Originally Posted by
Bnonn
I wasn't criticising either of them, Deeknow. And I particularly wasn't claiming (implicitly or otherwise) to be a better rider. Far from it. But my riding theory is reasonably good, even if my practice isn't, and I have had a lot of good advice from much better riders than I, which I feel can be validly given to others even if I am somewhat hypocritical by merit of not being able to apply it perfectly myself. So I don't mean to sound patronizing or anything; I think that everyone who has ridden with me knows that I am not a particularly good rider, and that I recognize this and wish to improve. So any advice I give should be taken with this in mind, but also with the knowledge that I don't speak only from my own experience, but also from the authority of the better riders whose advice I have read or received.
Anyhoo, I was just taking what Rob said and running with it—if Rob himself thinks that Matt is a better rider than he is, then if this is true, a better bike isn't what Rob needs. A better bike will obviously make him faster if he's already riding at the limits of his current bike, but I dunno that he is doing that. But let me rephrase for the sake of courtesy:
If Matt were to ride my Fazer, and I got an R1, he would probably still beat me through the twisties. I mean, yeah, I could crank the throttle on the straights and overtake him, but anyone can twist their wrist and go fast in a straight line. What I need isn't a better bike; what my bike needs is a better rider. It seems like very often people say that they need a better bike to go faster, when in fact they aren't even going nearly as fast as their current bike would allow if it were ridden to the limits of its performance. I know I am guilty of this to some extent. I could have upgraded to a VFR250 when my ZR died, and remained legal, and probably have done myself a favor by doing so; but I wanted a bigger bike because I thought it would help me improve my riding. (In my defense, I did at least recognize that a 750 or 900 or liter bike would be beyond my skill level and simply be foolish.) The truth is that a bigger bike tends to be an impediment to going faster—it is entirely possible to own a ZR250 and to keep up with many riders on 600 sportbikes, but it requires you to have more skill than them. Even now, I am guilty of upgrade syndrome. "The suspension feels squashy in the corners—I need heavier oil and better springs." No, I need a smoother throttle and braking, better body position, and clean and accurate lines. Once I've got that sorted, then it will be time for better oil. The only upgrade I feel halfway justified doing at the moment is braided lines, because with a pillion on board I am not happy with my bike's stopping power. But even then, I could get much better stopping distance by practicing my emergency braking, rather than shelling over $150 and using technology to compensate for my lack of skill.
Again, the only person I'm aiming to criticize here is myself, but I think that other people would benefit by considering what I'm saying. It isn't just based on my own experience—in fact, I am mostly restating what far more experienced and skilled riders than I have told me, and which I have come to realize from my own experience is true.
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is the teacher female? 
yea but...
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