Learn to ride by taking an MSF Basic Rider Course or Experienced Rider Course.
Visit www.msf-usa.org to find the schools in your state.

Odd as it sounds, sometimes the most beneficial riding practice takes place between your ears with your eyes shut and the ignition switch turned off. Mental visualization is used in many sports, and I actually picked it up from a coach while shooting small-bore rifle competition in college. The benefits were immediate and obvious, so I quickly applied it to my roadracing as well.

In Ama Pro Racing, World Superbike And MotoGP there's been a shift in riding styles. From the days of '80s and '90s heroes like Kevin Schwantz and Mick Doohan who were forced to wrestle powerful, unruly beasts to their will, a younger generation of riders typified by Valentino Rossi and Casey Stoner took over, rising from the high-corner speed ranks of 125cc and 250cc Grand Prix machinery to the more refined, better-behaved MotoGP bikes of today with their complex engine-management software and traction control. Actually Rossi's career dates from the final days of fire-breathing 500cc two-strokes (he won the last 500CC World Championship in 2001, then piled up consecutive MotoGP championships from 2002 to 2005), which likely contributes to making him the most versatile and perhaps most talented roadracer of all time.

I like to think one of THE reasons I'm an effective riding instructor is that I'm not blessed with much natural talent. Consequently I've had to learn nearly every aspect of high-performance riding firsthand and often from my mistakes. It's good to learn from your mistakes, but it's even better-and often less painful-to learn from those of others whenever possible.

One of the most frequent questions heard among riders centers around which gear to be in for a given corner. Often you're torn between high revs in a low gear or pulling a taller gear at lower rpm. Naturally, different engine sizes and configurations behave differently, and occasionally you'll find the perfect gear that pulls smoothly and strongly off a particular corner.

It's often been said that there are probably more crashes from riders losing the front end in a corner than from overstepping rear tire traction and highsiding on the exit. The reason is that a motorcycle is made to function at its best under power; the inherent design of its chassis and suspension means that the machine is much more stable when power is applied. Anyone who has hit a false neutral in midcorner will tell you how difficult it is to control the bike when it's not under its own propulsion.

1. Many times we have stressed the importance of looking ahead into a corner so that you can formulate a riding plan well in advance. Another benefit of looking where you want to go is that it can help save you when things get a little out of control; like when you're caught unaware in a corner going a little too fast. Obviously, these steps won't do you much good if you totally screw up and blast into a 30-mph corner at well over 100 mph, but if you find yourself running into a turn that tightens up unexpectedly, these points can help keep you rubber-side-down during a situation that probably qualifies as the number one trap for novice riders.

We know we're constantly harping on this subject, but we've seen one too many accidents lately that were caused by a rider getting into a corner a little too hot, locking up the brakes and/or straightening the bike, then running off the road. We can't emphasize enough how important it is to not only look where you want to go, but also to scan far enough ahead of yourself; this is basically a recital of the racing mantra, "Don't ride the front wheel." Riding a sportbike well means being in control, and although it may not appear that way, it's vitally important for a racer to constantly be on top of his motorcycle's handling. Since racers are more often than not traveling at warp speed, they must anticipate what their racebike is going to do long before it happens-which means looking far ahead of their present location. This is why racers seem to be checking out spectators on the side of the track when entering hairpins. Instead, they're looking at where they'd like to be in a 10th of a second. Yamaha 500 Grand Prix rider Norick Abe demonstrates.

As someone who's been lucky enough to ride some of the top superbike and grand prix machinery on many of the world's finest racetracks, let me assure you that there's still nothing more pleasurable than riding on a favorite road in a group of familiar partners. Fortunately for me, as a frequent guest tester for Sport Rider, it's also a common occurrence.

A motorcycle's brakes are both its most powerful component and the most difficult to master. In nearly a decade of teaching high-performance riding on racetracks all over the United States, Germany, France and Japan, I can say with confidence that even those riders serious enough to go to high-end schools have difficulty getting much more than 50 percent of the braking potential from modern sportbikes.

Once its fundamental theory is understood, the skill of clutchless upshifting is typically mastered in a matter of minutes. For first-timers, snicking slickly through the gears without the clutch brings a smile of wonderment, as if they just learned a new magic trick.

In the previous RSS (Dec. '06), we discussed how our sense of speed can be impaired by panic, causing us to think that we're entering a corner too fast. This often leads to the desperate-and false-sense that we need to stay hard on the brakes as we lean into the corner. In my eight years of instructing thousands of students of all ability levels on racetracks across the country, I can tell you without reservation that this panic situation causes more crashes than all others combined.

Learn to ride by taking an MSF Basic RiderCourse or Experienced RiderCourse. Visit www.msf-usa.org to find the schools in your state.

One dictionary defines panic as "a sudden, overpowering, often contagious terror." That's a remarkably accurate description of panic as it applies to motorcyclists. From the countless motorcycle crashes I've witnessed and investigated over 25 years of street riding, 14 years of road racing and nearly a decade of full-time motorcycle track instruction, I can tell you that panic is by far the greatest cause of crashes. Ironically, it's an instinct programmed into our minds back when we were defending ourselves against saber-toothed tigers that's the culprit, not panic brought on by the more commonly feared left-turning vehicles, lack of traction, etc., that are usually listed as the greatest dangers to our motorcycling well-being.

