Man, the amount of real world information you're putting out is priceless. I've watched countless videos explaining everything motorcycling before and after I started riding. There is so much conflicting or not well explained stuff out there that it can be hard to get an idea of how to actually ride correctly. I'm one of those guys scooted all the way back, but usually only so I can get under the windscreen a little bit on the highway. I'm 6'3" so it's a little more comfortable. I did intuit that closer to the tank provides more control though, and switch when it's needed. I'm on a r3 though, so it's not a huge deal where I'm situated.
Standards you can scoot back np on the seat, if you want an idea for the supers you can go sit on your passenger seat and hunch over and get legit about a 90% accurate representation of a hips all the way back 1000 seat position
@@skyoom1 I've done that once on the highway, long trip nothing to do lol Makes a lot of sense why you're adamant about sitting position on those, sitting back there feels like you can't control shit. Sounds like a terrible idea to combine that lack of control with that amount of power.
I've had a single instance of tank slapping, and i got scared shitless but got lucky and recovered, i would love to learn more about how to save yourself in these situations, great content as always
Just maintain a lose grip like he says and roll slowly off the throttle. The wheels want to maintain a forward trajectory so it will even itself out. Think about when you roll a quarter on the ground but at 80mph and it’s a 30lb rubber wheel. It wants to stay straight naturally. (Lose grip as in lose grip on the hands, I grip the tank with my knees.)
Loose hands, roll off throttle, grip the tank like you want your favourite celebrities legs gripping your face. Gripping hard with hands sends the wobble up your arms and into your hips/legs which makes it worse.
I get pretty good wobbles all the time. Almost once a ride. Mainly because I love when the front wheel breaks loose whenever exiting a turn and it's just kind of gliding on the road surface so 99 times out of 100 it's self-induced and Im anticipating it. I have about 50k hard miles on some nasty roads and in my experience and observations tank slappers occur first and foremost whenever a rider doesnt know their roads. You MUST know your roads above all else so that you can anticipate and set your body position properly to be able to manipulate the throttle, clutch, and shifter without disturbing the suspension of the bike. Maintaining good body position and center of gravity in and out of the turn can be the difference between a hard tank slapper to highside or a brief wobble to recovery. As far as grip, it really depends on how aggresive youre riding, how fast, and what kind of roads your riding. Its all situational and no one technique is going to get you out of everything but, as a rule of thumb, loose grip on the bars is generally the way to go. But whenever you are really hammering it out there you want to have a solid but weightless grip on the bars. Loose on the bars is more toward track or very good smooth roads. But if you have too loose a grip at too high of speed then there is a good chance that the bars will be ripped from your hands if the wobbe is severe. All of that is avoidable by knowing your roads. Every hump, bump, dip, seam, change in surface, etc, so that you can take the proper line and position your body properly and avoid it altogether. BUT should you find yourself in a wobble situation, in my experience, 99 times out of 100 you want to hit the throttle. When the bike is wobbling the forks are bouncing and rebounding independent of each other rather than working together. Engine brake, neutral/clutch, or braking obviously causes the bike to slow down causing more weight to be sent to the front of the bike which is already going through hell. By giving it throttle you are raising the front of the bike and allowing the forks to extend and get back in synch and get your front wheel straight again. You dont have to romp out a wheelie. You dont even necessarily have to pick the wheel up a lot of times. Just give it enough throttle to raise the front end a bit and get rid of all that chaotic energy. You're already about to crash right? So hit the throttle. Know your roads, gain good body position, solid weightless grip on bars, select good lines, know your roads, and know your roads!
All 3 comments are correct haha, loose hands/arms and hope your arms work as the steering damper, if just a small out of rhythm you can control more throttle to try to realign But they missed the biggest one, pray 😂
Hey man just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to make these in-depth videos of your perspective and opinions on these core subject. I’ve been riding super sports for over 10 years (on and off) but it’s always great to refresh the wits & you sir are doing a great job of that for the community.
I'm about to buy a Ninja 500 as my starting, very 1st, zero experience bike. I'm definitely going to respect the bike. I'm a 40 yr old man and I'm not interested in racing or wheelies. I'm trying to learn as much as i can
Nice Video! :) I‘ve watched almost all of your videos, I really like the way you explain the most important things. One thing that interests me because you were talking about body position a lot is how you should shift your weight while cornering and generally shoulder positioning… Would love if you could talk about that in a future video.
thanks for these kind of detailed videos, they really help newer riders! i would love to see a video on how to approach suspension tuning by yourself (as a beginner). there are so many factors (or at least it seems that way) that any rules of the thumb would help a beginner navigate through confusion
Moooost small to mid size bikes don't have any real tuning to be done minus rear shock/sag. But if you have a truly adjustable setup I've mentioned this on an older video but dirt riders and their videos/forums break down suspension into much more user friendly ways and ideas than the track talk from street bikes imo. Highly recommend watching them and how they explain rebound/damping/sag/stiffness/softness etc what and why they set stuff up the way they do and I think it'll better explain everything 10x better than I ever could haha
I have anti-wheelie on my bike but I was accelerating over a rise and the wheel came up a bit and gave me a tiny tank slapper. It didn't really scare me but got me refocused on something I started practicing a while back which is: weight on the foot pegs (a la Simon Crafar), gripping the tank, leaning forward and keeping a loose grip while accelerating hard.
2:30. This isn't an issue. People need to learn to float their bikes across bumps, when I ride my 1290 hard on our bumpy british roads the bars are all over the place and never once have I gotten a tank slapper, and no nothing is wrong with the bike or my technique, you're simply accelerating so hard the the wheel is barely touching the road.
I used to hold the grips on the outer position until an older fellow corrected me during a course I did a while back to hold the grips to the inside position. He said if you study most of the pro racers, their grips will show signs of wear to the inside. It took me a bit to get used to but definitely feels right once you do.
Having ridden dirt bikes almost every weekend since I was 9 years old, I made mistakes and learned things the hard way in an environment with no rules or speed limit. I've gone down 100's of times. My front end came up recently on my Z900 when giving it the beans over a part of the road that raised up and back down over about 80ft. My front tire came up and bounced a couple times on the ground but I never let off the throttle as if I was flying over some whoops on my dirt bike. On dirt I learned to squeeze the bike with your legs to stabilize. You'll wear yourself out if you grip the bars tight, and that's no good when there's still more than half a race left to race. Use your legs and keep a loose but firm grip on the bars and NEVER lock your arms.
