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I have a theory when it comes to motorcycle crashes and new riders.
So before we get into this let’s get a few definitions out of the way so that we are all talking the same language in this video.
Let’s define a crash as anytime anything on the motorcycle touches the ground that is not a tire or the side stand. So this includes dropping the motorcycle at a stop sign or running wide and off the road at road speed and everything in between.
I am going to further define a new rider as any rider under 3 1/2 years of experience, especially the rider who has no training or has only taken the new rider course and no other training.
So, that definition covers a lot of riders out there.
Here is my theory. Remember we defined crashes as both drops and more serious types of crashes like running off the road.
I would bet that brand new riders, those with less than a year of riding experience suffer mostly from drops and slow speed crashes and riders who have 1 – 3 years of riding suffer more for the serious types of crashes.
Why do I think this? Two words, fear, and confidence. I believe new riders really respect the motorcycle, they have some fear of riding. Hopefully, this is healthy fear and not paralyzing fear like some riders suffer from.
Simple mistakes contribute to drops, not getting a foot firmly down, forgetting the side stand, or not being balanced at a stop. These are all big contributors to dropping a motorcycle and types of crashes that brand-new riders are very susceptible to.
This fear in very early riders also makes them a little less likely to crash in a corner because they are so cautious when cornering on a motorcycle.
After a rider gets through the first year they develop some confidence. At some point, they start to think they have this thing figured out and they are not as focused on the ride nearly as much as they were at the beginning.
They start to ride with more confidence but this is sometimes false confidence. Just because you have ridden for a year with no incidents does not mean you are better prepared for a bad situation that catches you off guard. It may just mean that you have not run into a situation that your skill could not handle. Then a corner catches them off-guard and they crash in the corner. It is a humbling experience.
One of my favorite quotes from MotoGP is when Valentino Rossi crashed into Casey Stoner in a failed overtake in the Spanish GP. This crash took Stoner out of the race, Rossi later came to Stoner to apologize and Stoner’s response was classic. Stoner's reply,
“Obviously your ambition outweighed your talent.”
Casey Stoner
How many of us have fallen prey to that? I think our ambition outweighing our talent is the enemy of a lot of riders, it is especially the enemy of riders in this 2 – 3 year window. They think they have it figured out, they start to take more chances, they start to ride with this false confidence and quickly find out that their ambition outweighs their talent.
So why are corners so hazardous to riders?
- Corners take some skill and technique.
- They are fun on a motorcycle so riders with a little confidence take a few more chances.
- And, no corner is the same, so they all need to be approached with respect and a good foundation of skill and road strategy.
Using your Eyes on the Road
One of the most common mistakes is not looking far enough ahead and not looking through the corner
If you ride into a corner and how sharp that corner is caught you off guard, you were either not looking far enough ahead or you were not looking through the corner.
If the view to that corner is wide open and you are caught off-guard, look further ahead.
If the view through the corner is obstructed and catches you off-guard slow down more until you are certain but you have to be turning your head and looking through the corner to be certain.
Entry speed to the corner
So, let’s talk about entry speed into the corner. For this video, we are talking mostly to new riders and for new riders, I always recommend the slow – look – press – and roll technique. We will get more into the specifics of that in a minute. So, no trail braking here but slow – look – press – and roll technique.
You want to slow down enough so that you can look through the corner, press on the grip, and ROLL on or maintain the throttle.
Finding the proper entry speed will vary depending on the skill of the rider, and the sharpness of the corner so there is no set answer. But, if you set your entry speed and then mid-corner you feel the need to chop or roll off the throttle or apply the brakes, your entry speed was too fast for your skill level or the sharpness of the corner.
Finding the right entry speed takes some time to figure out.
Not having the proper entry speed causes the rider to run wide, chop on and off the throttle through the corner, and causes another potential hazard using too much brake in the corner especially the front brake.
One of the worse things you can do when you have the motorcycle at its greatest lean angle in a corner is getting nervous and grab the front brake. If you use too much brake in the corner you will crash, simple fact. Unless you have cornering ABS but that is a different video, not a whole lot of motorcycles have cornering ABS at this point.
Hopefully, there are some tips here that can help you out. If you are not a member of MCrider become a member and use the field guide to practice your cornering. There are exercises to help with the slow – look – press – and roll technique and for more advanced riders who want to look at trail braking in the corners, there are exercises for that as well.
