Why Your Motorcycle Tires Are Actually Springs (And Why It Matters!)

[@duainejanes8240]

Forgive for my earlier comment, as I am an idiot. I did not watch the full video , I only watched the first few seconds of it. After watching the full video I felt like a clown, as the video was very informative. So sorry!!!

[@CanyonChasers]

Haha! I love it. But I'm pinning this comment because it made me chuckle!

[@mike197601]

I don't think they care mate...they only seem to be interested in making informative videos so we can learn...I've certainly become better for watching their youtube videos.

[@jsinclair39]

You nailed my two favorite saying when improving my riding skills. "Wait for the weight" and "Don't surprise your tires." If you learn both then you're on your way to accomplishing the 3rd. "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast." ✊️

[@CanyonChasers]

YES!!

[@michaeltrivette1728]

Yes. You gotta slow down to go fast.

[@Hao849]

"Wait for the weight" and "Don't surprise your tires." Straight to the point, great job ( have not heard those words in years, majority don't understand and will argue the fact, lol)

[@wpearson777]

"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" We recited that several times at Navy EOD Dive school.

[@johncunningham4820]

Same is True of Car or TRUCK tyres .

[@kenhetherington756]

I've been correcting people who said "dampener" for over 40 years. Most of them have argued and told me I was wrong. It's good to hear someone else get it right.

[@FlesHBoX]

On the down side, my bike lives outside. But on the up side, that means I don't need to worry about dampening my suspension!

[@idratherberiding3456]

I clicked on your video just to correct the word dampening, I already came with the definition, LOL: the word "dampen" The correct word for reducing the amplitude in waves (such as spring action) is "damping" or "to damp." The word "dampen" means to make damp or moist, and is concerned with liquid, not to reduce the amplitude of the spring. I'm glad you explained this for everyone.

[@CanyonChasers]

RIGHT! Like, how often do you cringe when someone uses dampening to explain suspension? I blame Star Trek and all those dampening fields.

[@AleksiJoensuu]

I glad CC made this video. Now I know I need to dampen my suspension and tyres. I'm gonna grab a rag right now.

[@ryancraig2795]

I almost suspect using "dampening" in the description was to bring us in just to say this 😅

[@throbbinwoodofcoxley6830]

@@ryancraig2795 I was just about to post about how only stupid people use the term, then I saw this post.

[@RickyJr46]

The statement about *"not wanting to surprise a tire"* is simply genius.

[@CanyonChasers]

I wish I could take credit for it!

[@dominahorti6810]

from the mouths of babes...

[@RT22-pb2pp]

Eddie lawson great racer was always the smooth guy his bike just floated never a hard yank or movement and he was super fast. back in 80s a racer said eddie is fast cause he is smooth, smooth is fast. cause the bike transitions smooth it does not upset tires or suspension and he rarely crashed. Steady Eddie they called him cause he looked like he was on a sunday cruise but was always one of the fastest guys racing. Quick changes can upset bike and suspension and causes many crashes and to know it is true watch the guys who are fast in the wet, the smooth guys really shine in the wet cause everything is smooth transitions so they fall less.

[@rondobrondo]

LMAO i hated being that guy who always felt the need to correct people on damping Vs. Dampening, but technical terminology is always important to me when you’re talking about technical things

[@984francis]

THANK YOU for calling out dampening. That's what happens to my underpants due to prostate issues and has nothing to do with damping!

[@fdub301]

You should actually look up the word dampen & see what comes up

[@johnmanlysmith]

​@fdub301 Francis is correct in this instance, but don't worry. Linguistics is dynamic, and vernacular plays a huge role. Especially with English. I'm confident that in 20-30 years Webster's will be forced to update the definition mainly bc of KZbin. Along with "fitment", "actually", and "literally". Forgive Francis and I, we're oldschool and raised in a time where all that stuff mattered. We were graded on content AND execution, and now we're bygone curmudgeons. Don't take it personally. Regardless...the video is great content!

