was finally able to get around to watching some of the video I took while at Putnam back in May (in scrutinizing detail) . Miguel was gracious enough to follow me around for two laps before he had enough of me messing up. What I saw in those laps was multiple steering inputs on some, most, of the corners. Oddly enough my left hand corners were more fluid.

Question: what is the cause of my multiple "jerky" steering inputs. My first thought goes back to the original topic of this post my vision and how I need to improve. I also noticed steering too soon and constantly having to readjust might have been an issue. Where can I make corrections. I'm just trying to improve.

[Johnmark101]

So I was finally able to get around to watching some of the video I took while at Putnam back in May (in scrutinizing detail) . Miguel was gracious enough to follow me around for two laps before he had enough of me messing up. What I saw in those laps was multiple steering inputs on some, most, of the corners. Oddly enough my left hand corners were more fluid.

Question: what is the cause of my multiple "jerky" steering inputs. My first thought goes back to the original topic of this post my vision and how I need to improve. I also noticed steering too soon and constantly having to readjust might have been an issue. Where can I make corrections. I'm just trying to improve.

Can't say for sure why you are making multiple steering inputs in the corner but I was following a friend on the road just yesterday who was doing the same thing, and he was not being smooth through the corner. For him it was a couple things.......turning in too early and not looking deep enough into the corner. The latter can cause a poor line which results in extra steering inputs.

[Railing]

So I was finally able to get around to watching some of the video I took while at Putnam back in May (in scrutinizing detail) . Miguel was gracious enough to follow me around for two laps before he had enough of me messing up. What I saw in those laps was multiple steering inputs on some, most, of the corners. Oddly enough my left hand corners were more fluid.

Question: what is the cause of my multiple "jerky" steering inputs. My first thought goes back to the original topic of this post my vision and how I need to improve. I also noticed steering too soon and constantly having to readjust might have been an issue. Where can I make corrections. I'm just trying to improve.

1. Too quick for corner entry, correct by standing the bike up a little
2. Too late for corner entry, have to dip the bike in more.
3. Lean angle is too far, have to stand the bike up because you feel like you're leaning too much, and then in turn you need to turn more to get through the corner
4. Upset bike from braking. When you brake, your front end dives, and unloads the rear spring (unless you use the rear brake as well). This causes your bike to be upset before corner entry, and in turn "pogo" through the corner, where you have to make some steering inputs to adjust. This is why it's important to brake before the corner, and be under throttle in the corner. This gives your bike a chance to settle, and get the suspension back to their neutral load, and absorb the bumps in the corner correctly. I personally have ridden a bike with too light of springs, bottoming out under braking, causing all kinds of bouncing in the front end since there is no longer any suspension. I have also replaced the springs, putting correct weight, but the valving was crap, and the bike pogo'd through the corner, and I had zero control.
5. Scared/Nervous. Only fix it more track time
6. Adrenaline. Even if you think you are making small movements, you could be over adjusting.
7. Smoother throttle input, turning your wrist too hard can cause the bike to jerk.
8. Loose arms. Lighten up on the handle bars, if in a right hand corner, you should be able to "wag" your left arm, very little input on the left bar is needed, since you're pushing with your right. (push to turn, don't pull, push right, turn right). Reverse this for left corners.

All of those have caused and will cause steering issues, I've experienced all of the above.

[Cano]

So I was finally able to get around to watching some of the video I took while at Putnam back in May (in scrutinizing detail) . Miguel was gracious enough to follow me around for two laps before he had enough of me messing up. What I saw in those laps was multiple steering inputs on some, most, of the corners. Oddly enough my left hand corners were more fluid.

Question: what is the cause of my multiple "jerky" steering inputs. My first thought goes back to the original topic of this post my vision and how I need to improve. I also noticed steering too soon and constantly having to readjust might have been an issue. Where can I make corrections. I'm just trying to improve.

I used to have this problem. For me, the root cause was not looking deep enough into the corners. When I first started riding I developed a bad habit of being overly worried of gravel, potholes, etc. and as a result my eyes would be fixed at about 50-75 feet in front of me. Took a while to break this habit, and if i'm tired I find it easy to start doing it again. As soon as I consistently keeping my eyes as deep into the turn as possible, my steering inputs went from multiple corrections to a single input, and my pace picked way up. There is also the added benefit that your sense of speed drops the deeper you can look into a corner, and conversely, if you are only looking a bit ahead it will seem like you are going faster than you really are.