Building a “symphony of skills” teach’stricks


By Chris “Teach” McNeil #198724 OVER


year, we’ve


THE PAST talked


about a handful of fundamental


skills


that will improve your riding ability in just about any situa- tion, as well as some specific techniques


and drills for doing so. We’ve also talked about how improving your abilities and confidence on your bike can mitigate a fair amount of risk, leading not only to safer rid- ing, but also to more oppor- tunities to explore the places and rides you’ve always wanted to attempt. Imagine that each skill or


technique is a musical note, and while that sole note may sound pleasing to your ear, it is not nearly as enjoyable as listening to a variety of notes combined together in a unique and inspired manner to ultimately form a song or a symphony. On our motor- cycles, we are trying to achieve this same balance and inter-connectivity of individual notes, or skills, in order to produce our own symphony. This achievement manifests itself uniquely for each individual, but the results are always similar – a satisfying acquisi- tion of skill, an enjoyable ride, a sense of pride at having overcome new obstacles, etc. Before we forge ahead and put our own rock band together, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First, no matter how skilled a rider


is or how easy they make it all look, rest assured they have honed the fun- damentals for countless hours in some


66 BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2015


manner of a controlled environment. With- out a solid foundation in each required dis- cipline, it is impossible to build an array of more complex skill sets with which you can enhance your riding. Before you learn to read a book, you must first learn to read and spell words, and even before that, you must learn the alphabet, the building blocks of the language. Secondly, a vital step in the equation of motorcycle mastery is to apply all of the various methods of control into a never ending array of combinations to not only actively attack the terrain, but to make


combination and then to another, until eventually riders were able to control and manipulate their motorcycles virtually any way they wished. That is ultimately what freestyle riding is all about. Effectively, what each one of us wants to


do is to be able to freestyle in such a way that we can adequately and confidently control our motorcycle in any given situa- tion. That is why stunt riders are often so adept at different disciplines of riding – because they have a solid foundation of basic skills with plenty of experience com- bining them. While you may have no desire to apply your abilities to drift a bike or roll a stoppie, the skills required to perform those tricks will make you a better rider regardless of what or how you ride. There are five different inputs you


can apply to your motorcycle to affect the handling: throttle, clutch, front brake, rear brake and body position. Often, one application can be substituted for another or used in conjunction with another to achieve the same result. In a basic example, you could slow down by closing the throttle, using either brake individ- ually, using both brakes together or even using both brakes in conjunc-


the bike do the work for you. The equation looks something like this:


specific skill + repetition + specific skill = skill set; skill set + repetition + skill set = motorcycle mastery (time and innate ability are the key variables here). Once you develop the fundamentals, you then need to expand upon those base skills, whether by combing them with other skills or working on the overall timing of the techniques you are practicing. Stunt riding evolved from the principles


of personal challenge and combining base skills into various skill sets. One skill set leads to two, which in turn leads to a


tion with the clutch and some engine brak- ing. In a more advanced scenario, you could loft a wheelie either by powering up the front with the throttle using horsepower alone, by preloading the suspension and using slightly less power to bounce the front wheel into the air, or by using the throttle and clutch to pop the wheelie up to balance point. The end result is the same, but the path to achieve said result can be altered or adjusted infinitely depending upon the par- ticular situation and the rider’s assessment and desires. Once you have each facet of control iso- lated as a mastered skill, you then must


discovery


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