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Internal Ramblings: A Style of Speed
By RRX intern Jesse Cecil
Since the invention of motorcycles, the way in which they’re ridden has gone through a lot of changes. The driving force behind that evolution is, not surprisingly, speed—and the endless pursuit of more and more of it.
Most racers exhibit their own riding style (some more than others), but all style is governed by speed. Speed will allow any variation of riding style that doesn’t make a rider slower, and if a particular style turns out to be faster, then it won’t be long before it’s adopted by the rest of the field. A purely aesthetic or accidental change in riding style may spark a trend that quickly fades away because it carries no functional benefit, or it could lead to a discovery that improves the function of the bike/rider combination, thereby affecting the future direction of riding style.
Casey Stoner demonstrates lean angle most mortals can only dream about. Andrew Northcott Photo
In the ‘60s, for example, when Mike Hailwood allowed his inside knee to move off the tank while in a turn, it may not have had a direct effect on cornering, but it became popular and widespread, paving the way for Jarno Saarinen to start sliding his butt off the seat, a movement that did have an effect on the way a bike corners. Later, Kenny Roberts Sr. would take the next step by hanging off and putting his knee down while leaning the bike into a turn—a riding style that proved so beneficial it became more than a style; it became the way.
“Things come and go, and some of them have a use and maybe some of them don’t,” says Keith Code, founder of the California Superbike School and author of the Twist of the Wrist series of books. He was referring to a period of time about five years ago, when top-level riders were backing their bikes into corners almost constantly. Backing it in, or sliding the rear tire, is seen less often now because it actually isn’t usually the fastest way through the corner. “The idea that sliding the back tire and getting the rear end pointed into a corner makes a rider have to turn the bike less, that’s sound,” says Keith. “But now we see that in the end, it’s slower than just doing the business of getting the bike into and out of the corner [while maintaining traction].”
In the early ‘90s, when the style was to really hang off the bike, there was a lot of variation as each rider searched for the body position that would best aid their machines while cornering. When riders of that era are compared to those of today, it makes the body position of modern racers seem almost clinical. Nick Ienatsch—a moto-journalist, former 250 AMA racer, author of Sport Riding Techniques, and lead instructor at the newly minted Yamaha Champions Riding School—offers this summary: “The main reason for hanging off of the bike is to run less lean angle.” A rider can run less of a lean angle while hanging off because doing so lowers the combined center of gravity of the bike/rider combination. “The less lean angle, the more throttle and brake pressure you can use,” says Nick. Because less traction is used for turning or leaning, more traction becomes available for braking and acceleration.
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Thanks for the blog, Jesse. Definitely thought-provoking stuff. I think one other thing that has affected some aspects of riding style is technology. For example, electronics and improved tire traction has enabled modern racers to ride differently than their predecessors.
As for the foot-dangle popularized by Rossi, I suspect that it actually works to help initiate turn-in (and is not simply a mind game). For a lesson in how heavy the human foot and leg are, just sit in a chair and try holding your leg out horizontally for any length of time; to me, that has to be enough to affect the bike’s behavior. When motocrossers put a leg out in corners, it’s not only to use the foot as a stabilizer–it actually affects the bike and helps cornering. Granted, motocross boots are heaver than road race boots, but in road racing, there’s also the aerodynamnics to consider. I suspect that the force of the air pushing on the outstretched leg helps to subtly initiate the turn. Just imagine sticking your arm out of a car window; the air pushes on your outstretched arm and attempts to pivot your body.
I appreciate the comments, CJ. I definitely considered the technology angle, and I completely agree. Also, the adjustability of modern bikes surely plays its part. One thing I realized is that this topic is HUGE, so I had to pick and choose what points to make. I could have rambled on for a while.
Definitely a good article, and a subject that I’ve been looking into much of late. It seems to me that since the arrival of the 800cc Machines in MotoGP we’ve seen many changes to riding style as well as technique - and with the bikes being somewhat lighter than the 990’s, yet capable of equal or greater speeds, there has been a necessity for change. I think the primary reason for the “Leg Dangle” is a perceived instability in the front-end under braking that causes the riders to hang the leg out like they do. Approaching a corner at 125MPH while going down thru the gears and being really hard on the front brake may make the bike feel as if the front could just “go away” at any moment, and the “leg Dangle” may be an attempt to save it should it “go away”. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it!
For sure, Jesse. It’s interesting bench-racing material, and I’m just putting in my two cents. Thanks again.
My buddy Tom and I were just talking about this topic while watching Catalunya. Thanks shedding some light! We noticed everyone is following the leg hang trend…which just looks wierd!
Rossi made a statement some time ago about the “leg hang style”. He said it helped him to balance the bike under heavy braking. I quess he doesn’t have enough things to do while his out there.
What, no one noticed that Rossi started hanging his right foot out on some turns now as well?
I noticed it at Catalunya for sure, and maybe before.