Good video man. Saving a lot of bros! Making me laugh with your reenactments of the tik tok riders lmao. I responded to someones comment but figured I'd post it here in the main thread as well for anyone out there. I get pretty good wobbles all the time. Almost once a ride. High speeds (85-125) Mainly because I love when the front wheel breaks loose whenever exiting a turn and it's just kind of gliding on the road surface so 99 times out of 100 it's self-induced and Im anticipating it. I have about 50k hard miles on some nasty roads and in my experience and observations tank slappers occur first and foremost whenever a rider doesnt know their roads. You MUST know your roads above all else so that you can anticipate and set your body position properly to be able to manipulate the throttle, clutch, and shifter without disturbing the suspension of the bike. Maintaining good body position and center of gravity in and out of the turn can be the difference between a hard tank slapper to highside or a brief wobble to recovery. As far as grip, it really depends on how aggresive youre riding, how fast, and what kind of roads your riding. Its all situational and no one technique is going to get you out of everything but, as a rule of thumb, loose grip on the bars is generally the way to go. But whenever you are really hammering it out there you want to have a solid but weightless grip on the bars. Loose on the bars is more toward track or very good smooth roads. But if you have too loose a grip at too high of speed then there is a good chance that the bars will be ripped from your hands if the wobbe is severe. All of that is avoidable by knowing your roads. Every hump, bump, dip, seam, change in surface, etc, so that you can take the proper line and position your body properly and avoid it altogether. BUT should you find yourself in a wobble situation, in my experience, 99 times out of 100 you want to hit the throttle. When the bike is wobbling the forks are bouncing and rebounding independent of each other rather than working together. Engine brake, neutral/clutch, or braking obviously causes the bike to slow down causing more weight to be sent to the front of the bike which is already going through hell. By giving it throttle you are raising the front of the bike and allowing the forks to extend and get back in synch and get your front wheel straight again. You dont have to romp out a wheelie. You dont even necessarily have to pick the wheel up a lot of times. Just give it enough throttle to raise the front end a bit and get rid of all that chaotic energy. You're already about to crash right? So hit the throttle. Know your roads, gain good body position, solid weightless grip on bars, select good lines, know your roads, and know your roads!
something i practiced is practicing accelerating and then letting go off the handle bars and if after i let go with my hands my body position shifted at all i knew i wasnt holding on with my legs tank grips are great for this on sport bikes
(I’ll preface this by saying I’m only halfway through the video) wobbles can also be mechanical in nature. I could feel my zx10r wanting to tank slap every time I reached 140. After a new set of tires, the bike was smooth as butter regardless of the speed and haven had any issues since! Also,it rare, but if your suspension is out of wack you can get wobbles form that too. Ps. I want your gloves, where do I get them?
I want to say thank you for sharing this information. Not sure why practicing pushing feet into foot pegs and squeeze the knees to the tank as a fundamental riding technique. This is good stuff. Mark
Is it possible to have you do a video on the highway about engine breaking (how to not have an engine break THROW you forward) and rev matching at higher speeds to the sudden dip in rpms doesnt throw you forward? I know there are videos out there, i want you to break it down because you explain things well and at a level anyone can digest easily.
Different bikes are going to have different levels of engine braking, it's possible that your bike just has aggressive engine braking. The other part of it is making sure your entire body is braced before you start engine braking. Hold onto the tank tightly with your legs and push up into it with your calves. Brace your core (abs and back) like you're getting ready to take a punch to the stomach. Keep your arms braced and stable at the shoulder joint but loose at the elbows and wrists to maintain control.
I managed to do this all correct the first time I rode a fast bike, a Diavel V4. Managed to get it to full beans through multiple gears safely and fully stable. I just needed to remind myself to grip the tank and be light on bars.
Im new to riding. I went to pass on a bad stretch of road and my whole bike started shaking violently. I didn’t realize what had happened until I slowed down. Definitely don’t want it to happen again
@@vashawynn3358 lol I’ve been riding it for about 3 months and I barely (at least 10 to 15 percent ) get past 3rd gear lol I’m aware of the power !! I think maturity has a lot to do with it as well !!
Thanks for the videos dude. I appreciate hearing this from someone who understands biomechanics. Interested in hearing your thoughts about gear/airbags, also dealing with road hazards (like gravel/sand) in the twisties.
This info would have been invaluable to me when i first started. I learned the hard way especially with tank slappers, sitting too close to the tank, and wrist positioning
hello from Romania/Europe, I'm following you and ofcourse I'm a beginner on a ninja from 2007, thepower is three times of that bike from motorcycle school, your videos so far are very helpful, could you make a video about the proper changing gears when entering and exiting a turn, congratulations, keep it up, I'm waiting for the next video
A second comment, I think it would be useful to have a video on setting tire pressure and finding a good tire pressure for the type of riding you do. I currently google a little bit, and then do testing based on the most common recommendations ive found and trial and error it until it feels good. Would love a more scientific approach if you've got one.
Guessing you tried going down the tire pressure rabbit hole recently 😂. I'm fully convinced theres 0 right or wrong answers at this point, the variance in peoples opinions is so massive it doesn't even make sense. I'd bet people have been shot over tire pressure arguments the guys deep into convo that hold their opinions so strongly. I mean hell bmw's stock specs will be down to the damn decimal "36.3/42.1". I will say keeping my tires at manufacturer recc's has increased tire life and kept their profiles better than any other variation I've tried. I also think people vastly overestimate the forces their tires experience on the streets and trying to apply track pressures to your street bike is silly.
Not sure if anyone has said anything in the holding the grip out as far out as they can. I seen in a video for the throttle side handle to hold it out and with your thumb like parallel to the throttle like you're twisting a doorknob. They suggest it iirc to help with throttle and input control while cornering and I dont believe there was any other advantage to it.
this is also why tire pressure and proper suspension setting is super important to have right. also, how you sit on the bike... I'm currently on a 2005 Honda CBR600rr with no speed dampers so I'm always aware of what's going on lol
And, it's natural for people to pull on one bar more than the other under acceleration; their leading hand, throttle hand, whatever. When the front comes up it's easy for them to pull one side in toward them, so it goes back onto the tarmac a little sideways causing a slapper (hence the requirement for knee grip).
Which is why you should try to hold the bars lightly in general. I only get heavy on the bars when absolute heavy braking.. full compression on the front fork kind of thing.. and that's only because sheer physics means I have to. You can easily accelerate hard enough that the front wheel is lifting without "Hanging" onto the handlebars.
