WHAT MAKES A MOTORCYCLE SMART

 In many of our motocross schools I will ask the students “How smart is your motorcycle?”  After thinking about it for a few seconds, a typical answer is “Not very smart” or “Pretty dumb”. As much as we riders love to love our motocross bikes, the sad fact is they really don’t love us back, they are just a tool made from aluminum, steel and rubber. When we make an error on our bike, it just doesn’t compensate and say, “Here, allow mw to bail you out”, and we go on our merry way. Usually, and we can all relate, it’s full on cart wheeling down the track, with our motorcycle in hot pursuit trying to crush us.

 OK, so now that we realize our motorcycle is just a tool to ride or race on, we can get to an understanding of what it takes to make that bike smart. Number one is us the rider, I’m included here too, and just because I’m an instructor doesn’t get me off the hook from crashing, and I’ve had some good ones. What we input into the motorcycle is how it will respond. For example, you have the 2 major fundamental groups you are always working from, the first is maintaining the center of balance, and the second is mastering the 5 controls (less if you’re on a pee wee). So if your body position is in the wrong place at the wrong time, you risk crashing or making a huge mistake. If you use your controls incorrectly, like throttling to hard up a long jump ramp, you may loop out. Or if you use too much front brake into a slick turn, your front end will wash out.

 Think about the difference between riding fresh and strong, versus riding when you are weak and tired. When we are fresh, things go pretty well, you’re moving with the bike, anticipating what you need to do to stay balanced and in control, you’re brain is snappy and you have good feel. But when it’s late in a moto and you’re tired, you can’t think as clear, your tempo slows down and you’re starting to be late in regards to reacting to what the bike is doing. Now the bike is controlling us instead of us controlling the bike.

 So what makes a motorcycle smart? It starts with an intelligent rider, knowing how the laws of physics work, what each control can do, where the balance and pivot points are, the rider attachment points, what weight transfers are, what 0-10 means on your controls and how that relates to traction, what over grip is, how line selection and track smarts can benefit you, and just having a lot of respect for the motorcycle and sport in general. EVERY rider can benefit from a good motocross school and working with an instructor.

 Another part that is often overlooked is you as a rider physically. How strong are you, do you have good endurance and good balance? Do you have a good training program, enough time on the bike, are you eating a good diet, and are you getting enough rest and recovery time? EVERY rider can benefit from a trainer.

 Remember, the smarter you are, the smarter the motorcycle is, never under estimate this. Don’t keep repeating the same mistakes over and over, put some thought into what you are doing to make the bike react the way it is, and you can begin to be a problem solver.

 And the last thing is to have your bike properly set up. Have the right suspension spring rate for your weight, and the proper set up for the track. Have your controls set correctly so you can use them easily and effectively. Have good tires, and tune the motor so it responds to what you put into it. Find a good shop and mechanic.

 With these things considered, you in fact will have a very smart motorcycle!

Hope you have a great 2007!  Larry Morton