[@fdub301]

@@johnmanlysmith neither of you are correct. We're not talking about 100 years ago, we're talking about today. If you look up the definition of the word dampening today, what do you see? You're well within your rights to continue to be incorrect if you'd like, but you are incorrect. Edit: & just to be perfectly clear, here's the definition from the online etymology dictionary "1630s, "to dull or deaden, make weak" (force, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.), from damp (adj.) + -en (1). Meaning "to moisten, make humid" is recorded from 1827. Related: Dampened; dampening." Which of those years came first 1630 or 1827? Or maybe your childhood was simply before 'to dull or deaden' became an accepted definition. You are old school after all

[@natecote1971]

Google the word he is wrong and looks stupid

[@Steverinomeister]

Thank You for clearing up the confusion about suspension dampening

[@Ramon51650]

Dampening versus Damping....thank you so much for reaching out to those think/thought that the words are interchangeable!

[@Supernova12034]

'load the tire before you work the tire' I did an advanced track day course this past weekend and I learned more from Nick Ienatsch in a 10 minute video than over 3 days of coaching/track riding.

[@CanyonChasers]

Nick has a real gift of simplifying things! I'm a fan!

[@Supernova12034]

@@CanyonChasers Same, his videos and books have taken my riding to the next level, and probably saved my life as well!

[@qman1434]

I love Nick's ways! I have learned so much over my years of riding, legal since 1978! I couldn't wait for the next issue of Motorcyclist mag!

[@CanyonChasers]

The first version of CanyonChasers was largely inspired by those early Motorcyclist magazine staff tours! My favorite issue of the year! I didn't have access to a track or racing, but I could tour!

[@atech9020]

Some general rules for suspension settings I have learned are: For the front, rebound damping encourages confidence, but too much causes the front to pack down and bottom the fork out. Compression in the front is used to get the front fork to only collapse to about 1/4" of full compression. You want the least amount rebound that still achieves confidence, and allows the bike to hold a line out of corners. Compression will mostly be about how hard you brake. The rear is more complicated as you have to read the tire. Rebound and compression tear is real, just as much as the affect of tire pressure has a tell on the tire. You want to retain as much compression as you can before traction is an issue. For rebound you rely on the tire mostly. Too much rebound and the bike will run wide out of corners. Too little rebound compression and it will want to keep falling into the turn. Too much compression reduces traction, while too little causes the bike to want to run wide out of turns exacerbated by the amount of rebound. I find it easier to dial in the front first, then get the rear dialed in, then repeat back to the front etc. Eventually, you will get to a point where you are chasing your tail. That is where you have to learn what YOU are doing wrong. Most rider problems are caused by the rider. So you have to learn what the changes in the suspension do for you, and what you do to cause that result. Then you can learn how you cause the suspension to do things you don't want it to. Eventually you will get to a point where you won't be any faster, and the bike won't get any better. This is the point where you need to improve the suspension to suit you and your riding style, and then you repeat the process again.

[@briangc1972]

Your front suspension setting advice is 100% wrong. First, the race sag is set to 25% on street bikes. So your advice to adjust compression to only allow 1/4 of full compression is totally wrong. The dampers are used to control the spring, not for controlling total compression. Too much wrong information has people running way too much compression damping instead of adjusting their spring preload properly. Adjusting the preload is not opening the book and turning it x turns. It must be adjusted with the rider on the bike. Watch Dave Moss Tuning videos for a primer on the subject.

[@lukegeis6491]

@@briangc1972 He didn't say a word about pre-load. Which is only a setting to account for SAG/Pre-Load. No point in going crazy about SAG though. Most people will require a different spring to get ideal SAG settings. So What is left to do if you weigh more than the spring can support? Compression is all that is left without getting crazy and adding oil to the shock or using thicker oil. Compression is compression, and the compression setting is used to control downward compression is it not? So if all you have is a compression setting to control that, then that is the only setting you can use to control that. And what is the total amount of travel you would set compression for if your SAG was set for exactly 25%. You are confusing sag as being a shock setting. It is nothing more than pre-load. All that means is that at a standstill, the shock will compress X amount. SAG is a setting that is also trying to account for stiction ( the shock's resistance to movement due to friction of the internal and external parts ). I worked with Dave Moss on my bike, he set the SAG and when I came back using more compression than he liked, he said good boy and cranked in more compression. The amount of advice you present is pretty empirical though....Not...

