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Superb. I'm dumbfounded, really. Very interesting read, Robin.
This entire advice section has got me all blared up. Kindly allow me to add my 2 cents.
On Riding A Superbike.
For First Timers:
The key is not to be intimidated by the girth of the machine. Remember, it's a machine. It reflects you and your thoughts. It shall do unto thou as thou shalt to it.
1) The first step is to get a feel of the bike. We're all used to Splendors, Pulsars & ZMA's. They all have an upright or tourer-type riding position. All SBK's are front-biased, and the first thing you'd notice on any superbike/supersport is the lean angle. You have to stretch to reach the bars, and the tank bulges up your belly. Sit on it, grab the bars, and feel the controls first; depress the clutch, brake, etc & feel the lever/pedal pressure. Raise one foot, rest it on the peg, and feel the riding position.
2) Start the engine. Remember not to open the throttle while cranking the starter. Especially in case of MPFI's.
3) Keep one eye on the tacho. Always. Never let it cross 3000 RPM. This is easier said than done, since the throttles are caliberated such that the first mm of throttle play plunges the tacho into the redline. Therefore, get a feel of the throttle at idle first before slotting into gear. Most SBK's have clutches actuating at the final 2-3 mm of lever play, so remember to release the clutch slowly.
4) For the first 500 km or so, do not accelerate above 7000 RPM. Bingo. You're there.
Basic Riding Tips:
1) The first thing to get used to in an SBK is not the acceleration, but the braking. Strange? Yet true. Speed's no good if the anchors can't stop her on dime. Therefore, spend the first few hundred kilometres familiarizing yourself with the brakes.
With most SBK's having four-pot callipers (and some having six) at the front, braking takes a little time getting used to. Try to bias your braking towards the front, until you're fully aware of the lever feel, suspension dive, front grip levels, etc. Ideally, your braking should be biased 90:10, to the front; on dry tarmac. Wet, 60:40.
2) Second is engine braking. These phenomenally powerful engines also have phenomenally powerful engine braking. How to utilize that? Here you go. This's advisable to be tried on a small bike first. Whenever you feel the need to shed speed, depress the clutch, blip the throttle, downshift, and release the clutch.
The more urgent the situation, the more number of downshifts you can execute sequentially. In an ideal scenario, for perfect braking, you'd also utilise the front and rear brakes while doing this.
3) Now comes the acceleration part. An important point to note here is that in most SBK's, you don't need to rev the pants off the block to gain maximum thrust. Once you get familiar with the bike, try to find the "sweet spots". These are RPM's at which the engine shows power peaks.
For example, the Pulsar DTS-i type 1 (idiotic example in an SBK thread, but nevertheless) redlines at 9,500 RPM. But it's pointless to revv her all the way in each gear. There's a sweet spot between 8200-8700 RPM, at which, upshifts produce maximum acceleration.
4) Cornering is one of the trickiest aspects in a SBK. For every corner, there's a rule. If you enter fast, you HAVE to exit slow. If you enter slow, you can exit fast.
Make sure you calculate the corner well in advance. You should have braked to the cornering speed within 10 meters of the curve's entry point. Remember the SIFO (slow-in-fast-out) rule.
5) While cornering, lean angles are not as important as traction. Therefore, do not try to imitate Doohan. Or Rossi. Or Hayden. Street riding with hard compound tyres is a different ballgame. Watch ghostrider videos to see what I mean.
Avoid mid-corner corrections as far as possible. While leaning into a corner, push the outer footpeg with the heel, and try to balance your weight inwards. The key is to try and keep the bike as straight as possible, (for maximum contact patch and traction) while gaining maximum speed. Easier said than done, and this takes practice. Especially with litre-class, where-in a mid-corner bump can upset you, and a mild throttle twitch could send you tramlining, wide outwards..
The quickest way to steer yourself out of trouble is counter-steer, but let's skip that.
6) DO NOT BRAKE MID-CORNER. This is a thumb rule. Never brake when the steering/handlebar is tilted from the straight position.
Some General Tippanis.
1) Avoid riding in the rains as much as possible. If must, keep a cloth handy to wipe the helmet wisor every now and then. If riding in the night, carry an extra cloth to wipe the headlamps. A dirty headlamp can hamper the light throw drastically, and reduce your area of vision.
2) Always keep a first aid kit (basic kit includes cotton, band-aids, some surgical tape, antiseptic cream, and a swiss knife). You never know when it would come handy.
3) Golden rule. Always carry a basic tool kit as well. Again, you never know when it would come in handy.
4) Never fill the tank upto the brim. Always keep a little gap between the filler neck and fuel level.
5) A backpack/bag is a useful addition while touring, but not if you intend to apex the ghats.
Shall add more as I remember... | 
1st July 2007, 08:23
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Thanks
