How To Become A Better Motorcycle Rider Without Actually Riding
Are You Serious?!
You might be thinking: “Can I really learn to ride better without actually riding?” Trust me. Yes, you can. You can get better at something without actually doing that thing. F1 drivers and fighter pilots spend more time practicing in simulators than they do in racecars and jets.
Okay, I know you probably don’t have a motorcycle simulator in the man cave (that would be awesome though), but there are other ways to simulate some of the skills and techniques you need to be a better motorcyclist.
We do it all the time — it’s called practice. And while the best practice is comprehensive like using a dedicated simulator, there are gains to be had by breaking things down into their components. Some components of riding a motorcycle are used driving a car, or riding a bike, or just in everyday life.
If we can isolate those skills and techniques, then we can get better without riding. Awesome! But first, let’s quickly define “better” shall we? Merriam Webster's Dictionary defines better as follows:
Comparative of GOOD
1: greater than half
for the “better” part of an hour2: improved in health or mental attitude
Feeling ”better”3: more attractive, favorable, or commendable
In “better” circumstances4: more advantageous or effective
A “better” solution5: improved in accuracy or performance
building a “better” engine
For our purposes here we are looking for #5: improved performance, which I think we can agree with means Safer< and since we are motorcyclists probably a bit Quicker. These two things are often considered to be at odds.
It seems we have a conundrum of sorts, but these two things are not necessarily in conflict. That’s because the skills and techniques we use to go quicker, in fact, do make us safer. Please note that I chose “quicker” rather than “faster” in my definition of better.
Going faster is easy: more throttle — less brake, but we all know the eventual outcome to that approach (just watch me play Ride 3). The key then is using skills and techniques to go quicker where it’s appropriate, like at the track, and ride safer there as well as on the street.
These skills and techniques are things we can develop off the motorcycle pretty easily if we make an intentional effort. Secondly, I’m sure you noticed by now I keep using the phrase “skills and techniques.” That’s because those are the two things that are repeatable, and applicable to other activities.
Skills are basically a movement with a purpose, like applying your front brake without locking it up. And the technique is learning how to use that skill effectively.
For example, can we apply the brake with rapidly increasing force that minimizes chassis disruption then slowly release that pressure as we reach the apex of the turn allowing us to smoothly transition to the next skill/technique combo of throttle application? But I digress.
Tell me how already?!
OK, OK. So, how do we improve our riding performance without riding? We can work on a few things pretty easily. Let’s take a look at my personal top three:
- Mental Focus
- Visual Focus and Scanning
- Input Precision
Mental focus is a bit overarching because it takes mental focus to do anything well and to practice any skill to develop good technique. This is where the saying “perfect practice makes perfect” comes from. If you are not focused on doing it correctly you may just be ingraining poor habits that in the end detract from your performance rather than improve it. So stay focused. Be intentional and conscious of your efforts. You can do this anytime and anywhere, but I find simple meditation techniques to be the most productive. Breathing exercises (which can also help our riding in competitive situations) are also useful to practice gaining and maintaining mental focus.
Visual focus and scanning provide our brain with the most important information while riding. Constantly scanning ahead has the effect of “slowing” things down and helping us make better decisions more quickly. Target fixation is one of the most prevalent causes of crashes in our sport, and visually scanning ahead, through the next curve, and between your current location and the road ahead while driving your car, or riding your bike makes for great practice.
Doing this while maintaining mental focus is even better. Remember look where you WANT to go not where you DON’T! Riding a bicycle is a great way to practice visual focus and scanning, but driving is good too.
Input precision is more tangible although it does require focus and concentration. Where do I start braking for that upcoming turn? How much steering input do I use for this corner?
When do I apply more throttle? I’m not advocating that we drive our cars like we are on the track, but I am suggesting that we be thoughtful, intentional, and precise with our inputs. It’s easy to drive instinctually and by habit, since we do so much of it but being focused and using that time to really be decisive and intentional is a transferable skill and can be used to help develop techniques for when we are riding.
There are other skills and techniques we can practice as well but these three are fairly common and among the easiest to implement whether it be in the “off-season” like up here in the Northeast or just a few times a week throughout the year, or maybe on your commute one day a week.
The final thing I want to mention is video games. Modern games provide a great platform for maintaining both visual acuity and small motor skills, both of which have a significant impact on our ability to ride a motorcycle well.
Whether it be a first-person shooter or a motorcycle/racing game (which I would argue you can also use to work on scanning and input precision too), they can be excellent tools to improve our riding ability and skillset. In fact, some professional racers use the current games to learn tracks that they have not visited in person.
Learning the racing line, when to brake, when to accelerate, etc. is something some of the world’s best riders use video game “simulators” for, and rarely can we argue that there isn’t something to learn from what they do. Maybe I do have a simulator in the man cave after all!