[@atech9020]

@@briangc1972 I didn't say anything about preload FYI. That is a whole different thing, and only sets the pace for how the suspension will be read, not how it will react. A spring doesn't change how the shock reacts; it only determines where in the stroke it will react. The air gap has more of an effect than the spring does in the grand scheme of things. That is why pre-load, or sag is set initially. You don't change it after it is set unless you need to move where in the stroke the shock is affected by settings. An example would be wet weather riding. You usually go for less pre-load ( more suspension travel in the downward direction ) or a softer spring, as well as softer suspension settings. This makes the bike more compliant and gives the bike more suspension travel to allow the bike to move more and be less of a burden on the tire, increasing wet traction. That type of setting doesn't work well in dry weather because the bike moves too much, and you have enough traction to overcome the spring and compression settings. There is no magic suspension setting, and the idea that too much of one setting over the other as being dangerous, is just bad thinking. The suspension settings don't make you crash, they just make the bike easier, or more difficult to ride. They will help solve issues. If you run wide out of corners, you don't crash, you just don't accelerate as much out of corners making you slower. But if you dial in some rebound to help keep the bike from running wide, you may find you gain the confidence needed to go a little faster. The pre-load setting in that case doesn't matter. Rider's cause most of their own issues. The suspension just deals with those issues. So, the settings used simply make it easier for you as a rider to work around those issues. So going with my prescribed method will help dial out some of those issues allowing you more confidence, and perhaps a faster machine. You cannot crash because of a bad setting. You will feel or notice the difference and that lack of confidence will stop you from riding faster than the bike is capable of. The bike is not the weak link, the rider is. The suspension is simply a tool to improve the rider's confidence helping to improve speed and compliance of the machine.

[@curtisburrell8122]

Since my early days of riding I’ve always considered my tires the last link in the suspension before the asphalt. I play with tire pressure and the suspension till I feel the bike and I are as good as we can be together. Watching this video made me smile as my dad always said the same thing about the tire. To this day at sixty I’m still trying to be as smooth as possible. Thanks for the videos. They are very informative.

[@soujrnr]

Yet another fantastic video. I don't feel like it dampened my spirits at all. The one phrase that really sticks with me in the video is where you basically quoted from the Yamaha riding school: load the tire before working the tire. That is so simple and yet so profound. What a great way to sum up the importance and efficacy of trail braking, among other things! Thanks so much for a great lesson!

[@JCintheBCC]

Great visualization of the rebound of the tire! It drives home how easy it can be to make the tire skip and lose traction (which is all a squealing tire is) with abrupt inputs, both vertical (in the direction of the suspension) and longitudinal (in the direction of motion) when we grab the brakes.

[@CanyonChasers]

Great point. But more important is credit where credit is due. Thank you for the video idea! I hope you saw your name on the end screen!

[@HeathLCK]

Excellent! From the title I was ready to correct you, but you explained damping & dampening nicely!

[@charlesbarbour]

In music too! So many people call the pedal on a piano the "dampener" pedal. Or, "You've got dampen your guitar strings for that to sound right." Thank you for clarifying this.

[@kharri2476]

Good Stuff. Thank you! 😊

[@drumsnbass]

You never disappoint, brother!

[@CanyonChasers]

Thank you!

[@mike197601]

Not a comment on this particular video but on the channel as a whole. I've found this channel absolutely brilliant as a gsxr k7 rider getting back on a bike in 2023.

[@CanyonChasers]

Wow, thanks!

[@ryancraig2795]

I'm heading out on a 3 day trip tomorrow. I'm hoping that my bike will be "damped" but not get "dampened" 😂

[@CanyonChasers]

Dampened motorcycle trips are the worst.

[@kensimmons3356]

I ran the max recommended pressure in my tires for years. I lowered the front and rear by 2psi and it smoothed out the whole bike. It absorbs the bumps in the road better and inspired more confidence in my tires. I weigh 160lbs so a lower tire pressure made sense to me. Ride sag and fork adjustment were all dialed in, the only thing missing was the proper tire pressure for my weigh and riding style. Felt like a new bike. Maybe the tires wear a little more, but not enough to notice a real difference. Oh....and the braking is better also.

[@lefterisbampaidis5446]

The maximum tire pressure is extremely high and has nothing to do with the recommended pressure for riding. Refer to your motorcycle's manual for the recommended tire pressure. You probably need to drop it more than just 2psi.

