Speed is what almost every biker craves for. At the same time, what everyone hates the most are the crashes. These crashes are something that we can surely keep in check. Of course, there are certain things beyond our control when we ride, but if we carefully control everything within our limits we can insure ours as well as our bike’s safety. People often try to pin-down high speeds for causing high frequency of crashing. In fact, the faster riders are that fast simply because they know how to avoid crashes. By learning this art of avoiding crashes, one can ride safely at their maximum potential.

At The Corners

On the straight-line it is the bike’s performance quotient that delivers more than anything else, but on the corners one need to be skillful. Make the most of the ‘vanishing point’ as a clear indication to the imminent corner. This is the distant view-point which appears to one as the end of the road. The closer the point, the tighter is the corner. The farther it is, the wider the corner. If one is approaching an open, right-hand corner, position oneself to the safest part of the left side and avoid any traditional-braking. Instead, just down a gear or two. This provides a small amount of engine braking with instant acceleration as the corner gets opening out. If you are making a left-turn, follow the previous method, and set yourself up as far to the right as it is safe, and do engine-braking. The purpose of this method is to curb as little speed-off as possible, so as to save plenty of time.

It is better you use the gears for raking because frequent braking will make you lose the momentum that is built-up. Also, conventional braking uses more fuel and brake pads than braking using gears which is a smoother approach. Also remember, the more one increases the lean angle, the more the engine-braking will increase. When one has to use the brakes, especially on slower corners, make the braking early, and then shift into the right gear providing plenty of time for accelerating out of the corner.

On High-Traffic

You try to maintain a speed at which there is a higher chance to react to anything unexpected, and scrub off your speed or at least survive a lesser impact. When filtering, better cover both levers plus your foot on the rear brake-pedal in case some vehicle suddenly changes lane. The risk component in the villages and town centers especially with schools around them is extremely high. So it is recommended to stay within the mandatory speed limit.

Attain A Proper Body Position

Shift your weight smoothly on to either sides and gently weighting the inside foot-peg will ease the bike through corners. Leaning your upper body forward, to the inside of the corner, with heads down will give you more control. The center of gravity gets lowered with the weight off the bike’s center and the bike turn a corner at the more speed with less lean-angle. You can minimize many risks using appropriate body-position. With a little extra effort from the rider, an enhanced speed & safety can be resulted.

Throttling, Braking and Leaning

When entering corners it is necessary to apply the brakes as late as possible and smoothly. It helps to achieve maximum braking-pressure as the bike is upright, and eases off the brakes as the rider approaches maximum lean angle. At corner exit, the riders need to accelerate as quickly as possible. However, if they twist the throttle aggressively when at full lean, the tire would spin and they could crash. Hence, make the bike stand-up as well as possible as they throttle.  If one is at 60% of their maximum lean-angle, then one should not be more than 40% of their available acceleration at corner exit, or 40% of their available braking at corner entry. If one increases the percentage of lean angle, then one should decrease the bike’s acceleration or braking accordingly.  Avoid abrupt throttling or braking. Apply the throttle/brake slowly and smoothly.

Incorrect Suspension

Incorrect setup can cause imminent troubles. A properly set up suspension for your bike will substantially enhance the safety on the track.

Tires

Use warmed up tires because cold tires do not grip well.

Learn from mistakes, and avoid repeating them.  All these when added with some proper focus, helps you go faster while at the same time being safer.