Feature: paul pitchfork - advanced training
Identifying a turn point and then having the
confidence to turn in rapidly with counter-steering
was the meat of the day’s syllabus. This manoeuvre
reduces the time steering the bike and gets it
pointed at the apex quicker, which means the bike
needs to be leant over less in the turn. I have
always been confident counter-steering quite
aggressively; but when my coach Badger - who had
been following just a couple of metres behind me
observing my technique - pulled me over for a chat,
he told me I needed to brace my body against the
bike so that the full force of the counter-steer is
transmitted into the bars. Back on the track and
gripping the tank with my knees as instructed, I
pushed the inner bar into the next turn and
involuntarily came off the throttle for a moment,
such was my surprise at the speed with which the
bike responded. A small change in technique had
such a big change in output; and I would never have
thought to make that change myself.
the basic principles, most importantly consistent
throttle roll on though the bend. The outcome… I
wasn't achieving a stable bike.
Another obvious symptom of poor throttle control
on a heavily-laden Tenere, with its long and softer
suspension, became clear. I now understood that
coming on and off the throttle during a turn will
cause the suspension to rise and fall, adding to the
instability which I had experienced so often. This
problem is then compounded when riding on a
rough road, when the suspension wants to be left to
its own devices to handle the uneven road surface,
but the rider’s poor throttle control is preventing it
from doing so.
I then cast my mind back to the situations where I
had come across hazards on the road half way
through a bend. Evasive action was nearly always
the only option. It goes without saying that taking
evasive action when the bike has good stability is
As I drove home that evening, I found myself
going to be a major advantage. S ome may see the
retrospectively applying what I had just learnt to my primary purpose of achieving a stable bike as the
riding in South America. Amongst the thousands of way to riding a perfect line. In fact it is much more
bends I had negotiated in the mountains, some I
than that; it’s about your ability to handle the bike
rode perfectly whilst others saw the heavily laden
when faced with the unexpected and with very little
Tenere feeling horribly unbalanced; yet I could
time to react. First and foremost, it’s about your
never differentiate what I did right or wrong in each safety.
case. Now I was seeing it clearly - I had not applied
When necessary, the coach will pull the student in during the session
to pass on detailed information and refine techniques