Pulling the handle bar cannot lift the front wheel, because you are connected with the bike. Anything else would be a physical impossibility. The exception is sudden pull where you can get a net force momentarily. Compare with a regular bicycle. Anyone is easily strong enough to lift the front tire, but unless you do a sudden movement backward with your body, it does not matter how hard you pull. Just pulling will not move the front tire at all. It will not even affect it. All angular momentum you perform on the handle bar will be cancelled out by increased pressure on the seat and foot pegs. But again, I want to stress that this does not apply for sudden movements. You can create a net angular momentum momentarily, but not continuously.
So in a nutshell, body weight neutral front to back, let the front end work, plant your feet in the pegs to loosen your grip on the bars, remain calm in case of front wheel lift. Did i get it all right?
rly curious how a supersport feels. ive been riding my xsr900 for 6 months now and its very versatile but im often riding sporty and slowly consider a 600 supersport
I would like to have a video made on the topic of line selection in twisties or like a corner in a practical manner not just the 90 degree turns, seen in the typical cornering tutorial videos.
@@skyoom1 if possible all, it would be great if you could make these into a series video. I would like to know about entry, then how to apex and exit and how to practice these on the road safely and there are situations like continuous zig zag turns (one turn ends to the starting of another turn).
Would be super interesting to have an insta 360 view for things like body position! Granted that would require a bit of editing. Or at least syncing up the helmet cam and the insta 360 😅
love your content - also look into dropping the forks in the triple clamps on the 1000R, I have one as well and it was recommended to me for more stability and raising center of gravity - more trail etc etc
I did drop for a bit (2mm I believe) and it felt great for turn ins but I felt way less stable overall so I brought them back up. The lower the clamps the cooler it looks though so still a little sad about it haha
@@skyoom1 not dropping the front end, raising the front by lowering the fork in the tree, it would be to flush, which should make the bike more stable-
@@skyoom1I will let you know in a week, my bikes on stands while I get a dented rim fixed. Met a pothole at ~80 indicted. Didn't go down, just shat my pants. Doing the fork change& braided brake lines&pads when it's back on round wheels
recently just upgraded to a 09 R1 after a year and a half on a 300 which is now my track bike and love watching your vids. I usually sit nuts to tank as you recommend but i always thought sitting back when accelerating was what you are supposed to do, if not in what situation is it useful to slide back off of the tank?
Your videos are great and super informative. Learn something beneficial from every one of them. It may seem sort of silly but how about a video on mirrors. I got my first supersport (24’ Zx6r) recently and coming from a naked with bar ends I can’t seem to find that “sweet spot” to where I feel like I’m using them effectively.
@@squidlybytesbasically 😂 @803scsubie I always set mine where my right mirror is pointed more behind me and left mirror pointed farther left/out for better visibility for yield lanes/on ramps
Pulling on the handlebars doesn't cause the bike to change position :-) however if you sit up you might increase the lift on the front wheel, because you are putting your body more into the wind and in addition you are raising the center of gravity. But your muscles aren't moving the bike.
Correct and with you repping GT please correct me 😂 But its similar to how you initiate a wheelie on small bike by pulling on the bars, that slack being pulled out of your arms can do a number on helping that wheel up accelerating hard
Another great video. That balls of the foot pushing from the pegs stuff is magic. I notice you don't ride with any fingers shadowing the clutch or brake lever. I was taught to do so. What's your thoughts on that. Also I have a GSXR750 and just bought a set of Helibars for more comfort. I am over 50 years old and 5'6' btw. Would Helibars make it easier or harder to practice the techniques you mention and, in your opinion, would Helibars it take away from how the bike should be ridden?
"Should be ridden" is so subjective I can definitely say no to that. And I'm very against covering either lever all the time personally. But I'll be honest I had to look up helibars look to be standard clip on riser bars correct? If I'm looking at the correct bars everything will still apply and you'll actually have an easier time with throttle wrist position but a potentially harder time keeping weight off hands and using your abs to kinda suck down and stay tucked due to the higher shoulder position of the raised bars. Nothing insurmountable by any means but I just know for myself the higher the bars the more I tend to get lazy and start hanging on with my hands haha
@@skyoom1 The Helibars give a 2 inch height increase, 1.5 inch width increase and a 1 inch rearward increase. I figured it would make the fit be more proportional for my height. I will definitely provide an update on the feel when i install them. I love this bike and was thinking that based on the ergos I wouldn't be able to ride it comfortably for too long so the Helbars would extend that.
I know you talked a lot about the hand positioning but I wanted to confirm something - under hard acceleration, you need to brace yourself by hugging the tank tight with your lower body. I am a new rider with a Honda Rebel 500 and my back would hurt after the ride because I hold the handlebars for dear life when I accelerate hard.
Unfortunately with cruisers almost none of this will apply due to the forward pegs, highers bars and tank shape. Good news however with the longer wheelbase and the way cruiser weight sits theres almost no chance of truly unloading that front suspension from acceleration on a stock bike. But hand fatigue is common no matter the bike from almost everyone who's new, just try to make a conscious effort to relax the grip and it'll become 2nd nature after a point. Also contrary to what I said here, if you arent sitting all the way back in the seat scoot back a little more with the cruiser. You want that slight upward seat shape to be against you to better stabilize your weight 🙂
@@skyoom1 ah gotcha! I will go and rewatch your comparison video of your Duke 390 and the GSXR. If I remember correctly, the mechanics are similar i.e. standard and a sport. I don't think cruisers are for me. I think I am going to try a middle weight naked motorcycle.
I feel like i make half of these mistakes but my bike never has issues cuz it's a 400 😂. But i guess it's a learner bike for a reason, gotta fix these errors before getting a big boy bike.
Just had a crash, combination of aggressive downshift no slipper clutch/too much braking/poor road conditions.. maybe make a video on how to decelerate quickly as safely as possible?? Thanks bro! Ps pick up my 600rr today from shop
100% facts look on wera forum for parts or gear helps to off set it a little then look up something like learning curves just about every club racing weekend will offer a school to take to get your license ccs\wera there are a bunch more that's what I know off the top
What are your thoughts on changing the oem throttle tube for a fast action throttle tube like that of the R6? I've done it on my cbr600rr and enjoy not having to regrip my throttle.
