We all like to ride with our friends and sometimes friends of friends will come along. I have a few people that I ride with often and they know how to ride their own ride. They don’t try to keep up or do anything that makes them uncomfortable when the pace gets faster.
Everyone has what I call their comfort level when it comes to their abilities, machinery, gear, and moods. My comfort level is quite high. This is because of the massive amount of experience I have had riding fast in the twisties, racing, riding hundreds of different motorcycles for hundreds of thousands of miles, and the length of time I have been at it.
So when I take a ride in the twisties I will most likely ride at maybe 50% of my capabilities. This means I will have abilities left to handle a sudden obstacle in the road or something that would require immediate and total commitment. Safety is the top priority, but you still want to have fun. I am so lucky to be alive for all of the stupid things I have done on motorcycles and going too fast in the twisties is one of them.
Ego has gotten many of us hurt, embarrassed and cost us a lot of money. A rider behind you doesn’t want to think you are faster than they are so they will go out of their comfort zone to keep up and many times they wind up blowing the corner and going down. It goes for you too, don’t try to show off by riding over your limits! This ruins the ride for everyone. So if you have someone following you that is new to you make sure you don’t go charging into the corners or braking hard like you may normally do.
I have seen it too many times that someone will ride over their limits to "keep up.” Riding in the mountains is not a place to do this. There are trees, rocks, and other obstacles with no runoff room. If you want to ride hard like that, do it on the racetrack at a track day!
We are so fortunate now that there are track days and track schools available where you can go ride at your limits in the safest way possible. These schools provide expert training and lots of track time for very little money!
When you go riding think about those riding with you and ride accordingly. You will all have a better time and have loads of fun!
And remember our big Royal Enfield open house next weekend, Saturday June 21st. We still need volunteers to help us with the event so if you want to assist us and have some fun, please contact me at tom@socalmotorcycles.com.
EVENTS
RESCUE OF THE WEEK
MOTORCYCLE NEWS
Marc Márquez Dominates in Aragon
Bagnaia finds some answers.
The Sunday finish in Aragon was Marc and Alex Márquez, then a revived Francesco Bagnaia—all on Ducatis. Then 5.5 seconds back from them (in not quite a different race, but almost), the bonded pair of Pedro Acosta (KTM) and Franco Morbidelli (VR46 Ducati), who provided in good measure what so many racegoers come to see: riders closely engaged, with lead changes.
There are three big and interesting questions in MotoGP now, plus a host of smaller ones.
1. Why does Ducati appear to be the only serious, full-spectrum team, while the others appear in varying degrees lost? Sometimes it is their riders, who cannot reliably start fast on Friday, qualify 1st or 2nd row on Saturday, and then rake in points in the Sprint and Final. Sometimes it’s the equipment. Despite Acosta’s finish, he said, “We didn’t have the speed for the top-three. It was a battle we would have lost, but I really enjoyed the first five laps.”
2. Why, despite so often showing an easy winning pace Friday and Saturday, does Marc Márquez ride as he, years ago described his first year in MotoGP, “Every lap like qualifying?” He now leads in points by 32 over his brother, but would have many more had he not crashed out on occasions when there was no haste. He said, “It is crucial to ensure the best possible result without making mistakes.” And then: “Today I was very focused and with six, seven laps remaining I started to think about those mistakes, how to manage the situation. But then I was looking at the lap time and I was riding in 1:47s low without full concentration. Then I decided to increase the speed to be focused again.”
3. Do Bagnaia and Marc Márquez share a common “GP25 illness” as Bagnaia has asserted? Both riders have lost the front when nothing in the data suggests a definite cause. Bagnaia says his GP25 lacks front-end “feel”—that it fails to give him cues that tell him how close he is to the edge. Marc said, “At Silverstonewe had more difficulties (He finished 3rd after crashing and re-mounting, behind Marco Bezzecchi’s Aprilia and Johann Zarco’s Honda) and after four set-up changes, I realized that the fault was mine and that I had to work on my riding style.” Marc has always thrived in conditions of limited grip, which Aragon provides (although grip gradually improved as the track “rubbered-up”). Is this the result of intensive concentration that can discover cues others cannot?
How should we decode what Marc is saying above, in point 2? We know that a most dangerous time for a rider is a “cool-off” lap, because under those conditions of reduced pace, none of the usual safeguards is in place. But at race-pace those safeguards are fully on duty: braking points, concentration on what the bike is saying, and trying to work out an opponent’s worst corner as a place to pass. But tire conservation is imperative, which can call for winning at the lowest possible speed. Yet that reduced speed can equal reduced concentration and vigilance, possibly allowing an accident to occur through being less focused.
SCRAMBLER 1200 X FEATURED IN THE LATEST JASON STATHAM ACTION FILM, “A WORKING MAN”
Scrambler 1200 X featured in the latest Jason Statham action film, “A Working Man”, now in theaters.
Triumph’s Scrambler 1200 X was specifically selected for one of the key stunt scenes in the latest action film starring Jason Statham, titled “A Working Man”, directed by David Ayer. Eddie Fernandez, the films Stunt Co-ordinator and Ernie Vigil, Professional Motorcycle Rider and Stuntman reveal why the Scrambler 1200 X was the perfect bike for the proposed stunt, including stunning footage from the film!
SALES & PROMOTIONS
*PLEASE NOTE - THE 20% OFF SERVICE VOUCHER IS GOOD FOR ONE USE ONLY AND IS PER CUSTOMER, NOT PER BIKE.