[@kensimmons3356]

@@lefterisbampaidis5446 I ran 32 36 which is what the manual called out. Now I run 30 34. I wasn’t running the max pressure on the sidewall of the tire. I really don’t think I need to go lower than what I run now. The bike handles real nice.

[@lefterisbampaidis5446]

@@kensimmons3356 oh ok, I get it now.

[@krazykittyharleygal]

😅 absolutly had me in stitches. Mmmmm dampening the tyres. Very good. Also this short vid is what's known as "a quicky". 💪🏼 Great stuff 👍🏼

[@mugget]

Awesome info! Simple and easy to understand, and so important as well.

[@deauvilledad07]

Don't surprise the tyres, wise words Dave. Stay safe, ride well 🤔🏍️🤓

[@michaelmatthews821]

You have the best explanations & valuable lessons... keep up the great work!

[@wernerxldata]

To add one suspension component, the air in your fork is also behaving like a spring since it can be compressed. During motocross training we call sudden movement 'you make the bike upset'. Smoothness is everything, practice more slowly, make it perfectly smooth and then add more speed, if you get less smooth drop speed again 🎉 Slow and right beats fast and wrong. Great video on a super important subject, this is the fundament of becoming a great rider.

[@1050cc]

🤣🤣🤣not dampening or even damping my enthusiasm for this channel 😁👏

[@molallamerica896]

I am very thankful for the dampening lecture and visuals. Well done.

[@Dogatemyhomework927]

I haven’t heard that explained before.. 💯👍🏽

[@zscottsmith]

"Good and damp." Love it!

[@girlandherguitar]

Excellent information. Well presented as always. Thanks!

[@LJSiar]

Grate video. Smooth is fast. Trail braking is the key to pitch and yah.

[@PaulDinwiddie]

Thank you so much for your "easy-to-understand" explanation!

[@one-of-us9939]

Way sweet info bro... Thanks!

[@46rrodriguez]

good video but everytime you talking about the tyres and safe riding you should mention one of the most important thing about the tyres which is the temperature. New riders must learn that the cold tyres in cold weather conditions have minimum grip and they need the time to warm up for the best grip. Not sure if you covered it in previous videos but its good to always remind it

[@JCintheBCC]

He does talk about that in other videos, but temperature is one part of this issue, as well. When tires are cold, they are less compliant and have even less damping from the rubber compound, causing them to act even more like the spring in the video. They have less grip because they are more rigid and "bounce" more.

[@CanyonChasers]

This is an extremely good point! I think worthy of it's own video!

[@46rrodriguez]

@@CanyonChasers Your world wide followers are riding in different climate conditions thus they need to know how important is the tyres temperature for safe riding. Looking forward to it . Thank you

[@spiritriderjk]

It drives me crazy too when I hear dampening instead of damping. Thanks for validating me 😆

[@ancienttechnique5830]

Not only did I improve my riding skills, I’ve also graduated high school all from watching this video 😊

[@ИванМилев-я6п]

Thank you for the information!

[@gravityrider.melbourne]

And there's me, a non-native English speaker, looking at the box my certain phone mounting accessory... It says "vibration dampener" All this time I thought it protects my phone camera but what it's been doing is to secretly make my bike wet

[@CanyonChasers]

Haha! Love it!

[@joaosalta]

I had to learn that with my F650GS and some Metzler tyres i have on it. Since i didn't preload enough my spring, i had a accordion effect with the soft metzler rain tyres😅

[@williammahaffy4642]

Brilliant! Like getting a complete ChampStreet review!!

[@mricemantoyou]

I have never said dampening, apart from applying moisture either 😅 good call 😊 good video content too 👍

[@beanwithbaconmegarocket]

That's a dampening good point about using the correct term.

[@CanyonChasers]

Oh. I see what you did there. 🤣

[@cstreet1824]

You totally click baited me with the "DAMPENING" graphic. Good one. I loved the "dampening" demonstration ha ha. Good info, btw.

[@peterbigblock]

Thank you. Thank you! Damping. By a damper. The spring action is damped. There’s no dampening unless your seals are bad.

[@deborahchesser7375]

Good info. crucial to rider safety as well.

