Advise needed: how to keep the Busa stable when

[BulletTrain]

I'm back to the point that I'm sliding off the seat a little now along with upper body lean and I've adopted that basic technique of not tucking down in the corners, sitting up high and concentrating on getting my upper body to the inside. I actually visually reference my head and shoulder position in relation to the mirrors using my peripheral vision and how my arms are bent as I take corners.

As I said, I am still having to consciously make myself do it because I don't get enough miles and/or seat time ( read as: not enough repetitions) to truly burn it into muscle memory. Maybe some day...

Do you have a link to some more information on the teqnique you use to work on your form? I have not heard of that.
I do know that I tend to tuck onto the bike as I go into a corner. Even though it feels ok I am sure I am far from doing it properly.

[/QUOTE]
Sorry, no link... I just put stuff together over time from different books and magazines, as well as that pic series (or one like it from somewhere else a while back) that BusaFever posted. That and watching the Hell out of the fast boys in AMA and MotoGP and trying to analyze and understand their movements and why they would do certain things.

 

[BulletTrain]

Get low on your bike. Keep your elbows bent, don't just ride stiff. Don't just countersteer through the corner... I mean push on the left bar to go left... Use your body to steer the bike and put small inputs into the bars! This is the secret man, body position is 90% of twistie riding....




-Bill

Bill

Can you clarify what you mean by small inputs to the steering. Are you trying to make a whole bunch of counter-steering "pulses" rather than a smooth steady push ? Thanks in advance

I think he means subtle, smooth inputs instead of just shoving a bar forward to go in that direction. I'd think pulsating inputs to the front end while in much of a corner at all would be a bad thing instead of a good thing.

What I believe he meant was that body steering should be used in addition to countersteering, and in that case less countersteer input (aka smaller inputs) would be required to change directions. I can say that he would be right if that's what he meant. Reg Pridmore does an excellent job of explaining body steering in his book titled Smooth Riding: The Pridmore Way. Excellent read with a good roadracing history sideline. While Pridmore made me understand body steering it was Nick Ienatsch was better at making me understand countersteering a bike in his book titled Sport Riding Techniques.

You can't learn to ride just by reading books, but you can gather a LOT of valuable information that you can experiment with and incorporate into your riding.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

When I swing my butt to the left and right as I make my way thru some switchbacks I find it very hard to keep the Busa from bouncing all around. I never had this problem on my SV650.  The weight of the Busa is finally starting to show itself.

I cannot ride the twisties worth a crap on this bike.

What can I do?  Before you go off with the tweak your suspension routine lets just forget all that and say the Busa has no adjustable suspension.  I am looking for technique  advice.

Not to say that tweaking the suspension wont help but I am one of those that believes that its just a tweak...not a solution.\\


Oh yeah....and you could read once in awhile too. Take a look in the Racing section of the board...under "Twisties".

Get back on your SV and practice harder....seriously.

Either that, or get more familiar with your bike.

OR...you can do what you yourself said. Stop being a lazy-ass and ride the damned thing.

Technique is useless if you're too lazy to move your ass.

I ride alot more than your post wh0re ass does and work 45-50 hours a week on top of that.

Why dont you read the fv$$king post you quoted asshat.

And when I say I cant ride the Busa in the twisties ...you do not know to what degree do you? Uh no, I still might be able to smoke your ass in them even with my bad form.

If you want to keep on with your retalitory posting then go for it.

45-50 hrs a week? Haha...what a joke. I hope your paycheck's nice and fat....

As for you riding alot more...yeah, probably. Kinda weak, considering the fact that I don't even have a bike at the moment.

And don't even get me started on your degree of riding the busa in the twisties....you run your mouth like a bad case of diarrhea. Read the post? Yes, I did....you said that you're getting alot of feedback, i.e. that the Busa is bouncing around. That tells me more than enough about your lousy-ass riding skills....mainly, it tells me that you can't ride for sh!t. On top of that, your gross ignorance as to how much adjusting your suspension is more of a "tweak" than an actual solution is blatantly displayed.

Still might be able to smoke me? Bahaha...you're not even sure if you can. Go "fvckin" (what the hell is that anyways?) hard or go "fvckin" home. Jeez....you're probably one of those fugtards who keeps on talkin sh!t even after they get their ass owned...

How pathetic.


Come to think of it....I don't recall anyone else having this kind of problem. You must be a special rider....in a "special" kinda way.

 

[stkr00]

 

[BentValve]

On top of that, your gross ignorance as to how much adjusting your suspension is more of a "tweak" than an actual solution is blatantly displayed.

And right there your whole lot of shite you posted went down the toilet.
Any solid rider knows that tweaking the suspension settings in a scenario like mine is only addressing a symptom to a larger issue. Suspension settings are indeed a tweak..I know others will agree.


Thanks for you input anyways though...I for one dont mind some harsh criticism. I wont protest to being a great rider , or even good, I like to go fast and I try to keep from falling down. I know I am not as good as I think I am but I do have a desire to be a better rider. That is all I can do.

 

[BentValve]

There are some good points here. Thanks for the posts and adice.

Ditto, I will be re-reading alot of the posts in this thread for awhile.

I did some practicing today and tried to keep my form and technique proper....its very , very hard to break old habits!!


