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toymachine
22nd September 2006, 07:29
Ok now that my riding is more or less coming along, i'm wondering if someone can help me out with a situation i've been experiencing lately, in which I can't pinpoint my problem.

Say i'm coming out of a corner i've been accelerating through, or something along those lines, and I have to come to a quick stop perhaps for an intersection or something, I get hard on the brakes after getting the bike reasonably upright and start changing down through the gears... now most of my weight is coming forward and i'm finding that often i'll clutch in, kick down a gear and my revs with skyrocket as soon as I clutch in... it makes it rather interesting engaging the other gear (not all smooth like a welltimed blip), plus sounds rather stupid... I don't know if it's a mental block, or what... but my arms are taking alot of the weight and I can't seem to back off the accelerator easily, especially if this is all happening in a hurry... sometimes I find the same on steeper downhill downshifts...

Am I overloading my arms (certainly feels like it!) in the weight shift forward, is it a fear related mental block of trying to do alot at once in a hurry... or am not griping the tank hard enough with my knees for my arms to be bearing so much load...?

Any tips'd be appreciated

Crisis management
22nd September 2006, 07:37
Release your death grip on the controls?

Practice hard stops somewhere safe where you have time to think it through and you will find it is posible to back off the throttle and apply the brakes at the same time. Sounds like the "stress" of the situation is causing you to hang on to everything way to tightly, a common problem so relax (with practice) and all will be well.
Once you become confident in your riding ability you will find that a light touch is all you need on the bars, I rest my hands on the controls, nothing more.

Practice........endlessly

Transalper
22nd September 2006, 07:42
Also clamp the bike with your knees and hold back some of your weight from there.

Pwalo
22nd September 2006, 07:58
Relax, loosen your grip on your bars, especially the throttle side. Use your thighs and knees to support your weight.

And look ahead so that you're not caught out by sudden stops.

Be smooth.

Finn
22nd September 2006, 08:02
Try slowing down a bit until you know what you're doing.

Crisis management
22nd September 2006, 08:10
Try slowing down a bit until you know what you're doing.

He's a male, Finn, that'll never work.

kiwifruit
22nd September 2006, 08:23
http://terminaladdict.com/Twist.pdf

read that ^
try and relax and go abit slower if you can
be smooth
do a trackday ;)

The_Dover
22nd September 2006, 08:28
are you braking using both brakes or the front only?

If the front is diving real hard try to balance the weight transfer on the bike by using both brakes, just go easy on the rear so you don't lock it up.

Flyingpony
22nd September 2006, 09:56
When going for the front brake with ernest, roll off the throttle using your thumb - it can be still used as support.

The biggest single thing you should do is clamp the tank with your legs so there's less weight on your arms. You should be riding like this, and using your back therefore too, so there's not much weight being carried by the wrests.

toymachine
22nd September 2006, 13:11
There's a righthander at the end of sturges road and turns into a slight left hander which becomes the intersection, so it caught me out the first time and I found I still had the problem knowing it was there...

I think perhaps i'm stressing but I'm really feeling the weight (both brakes... though i'm still leaning forward alot) in my arms/wrists.. so maybe i need to put more in my knees..

Guess i'll get practicing

Black Bandit
24th September 2006, 09:13
read that ^
try and relax and go abit slower if you can
be smooth
do a trackday ;)

Saweeet. Cheers mate! Have heard of this book but not seen it yet.:banana: Very poor selection at the local Whittcoules...:Pokey:

I recall this issue coming up during my BHS test when I got my learners - 10 points lost for over-reving the engine when coming to a stop. I think it was due to too much tension in the arms and hands - need to relax:calm: Inhale, exhale 1,2,3 .. LOL

Black Bandit
24th September 2006, 09:17
Sturges Rd hey? Perhaps I'll go have a nosey today.

FROSTY
24th September 2006, 09:26
RELAX --THEN RELAX THEN ER RELAX--IT REALLY IS THAT EASY.
Gimme a yeodle if ya like and I could give ya a tip or two --Im out in massey
In this particular case (specific to THIS situation) it might pay to think about something else -maybee ya girlfreid or something at work.
You may find when you're not so focussed on the "problem" that it goes away all by itself.

Skyryder
30th September 2006, 18:42
Ok now that my riding is more or less coming along, i'm wondering if someone can help me out with a situation i've been experiencing lately, in which I can't pinpoint my problem.

Say i'm coming out of a corner i've been accelerating through, or something along those lines, and I have to come to a quick stop perhaps for an intersection or something, I get hard on the brakes after getting the bike reasonably upright and start changing down through the gears... now most of my weight is coming forward and i'm finding that often i'll clutch in, kick down a gear and my revs with skyrocket as soon as I clutch in... it makes it rather interesting engaging the other gear (not all smooth like a welltimed blip), plus sounds rather stupid... I don't know if it's a mental block, or what... but my arms are taking alot of the weight and I can't seem to back off the accelerator easily, especially if this is all happening in a hurry... sometimes I find the same on steeper downhill downshifts...

Am I overloading my arms (certainly feels like it!) in the weight shift forward, is it a fear related mental block of trying to do alot at once in a hurry... or am not griping the tank hard enough with my knees for my arms to be bearing so much load...?

Any tips'd be appreciated

What Finn Says. You are riding too hard and one day you'll come to grief.

Skyryder