Bajaj Pulsar RS tracking left

Ride Safe With Motoroids – Chapter 3: Seven basic mistakes made by inexperienced riders

Kawasaki-Z250-36 (1)

In our last installment of Ride Safe with Motoroids, we took a look at what the beginner rider must keep in mind before embarking on a ride. We detailed the basic safety guidelines, and how to care about other road users while keeping ourselves safe out on the street.

After more than a month, it is now time to move up the game. By now, you must be reasonably fast and safe. You should be able to overtake most vehicles on the road while giving a wide berth to potential dangers on the road. In this installment, we will show you how to go faster, and take corners harder and safer. These are techniques mostly learnt and honed at the track, but they apply equally well to the road too.

Kawasaki-Z250-74

Motorcycling isn’t the hardest of tasks. It is pretty easy to get a hang of the basics and learning to ride. But then most riders plateau out. Unless we make a conscious effort to improve our riding skills, we won’t develop the confidence that enables us to ride faster and be safer at the same time. Riding a bike is easy, but riding fast and safe is pretty hard.

Below, we have outlined some of the common mistakes that novice riders commit when they’re getting to grips with their first bikes. We have also given easy solutions to these problems. If you’re one of those who’s looking to augment their riding skills just a notch, keep these techniques in mind the next time you head out to the twisties and you will be a better rider in no time.

Before you read further, if you missed out on the earlier chapters, do follow the links below:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

erratic throttle control (1)

  1. Erratic throttle control

Throttle modulation is one of the most important things to master first if you want to be safe, and fast. While it is not usually of much concern on smaller bikes thanks to their limited power outputs, proper throttle control becomes increasingly trickier as you move up the cubic capacity chart.

Sudden throttle inputs upset the balance of the bike. Crack it open too hard and the centre of gravity shifts to the rear tyre, loading up the rear suspension and making the whole front end go light. Not something you’d want to experience on bad road surfaces.

erratic throttle control (2)

So how do you go about it? In the words of the great Keith Code, author of the Twist of the Wrist books: “Once the throttle is cracked open, it is rolled on evenly, smoothly, and constantly throughout the remainder of the turn.” This rule applies not just to the track, but on the road as well. Be smooth with the throttle, and not only will you be safer, you will also be saving quite a bit on fuel costs. And your bike’s engine will thank you for it.

seating posture

  1. Rigid riding posture

This is something we have all experienced as new riders. Fear and apprehension of getting onto a bike makes us naturally tense, and the whole body goes rigid. You grip the ‘bars too firmly, and your thighs grab the tank harder than jack and Rose grabbed that plank of wood in Titanic.

But, much like Jack, grabbing onto the bike (or anything in life, as a matter of fact) only tires you out so much faster. Instead, a relaxed grip on the ‘bars and a relaxed torso will ensure that you don’t get fatigued too soon. Keep your upper body as loose and limber as possible, and your lower body will naturally take care of the heavy work.

And another thing, never lock your elbows; keeping them slightly bent will ensure lesser fatigue in the long run.

look where you're going

  1. Target fixation

Target fixation happens mostly when you rush into corners too fast, and panic. It can also happen when you see an imminent crash, or something apparently unavoidable in your path.  Instead of looking at ways you can safely escape the danger, your eyes lock onto the part of the corner where you think you are going to crash. Or the oil patch or the big, lumbering truck coming your way. And before you know it, you crash into that very object you’ve been looking at.

Target fixation is a big no-no. It can be dangerous unless you consciously learn how to channel it so easily that it becomes second nature. It ain’t that hard to master either. The golden rule is, “Look where you want to go, and you will end up there.”

Rushed into a corner too fast? Take your eyes off that ditch beside the road, don’t panic, and just look at the farthest point of the road ahead visible to you. You will inevitably end up there. Trust us, your bike is more than capable of getting you out of most tricky situations, unless you’ve messed up too bad.

This seems like too simple a tip, but it really works.

>>> Click here for Page 2>>>

6 thoughts on “Ride Safe With Motoroids – Chapter 3: Seven basic mistakes made by inexperienced riders”

  1. One correction on counter-steering: to pick the bike up, you don’t pull on the outside bar, but the inside bar. Watch this video from Keith Code’s Superbike School for more details: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cbQoW3rk2o

    P.S. As the writer of this article, I hope you’ve actually imbibed these approaches before advocating them to others!

  2. Thanks a lot for putting up these pointers. Very informative indeed. I am riding bikes since more than 10 years and I did not know countersteering till now. Thanks a ton for enlightening 🙂

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top