@@loftyintentions1985 if you are an aggressive rider finding yourself at wot a lot, I'd say go for it. Blipping is easier oddly enough. That 1st ride after you fit the tube feels like a new bike haha until your brain recalibrates itself. Low speed becomes a little more tricky and requires a bit more finesse.
@@TheBadMadMan786 I'm butter smooth with the throttle anyway even when I'm going wide open. It's just a little annoying having to reach for it. I was thinking more for comfort.
Yep, you sit all the way back on that and white knuckle it and thwack it open you just slapped physics in the face. But it has 360 degree sensors with tc and wheelie control I believe so the electronics have most likely been keeping physics from coming and punching you back yet 😂
So your saying balls to the tank is the right way to ride? I always though this was wrong and you are suppose to slide back as far as you can on your seat. Correct me if I miss understood. Also this was balls to the tank you can’t scoop under the windshield so the wind won’t go over you and it will blow you off your bike at 80+ mph
Not the right way its my preferred way to ride and especially for new guys I suggest it to be as stuck to the bike as possible. Plenty of guys way better than I'll ever be who range from nuts to tank all the way back to fist and a half back who can all make arguments for each. But all the way back neverrrrr, one of the first upgrades for most drag bikes is a new seat. If you look up drag races you'll notice aftermarket seats with butt pads that will have you sit way closer to tank and a hump, some guys run the extender deals where its basically a foam block that they squeeze between that prevents sliding back, a rear seat with extended foam etc. Sliding at all is the worst thing possible to do on that seat while really gunning it. If you thumb through a lot of the big roll racing channels you'll notice almost all sit way farther forward than you think they do as well. Its almost an optical illusion where it looks like theyre laying on the tank when in reality they're squeezing the piss out of it and only their stomach is touching Stomach on tank and chin up, not chest on tank and eyes up.
The amount of people who don't grip with the knees is ridiculous. Especially the ones crying of back and wrist pain. My 71 year old dad has been riding a gsxr1000 since 2006 with a slipped disk. No problems. He only complains about wrist pain now and when I ask him if he's gripping the tank, "oh yeah".
@@skyoom1 he doesn't ride as well or even half as much, which is expected at his age but he rode that thing everyday, all weathers, work and play for 16 years. I couldn't ride a goldwing at any age lol. Too much of a weighted armchair. I think something like a vfr would be the compromise for me.
@@loftyintentions1985 I have tons of goldwings in my area and they're the happiest looking guys on the road every single time. I hope to one day reach the level of bliss theyve found 😂
Wrong, as you throttle up, you lover your body position, never have middle throttle with straight wrist, no no, and you need a fist distance between your crotch and the tank, this is for full control maneuverbility on bike, the aeronautics of these bike were designed for this.. period, especially on 900+ naked bikes with higher low end torque,
Jesus this channel is so full of BS, it's absurd. Not a SINGLE demonstration of the actual skill needed to do any of the techniques being talked about. Why would anybody blindly follow the instruction of a rider that just regurgitates random information, (half the time simply factually incorrect) without and actual video proof of them showing what they're "teaching"?! Here's some advice for any rider wanting to improve their skills-- if you watch a rider on YT who's giving riding advise or "instruction", and they are not absolutely killing it in the videos, showing actual mastery of the techniques- then you're watching a charlatan.
this is also why tire pressure and proper suspension setting is super important to have right. also, how you sit on the bike... I'm currently on a 2005 Honda CBR600rr with no speed dampers so I'm always aware of what's going on lol
Man, the amount of real world information you're putting out is priceless. I've watched countless videos explaining everything motorcycling before and after I started riding. There is so much conflicting or not well explained stuff out there that it can be hard to get an idea of how to actually ride correctly.
I'm one of those guys scooted all the way back, but usually only so I can get under the windscreen a little bit on the highway. I'm 6'3" so it's a little more comfortable. I did intuit that closer to the tank provides more control though, and switch when it's needed. I'm on a r3 though, so it's not a huge deal where I'm situated.
Standards you can scoot back np on the seat, if you want an idea for the supers you can go sit on your passenger seat and hunch over and get legit about a 90% accurate representation of a hips all the way back 1000 seat position
@@skyoom1 I've done that once on the highway, long trip nothing to do lol
Makes a lot of sense why you're adamant about sitting position on those, sitting back there feels like you can't control shit. Sounds like a terrible idea to combine that lack of control with that amount of power.
I've had a single instance of tank slapping, and i got scared shitless but got lucky and recovered, i would love to learn more about how to save yourself in these situations, great content as always
Just maintain a lose grip like he says and roll slowly off the throttle. The wheels want to maintain a forward trajectory so it will even itself out. Think about when you roll a quarter on the ground but at 80mph and it’s a 30lb rubber wheel. It wants to stay straight naturally.
(Lose grip as in lose grip on the hands, I grip the tank with my knees.)
Loose hands, roll off throttle, grip the tank like you want your favourite celebrities legs gripping your face.
Gripping hard with hands sends the wobble up your arms and into your hips/legs which makes it worse.
I get pretty good wobbles all the time. Almost once a ride. Mainly because I love when the front wheel breaks loose whenever exiting a turn and it's just kind of gliding on the road surface so 99 times out of 100 it's self-induced and Im anticipating it. I have about 50k hard miles on some nasty roads and in my experience and observations tank slappers occur first and foremost whenever a rider doesnt know their roads.
You MUST know your roads above all else so that you can anticipate and set your body position properly to be able to manipulate the throttle, clutch, and shifter without disturbing the suspension of the bike. Maintaining good body position and center of gravity in and out of the turn can be the difference between a hard tank slapper to highside or a brief wobble to recovery.
As far as grip, it really depends on how aggresive youre riding, how fast, and what kind of roads your riding.
Its all situational and no one technique is going to get you out of everything but, as a rule of thumb, loose grip on the bars is generally the way to go.
But whenever you are really hammering it out there you want to have a solid but weightless grip on the bars. Loose on the bars is more toward track or very good smooth roads. But if you have too loose a grip at too high of speed then there is a good chance that the bars will be ripped from your hands if the wobbe is severe.