[@SFUndertaker]

Finally someone said it. I learned the difference in English As Second Language.

[@robeverywhere7414]

This video made my tyres, moist 😊 ❤

[@samihasib]

I have been following your channel since 2018 and subsequently did track days, bought a track bike, did ChampU online courses (I am in Australia), advanced rider course and I also follow MotoJitsu, Lee Parks etc. I am a much faster, safer and better rider after literally consuming all of your content and putting them into practice. All of you guys heavily emphasis on trail braking techniques. I have learned a lot from your videos and apply them every day on the road and on trackdays. However, I recently delved into Twist of the Wrist by K.Code and I am totally baffled by his approach of almost never touching the brakes (when cornering) and actually increasing throttle when cornering 😮 to shift weight to rear wheel.... Also quick flick etc. Twist of the wrist feels very counter intuitive (after following you for last 5 years) but Keith Code is no dummy either and his school produced some very fast racers too. I am keen to try some of his techniques on my next spirited ride.... But I must say I am very confused. What is your thoughts on K.Code? Note: I own a 2022 BMW S1000RR ( Australia spec, no hole in power-band like US version) and my track bike is a 2006 SV650. On my S1000RR, I have cornering ABS so a lot of what is written in the Twist of the Wrist about braking doesn't really apply to the bike... However they do apply to my SV650.

[@mike-uh8rk]

Moto jitsu skip it

[@CanyonChasers]

This comes up often, and to be fair, way back in the 70s, he really kicked off the motorcycle education system as we know it, and for that he deserves a lot of credit. I took his schools, read his books. But... whats the best way to say this.... We know a lot more than we did in the 70s. We have data logging and a better understanding of physics and computer modeling. A lot of what we thought we knew turned out to be patently false. The same physics and the same rules apply to your BMW as your SV. The reason why I gravitated towards and eventually certified with Champ School (even after swearing I'd never certify with another program again) is because they continually adapt whats taught. Because of their association with Yamaha (and other very high level entitites) they have access to data that no other program does. They are talking to and analyzing what the best riders in the world are doing and then adjusting cirriculum based on that new information. Even since I've been around, I've seen them tweak things based on new information. Literally, beyond just Freddie Spencer, they have guest MotoGP riders as instructors from time to time. Like, seriously, Bradley Smith. And he was incredible. Everything Champ School says aligns with Sylvain Guintoli. They are even speaking with, who I believe to be one of the GOATs, Casey Stoner. I've made video's where I came out and said "I was wrong about how I was teaching this based on this new information". Nick Ienatsch did the same thing with his "The Pace" articles. I think thats how we need to approach this sport.

[@samihasib]

@@CanyonChasers many thanks for your thoughtful response.

[@samihasib]

@@mike-uh8rk why do you say that?

[@lefterisbampaidis5446]

​@@samihasib I'd say he's speechifying and rambling. His videos could have at least half the duration.

[@joel8034]

At 1:55 in, I wasn't cringing, I was laughing! Thank you for this video.

[@ChadHargis]

Thank you so much...I absolutely HATE when people say "dampening". It's DAMPING!

[@SilkLotus]

You had me rolling at the tire dampening..... you're a fool lol

[@Jack_Hudson]

I'm now Damp after watching this, Giddity! Thanks for the Infotainment Dude

[@ninonicebx]

Great information.

[@MattFellowswasHere]

Consider also-1) Teaches that abrupt inputs always produce undesirable results. 2) Also rides a motorcycle with traction control systems where automated inputs are immediate, abrupt, fast, dramatic and heavily intervening.

[@sh60guy25]

LOL That used to drive me nuts in the Navy. Guys would call the dampers on the helo dampeners.

[@christalbert722]

Ok, an observation- "Damp" also gets a lot of use in music. For example, a drum, a bell, actually most any instrument... you typically don't want them to "ring" for a long time... I've seen drummers put towels inside their kick drums to damp them. A tight well controlled drum is refereed to as damp. This would be a situation where you are actually using a towel for damping. It could even be a wet towel- the towel could be damp while making the drum damp as well. :) Note: I am not recommending drummers actually put wet towels inside their drums. 'Cause that's just stupid.

[@CanyonChasers]

Damp damping dampening!

[@ctdope]

Awesome video.

