RIDING TECHNIQUES: Body Position No.3

Brouggy's Riding Bible: Part Three - 'Hang on' while you're 'hanging off'

In the last few articles we have discussed the art of 'hanging off' in a turn. We now know that by hanging off the inside of the bike we can move the centre of gravity lower and to the inside, meaning that you can carry less lean angle to go through the same corner at the same speed. We also know some of the survival reactions that can interfere with our attempts to copy our road racing heroes. Now... how about we discuss exactly what goes where so you can recreate it every corner?

Another problem associated with hanging off is how to locate yourself on the bike and how you literally 'hang on' while you're 'hanging off'.

Confused? Don't be... The fact is that as you move your body off to the inside of the bike, you no longer have both butt cheeks firmly planted in the saddle and both knees hugging the tank. You now have only one cheek on the seat and only the potential of one leg to hug the tank as the other is (hopefully) stylishly scraping the tarmac. You have now altered the contact points you have with the motorcycle, meaning that you now have to figure out where you should place your weight and what is going to keep you from falling off the inside of the bike.

In the initial stages of trying this, riders tend to find that they lose some degree of control over the motorcycle. All of a sudden the bike gets harder to steer, feels somehow heavier in the front, along with feeling the bumps a lot more. Also rider's forearms seem to pump up easier while wrists also start to hurt. Sound familiar?

The problem is actually quite simple... you're holding on with your hands! Okay. I can tell some of you are probably looking sideways at me right now, so I guess I'd better explain. Yes, I know the handlebars are designed for you to hold on to, but they are not designed to help you hold your body in position. The handlebars are designed for you to have the controls you need (throttle, brake, clutch, steering) in the right place so you can use them. Simply put, your hands are on the handlebars to operate the controls. Nothing more, nothing less.

To illustrate this in the classroom I often tell a story of me and my one and only four-wheeled lover, my FC Holden. Built in 1958, seat belts were still a novelty and certainly not necessary and big vinyl covered bench seats were all the go. Well, one day I decided to give the old girl some TLC and in my frenzied cleaning, I put Armour-All all over the seat! Now... did I ever claim to be intelligent?! When taking the car out after it's thorough going over, I got to the corner at the end of my street and tried to turn to the right. Needless to say that I found my body now sliding to the left and without a seat belt I only had the steering wheel to keep my body in place. Do you think I got the result from my steering that I expected? Certainly not. In fact I ran up the kerbing on to the footpath. Truth be told, you cannot effectively steer something if you're relying on the instrument that steers it to also hold your body in position.

Now I'm sure you're all laughing at me right now, but I wonder how many of you are using your hands to hold your body in position on the motorcycle? Convinced yet?

Now this represents a problem. If your hands don't hold you onto the bike, then what does? I do believe you've still got one leg hugging up into the tank don't you? Do you think if you gripped with your knee into the side of the tank it might help hold your body in position? (In case you're not sure, the indents in the side of your tank are not there for styling purposes, they are there for your body to fit into them). If you lock your knee into the tank by using pressure against the outside peg, you'll find you can release the pressure on the handlebars, meaning the bike will not be affected negatively as in the description above. This allows you to gain the benefit of getting your weight lower and to the inside effectively without distractions.

Think you can do it? Of course you can. I'll see you in the photos...

Good luck with your riding.

Steve Brouggy is the owner of the

Contact:
2 / 76 Rushdale St
Knoxfield, VIC 3180
Australia

Phone: 1300 793 423
+613 9763 3338