All of that is avoidable by knowing your roads. Every hump, bump, dip, seam, change in surface, etc, so that you can take the proper line and position your body properly and avoid it altogether. BUT should you find yourself in a wobble situation, in my experience, 99 times out of 100 you want to hit the throttle. When the bike is wobbling the forks are bouncing and rebounding independent of each other rather than working together. Engine brake, neutral/clutch, or braking obviously causes the bike to slow down causing more weight to be sent to the front of the bike which is already going through hell. By giving it throttle you are raising the front of the bike and allowing the forks to extend and get back in synch and get your front wheel straight again. You dont have to romp out a wheelie. You dont even necessarily have to pick the wheel up a lot of times. Just give it enough throttle to raise the front end a bit and get rid of all that chaotic energy. You're already about to crash right? So hit the throttle.
Know your roads, gain good body position, solid weightless grip on bars, select good lines, know your roads, and know your roads!
All 3 comments are correct haha, loose hands/arms and hope your arms work as the steering damper, if just a small out of rhythm you can control more throttle to try to realign
But they missed the biggest one, pray 😂
You have no fear of your bike. You should sell it.
This is why steering dampers are the only piece of mechanical/electronic nanny kit I think are a must have. Hondas HESD being my favorite.
100% what a difference
just got from a r3 to a zx6r… the power is crazy to me
Congrats man awesome bike
i remember seeing an r6 rip down the highway after cruising with me.. I blinked and he was down the lane😂
FZ07 to S1000RR, FELT and it gets even crazier when you're not used to the ergos.
Hey man just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to make these in-depth videos of your perspective and opinions on these core subject. I’ve been riding super sports for over 10 years (on and off) but it’s always great to refresh the wits & you sir are doing a great job of that for the community.
I'm about to buy a Ninja 500 as my starting, very 1st, zero experience bike. I'm definitely going to respect the bike. I'm a 40 yr old man and I'm not interested in racing or wheelies. I'm trying to learn as much as i can
Quality advice there!
I'm riding a gsx s1000 in the same colour as yours.
This is the kind of info riders of all levels need to keep in mind.
Any tutorials that allow me to safely and in a more controlled manner 'LET 'ER RIP, YEEE HAWWWWW' are always welcome 😄
Nice Video! :) I‘ve watched almost all of your videos, I really like the way you explain the most important things. One thing that interests me because you were talking about body position a lot is how you should shift your weight while cornering and generally shoulder positioning… Would love if you could talk about that in a future video.
thanks for these kind of detailed videos, they really help newer riders! i would love to see a video on how to approach suspension tuning by yourself (as a beginner). there are so many factors (or at least it seems that way) that any rules of the thumb would help a beginner navigate through confusion
Moooost small to mid size bikes don't have any real tuning to be done minus rear shock/sag.
But if you have a truly adjustable setup I've mentioned this on an older video but dirt riders and their videos/forums break down suspension into much more user friendly ways and ideas than the track talk from street bikes imo. Highly recommend watching them and how they explain rebound/damping/sag/stiffness/softness etc what and why they set stuff up the way they do and I think it'll better explain everything 10x better than I ever could haha
@@skyoom1 thanks!
I have anti-wheelie on my bike but I was accelerating over a rise and the wheel came up a bit and gave me a tiny tank slapper. It didn't really scare me but got me refocused on something I started practicing a while back which is: weight on the foot pegs (a la Simon Crafar), gripping the tank, leaning forward and keeping a loose grip while accelerating hard.
Thank you for all the great information that you put out, very helpful
2:30. This isn't an issue. People need to learn to float their bikes across bumps, when I ride my 1290 hard on our bumpy british roads the bars are all over the place and never once have I gotten a tank slapper, and no nothing is wrong with the bike or my technique, you're simply accelerating so hard the the wheel is barely touching the road.
I used to hold the grips on the outer position until an older fellow corrected me during a course I did a while back to hold the grips to the inside position. He said if you study most of the pro racers, their grips will show signs of wear to the inside. It took me a bit to get used to but definitely feels right once you do.
Having ridden dirt bikes almost every weekend since I was 9 years old, I made mistakes and learned things the hard way in an environment with no rules or speed limit. I've gone down 100's of times. My front end came up recently on my Z900 when giving it the beans over a part of the road that raised up and back down over about 80ft. My front tire came up and bounced a couple times on the ground but I never let off the throttle as if I was flying over some whoops on my dirt bike. On dirt I learned to squeeze the bike with your legs to stabilize. You'll wear yourself out if you grip the bars tight, and that's no good when there's still more than half a race left to race. Use your legs and keep a loose but firm grip on the bars and NEVER lock your arms.
yeah fantastic video! I've been waiting for this information for two years. your getting better at talking on camera too my dude! ❤❤❤
Its still a work in progress but thank you a ton 🙂
Thank you for your service sir.
I love your video, this is premium motorcycle content.
Man I love your videos. Thank you
I aint even got a motorcycle but i really enjoy your content, keep it going!
Good video man. Saving a lot of bros! Making me laugh with your reenactments of the tik tok riders lmao. I responded to someones comment but figured I'd post it here in the main thread as well for anyone out there.
I get pretty good wobbles all the time. Almost once a ride. High speeds (85-125) Mainly because I love when the front wheel breaks loose whenever exiting a turn and it's just kind of gliding on the road surface so 99 times out of 100 it's self-induced and Im anticipating it. I have about 50k hard miles on some nasty roads and in my experience and observations tank slappers occur first and foremost whenever a rider doesnt know their roads.
You MUST know your roads above all else so that you can anticipate and set your body position properly to be able to manipulate the throttle, clutch, and shifter without disturbing the suspension of the bike. Maintaining good body position and center of gravity in and out of the turn can be the difference between a hard tank slapper to highside or a brief wobble to recovery.
As far as grip, it really depends on how aggresive youre riding, how fast, and what kind of roads your riding.
Its all situational and no one technique is going to get you out of everything but, as a rule of thumb, loose grip on the bars is generally the way to go.
But whenever you are really hammering it out there you want to have a solid but weightless grip on the bars. Loose on the bars is more toward track or very good smooth roads. But if you have too loose a grip at too high of speed then there is a good chance that the bars will be ripped from your hands if the wobbe is severe.
All of that is avoidable by knowing your roads. Every hump, bump, dip, seam, change in surface, etc, so that you can take the proper line and position your body properly and avoid it altogether. BUT should you find yourself in a wobble situation, in my experience, 99 times out of 100 you want to hit the throttle. When the bike is wobbling the forks are bouncing and rebounding independent of each other rather than working together. Engine brake, neutral/clutch, or braking obviously causes the bike to slow down causing more weight to be sent to the front of the bike which is already going through hell. By giving it throttle you are raising the front of the bike and allowing the forks to extend and get back in synch and get your front wheel straight again. You dont have to romp out a wheelie. You dont even necessarily have to pick the wheel up a lot of times. Just give it enough throttle to raise the front end a bit and get rid of all that chaotic energy. You're already about to crash right? So hit the throttle.