[@ryancraig2795]

Using "Dampening" in the thumbnail: well played, sir.

[@CanyonChasers]

they say thumbnails should create an emotional response. So thought about that. "Dampening" makes me cringe and thats an emotion, right?

[@TRexHeliPilot]

The terms "damping" and "dampening" are often used interchangeably, but they have distinct meanings in different contexts. "Damping" refers to the act of reducing or eliminating vibrations or oscillations, commonly used in engineering or physics. On the other hand, "dampening" refers to making something less intense or reducing its impact, such as reducing the volume of sound or lessening the force of something. Therefore, when referring to sound or vibration control, the correct term to use is "damping," while "dampening" is more appropriate when describing the reduction of intensity or impact of something in general. When referring to the movement of motorcycle suspension, the correct term to use is "damping." In the context of motorcycle suspension, damping refers to the control of the speed at which the suspension compresses and extends, affecting how the motorcycle responds to bumps and maintains contact with the road. Damping adjustments, such as compression damping and rebound damping, play a crucial role in fine-tuning the behavior of the suspension system to suit different riding conditions and preferences.

[@CanyonChasers]

Did you watch the video?

[@Guitar806]

Great video 👍

[@pmacc3557]

Great thanks

[@tammyforbes2101]

I always keep the best tires I can on my bikes and my cars! But more the bike cause of higher top speeds! I have Pirreli Diablo Rosso Corsa 2’s on my GSX-S1000! I really like them they do good in all conditions even rain! I do believe I will switch back to the dunlops next time I’m just used to them and miss the feel they gave! The Pirrelis are just as good in every category except feel that’s where I believe the dunlops are better! By then we will be on to the Q6 probably!

[@artwebb6939]

People in the comments section defending the use of dampening where damping is appropriate in 3, 2, 1 🤣

[@CanyonChasers]

I know! It has the potential to get heated!

[@1050cc]

Great content as always, thank you 👌You mention covering your break and this, and a video you posted sometime back, "1 simple change could save your life", have prompted me to ask a question based on my braking practice ! As you suggested in that video, I use the "radially" controlled fingers, index and pointer, to cover my brake at all times. Doing this, however, finds my fingers positioned naturally over the left half of the brake lever (the part furthest from the bar end). Squeezing the lever here, there is less travel of the brake lever. When I am braking, I suspect that with more travel available to me on the brake lever, having my fingers lower down, I can add a good bit more final braking at the end of the "squeeze" to get a sharper stop ? I've tried it and it seems to work but is that just my imagination !? What are your thoughts on this please ??

[@eamonnmckeown6770]

In the city my fingers never leave the front and rear scooter brakes. Had three spills panic grabbing the fronts prior to that.

[@tinymotogarage]

Great content as always!

[@CanyonChasers]

Thank you!

[@camgere]

It's all about force. No, not the 1% kind of force. When you put a force on a spring it changes its length (distance). When you put a force on a damper it changes its speed. When you put a force on a mass it changes its acceleration. The classic spring-mass-damper system. Springs store and return energy. When you hit a spring with a hammer it compresses and then expands again. It would keep doing this for a long time if it were not for damping (motorcycles have a large mass it is acting against). Light damping only transfers a bit of force to the front wheel under braking. Heavy damping transfers a lot of force to the front wheel. Think how many swings it takes a child's swing to come to a stop. (Viscous) damping absorbs the energy from the spring and gets hot. If your swing swung into a pool of water it would stop abruptly. Springs and mass shouldn't get hot except being in contact with fork oil. Forks should get hot. Absorbing energy is its job of fork oil. This energy absorption is damping.

[@CanyonChasers]

Great explanation!

[@ryancraig2795]

The tires do have some damping properties, of course. It's one of the reasons they get hot when riding.

[@tylerfloyd8036]

I have also lived by these rules but this was not fully explained 100% like a spring you can compress it as fast as you like, as long as that pressure remains the same until you want the spring to return, watch the video of topraks bike build, the amount of brake force that they apply and how rapid they apply it is mind blowing but he knows how to control the brakes in a way that it doesn’t in disturb the bike, but it also required forks, frame and steering components to be built for such a force.

