Better Riding part one: in the shed

From being comfortable on your machine to anticipating potential hazards, here's instalment one of our 10-part guide to being a smarter biker

What bonds the greenest rider to the true enthusiast that they can’t go a day without a ride? A passion for bikes and a keen sense of survival is the glue that keeps us all biking. Whether your ride is a commute to work or a Sunday morning blatt, we lay out the fundamentals of surviving the motorcycle jungle out there.

There are, as the proverb says, plenty of ways to skin a cat. This is very true, but a sharp knife is probably the best. There are plenty of ways to ride a motorcycle, too. But just like the knife in the ‘These gloves are warm, what are they made of?’ scenario, there are some essential fundamentals that you require in your biking armoury to keep you safe and happy on the roads.

But the first step to motorcycle enlightenment starts in the shed…

TOOL TIME

Unlike clothes, motorcycles only come in one size. Imagine going into a shop and blindly picking jeans off a shelf and expecting them all to fit. And not only to fit, but be comfortable?

We buy bikes for a number of reasons, but once you’ve decided the latest superbike is this season’s must-have, the fact that it fits you like a pair of 30-waist Levi’s – when you’ve kept the local pie shop in business for 30-years – becomes irrelevant.

But fear not, as every bike has a certain amount of adjustment and life becomes much better when you get it to be the best it can be for you.

EASY ADJUSTMENT

So, where to start? The first comfort port of call is anywhere your body touches the bike – hands, feet, knees and possibly your “pie-pouch”. Grab your riding gear and get ready for the cold end of the tape measure…

Hands are the easiest to accommodate. By loosening the levers’ clamps on the handlebar, you can adjust the height of them so they sit in a more natural place for you. It’s now time to remind yourself that this is your bike and the levers should be in the best place for you, regardless of what your ex-racer mate says. There’s often room to move the levers sideways, too. I always ride with my palms half over the end of the bars, so moving the levers out helps me.

If your bike has one-piece handlebars, there’s also a certain amount of to- and fro-ing that alters the angle of the bar ends and rider comfort. Bar risers can also change the stretch to the bars and seating position for taller (or, err, wider) riders, whereas aftermarket bars come in different heights and pull-backs if you really need something the standard adjustment doesn’t offer.

While on the bars, make sure the mirrors are exactly where you want them before checking every bolt you’ve loosened. Next up comes the fitting session for your feet. Some bikes have height and reach-adjustable footrests, while others have a cam adjuster on the gear and brake levers. Even the most basic models have a height-adjustable brake pedal and the gear lever can be taken off and repositioned on its splined shaft. Position them so your feet feel natural resting near, but not quite, touching the levers.

Legs can be too long for the tank/fairing cut outs, meaning your knees can rub awkwardly against the panels. You can modify an old fairing’s edges to fit you better, or add a pad to the back of the tank that makes you sit a little further back. It’s best to ride the bike in a traffic-free area after any mod that changes your riding position on the bike so you can see how it affects the ride (if at all).

NOT SO EASY ADJUSTMENT

If you were in the school play, but not Snow White, chances are that the bike might be too tall for you. The preload on the front and back suspension can be adjusted to lower the bike (to be covered in an upcoming tech article) or the seat can be cut-down to accommodate.

Alternatively, the forks can be pushed through the top yoke and special rear suspension links can be bought to drop the rear. However, these last changes will affect how the bike rides and corners so are a last resort, as it’s impossible to know whether these changes will suit your style of riding. Sometimes, if the size of the bike is a big issue, it’s better just to sell it and buy a bike that feels more comfortable straight off the bat.

ADVANCED ADJUSTMENT

If you’re really on a mission to make your bike the best it can be for you, it’s gonna cost large. From lightweight wheels, different tyre profiles to adjustable yokes, sports suspension, steering dampers and upgraded brakes, there’s a whole world of modifications that you can make to a standard bike. However, if there’s one truth that I’ve learnt throughout my career of professional monkeying around on bikes – invest in making yourself the best rider possible. That skill will then be instantly transferable onto every bike you ride. Unlike that fancy set of wheels.

NEXT TIME

We’re still in the shed, but it’s the last few vital checks before we strut the funky highway.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

It took 16 years for Martin ‘Wild’ Child to swing a lanky leg over a motorcycle, but he’s been swinging his leg ever since. After four UK club meets on a Kawasaki KR1, he quickly realised that his lofty ambition and lowly bank account were incompatible for his entry into MotoGP and became a professional stunt rider instead.

He was spied at one of his shows and asked to do a spot of testing. This led to his gig as Road Test Editor on the UK’s No. 1 magazine, Bike, which in turn led to him living the dream and sharing the track with Rossi and co (although in a support race on a BMW Boxer Cup bike).

He had one go at the Isle of Man TT races, lapping at 115mph on a bog-stock 2000-model year FireBlade and is still the fastest journalist around the 37.73-mile course. He also went to a little place called Australia and rode around a quaint track called Bathurst, partnering some bloke called Jamie Stauffer. Living in grid-locked Sydney, he chooses a bike over a car any day.

Throughout his career, he’s ridden hundreds of thousands of miles (and kilometres) over much of the globe on tarmac, dirt, snow and water.

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Better Riding part one: in the shed

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