Know your roads, gain good body position, solid weightless grip on bars, select good lines, know your roads, and know your roads!
I only use wide grip to increase leverage when riding fast, feels easier to turn.
something i practiced is practicing accelerating and then letting go off the handle bars and if after i let go with my hands my body position shifted at all i knew i wasnt holding on with my legs tank grips are great for this on sport bikes
(I’ll preface this by saying I’m only halfway through the video) wobbles can also be mechanical in nature. I could feel my zx10r wanting to tank slap every time I reached 140. After a new set of tires, the bike was smooth as butter regardless of the speed and haven had any issues since! Also,it rare, but if your suspension is out of wack you can get wobbles form that too.
Ps. I want your gloves, where do I get them?
True and true.
Bisontrack thor.1's, got the website link in description with 10% off code 🙂
I want to say thank you for sharing this information. Not sure why practicing pushing feet into foot pegs and squeeze the knees to the tank as a fundamental riding technique. This is good stuff. Mark
Is it possible to have you do a video on the highway about engine breaking (how to not have an engine break THROW you forward) and rev matching at higher speeds to the sudden dip in rpms doesnt throw you forward? I know there are videos out there, i want you to break it down because you explain things well and at a level anyone can digest easily.
Different bikes are going to have different levels of engine braking, it's possible that your bike just has aggressive engine braking. The other part of it is making sure your entire body is braced before you start engine braking. Hold onto the tank tightly with your legs and push up into it with your calves. Brace your core (abs and back) like you're getting ready to take a punch to the stomach. Keep your arms braced and stable at the shoulder joint but loose at the elbows and wrists to maintain control.
i second this.
Braking. If your engine breaks you have a problem.
Clutch.
@@aluisiouslmao
The king returns for another video.
I managed to do this all correct the first time I rode a fast bike, a Diavel V4. Managed to get it to full beans through multiple gears safely and fully stable.
I just needed to remind myself to grip the tank and be light on bars.
Im new to riding. I went to pass on a bad stretch of road and my whole bike started shaking violently. I didn’t realize what had happened until I slowed down. Definitely don’t want it to happen again
Just got my first bike 2 weeks ago 2003 gsxr 1000 … the power is both scary and crazy!!
A gsxr 1000 as a FIRST bike?!? Be careful bro. That’s a very powerful bike for a first timer.
@@vashawynn3358 lol I’ve been riding it for about 3 months and I barely (at least 10 to 15 percent ) get past 3rd gear lol I’m aware of the power !! I think maturity has a lot to do with it as well !!
Thanks for the videos dude. I appreciate hearing this from someone who understands biomechanics. Interested in hearing your thoughts about gear/airbags, also dealing with road hazards (like gravel/sand) in the twisties.
Any interest exploring”Street Stories” podcast we’re working on? We have in person and virtual format. Lmk
No thank you 🙂
This info would have been invaluable to me when i first started. I learned the hard way especially with tank slappers, sitting too close to the tank, and wrist positioning
This guy reminds me of FightinCowboy
Now hold on a damn minute. Why is this accurate
hello from Romania/Europe, I'm following you and ofcourse I'm a beginner on a ninja from 2007, thepower is three times of that bike from motorcycle school, your videos so far are very helpful, could you make a video about the proper changing gears when entering and exiting a turn, congratulations, keep it up, I'm waiting for the next video
✍️
Can you please Tell us what gloves These are?
The colours Go so well along that Grey Bike! 😍
Thor.1's from Bison Track 🙂
Excellent content as usual on this channel !
A second comment, I think it would be useful to have a video on setting tire pressure and finding a good tire pressure for the type of riding you do. I currently google a little bit, and then do testing based on the most common recommendations ive found and trial and error it until it feels good. Would love a more scientific approach if you've got one.
Guessing you tried going down the tire pressure rabbit hole recently 😂.
I'm fully convinced theres 0 right or wrong answers at this point, the variance in peoples opinions is so massive it doesn't even make sense. I'd bet people have been shot over tire pressure arguments the guys deep into convo that hold their opinions so strongly. I mean hell bmw's stock specs will be down to the damn decimal "36.3/42.1".
I will say keeping my tires at manufacturer recc's has increased tire life and kept their profiles better than any other variation I've tried. I also think people vastly overestimate the forces their tires experience on the streets and trying to apply track pressures to your street bike is silly.
Thank you sir
Those gloves are sick asffff too gawddang
Not sure if anyone has said anything in the holding the grip out as far out as they can. I seen in a video for the throttle side handle to hold it out and with your thumb like parallel to the throttle like you're twisting a doorknob. They suggest it iirc to help with throttle and input control while cornering and I dont believe there was any other advantage to it.
this is also why tire pressure and proper suspension setting is super important to have right. also, how you sit on the bike... I'm currently on a 2005 Honda CBR600rr with no speed dampers so I'm always aware of what's going on lol
And, it's natural for people to pull on one bar more than the other under acceleration; their leading hand, throttle hand, whatever. When the front comes up it's easy for them to pull one side in toward them, so it goes back onto the tarmac a little sideways causing a slapper (hence the requirement for knee grip).
Which is why you should try to hold the bars lightly in general. I only get heavy on the bars when absolute heavy braking.. full compression on the front fork kind of thing.. and that's only because sheer physics means I have to.
You can easily accelerate hard enough that the front wheel is lifting without "Hanging" onto the handlebars.
@@jimstartup2729 Yes.
One thing I do to avoid tank slappers actually leaning forward it helps alot
Pulling the handle bar cannot lift the front wheel, because you are connected with the bike. Anything else would be a physical impossibility. The exception is sudden pull where you can get a net force momentarily. Compare with a regular bicycle. Anyone is easily strong enough to lift the front tire, but unless you do a sudden movement backward with your body, it does not matter how hard you pull. Just pulling will not move the front tire at all. It will not even affect it. All angular momentum you perform on the handle bar will be cancelled out by increased pressure on the seat and foot pegs.
But again, I want to stress that this does not apply for sudden movements. You can create a net angular momentum momentarily, but not continuously.
