Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducati999
Hello Everyone,
I want to know how to tell when you are approaching the limits of traction. This is a very broad question but as a newish track rider I have been pushing a little bit more and slowly adding speed. The biggest hurdle is the worry of accidently going past the limit. I know there are guys going thru the same turn on the same line as I am with lots more speed (I just moved out of the slowest group) so I know there is more grip available, I just dont know what the signals the bike is sending to me mean in relation to the limit.
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This is a very difficult question and a good one! I'm sorry that I didn't see this post earlier
bit overall I think that the general advice that people are giving here is really good!
I just wanted to mention something that is in my article on the topic and that is:
".....there are some ways to improve your odds. The best way is to have a solid understanding of good riding skills.
Author of Twist of the Wrist II, Keith Code says that, “having good technical skills is the only sane route to mastering the bands of traction and reading their signs. In other words, without a firm grounding in basics, it’s easy for riders to misidentify what they think is a loss of traction when it isn’t or because of poor technique they may skip a band or two and get themselves into trouble."
He goes on to say that, “Sloppy throttle control gives a false sense of tire grip. Using lean angle in the wrong part of the turn for the wrong reasons gives a distorted feel for it. How the rider sits on the bike can have a huge effect on it. Confusing inputs into the handlebars is another classic way of misreading the signs your tires can give you. All of these [riding errors] will set you up to miss the signals completely.”
So basically, the more you arm yourself with knowledge about good solid riding technique and the more understanding you have, the better prepared and able you will be to notice and read the signals the bike is giving you about available traction.
Also in the article are a few suggestions of some things that you might FEEL that indicate you are at the edge of front end traction. You can read the rest here:
http://www.motomom.ca/the-limit-expl...tire-traction/
Let me know if you have any further questions or more specific questions
Great topic!
Misti