Understanding the secrets below will enable you to have a lot more speed and control into and through the corners. Most times, what you think you know isn't enough. Many times the rest of what you need to know has been right there the entire time - you just didn't recognize it.
The most critical part of the corner is at the transition. What is the transition? It's where you go from controlling the bike with the brakes to controlling it with the clutch and throttle without coasting in between. You brake then accelerate. How simple is that?
You need to consistently do it correctly at a slow pace before adding speed to it. Once you have it down you will be amazed how much faster your corners will be. Here's an example to help you understand just how easy this secret is applied:
When entering a corner, if you coast between braking and accelerating you give up a lot of your control because the brakes give you more than 50 percent of your control. But at the same time if you don't enter the corner fast enough you don't need to ride the brakes longer and harder. Again, giving up some control.
In another example let's say you enter the corner faster but then brake too hard. If you hit the front brake too hard you may knife the front wheel and/or slide it out. If you rear brake to hard you might kill the engine or slide out and so on. Not braking hard enough isn't going to work either as you will over shoot the corner. This is why it's vital to get very skilled at controlling the brakes while you are feeling what's needed. Riding with more control is way more fun.
In some conditions as you're within several feet of the transition between braking and accelerating this braking control could be maintaining a light touch of both the front and rear brakes as you begin to transfer to the clutch and throttle. In other conditions it may be a lot more aggressive braking before more aggressive clutch and throttle control is applied. Then there is the entire range between feathering the brakes and locking them up.
Again, you have to control the brakes as you are feeling what is needed to not only slow down but to control the bike and make it do exactly what you want it to do whether it's hold the same angle, cut shorter, go wider, steer with the rear wheel, steer with the front wheel. It's all done with the brakes and your body movements. Improving as you're practicing is an awesome feeling.
Just knowing and understanding this is good but it's only the first step. You have to know how to practice it in order to eventually do it automatically at full speed. It has to be programmed into your subconscious mind and into your automatic reflex reactions. The only way for this to happen is to repeat the process correctly through repetition and to repeat it frequently. Every time you ride be mindful of it and feel the improvements.
About Gary Semics:
Learn our GSMXS time tested and proven practice and training methods to improve your riding skills and race results. How? Through our hands on Motocross School Group and Private classes, with located in six countries. Through our Techniques and Training DVDs.