Bro im loving those gloves 🧤
Thank you! I will apply the techniques!
how about a video about cornering ? knee down or fast street riding cornering
Once I can get an insta360 absolutely 🙂
Play hold the throttle wide because I ride a Hayabusa so when I put my whole hand on the throttle it feels like I'm going to give it too much throttle
So in a nutshell, body weight neutral front to back, let the front end work, plant your feet in the pegs to loosen your grip on the bars, remain calm in case of front wheel lift. Did i get it all right?
Add squeeze the piss out of your tank and you got it
It's happening because the front suspension height is too low or the rear is too high.
I just wanna know what gloves those are and where I can get a pair?
rly curious how a supersport feels. ive been riding my xsr900 for 6 months now and its very versatile but im often riding sporty and slowly consider a 600 supersport
I absolutely love it but understand 100% why many absolutely despise it. I definitely recommend trying one first before committing if possible
I wonder if we will ever see this Yodas face lol
Visor down is for y'alls safety not mine 😂
Lmao! I’m subbing for that A grade humor.
I would like to have a video made on the topic of line selection in twisties or like a corner in a practical manner not just the 90 degree turns, seen in the typical cornering tutorial videos.
When you say line selection which part specifically would you want more focus on? Entry, apex/deepest part of turn, or exit?
@@skyoom1 if possible all, it would be great if you could make these into a series video. I would like to know about entry, then how to apex and exit and how to practice these on the road safely and there are situations like continuous zig zag turns (one turn ends to the starting of another turn).
Would be super interesting to have an insta 360 view for things like body position! Granted that would require a bit of editing. Or at least syncing up the helmet cam and the insta 360 😅
Got this down on my list once I can reasonably afford that new 360 cam that just came out 🙂
love your content - also look into dropping the forks in the triple clamps on the 1000R, I have one as well and it was recommended to me for more stability and raising center of gravity - more trail etc etc
I did drop for a bit (2mm I believe) and it felt great for turn ins but I felt way less stable overall so I brought them back up. The lower the clamps the cooler it looks though so still a little sad about it haha
@@skyoom1 not dropping the front end, raising the front by lowering the fork in the tree, it would be to flush, which should make the bike more stable-
@@potatotr33 ohhhh my b, I haven't actually tried raising the tree, did it not make your turns feel way less sharp?
@@skyoom1I will let you know in a week, my bikes on stands while I get a dented rim fixed. Met a pothole at ~80 indicted. Didn't go down, just shat my pants. Doing the fork change& braided brake lines&pads when it's back on round wheels
@@potatotr33 😂
Love the gloves where can I get a pair
recently just upgraded to a 09 R1 after a year and a half on a 300 which is now my track bike and love watching your vids. I usually sit nuts to tank as you recommend but i always thought sitting back when accelerating was what you are supposed to do, if not in what situation is it useful to slide back off of the tank?
Pls do tutorials for a vrod harley
Your videos are great and super informative. Learn something beneficial from every one of them.
It may seem sort of silly but how about a video on mirrors. I got my first supersport (24’ Zx6r) recently and coming from a naked with bar ends I can’t seem to find that “sweet spot” to where I feel like I’m using them effectively.
In my experience...
"That's the neat part; you don't!"
@@squidlybytesbasically 😂
@803scsubie I always set mine where my right mirror is pointed more behind me and left mirror pointed farther left/out for better visibility for yield lanes/on ramps
Pulling on the handlebars doesn't cause the bike to change position :-) however if you sit up you might increase the lift on the front wheel, because you are putting your body more into the wind and in addition you are raising the center of gravity. But your muscles aren't moving the bike.
Correct and with you repping GT please correct me 😂
But its similar to how you initiate a wheelie on small bike by pulling on the bars, that slack being pulled out of your arms can do a number on helping that wheel up accelerating hard
Another great video. That balls of the foot pushing from the pegs stuff is magic. I notice you don't ride with any fingers shadowing the clutch or brake lever. I was taught to do so. What's your thoughts on that. Also I have a GSXR750 and just bought a set of Helibars for more comfort. I am over 50 years old and 5'6' btw. Would Helibars make it easier or harder to practice the techniques you mention and, in your opinion, would Helibars it take away from how the bike should be ridden?
"Should be ridden" is so subjective I can definitely say no to that. And I'm very against covering either lever all the time personally.
But I'll be honest I had to look up helibars look to be standard clip on riser bars correct? If I'm looking at the correct bars everything will still apply and you'll actually have an easier time with throttle wrist position but a potentially harder time keeping weight off hands and using your abs to kinda suck down and stay tucked due to the higher shoulder position of the raised bars. Nothing insurmountable by any means but I just know for myself the higher the bars the more I tend to get lazy and start hanging on with my hands haha
@@skyoom1 The Helibars give a 2 inch height increase, 1.5 inch width increase and a 1 inch rearward increase. I figured it would make the fit be more proportional for my height. I will definitely provide an update on the feel when i install them. I love this bike and was thinking that based on the ergos I wouldn't be able to ride it comfortably for too long so the Helbars would extend that.
Is that 316 you’re on?
Do you live in Texas? I could have sworn I seen your bike unless it's common
No sir up in GA
I know you talked a lot about the hand positioning but I wanted to confirm something - under hard acceleration, you need to brace yourself by hugging the tank tight with your lower body. I am a new rider with a Honda Rebel 500 and my back would hurt after the ride because I hold the handlebars for dear life when I accelerate hard.
Unfortunately with cruisers almost none of this will apply due to the forward pegs, highers bars and tank shape. Good news however with the longer wheelbase and the way cruiser weight sits theres almost no chance of truly unloading that front suspension from acceleration on a stock bike.
But hand fatigue is common no matter the bike from almost everyone who's new, just try to make a conscious effort to relax the grip and it'll become 2nd nature after a point. Also contrary to what I said here, if you arent sitting all the way back in the seat scoot back a little more with the cruiser. You want that slight upward seat shape to be against you to better stabilize your weight 🙂
@@skyoom1 ah gotcha! I will go and rewatch your comparison video of your Duke 390 and the GSXR. If I remember correctly, the mechanics are similar i.e. standard and a sport. I don't think cruisers are for me. I think I am going to try a middle weight naked motorcycle.
@@JohnBhaktul I started on a cruiser too and the switch to a naked was one of the best purchases I'd ever made haha
can you make a video on how to brake very hard?