1. At a recent open track-riding day we attended, we were stunned to see the amount of riders who were wasting a lot of time and physical effort using the clutch to upshift. The continuous rise and gradual fall of the engine's rpm between each shift as bikes roared by us in the pits had us wondering if there was an epidemic of slipping clutch plates that we didn't know about. While it may be an important ritual for beginner or novice riders, using the clutch for upshifts during aggressive canyon or track riding is totally unnecessary (unless, of course, your bike has some shifting/transmission issues that prevent using this technique). In fact, there are many riding situations where it can be a nuisance and even a hindrance to quicker and smoother riding.

In our last issue's RSS, Miguel Duhamel, Mat Mladin and Ben Spies talked about their riding styles. This month, it's Jamie Hacking's turn.

Simply put, concentration is the key skill in taking in and processing information faster than your motorcycle is covering ground. It's also the determining factor in how quickly you can ride safely. It doesn't matter how strong your muscles are or how quick your reflexes react but how focused the gray matter between your ears stays on the job at hand.

Even At first glance, Kawasaki's ZR-7 reveals a careful combination of both current and classic (or at least 1980s) styling. The swoopy tank and bodywork clearly marks the ZR as a bike that was introduced in 2000. However, details such as the engine's big oil cooler and superbike-style handlebar say that this bike has more depth than just following current fashion trends. Perhaps the best way to consider the ZR-7 is as the average guy of motorcycling. He's not a couch potato because he works out a bit, but he's not a professional athlete either. Still, he's comfortable in a variety of environments. Similarly, this bike was designed for general purpose motorcycling with a sporting bent-but on a budget. Call it your bike for the active lifestyle.

Last issue we covered the importance of body position and steering techniques and how they relate to each other. The only truthful way to describe the optimum body position is that it will vary depending on the rider's style and preference as well as the bike's strengths, weaknesses and setup. Anyone who teaches that there is only one optimum body position isn't being realistic or particularly observant in watching the variety of styles seen at the top level of AMA Pro Racing here in the United States.

We've all had it happen, and it's usually quite unpleasant. It's that point during your travels when the realization hits that you are completely unprepared for the intemperate weather Mother Nature is force-feeding you. Whether it's extreme heat, cold or precipitation, most meteorological annoyances tend to send the unprepared, gung-ho motorcycle traveler hightailing it to the nearest shelter-usually in the form of a nice temperature-controlled motel room.

1. Downshifting smoothly on a sportbike, especially while braking hard from high speed, requires a definite measure of skill and dexterity. In order to avoid upsetting the bike, the engine rpm must be matched to road speed when the clutch is fully disengaged, otherwise the rear tire will momentarily "chatter" and upset the bike as the engine is forced to match road speed involuntarily. This means that the rider must "blip" the throttle to raise the engine rpm during downshifts-but he must do this while simultaneously pulling on the front brake lever to slow down. While this riding skill is obviously necessary on the racetrack, it can also pay big dividends in street-riding situations where riding smoothly is a must; for instance, any situation where you are cornering and braking at the same time.

1. Downshifting smoothly on a sportbike, especially while braking hard from high speed, requires a definite measure of skill and dexterity. In order to avoid upsetting the bike, the engine rpm must be matched to road speed when the clutch is fully disengaged, otherwise the rear tire will momentarily "chatter" and upset the bike as the engine is forced to match road speed involuntarily. This means that the rider must "blip" the throttle to raise the engine rpm during downshifts-but he must do this while simultaneously pulling on the front brake lever to slow down. While this riding skill is obviously necessary on the racetrack, it can also pay big dividends in street-riding situations where riding smoothly is a must; for instance, any situation where you are cornering and braking at the same time.

1. In last issue's RSS, we showed how smooth downshifting helps foster improved bike control. In fact, smoothness in all aspects of riding, whether it's braking, accelerating, or even body movements/weight shifts, can play a huge role in whether you're able to tackle your favorite road or track with confidence--or apprehension. You'd be amazed how much easier it is to go faster when your riding is relaxed, yet alert--not rushed and frantic. Pro racers refer to this as "trying too hard," and they often find that their lap times are slower because of it. When your physical actions on the controls are too "tight" and somewhat impulsive, you end up concentrating too much on those riding tasks, and trying to fix the mistakes that often occur because of that rough riding style.

Last issue, we outlined the importance of mental concentration and staying physically relaxed on the motorcycle. As with virtually all skills in riding motorcycles, these two are closely related with the interwoven techniques of body position and steering.

1. We've often discussed braking techniques in a street environment, where the important aspects to consider are road surface, traffic and your surroundings rather than outright stopping power. Still, there are times where maximum braking is called for, and it's best to be prepared for that eventuality. On the street, you should use both front and rear brakes for maximum effect, balancing each based on your bike's load and the pavement characteristics. Learn to gradually but aggressively apply both brakes, and practice various combinations in a parking lot so that you become familiar with how your bike reacts.