Ruff or bumpy pavement turns me into a biatch!

[CasterTroy]

Originally Posted by tached1000rr

How do I increase my confidence level on ruff/bumpy pavement?

Before I had a motard I was the SAME way....but this thing has SO much travel that bumps and jacked up roads mean nothing any more. SERIOUSLY increased my corner confidence in less than perfect situations

[TYEster]

If it's your sportbike raise your butt a tad off the seat when you hit the bumps and keep all your weight on the balls of your feet. Don't get the kungfu grip going, and let the bike literally move around under you. Proper suspension or close enough and you'll glide right over them.

And as always, practice makes perfect! Hit those bumps 5 or 10 times in a row if you're just out riding. Go a little faster each time.

[OTB]

There is a big difference between rough/bumpy and broken/gravelly. As others have said, choppy pavement that requires a lot of suspension movement is best handled by getting up off the seat so that one thing does occur and another does not.

By removing your butt from the seat and flexing your knees, you remove some of the weight that your suspension must deal with, allwing for faster response, keeping your tires contact patch on the road and keeping better traction.

You aslo achieve preventing your upper body from being bounced around, which decreases adrenaline/fear, keeps your vision from becoming blurred by the rapid motion, which in turn decreases fear and increases confidence.

As far as your upper body goes, as both 71 H1 and tyster said, relax your grip (again fear causes the hand spasms which cause us to really want to squeeze those grips) letting the bars kinda float in your hands.

You prolly hold your breath, too. I do when I get tense; so I make myself consciously BREATHE slow big breaths when I find myself in challenging circumstances. I self talk myself "breathe in , breathe out" over and over; it keeps me from tensing up and has the added benefit of keeping my brain and muscles well oxygenated so i'm better able to react when something untoward happens.

Best thing for learning to ride on broken up, gravelly/sandy pavement is to use, beg borrow, steal (or god knows even BUY ) a smaller (100-250cc) dirtbike and do some dirt trail riding. Kenny Roberts used to train GP riders at his school with 100cc Hondas in the dirt. Bikes are light to keep wayward momentum to a manageable minimum, but quick enough to get a real feeling of speed.

Deliberately sliding a 425-500lb high-center-of-gravity streetbike is best put off till you've had a bit of dirtbike experience, IMHO....

But then, what do I know, right?

Relax, and get yer butt off the seat and lose the deathgrip on the bars; you'll be OK.

[azoomm]

Originally Posted by Homeslice

Just take every ounce of weight off the bars, and onto your pegs. Let the suspension do its work instead of fighting it.

That's the answer right there.

Most instruction on a trackday is trying to get people to move where they *hold on* to a bike. Well, that and getting people to breathe rather than taking that quick draw of breath and holding it like they just stubbed their toe.

Breathe

Relax

Loosen that death grip on the bars...

[racedoll]

For me there is one corner that has a pretty nasty bump right in my line. One time I went over it, had no idea it was there and my handlebars did a mini tank slapper. Nothing happened, fortunately. Since then I tip toe through there, until earlier this year... I stayed on the throttle instead of backing off and viola, nothing too bad. I have to wonder if a steering damper would have helped in that situation?

[wildchild]

when I picked up my very first brand new bike (HD Sportster) many years ago. I told the guy (this was when harley shops weren't boutiques) it had been awhile since I rode, was there somewhere I could practice a little. He said sure go dow that road in the back and when you get back here you'll be ready to go.
I turned onto the road, 1/2 block later it turned into all sand, turned around in that crap and went back to cuss him out. when I got there he looked at me and said well you kept it up in that crap you're ready to go.

lesson learned, just drive through it. i used to go out in the rain as a teen and intentionally slide around to get used to it.

[Gas Man]

What bumps? I dont feel no bumps?

[No Worries]

There's a bumpy corner in my favorite road. I don't feel anything when I'm going uphill, because the fork is extended and can soak up the bumps. Coming downhill, the fork is compressed. I can feel the bumps in my hands, but I roar right through.

I know the bumps are there when I'm going down to this curve, but I'm confident because I've been trained by the best, and I've practiced on a zillion curves. I set up for the curve just like all the other ones. Even when I'm in the bumps, I don't think about it because I'm looking ahead and setting up in my mind for the next curve.

My front fork isn't adjustable, but if your suspension is adjustable, Sportrider Magazine has their suspension recommendations for every bike they've tested since 1997: http://www.sportrider.com/tech/tires...ngs/index.html

[tached1000rr]

Perhaps I should confess, I am not speaking of low speeds and bumps, it's more when the pace is "spirited" and we hit a bumpy section of road in a curve. Even once I slow down I'm still nothing even close to the speed limit

[fasternyou929]

Originally Posted by tached1000rr

Perhaps I should confess, I am not speaking of low speeds and bumps, it's more when the pace is "spirited" and we hit a bumpy section of road in a curve. Even once I slow down I'm still nothing even close to the speed limit

That wouldn't change the suspension answers above.

Are you looking for advice how to improve your bikes handling in bumpy switchbacks or in getting over the mental hurdles making you roll off the throttle?