[@johncunningham4820]

Damping should be the LEAST it can be that deals with Spring Rate AND Tyre oscillation forces . And yes , load the Tyre smoothly before REALLY loading it up . Same exact rules apply to Cars AND Trucks .

[@zoly16]

Don't let your tires know your next move!😂 (Great, informative video!)

[@CanyonChasers]

Thats funny!

[@MattFellowswasHere]

One the problems with the instructional KZbins for motorcycling in particular just seems to be this “one size fits all” mentality. This is usually coupled with terms like “never”, “always” and “don’t” and “best practices”. The problem is when you’re out in the real world you get thrown a lot of curveballs on the road. I can recount at least a couple of instances where all the “rules” went away. One such time I came over, a rise going about 70-75 and in the midst of my path stood a deer about the size of a small horse. How much braking do you suppose I used? Do you think I was abrupt with the front brake? Well, let me tell you I used every bit of mechanical braking that was available and I was squeezing the front brakes to the bar almost immediately- all over the rear as well. And I was not loose on the bars- I was elbows-locked death-gripping the bars-I was not gonna let the front wash. Almost immediately, both wheels were fully locked, and I was in a lovely skid toward this critter. And when I got within about 50 feet of the dude-he decided to jump out of the way. But I would like to ask you all a question? What would have happened if I defaulted to my “practiced” braking very nice and smooth and progressive? I can tell you beyond ANY shadow of a doubt I would’ve “progressively” broken nearly every bone in my body and probably killed that animal as well. So this notion that we are always going to do the same thing no matter what simply IS NOT true or that we are ALWAYS going to revert to our primal instincts because we’re under stress or “nervous”. I hate the word nervous I never get nervous riding a motorcycle-EVER. I recall a time when I hit a bunch of gravel in the middle of the road and I stood the bike up- like a moron- and ended up exiting the road surface on the oncoming side. I was never nervous then in fact, I just kept riding the motorcycle for about 400 yards in the culvert on the wrong side of the road until I was able to climb back onto the road surface. I’m not telling the story like I’m some kind of motorcycle Jesus but don’t STOP riding the bike no matter what happens -don’t just crash because you THINK you’re crashing. There’s no MSF thing tell you what to do when you’ve accidentally left the road. The point I’m making is there is no RATIONAL form of instruction that doesn’t take into account the situation that you may find yourself in. I’m a ton more abrupt on the inputs when it’s dry- then I am when it’s wet- I DO NOT ride the same. I suspect ton of people don’t. So to pretend we’re going to regress or revert just because we’re stressed isn’t NECESSARILY true- we are quick-thinking, high-functioning primates. We are INFINITELY capable of situational awareness. Go watch about a dozen Marc Marquez saves- and tell me that there’s ANY individual flight plan for any single one of those. Not a CHANCE. It’s instinctual reaction to whatever the situation is at the time.

[@vijayam1]

Excellently put.. It's damping, not damn dampening.. 😊

[@ChrisGuthrie]

This is some good information

[@adamweb]

Berm Peak approves this message!

[@oliveroliver7330]

Your high IQ lectures are simply unreal mate. Fantastic the visual and every day comparisons to the isssue you are tackling. Full points also to your conciseness and minimum time of your tutorials as the human mind cannot concentrate full power for more than approximately 5 minutes and it’s so important in your videos not to miss a single word. 🎉👍💪👋

[@I_am_archie]

Thanks

[@Airbag1010674]

"Dampening" is to make something damp/wet. "DAMPING" is related to suspension.

[@CanyonChasers]

Did you watch the video?

[@johnhinds6540]

LOL!!! "Dampening"... LMAO. Yup, have heard that too. Seriously though, perfect video and thank you. Spot on, and not too long to get your point across. So many bike channel guys wax on, and on, and on because they love to talk. Your videos are perfect. Keep it up, Sir!

[@CanyonChasers]

Thanks YT wants us to make longer and longer content. But 5 to 8 minutes seems like plenty. Yeah?

[@Apostasy_Plague]

dampening bit got me lmao

[@ZildjianMan30]

I came here for the hammer vs spring test results. I'm saddened to not witness those results visually.

[@davidtruong9367]

OUTSTANDING video and content once again, Dave. I have learned so much by you making it so easy to understand and apply by HOW you teach. Keep up the great work and know that you’re making a huge difference!

