How to Be a Smooth Track Rider & What Does 'Smooth' Even Mean?

[@one-of-us9939]

Controlled is smooth, and smooth is fast. Brilliant. Thanks.

[@michaelcroft131]

I agree, I've been hearing "slow is smooth, smooth is fast" in a number of technique-based pursuits and it never sounded quite right, swapping out slow for controlled is a small change but is indeed brilliant.

[@christians131]

I find I’m the most smooth when I look far ahead and keep my vision focused on the correct points

[@dibyajyotisarmah2726]

SLOW IS SMOOTH AND SMOOTH IS FAST...!!! Indeed... With regular practice and with everything that I am understanding about myself and my bike, I am understanding this today..!!! Keep up the good work...!! Love from North East India...!!!

[@CraterLakey]

Watching your videos gets me so excited for my second season riding on the track and improving

[@twatters22]

I can definitely vouch for the smoothness vs overriding. Overriding may feel that you "look like Marquez" but it actually makes you slower as you are not concentrating on the output/feedback from the bike. Great video Dan.

[@erick1670]

Smooth: Smooth body movement Smooth braking Smooth acceleration Plan ahead before each turn on how to attack the curve... depending on if you are attacking the curve + a rider.

[@DLITINTHEHOUSE]

Your vids always offer valuable information. Keep it up, and thank you.

[@Brianmoto49]

great information that is so applicable to the street rider..from the street perspective I would also add that smooth and focused use of the head and eyes to scan road surface, corner/road characteristics, potential obstacles and hazards, are important to manage risk on the street..these are great videos .. keep up the excellent work to support our sport both street and track,,well done

[@TigerLilyPearl]

Yes! "Controlled" is a much better word to use. As always, helpful information...

[@LifeatLean]

Thanks Pearl!

[@rolandtiiroja]

Good practice is to ride your bike only with throttle hand. Do acceleration and braking also. It helps to get rid of many unwanted handlebar inputs. I'm no professional tho. Just street smart.

[@rolandtiiroja]

Also I see riders (I was the same in the past) who can't hold a steady throttle. They accelerate or they engine brake but they can't hold steady 1% throttle when cruising or cornering. Imo it's super important to be able to hold a steady throttle in various speeds and rpm.

[@nuclearscarab]

Great video! One thing though, your braking traction graph shows the traction limit constant, but in reality, your traction limit increases as you increase (smoothly) baking effort, since your front tire will have more weight and be pressing against the ground harder.

[@apollomorris9920]

You’re pretty much right on has you start going faster into the corner your breaking more aggressively Trying to get your bike back and to go faster than your end so you back it into the turn , When you stand the bike up it’s a drag race to the next turn and there are more then one line for each turn depending on your passing maneuver. If you want to go fast you must be accomplished at breaking and this skill taks time to learn unless you start riding at a vary young age your looking at 4 to 5 years on the track to get this dome good. Enjoy the ride .

[@michaelneal7079]

I’ve watched all your vids , as I improve I like coming back and watching them again, get a new understanding and or meaning from them 👍

[@josephsalemi4977]

Hi Dan, great video and will apply it this weekend on the track. Sometimes easier said than done and know it's a learning process like anything we are not accustomed to. I also have a RS and will be tracking this Sunday. Will try new riding techniques that you had mentioned being on a upright bike in turns on the RS. I also ride my son's GSXR-750 and know it's a totally different ride, very nice track bike and easier to track, as I had mentioned is 2 sec. faster on a lap. The RS is a faster bike stock than my son's GSXR-750 even with his sprocket change on front and rear, very happy with the bike that does everything very good but feel more at home on his GSXR. I started going faster in the B group and mentioned that I am scrapping pegs on certain turns, after talking to you since you have the same bike I will apply your advise and maybe feel more comfortable in turns even though I might scrap the pegs which sets my panic button off. As always if you ever come to San Diego a track day is on me either at Chuckwalla Raceway or Big Willow. Keep up the good work and hope all of your riders will ride safer! Joe Salemi

It's very beneficial in the rain.

[@CVsnaredevil]

Outstanding video. There are a few of vague terms in the motorcycle world and being “smooth” is one of them. Great breakdown of the term.

[@motonewyork1100]

*Can you talk about proper technique of breaking + downshift + rev matching on older bikes? Thank you kindly*

[@1984-f7q]

just practice, its really simple. its all about timing, once you get it down, it will become 2nd nature(muscle memory). i do that exact thing you are asking about, but without using the clutch.

[@motonewyork1100]

@@1984-f7q I'm not sure is how it best works with front break. Break then while holding the break do down shift + revmach? Or break then release break then down shift + revmach...etc

[@motonewyork1100]

@Sunyata Thank you for the massive and thorough reply. My FZ09 does have power in every range so I don't need to do much of down shift before the corner. But it's just nice to know :)

[@elliottgoldwyn4973]

Thanks my brother!

[@duannecb]

As always very thoughtful and informative. Being POMs I thought you would mention wet surfaces as when you're riding in the rain is where smooth or controlled riding is essential. Here it's been 50 days since it rained, but still understanding what it means to be smooth is a great skill.

[@LifeatLean]

Good point. When the grip ceiling is lower, being smooth is even more important.

[@Dankfz1]

Man your videos are awesome. I've heard so much advice on riding, with no explanation. Now I know what to filter out. Thanks for explaining everthing so well. It's helped my riding tremendously!

[@dibyajyotisarmah2726]

Thanks for confirming that i am learning the right way...!!! I will keep on practicing more and more...!!!

