Practicing my new Lee Parks throttle-brake technique

exskibum said:

I'm pretty confident we're both talking about having a settled chassis and smooth transitions throughout the turn, but what you've been shown might be a step more sophisticated than I know about or can do. My take on it is you got some good info and a new skill out of the class. Good stuff.

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A picture is worth a thousand words. Here is the illustration from Lee Parks' Total Control.



The caption reads: "This illustration depicts a high-speed turn where the rider is doing a lot of trail braking upon entry. Notice how rapidly the bike gets leaned over and how the throttle is being applied before the brakes are completely released. This helps minimize the weight transfer to the rear, which keeps the suspension balanced for better traction during acceleration. As you can see, the application of throttle is inversely proportional to lean angle on exit."

exskibum said:

Interesting. Gonna have to think about that and pay a little better attention when riding. Maybe we're talking about the same thing, differing only in degree, maybe not. Like I said, I'm rolling off the throttle as I'm applying the brakes before going in and I feather the brakes off beyond that toward the apex, BUT am I all the way off the brakes before I begin to roll the throttle on? I'm not sure. I know it feels like a seamless transition when I'm working it right, but maybe I've got something new to try.

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Being a golfer, I'm sure you've heard of the term "Paralysis by analysis"....

Never even thought about all the physics street-wise, but can tell you I ride with this technique due primarily to dirt play and MX racing. Unsettling the chassis on minimum/maximum traction corners at speed (low/hi side) or in the whoops (drop the nose and die) or when leaving the lip of a big jump (loop or nose dive) as well as maximum braking techniques in slop all apply to the street.

I normally ride with 2 fingers on the clutch, 1 on the front brake. That was good, could clutch easily with finesse and brake hard enough for ABS lock up with one right finger. Now I'm getting arthritis in the finger, I've been experimenting with using the index and little finger, using index and middle, and still struggling to find the right mix where I have the precision and sensitivity needed for throttle settings combined with raw force to engage ABS or finesse front brakes. It really is a dance, and I think new levers are in my future or softer pads or something.

Riding a 2 stroke 500c Mixer will teach you the value of 'Throttle Management' no matter the situation. Once learned, you can safely ride with hands/wrists positioned as described by Parks to maintain finesse in control optimization. I also tend to ride street with my elbows way up for maximum leverage - although this isn't a good street. MX style riding is hard to break. Guess some day I should take a Parks class and learn more.

Kind of funny though, I'm pretty damn happy with where I'm at. I feel my control and smoothness is more than adequate for speed limitations inherent with street riding. If I gained more control/smoothness/speed I think I'd be way beyond the safe street riding margin. Need to think about that more.

Good thread.

Now let me tell yeah how to throttle brake with trailing & reducing gear ratios and weight transfer aka the 'back her in' approach... :huh: :lol: and yes, you actually can back an FJR into a corner, supermotard style. But it's not really recommended - I've done it purposely a dozen times or so but I'm not experienced enough to have adequate control and the FJR is expensive to throw away. I see a SM in my future...

dcarver said:

If I gained more control/smoothness/speed I think I'd be way beyond the safe street riding margin.

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What I'm discovering more and more is that the pleasure comes from getting the technique right and being smooth. Hell, we were practicing these techniques in a parking lot in 30-ft-dia circles. So it ain't about the speed, though one could certainly up that variable.

Jb

James Burleigh said:

What I'm discovering more and more is that the pleasure comes from getting the technique right and being smooth.

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That's my take entirely. From your post out of Total Control (which book I have, read sometime ago and highlighted the heck out of) at p. 62**, I'm guessing I'm not far off that pattern (mid corner the only obvious place where my convergence of brake and throttle control may be slightly different from that, since I wouldn't be surprised to observe that I'm all the way off the brake earlier than that). Like I said, I may pay more attention to see if I can learn even more finesse.

As to Toe's paralysis by analysis comment, I go left brain to try something and if it works (e.g., on the driving range), I try to ingrain it and make it innate for the right brain autopilot to use where it counts. And that's where "smooth" is the feedback. Today, however, I'm wrenching -- left brain.

One way or another, you've gotten me interested in taking Lee Parks' class -- but definitely w/o the HD noise bullshit. Inconsiderate f#cks!!

**Thanks for that very helpful depiction -- I'd forgotten that such a graph was even in there, but it went right to the heart of what we were discussing.