Quote:
Originally Posted by jBazz
I have to say, this forum is living up to it's claim of "the friendliest Kawasaki Ninja 300/250R site on the net." . I've seen discussions like this escalate rather quickly on other sites 
Good to see the well thought out responses and a real passion for riding safe and fast. |
ikr!!!
Let's keep going on a productive path!
If we are going really deep in details, then let's do it right. Since we are not bound by any rules of writing a short and complete article we can break the RAW fundamentals of traction down into the big 6 factors to build a picture of traction from the ground up (literally).
The short list of traction from the ground -> up
1.
The surface you're riding on - The different mixes of the tarmac. The mix is regional!!! JenningsGP grips differently than Mid-Ohio as Nelson grips differently than Palmer. The raw materials that the track is made of different raw materials and different amounts of those materials. They can feel different to the rider and what you get away with at one track, may put you in the dirt at another.
2.
The type of tire you're riding on - Different tires are harder, softer, size, compound, recommended pressures, bla, bla, bla, bla. They can feel different to the rider. For me, the Michelins carcass starts to flex a bit closer to the traction limit of the tire. Some say they don't give as much warning as the Dunlops. If we were to dumb it down for example's sake, say the following tires will have a 100% traction failure and 100mph. The dunlops will start complaining at 90mph vs 95mph on the Michelins. Some riders want the larger window of warning, others are fine with a smaller window.
3.
Suspension - These adjustable bits can increase feel (harder settings) or take away feel (softer settings) as well as feedback to the rider and have a huge effect on traction and how much you feel vs what the shocks eat up.
4.
Grips, seat, pegs and any other point where the hard parts of the bike comes into contact with the soft parts of the rider - Race seats are thinner. Why? We don't have super fat grips on our clip ons. Why? We don't use rubberized rearsets. Why? How does the tank feel on your chest in a full tuck if you have a chest protector vs not? These can feel different to the rider.
5.
Gear - Have padded shorts under your suit, or maybe really thick gloves? One of the selling points of gloves is increased feel in the palm and sometimes fingers. Do you prefer thicker or thinner soles on your boots? These can feel different to the rider.
6.
The rider's tolerance/ability/skills - Search through my previous posts and you will find this little nugget to prevent some SR's before they become distractions or action items.
Quote:
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I use my legs to support some of my body weight on the bike to prevent some of the little bumps, skips and slides from making it to my head.
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I guess I will also let this little
secret cat out of the bag... I call it the "spread effect" in short, but it's really, really, really getting a good lock on the bike. When you stand straight up, you support your weight 50/50 with each leg. Do you do that on the bike? What part of the bike supports the majority of your weight? It's not the bars for sure... so I like to spread my weight evenly over the seat, pegs, knee on tank, chest on tank when tucked or arm on the tank when hanging off. To start off, this means the suspension does not have to compensate for me as the rider in general. This also lets me move around more fluidly on the bike, especially sliding across the seat with ease. Feel of traction wise, it ensures I don't get too much "localized feedback" and a better definition of what the whole bike's traction level is. Basically the muscles in bumm, legs/knee, chest, and whichever arm is on the tank act as buffers or noise gates to my head. Sometimes I use use them to dull the feeling of lack of traction or increase the feeling of traction by paying more attention to those contact points. Most importantly, it allows me to really isolate my throttle control to move weight around. After all, your main goal while riding is to "keep the bike stable". If you repeat the throttle control rule 1000 times, this one should be repeated 999 times. This is how I define my instinct while riding.
All of these things combine to paint a beautiful picture of traction or lack of it, that is then perceived to the rider. Each of us feel it differently and is just as much an art form, as it is a skill in all to itself. The better your skill, the more traction you can detect and... even sometimes get away with going beyond it a little bit.
So far.... I haven't seen anything, anywhere that is a better explanation of a very complex subject.
