A Twist of the Wrist: A Motorcycle Road Racers Handbook by Keith Code

From talking to most riders, it is easy to believe that once you find the "right line" for a turn, everything will magically turn out OK and your lap times will improve because of this knowledge. It isn't true.

I once experimented with showing others the "right line" through the turns of a race track. I had students follow me lap after lap at moderate speeds as I did precisely the same thing at precisely the same place on the track each lap.

The student was then asked to repeat the procedure that had been shown to him. I never found a student who could do it exactly. Eddie Lawson observed the same thing while instructing California Superbike School students at Loudon.

Only one rider out of 25 was able to reproduce his line after being shown. (Actually two riders were able to do it. The other was my 12 year old son, who Eddie offered to sponsor afterwards.)

I've placed myself in the same situation and asked a better rider to show me his "lines" around the course. The course was Ontario Motor Speedway, 3.19 miles and 20 turns; the rider was then-250cc U.S. champion David Emde, who was all but unbeatable that year on the 1/4-liter machines.

We went around the track at a good practice pace as I carefully observed what he was doing in hopes of finding out some deep, dark riding secrets.

I did find out. I found out that a rider's line is his plan for going through a turn. His plan is based upon what he does well and what he doesn't do well.

I observed, then and now, that a rider's plan will be based upon his strengths and weaknesses. His line is the result of how his strengths and weaknesses fit together.

For example, riders who use the maximum amount of lean angle the bike has to offer will usually design their "line" to use lean angle to their advantage. Their "line" is often tight to the inside of the turn.

By contrast, a rider who does not use all of the ground clearance available to him will design his "line" (plan) so that he does not have to spend so much time leaned over to the maximum. He will finish his steering as soon as possible, straighten the machine and move away from the turn as vertically as possible.

All riders will design their turns around the strong points they believe they have.

REAR BRAKE OVERUSE

Overusing the rear brake is so common as to be almost a fact of life. Many riders and racers have given up using the rear brake for hard braking. It requires too much attention to use correctly, and can cause the rear end to hop or slide when used incorrectly. Both sliding and hopping render the bike out of control to some degree.

You can't feel good leaning a bike into a turn if it's basically out of control. You have only two small contact patches on the ground, and when one of them is gone it's a definite disadvantage in traction — one of your main concerns during cornering.

In a panic or race-speed braking maneuver, almost any control will help you more than a locked rear brake. It'd cause you less harm to use the high-beam or choke lever. The front wheel is where the wight and stopping power are — not the rear.

• The Road You Ride
• What You Do
• The Product
• What You See
• Timing
• Decisions
• Barriers
• Braking
• Steering
• Slipping and Sliding
• Hanging Off
• Passing
• Supervise Yourself
• Advice
• How to Fall
• Sponsorship
• A Parting Word
• Appendix
• Notes and Comments by Eddie Lawson