[@toadamine]

I thought I was a fast expert rider, till I went to a track day... I was mid pack C-group... Now I'm midpack A-group on the same SV650, I know I'm much faster than before, but I see myself as a novice rider now... Gonna hopefully start racing this year or next... 😂

[@christians131]

Are you racing now? What was it like transitioning through the track day groups and into racing? (I’m in the US where it may be different criteria)

[@toadamine]

@@christians131 racing is stupid expensive, looked into it and was like nope! I've been riding dirtbikes more lately that street...

[@beluga2857]

I look this vedio without havining a bike but ones I got bike I will learn your ever consept

[@garymanning8920]

Really the best video explained...I often get the feel of smooth and control is smooth which really added alot of speed. Thanks for confirming this in well worded video.

[@dibyajyotisarmah2726]

So true..!!! ✌

[@ljgarrison6910]

Another great video, can't wait to do my first trackday on the ZZR and learn what she can do!

[@AuMechanic]

Being smooth is a lot to do with having smooth transitions from one action to the next. How you begin and end braking and where you begin and end throttle and so on with every action flowing smoothly as possible to the next.

[@AuMechanic]

@@deadslow201 As he said, smooth does not mean slow.

[@AuMechanic]

@@deadslow201 If you snap the gas off and smack the brake on your are braking too late resulting in a panic braking, otherwise known as "out braking yourself" and results in running wide and missing apex's and getting passed often by ensuing competitors. And do that in the wet in a race and you will end up on the hands and knees. This is the point of the video, if you try too hard and don't concentrate on being smooth you will just end up going slower. In time you learn how to roll off the gas and brake hard in a more calm and smooth manner which will end up being faster through the turn and is a necessary skill to learn if you want to be fast in the wet and stay upright.

[@AuMechanic]

@@deadslow201 No that is what riders do when they are new to racing, its a rookie mistake. They get this idea on their head that they can win the race in the braking zone to make up for all their other on track deficiencies and all that ends up happening is they consistently miss the apex out braking themselves and loose too much speed in corners and then try to make it up in the next braking zone just compounding their troubles. And then when it rains they increase the risk of throwing away the front end. A bit like new golfers that think if they just smash the ball as hard as they can it will be enough to win the game and just end up in the weeds a lot of the time. They need to learn to relax more and exercise a bit more fluidity in their actions..

[@CarloPiana]

oll korrect. Especially in the throttle department. See the MotoGP riders, it's a progressive twist every time. The only bit deserving a more fuzzy answer is with yanking the bar to speedy taking the bike up. There are places where you actually need to apply full force, since you are leaning over at >150km/h through a fast "S", like the Biondetti in Mugello. But since the bike resists that, the result is still being reasonably smooth (you do what it is necessary, not more, no show offs, or you can be thrown sky high).

[@dibyajyotisarmah2726]

God Bless this channel.!!!

[@gjhgjfd]

Video on controling wheelie at corner exit

[@MOcandyman]

Excellent video like always

[@sheela2072]

Video on sliding drifting

[@xoxad888]

I love ur videos bro. I actually am learning ^_^

[@TheDistortion93]

Slow is precise and precise is fast. Shooter.

[@tammyforbes2101]

No abrupt movements! Never apply to much throttle or brake at to much lean angles!

[@rkargus]

I have a question about body position.. it would be wrong to say the body is simply sprung mass and nothing else. The body is dynamic and even active, a little suspension of its own! And the heavier one is, the greater this effect. So my question is, do road racers use their body's natural dynamic characteristics knowingly, ie do they "get off the seat" where there's a tactical advantage? The simplest example i have from experience is this. I'm ~200lb on a 450lb bike, I assume that by elevating my body prior to cresting a hill, and then sinking down at the crest and beyond, I am helping keep the front down. Is this correct?

[@stevenfortier6436]

Love ❤️ your vids Mate, thanks for the awesome video!

[@genxguy]

How can i get a Life at Lean t-shirt...cant see it on your website..

[@Jaded-Wanderer]

Another great video, thank you.

[@aeror115]

Cool Video mate ! Nice work👍

[@mxtj3wboi]

Street Triple R!

[@LifeatLean]

You know it!

[@JK-fy5lv]

when's a good time to be downshift gear say at the end of a straight? straight after braking same time as breaking?

[@LifeatLean]

At the same time Jason, but you want to get them done as early as possible (during braking) without over revving the engine.

[@nigelsenchez]

Makes sense on the track. But coming from the Enduro world I have to relearn how to ride. Nothing is smooth on the dirt.

[@P911TS]

Hi Dan, thinkin of installing a blipper on my 2011 S1000RR in order to get more control in brake-zone. What is your opionion on aftermarket blippers?

[@LifeatLean]

I've never used one, so I can't comment unfortunately.

[@DumpThaClutch]

Very good investment. It's one less thing to worry about when braking you can jump bang through the gear box like a pro 😅😂😂

[@vnth2186]

What's up ..... Yeah..... You!!! What's up?

[@rajajengkol]

Do we really need move lower body when leaning?

[@984francis]

He addresses this question in another video.

[@jeremybly]

In your vids is that you riding on the track? Or just ransom ppl

[@mavrik11964]

Any reason why you're using Kmh instead of Mph on the speedo... we left the EU lol...

[@shrikantdoiphode2435]

How to lift bike smoothly?

[@LifeatLean]

Lightly pull on the inside bar.

[@SuperBoomer95]

I've been riding on road for about 5 years now and last year I had my first track day. After that first track day I realized my throttle control SUCKED. I have since improved that area and my riding is much smoother and more enjoyable

[@tryggmundur1188]

I feel like 'slow is smooth and smooth is fast' is partially correct, in the sense that Smooth inputs feel slow but they make you go faster. When doing something smoothly, it should feel like you aren't putting in any effort and can make each input seem slower. Thats what I think 'Slow is smooth and smooth is fast' is all about.

[@vertigo4ubob704]

That wall is too much dude. I can't take it anymore. Unsubbed sorry.