[@ricalava7747]

Love damping off everything, specially when getting sweaty 😂

[@christalbert722]

THANK YOU! You've hit on one of my biggest frustrations. I want to scream every time someone says "dampener" or "dampening". (Unless they're talking about watering their yard.) I blame StarTrek for some of this. *Always* doing it. It's actually a gauge I use, anytime someone does it I sort them into the "probably not competent" category. Now if we can all just agree to kick anyone that says "I could care less" too. We can change the world. It'll take a while.

[@nickgandy3]

I always ride with each index finger covering brake and clutch levers at all times

[@ShunguRocks]

I can guarantee less than 0.5% of riders her know the “basics of suspension” list ‘round here. Thank Rossi I found this and I’m still yet to get my first bike

[@Mark-eh3mv]

I would be interested to hear the argument as to why you feel tires are more important than brakes on a bike. If I had to choose between riding on bad tires or bad brakes, I'm choosing the good brakes and the bad tire. You can ride carefully with rotten tires, but you cannot ride carefully with rotten brakes.

[@daveclews4497]

I'd be interested to see this study that recommends covering the front brake. In my experience (and learnings) covering the front brake leads to poor brake use due to receive applications. Technique is improved by not covering So your brain has that second to consider the application before activating the brake poorly.

[@deadslow201]

When you release throttle, you already have 50-75% weight on your front tyre. That is why you really do not need to "wait for weight". And if you have a track bike with proper track front suspension, which can handle the loads under maximum deceleration you should really aim to be very "abrupt" with you front brake at your brake mark. Only release is smooth/linear when trail braking in to corner apex. One problem with these "eye-opening" videos is that they just replace one misconception with another misconception, or they provide sometimes a totally new misconception. And a small note about tyres; they too have damping, and that is the biggest reason why they create heat when you ride. Same thing with dampers, they create heat because they are damping.

[@CanyonChasers]

How to Recognize Bad Riding Advice

[@mike197601]

I'm a fan. It'd just be so interesting if you could come over here to GB and Ireland and do some vids on our roads!!!...I'm relatively new so if you already have feel free to link!!

[@CanyonChasers]

Aw man! We love it over there! Love it! But we've not made any riding content when we've been on your side of the pond.

[@bigdogv6543]

He has a thing for dampening like I do when I hear "hot" water heater. It's a water heater.... Not a hot water heater! Great vid!

[@CanyonChasers]

You don’t heat your hot water? 🤣

[@bigdogv6543]

@@CanyonChasers you heat water... Not hot water...

[@CanyonChasers]

But it takes energy to heat cold water so I only heat my hot water. It’s cheaper and faster. 😎

[@bluestripes1]

the word dampening is fine, see Oxford Dictionary definition 2. make less strong or intense. (as in the oscillations in a suspension)

[@CanyonChasers]

That literally blew my mind. 🤯. The dictionary also says literally can mean figuratively. 👍

[@andrewg4412]

thank you, now the word damp sounds alien to me

[@eillerjames7093]

What is the proper tire pressure?

[@CanyonChasers]

Start with the recomended pressure in your owners manual. Thats about 90% spot on.

[@NHlocal]

Great information! Thanks for sharing that. I do have an account on your discord but when I try to log on it will not allow me saying something about verifying my phone number and an account already is using it..... or something like that, very discouraging. 🤦🏻‍♂

[@Mo.RidesMoto]

Awesome!

[@kem_tan]

Haha, you got fallen on the floor with "I'm dampening my suspension" :D :D :D

[@boblighthouse1552]

I only clicked because I was triggered by "dampening"... Well played.

[@norseman5041]

It's like people talking about a ''Double Action Revolver'' In a revolver a double action is the fact that you can set the hammer two ways to fire the gun. Stil people holding a double action revolver and staging and setting the hammer with the thumb continuedly call this ''single action'' A gun where you can ONLY stage and set the hammer with your thumb is a single action gun. Only one way to stage and set the hammer. Even seasoned gun people don't understand this difference and get mad if you point this out. When there where handguns who was not able to pull and stage the hammer with the trigger, we had only single action guns. Then came the guns where you could do both, stage and set the hammer with your thumb, and stage and set / fire the gun by pulling the trigger.