This is going to be alot of work! One problem I have is finding enough twisties to get in some solid practice time...I can really see how a few track days might help. I think I will sign up for a day in August.

 

[BentValve]

Don't worry pal, in a few weeks you'll have 1000 miles to perfect your style...all on some of the best roads in the northwest!!!  
Can't wait!!!!

Hey, any others from the west side gonna join us??  C'mon!  We're pushin 20 riders now, it's gonna be a blast!

Yeah I am looking forward to the trip!

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

On top of that, your gross ignorance as to how much adjusting your suspension is more of a "tweak" than an actual solution is blatantly displayed.

And right there your whole lot of shite you posted went down the toilet.
 Any solid rider knows that tweaking the suspension settings in a scenario like mine is only addressing a symptom to a larger issue.    Suspension settings are indeed a tweak..I know others will agree.


Thanks for you input anyways though...I for one dont mind some harsh criticism.   I wont protest to being a great rider , or even good, I like to go fast and I try to keep from falling down.   I know I am not as good as I think I am but I do have a desire to be a better rider.  That is all I can do.

alright, alright...


You say "to-mah-toes" and I say "to-may-toes". If there is truth in what you say, then why, oh why are Moto-GP riders consistently little b!tches when their suspension is off? Why is it that suspension plays such a big role in their psyche?

Because it matters.

Ask any of these guys who went to the track with stock suspension settings on the Busa. Ask them what they thought of the handling of the bike.

Ask a little further about how the Busa handled when they finally adjusted their suspension...and hit the same track. Many will tell you that the Busa feels almost completely different.

the stock busa suspension settings are mushy...plain and simple. Give it a run...if you'd like.

Keep up with that desire....it'll definitely make you better. And don't sell yourself short...there's a lot more you can do.

 

[BentValve]

Ok then, here is the deal...I totally plan on chaning the suspension settings ..BUT not until I feel as if I have done all I can do with the stock set-up. When I get there, I will most certaintly change it up.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

alright then...but I'll tell ya this: the stock suspension settings are very soft. Why do you think so many Busa riders say that the bike is similar to a Cadillac? Soft suspension, good riding position, can ride on it for hours.

Simply because the suspension settings are meant to absorb alot of that feedback from the road. While the susp. settings are not entirely full of poo, they can definitely be improved upon.

I'll stand by what I said before...ya gotta familiarize yourself with the bike. If the bike is bouncing around and all that jazz when you're in a corner, then of course, that's telling you something.

That's telling you that you're flirting with disaster.

It could also be your mindset. Mebbe you're railing away on the Busa as if it were a SV650. You said it yourself...the weight shows. You hafta learn to work with the bike as a team...and you can't get there until you really listen to all the feedback that she gives ya.

Read up on some more books....TOTW, TOTW II, Survival Sportbiking (I think that's the name) and others. Start conciensously (sp) practicing what you read. And quit being lazy....it'll be your downfall.

 

[PACIFICBUSA]

And what these guys say...practice smoothness on the bike. MOST especially when you're burnin those high speed sweepers.

Smoothness is the key...be it throttle control, brake control or body movement. Heck...all of these things need to be done smoothly...

Be cognizant of your movements on the bike...pay closer attention to detail. How are you revving that throttle? Are you ham-fisting it? Are you applying it smoothly? What about your braking methods? Are you grabbing a fistful of brake? Are you doing it abruptly? What about your movements? Are you quick? Jerky? Are you shifting around on the bike when you're mid-turn?

And then you have your mindset. What are you thinking about when you ride? Are you thinking about how cool you look? About that little dip in the road mid-bend?

Try visualizing what it is you're doing on the bike. Even better, have a friend follow you in a cage and video tape your performance. Analyze yourself...and see what you may or may not be doing. Compare yourself to the AMA riders....and pay VERY close attention to detail.

How are they positioned on the bike? Note their lean angles and the lines they're picking. Play it back in slow-mo and fully analyze what it is they're doing. Compare it to how you're performing on your bike. What are the differences?

I know it sounds like over-kill, but if you really want to improve, then these are a couple of the first steps.

It's all about paying very close attention to what it is you are doing on the bike. Every little thing you do will produce some sort of feedback....from there you just need to pick and choose which is beneficial to your riding.

Doing a track day is also an excellent tool...so you're on the right path in that respect.

 

[stkr00]

If you "really" want to learn how to carve the twisties, then you actually owe it to yourself to just sign up for a track day.

No where on the street can you practice like you can at the track. On the street, you have too many hazards and other variables (cagers/cops) to deal with. On the track, your entire focus is on your riding skills. Until you've experienced the track, you'll never fully understand what it's like to NOT have to slow down for fear of cops/cagers/deer/gravel etc...

Try looking in the Racing section under the Twisteis forum. There's a lot of good threads there about the exact info you're wanting.

If you really want to see what a difference your suspension makes, do a track day with the stock settings, then adjust your suspension according to JINKSTER's recommendations (trust me), and then go back out and see what a world of difference it makes in the bike's handling. You can doubt it all you want, but the proof is in the experience. You can always set it back to the factory settings, but I'd almost bet that you won't once you see the difference.

Good Luck