Acquiring the necessary skills to become a champion!

[quallman1234]

The typical road rider, hang's there feet off alot. If you haven't noticed before.

If you have followed anyone who has been on the track a few times, your notice that they re postion there feet so they are still pretty close to the control's but there toe's are no where near the ground when leaning it over.

But when you start running out of tyre (leaning it over too far... crashing) your soon learn too lean off.

[Number One]

And I'm jealous of all you cool bucket racers.

awww - it's ok if you ever down here we let you come and play.

And yes no one takes themselves TOOOOO seriously in buckets - it definately the most enjoyable bike racing atmosphere and crowd I've witnessed.

ROCK ON PEEPS

[Str8 Jacket]

The typical road rider, hang's there feet off alot. If you haven't noticed before.

If you have followed anyone who has been on the track a few times, your notice that they re postion there feet so they are still pretty close to the control's but there toe's are no where near the ground when leaning it over.

But when you start running out of tyre (leaning it over too far... crashing) your soon learn too lean off.

Yeah.... I found that I was trying to keep my toes and ankles in, quite close to the bike and also found that the bike tried tipping in very fast when I leant it to far without leaning of. A bit of gas on smoothly did seem to help and straighten up the bike a bit....

[deanohit]

And yes no one takes themselves TOOOOO seriously in buckets

I dunno, go and look at Kendogs pics again, theres some pretty determined looking racers there!

[quallman1234]

Here's a great example of how leaning off your bike helps a pile.
(look at the first photo)

Now lookie here. Look at 50 (Moi) Notice how i am not leant off (or shoving my shoulder or weight) towards the inner side, yet 199 Is going just as fast yet is no where near running of her tyre.


p.s The bike will naturally want to go in a straight line when applying the gas.

[Number One]

A bit of gas on smoothly did seem to help and straighten up the bike a bit....

And you have picked another gem instinctively! Craig says throttle is your friend, think you getting a bit loose, on smooth with the throttle. Told me too that you won't loose the front if you on the gas smooth....off the gas much more likely

[Str8 Jacket]

Here's a great example of how leaning off your bike helps a pile.
(look at the first photo)

Now lookie here. Look at 50 (Moi) Notice how i am not leant off (or shoving my shoulder or weight) towards the inner side, yet 199 Is going just as fast yet is no where near running of her tyre.

Yep and then she runs you over.... I was out picking bike up off the track that day and boy was she laughing about running you over!!
Jas is doing really well. If she lived in wellys I would grab here and get her to help me out!

[quallman1234]

And you have picked another gem instinctively! Craig says throttle is your friend, think you getting a bit loose, on smooth with the throttle. Told me too that you won't loose the front if you on the gas smooth....off the gas much more likely

If you have ever done much dirt bike riding, your know this X a million and a half!

Yeah yeah, i like been run over its a fettish of mine! (Or maybe someone doesn't like me) - 3 times and counting (almost 4 at the buckets!)

[Number One]

If you have ever done much dirt bike riding, your know this X a million and a half!

mmmhhhmmmm! Took a while for my brain to accept and compute how that those skills do translate to all my other riding AND even to buckets!

[FROSTY:Me]

Start out by doing two simple exersizes. 1)wherever possible move your feet so the balls of your feet are on the pegs.
2) Shift your rear end over so only one bum cheek is on the seat.

Do this as smoothly as possible.

As well as this try taking wider entry lines
By this -turning right into a corner figure out where on the track you are positioned . Now next lap try moving 300mm to the LEFT before you turn in.

[quallman1234]

Great thing about dirt riding is your always on the edge of traction and you learn to relax and not get scared/frighten by sliding wheels ( i was terrified the first 10 times i went dirt bike riding even after riding my Bike on the road for months). It basically teaches you to htfu and relax when something goes wrong. - Naturally this is quite hard to learn!

[FROSTY:Me]

only trouble is qualman on a bucket at a tight ,slow track the line between grip and crash can be pretty fine

[quallman1234]

only trouble is qualman on a bucket at a tight ,slow track the line between grip and crash can be pretty fine

For sure ( I crashed 4 times the other day), I mean simply when something starts going wrong most people get scared and over react and crash when maybe they could of saved it. It comes with time i guess!

Im not refering to Bucket racing and dirt bike riding at all . Im just saying when something goes wrong you get frighten but however if you have ridden a dirt bike your pretty much used too it....

You know what i mean!

Anywho back on to the subject.

Pratice pratice pratice = Your friend.

[Number One]

Great thing about dirt riding is your always on the edge of traction and you learn to relax and not get scared/frighten by sliding wheels ( i was terrified the first 10 times i went dirt bike riding even after riding my Bike on the road for months). It basically teaches you to htfu and relax when something goes wrong. - Naturally this is quite hard to learn!

I remember when Sully took me riding in sand for the first time very much htfu, relax and go with it. Took my mind a while to get used to holding it at full throttle and just going with the flow but once I did get it, it was much more fun and felt quite cool, it's surprising how much feedback you can learn to read and adjust to too, when you are relaxed.

Must say I was amazed with the amount of feedback on our bucket. You get heaps of it yet the bars are so free. I just loved how you could almost feel the tyre gripping and skipping and the brakes on that thing are awesome too and it seems to let you get away with heaps too!

When I jumped back on the SV I noticed it felt like it just wanted to steer itself whereas the bucket just lets you do anything and doesn't resist anything either gosh I can't wait to have another go....must follow-up with babysitter.

[F5 Dave]

The no1 big thing IMO is the key to feeling confident with committing to corners and leaning & or hanging off the amount you need to/feel confident with (that in itself is preference, I like to hang off, but have met people as fast that don't, some bikes that works ok) but back to the most important thing is;
To look where you want to go.

People throw this comment around but it is the most common impediment to riding well. It can take quite a mental exercise to train oneself to look smoothly around a corner as if ones was a greyhound with it's eyes on a rather fast rabbit rather than what many do as if following a rabbit that is about to get bitten.

On a tight track this may mean that on some corners you are looking at almost 90 degrees & always the horizon rather than at the ground. Sounds extreme but look at the photo thread & check out Fishys eyes & earlier in the corner my head position. click here

This is the sort of thing to practise walking home from work or wherever & then transfer it onto the bike. Use peripheral vision to see the track ahead of you.

Further the use of reference points helps for your eyes to make this progression. If you don't know what the track looks like you can get lost.

I'm sure if we get Bayden to organise it we could get a few of the top runners to be assigned to a novice for a track session so they could all follow someone around for a few laps to get a bit of an alternative view to lines etc.