Eye Focus Revisited – Sharpening Turn Precision – Lesson #23

I went on April 1st, when the cherry blossoms were just starting to fall.

This time, I rode the intermediate sporty ride challenge course.

The weather forecast predicts temperatures will exceed 20°C during the day, so
be sure to take precautions against the heat!

Orientation

Today’s lesson will have 17 people.

The main instructor is a newbie.

He will be supported by a veteran instructor.

I’m looking forward to learning from an instructor I haven’t had much experience with.

Many of the people there are unfamiliar to me, but none of them are participating in the 2nd for the first time.

Warming up

I start near the back.

The bike is the usual CB400SF.

All the bikes were serviced the day before,
so the usual rattling of the chain is not heard.

Warming up begins

Since the formation is still in order,
it seems that the members today are relatively close in skill level.

Maybe it’s because they still have the feeling of riding the Monster the other day,

As soon as we start riding, we start warming up by swinging the bike.
This is where I always have trouble swinging the bike properly.

S-shape

As usual, I run S-shapes repeatedly.

My body seems to be moving well.

I’m instructed to run lean-in.

At least I’m running well.

Braking

Braking is both repeated braking and targeted braking.

Repeated braking

Repeated braking is instructed to use one hand.
But my buttocks end up floating in the air.

Well, I guess this is OK if it’s just a way to warm up and check your posture.

But if we all do this at the same time,
the exhaust fumes smell really bad!

Targeted braking

There are no short distances for targeted braking,
and there are four sudden brakings after shifting into second gear per lap.

Sudden braking from about 70km/h.

When I shift into second gear, the clutch slips.

It seems like today is a good day for no-clutch braking.

The front brakes aren’t working very well today,
so I’ll try to brake a little harder.

For some reason, every time I brake,
the front tires vibrate,
perhaps because of small bumps or steps in the paint.

Even though we changed locations,
the same vibrations were present,
so I wondered why,
but the instructor watching us said,

That’s right. The vibration was the ABS.

Maybe because it was warmer, the tires had better grip,
so I could hold on to the brakes as long as I wanted.

Turns

When it comes to turns, we want to make cool turns with deep banking angles, but here we practice turns that can be completed safely and quickly.

Start wide from the outside, reduce the turning radius as you slow down,
and finally slow down to the point where you think you’re going to stop on the back of the pylon!
When the bike stands up, accelerate straight and stand up.

Current braking

When braking, the bike is leaned over and you slow down,

grabbing the brakes firmly to the back of the pylon,

reducing the turning radius.

This allows you to make the most of the grip of the tires.

The diagram above is my image of the line I take when turning.
I tried to draw an image of tire grip using the tire performance circle.
Maybe it’s a little difficult to explain?

The red line is where you should be aware of applying the brakes,
and the black line is where you open the throttle.

In the straight line of entry, be aware of using 100% of your braking force,
and gradually release the brakes as the bike turns.

It’s like the grip force that’s been used up by the braking force
is gradually being transferred to the turning force.

Drag the brakes all the way to the back of the pylon,
but imagine the front and rear brakes being released in the same position.

The release position is the same, so release the front first and then the rear.

Once you’ve finished turning, the bike is almost upright,
so you can open the throttle fully.

This diagram shows the change in speed.

Braking just before

Before I learned to ride at STEC,
I used to brake as shown in the diagram above.

I’d brake in a straight line,
leave the bike leaning as soon as I entered the turn,
and while the bike was rolling by inertia, I’d wait for the turn to end,
and when I could see the exit, I’d slowly accelerate.

When entering the turn, I wasn’t making the most of the turning force of the tires,
and the bike was leaning when I was exiting,
so if I accelerated suddenly, I risked falling over.

Recently, I’ve grown to the point where I can make excuses like this (laughs).

The white parts are wasteful zones where you can’t accelerate or decelerate.

Line of sight

Here, the most important thing is line of sight.

This time too, if I don’t look first,
I won’t be able to stand up straight,
and the timing of releasing the brakes will be off.

You’ll be slowing down to the back of the pylon,
so if I don’t look first,
I’ll slow down too quickly or go too fast.

---

With these thoughts in mind, the morning came to an end.

お昼休み

After eating lunch, we went for a walk.

The cherry blossoms were beautiful.

Pylon Slalom

Now, as usual, it’s time for pylon slalom, which I’m really bad at.

In this lesson, the instructor doesn’t actively encourage the riders.

I think I understand that.
I feel like straight pylon slalom is a very varied experience.
I think each rider has a completely different feel for it.

So, this time, the key is line of sight!

Straight Pylon Slalom

As instructed in the last lesson,
accelerate as fast as you can to the first pylon.

Use the rear brake as a trigger to start a left turn
and at the same time look ahead to the next right turn.

It feels like your lower and upper body are facing in opposite directions.

Next, in tandem with the accelerator,
as if releasing your body that has been twisted tightly,
look left as you turn right.

This is how you go rhythmically! (T_T)

It also feels better to start the turn earlier than before.

My feeling about straight pylon slalom is that
when you get behind the pylon, the turn on the other side has already started,
a “repeated round turns.”

In the white areas in the diagram above, I was conscious of the next turn.
I also kept my eyes on the apex of the next turn.

I had been told to “feel like a zigzag in a straight line,” but
I couldn’t run at all and ended up lost in the maze.

Incidentally, the instructor who taught me the image of a “straight zigzag” and the instructor who gave me advice on eye line were the same instructor.

Offset slalom

I love offset slalom.

I love it so much that it makes me tired,
so I run slowly and carefully to conserve my energy.

Figure 8

There is a figure 8 course as usual,
and only those who want to run take turns running it.

When running the figure 8, it is usually a time to check the differences between the left and right.

That said, there are various things to check,
such as the difference between the left and right entry lines, eye line,
and the difference between the left and right brakes,
so it is useful to have the figure 8.

Course Slalom

The final step is the course slalom

This time, the layout is something never seen before.

I can’t run at all

The level of the members this time is not that different, so
we start from the back of the pack.

I can get through the S-curves in the first half without slipping,
but the layout after that is different from usual,
so I can’t get the rhythm right.

I ran about five times, but it was no good,
so I ran again to check the line,

I realized I wasn’t looking at him at all.

After the break

After the break, I checked the course line again,
and ran while paying attention to where I was looking.

Isn’t this looking good?
I caught up with the runner in front of me.

With about 5 minutes left,
I felt a presence behind me near the exit of the S-curve.

Yes, it was today’s main instructor.
I was being chased.

I was feeling better,
so I decided to pick up the pace.

I could see behind me at the left turn just before the waiting area,

Summary

It’s getting warmer, so the tires aren’t slipping and I can move my body well.

Should we go now?

3dr technical.

Oh, I forgot to mention the clutch slippage.