Unfortunately all my bikes have abs so its impossible to really show since the abs will keep my wheel from coming up 😞
I feel like i make half of these mistakes but my bike never has issues cuz it's a 400 😂. But i guess it's a learner bike for a reason, gotta fix these errors before getting a big boy bike.
Just had a crash, combination of aggressive downshift no slipper clutch/too much braking/poor road conditions.. maybe make a video on how to decelerate quickly as safely as possible??
Thanks bro!
Ps pick up my 600rr today from shop
Assuming rear broke traction?
But gotchu ✍️, someone else had asked to cover shifting through corners so I can add scrubbing speed asap to that vid
Any advice on how to get started on the track?
Step 1: a large stack of expendable income 😂
100% facts look on wera forum for parts or gear helps to off set it a little then look up something like learning curves just about every club racing weekend will offer a school to take to get your license ccs\wera there are a bunch more that's what I know off the top
What are your thoughts on changing the oem throttle tube for a fast action throttle tube like that of the R6?
I've done it on my cbr600rr and enjoy not having to regrip my throttle.
Never done it personally so couldn't quite say but I completely understand the appeal so I say run it
I've been thinking about doing this on my k7 600.
@@loftyintentions1985 if you are an aggressive rider finding yourself at wot a lot, I'd say go for it. Blipping is easier oddly enough.
That 1st ride after you fit the tube feels like a new bike haha until your brain recalibrates itself. Low speed becomes a little more tricky and requires a bit more finesse.
@@TheBadMadMan786 I'm butter smooth with the throttle anyway even when I'm going wide open. It's just a little annoying having to reach for it. I was thinking more for comfort.
I def have a confused left hand as well.
Hey, what gloves are those? They look sweet.
Thor.1's from bison, got a discount code in description 🙂
So grateful my gsxr 750 has electronic steering damper!
Does this apply to my z h2 (full throttling is on the fine line of killing me)
enjoy the Z my old stack needs to be up top to get you guys ;-) my friend has one and ya if im sleeping im playing catch up .
Bruh you got a turbo, liter, naked bike. You pay your money, you take the ride.
Yep, you sit all the way back on that and white knuckle it and thwack it open you just slapped physics in the face. But it has 360 degree sensors with tc and wheelie control I believe so the electronics have most likely been keeping physics from coming and punching you back yet 😂
Is that an r1
Gsxr-1000r 🙂
Begs the question. How come you see tank slappers in bike racing .
All you have to do is hold on 😊
Are all tank slappers recoverable?
They're all avoidable and most are recoverable with proper application of good fundamentals.
Try to keep your hands loose on the grips and let it fix itself, it you try to fight it back you’ll fuck yourself
Good video. Push thru the pegs for stability. o7
keep up the great videos. Even though my Duke 390 won't be strong enough for any of this
Forget that your CHEST is a parachute !
It will act like a parasail under accelleration and an air brake under decelleration
So your saying balls to the tank is the right way to ride? I always though this was wrong and you are suppose to slide back as far as you can on your seat. Correct me if I miss understood. Also this was balls to the tank you can’t scoop under the windshield so the wind won’t go over you and it will blow you off your bike at 80+ mph
Not the right way its my preferred way to ride and especially for new guys I suggest it to be as stuck to the bike as possible. Plenty of guys way better than I'll ever be who range from nuts to tank all the way back to fist and a half back who can all make arguments for each.
But all the way back neverrrrr, one of the first upgrades for most drag bikes is a new seat. If you look up drag races you'll notice aftermarket seats with butt pads that will have you sit way closer to tank and a hump, some guys run the extender deals where its basically a foam block that they squeeze between that prevents sliding back, a rear seat with extended foam etc. Sliding at all is the worst thing possible to do on that seat while really gunning it. If you thumb through a lot of the big roll racing channels you'll notice almost all sit way farther forward than you think they do as well. Its almost an optical illusion where it looks like theyre laying on the tank when in reality they're squeezing the piss out of it and only their stomach is touching
Stomach on tank and chin up, not chest on tank and eyes up.
@@skyoom1 holy shit this is eye opening, thank you I guess I was riding the right way on my 1000, I’m asking because it’s my first one.
@@HoeLeeFuQQ Yeah man! You go look up some videos of the drag and roll racing? Its really interesting to see once someone points it out to you
great stuff
Accelerate hard when your upright striaght
The amount of people who don't grip with the knees is ridiculous. Especially the ones crying of back and wrist pain. My 71 year old dad has been riding a gsxr1000 since 2006 with a slipped disk. No problems. He only complains about wrist pain now and when I ask him if he's gripping the tank, "oh yeah".
71 on a super is insane big props to him
But you'll catch me on a goldwing at 71 hahaha
@@skyoom1 he doesn't ride as well or even half as much, which is expected at his age but he rode that thing everyday, all weathers, work and play for 16 years. I couldn't ride a goldwing at any age lol. Too much of a weighted armchair. I think something like a vfr would be the compromise for me.
@@loftyintentions1985 I have tons of goldwings in my area and they're the happiest looking guys on the road every single time. I hope to one day reach the level of bliss theyve found 😂
@@skyoom1 it must be all those cup holders and switches. It's like a pilots cockpit.
🤙🏾
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Sports bikes are not for Lion King:-) just on a lighter note
Grab it with your legs like when riding a horse.
250cc mhm.. yes.. ohh i see..
did you explain a whole ass video just to finish with "that's how i like to ride"? there's comfortable, and the correct way.... please
Wrong, as you throttle up, you lover your body position, never have middle throttle with straight wrist, no no, and you need a fist distance between your crotch and the tank, this is for full control maneuverbility on bike, the aeronautics of these bike were designed for this.. period, especially on 900+ naked bikes with higher low end torque,
Jesus this channel is so full of BS, it's absurd. Not a SINGLE demonstration of the actual skill needed to do any of the techniques being talked about. Why would anybody blindly follow the instruction of a rider that just regurgitates random information, (half the time simply factually incorrect) without and actual video proof of them showing what they're "teaching"?! Here's some advice for any rider wanting to improve their skills-- if you watch a rider on YT who's giving riding advise or "instruction", and they are not absolutely killing it in the videos, showing actual mastery of the techniques- then you're watching a charlatan.
Well lets elaborate, what do we disagree with
this is also why tire pressure and proper suspension setting is super important to have right. also, how you sit on the bike... I'm currently on a 2005 Honda CBR600rr with no speed dampers so I'm always aware of what's going on lol