Riding 'fast' on the open road?

[TheDemonLord]

So this weekend, I rode down to Whangamata - particularly over the road from Thames to Whangamata - which I must say is absolutely glorious, however whilst riding it, I didn't think my riding was either fast or particularly good.

Now before you all jump on the 'riding fast is unsafe' and 'speeding is evil' - I am not talking about speeding. I rode keeping it rubber side down, without any 'Oh Shit!' moments, without speeding and with a big grin on my face from the road.

What I am talking about however is that during that ride, I didn't think my riding was very smooth, I felt that I wasn't transitioning between corners well, that my lines were a little uncertain etc.

What I am looking for in this thread is tips on how to smoothen out my riding so that I can ride 'fast' on the open road

[Hitcher]

Ride wearing only a helmet, so you're not breaking any laws. That will add some extra considerations to your highway riding experience, including the speed you travel at, your following distances, and where you stop for fuel.

[Drew]

So this weekend, I rode down to Whangamata - particularly over the road from Thames to Whangamata - which I must say is absolutely glorious, however whilst riding it, I didn't think my riding was either fast or particularly good.

Now before you all jump on the 'riding fast is unsafe' and 'speeding is evil' - I am not talking about speeding. I rode keeping it rubber side down, without any 'Oh Shit!' moments, without speeding and with a big grin on my face from the road.

What I am talking about however is that during that ride, I didn't think my riding was very smooth, I felt that I wasn't transitioning between corners well, that my lines were a little uncertain etc.

What I am looking for in this thread is tips on how to smoothen out my riding so that I can ride 'fast' on the open road

Happens to everyone, for no apparent reason ya just can't get it together.

To fix it, I'll often slow down and do some wheelies between turns to stop thinking about it so much. Not for the faint hearted though, and usually only a good idea on a road you know well. Prolly work fine to just slow down a bit and let the smooth come.

[Maha]

Positioning is the key, leave the 'tip in' point as late as possible, making your view through the corner wider, thus enabling you to keep a better corner speed...don't over think things.

[Madness]

Go back & do the same road again. Twice at least with a break in-between.

[tigertim20]

happens to everyone from time to time, you just dont feel as in touch as other days.

I see you only joined this year, have you been riding long? - training courses etc are always a good thing.

[unstuck]

It's all that hair dragging you down into the corners and putting your line off. Get a haircut. And stop listening to GAYE music.

[nzspokes]

Try to get to Nass or Sass. Nass I think spends more time on carpark and Sass is more open road.

Could be wrong though on Nass.

[Damantis]

I had a crash a few months back and have only had the new bike for a month or so but hadn't gotten out on it till today. Rode a familiar road out to Raglan and back and to be honest, I felt pretty rough on it. Second guessing myself and struggling to find smooth lines. Probably a bit of a knock to the confidence has made me a little gun-shy or something. After chatting with the friend I rode out with, the ride back was more enjoyable. Sometimes you just have to get off and relax. It doesn't matter how "fast" you go, just ride to the conditions and enjoy yourself. I'm doing some rider training over the winter via ACC "Ride Forever" courses. Hopefully I can take some positives out of it.

[gjm]

Practice.

Sometimes the smooth lines just come. Some roads let them... Some roads need a lot more work.

And some days even though you feel fine, for some reason you don't just ride as well as others. Don't worry about it. By all means reflect and learn what you can, though.

Training can help - if you don't do it already, it'll help with reading the road and making sure you maintain as much visibility as possible. The further you can see, the is easier it is to ride smoothly.

[kevfromcoro]

Know what you mean
Rode a bema 8hundy from Thames to Whitianga
Just couldn't get it together..
Stopped at Coroglen and had a coffee, helped a bit.
Not long after that I dropped my TDM . broke 3 bones in my foot.
sort of never been the same since.
Want to keep riding.... mayebe go back to smaller ADV bike.

[R650R]

I think you mean tidy rather than fast. There are days like this when you don't feel with it, maybe distracted etc. Better off to pull the pin and go home to ride another day.
Was talking with another rider about this recently also and agreed.

[Gremlin]

Consider doing a course or two, or find a mentor. You don't know what you don't know...

Are you also riding regularly? Even just riding regularly can help, otherwise you can get rusty.

Since I'm involved, I would also suggest IAM, see if it suits you: http://www.nz-iam.org.nz/

[Akzle]

you all jump on the 'riding fast is unsafe' and 'speeding is evil'

i dont think anyone 'round here would carry on like that.

'slow is smooth, smooth is fast'
-look where youre going
-dont brake around corners.
-pick tidy lines.

[caseye]

i dont think anyone 'round here would carry on like that.

'slow is smooth, smooth is fast'
-look where youre going
-dont brake around corners.
-pick tidy lines.

Helppppppp.
Can someone identify the above poster?
It says Akzle but HELL I don't believe that.
Great advice and oh so true.
Will pm ya nex time we go norf.