Learn to ride by taking an MSF Basic Rider Course or Experienced Rider Course.

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.

Ten years ago I signed on at Motorcyclist magazine and began commuting to work on a motorcycle over the busiest freeways and streets of Los Angeles. In those 10 years of commuting, two staff members had commuting accidents, neither of which caused significant damage or pain. That's five to seven editors riding to work every working day for 10 years. If we were the survey panel, the conclusion would be that commuting on a motorcycle is an extremely safe way to get to work. And with the proper skills, it can be.

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.

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. 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.

Warning: If you have an addictive personality and have ever considered selling your house, your wife (or husband), your kids, even your family dog (And he's a good dog isn't he?) to further your motorcycling obsession-read no further. In fact, why don't you just put this magazine down and go outside to do some chores...that's it...(INSERT YOUR FAVORITE OF THE TWELVE STEPS HERE).

Another area where we often see riders becoming too stiff is with their arms, especially during braking. Because you're forced to support a lot of body weight with your arms during hard braking, a natural tendency is to try and lock your elbows to help support the weight. The problem is that any bumps you encounter during braking will transfer directly into your upper body, not only making it difficult to maintain control but also unintentionally creating more steering inputs during a time when the front suspension is heavily loaded. Locking your arms also makes it difficult to change your body position if necessary for an upcoming turn while braking. Try to keep your elbows slightly bent, so that you remain flexible to help absorb any big hits and change body position if required.

As you page through the catalogs and ponder the next performance addition for your sportbike, stop for a moment-get out of the La-Z-Boy, go to the bathroom and look in the mirror. There's your next modification staring stubble-faced back at you in the reflection. Want to make your superbike go better? It's easy: Make yourself a better rider.

You slide in behind him-or maybe he glides smoothly around in front of you-and within a handful of corners you know there's something special here. It's not his hardware, which might be anything from an ancient BMW Airhead to a years-old Japanese Standard to the latest race-replica tackle. Nor is it his clothing, which, if anything, probably carries a patina of age-the leather or nylon faded from long miles in the sun and spotted from uncounted bug-cleanings. Nor is it just that he's fast, though he probably carries a pretty crisp pace. No, what instantly gets your attention is the utter casualness-the sheer effortlessness-with which he rides along the road, dispatching the curves like so many pieces of candy. There's a relaxed assurance in his demeanor, a perfect confidence in his swift cadence, which gives rise to a certainty of what the next miles will bring. His speed is just-so. We watch for a while-assuming we're able to stay with him-and in our heart of hearts, where our desires stir and our egos live, we couch what we're seeing in the same way we always do. We know some guy, maybe we know lots of guys, buddies who are surely faster than Mr. Smooth and Effortless. Hell, maybe we're faster. But even as we think these things, salve for the ego, we can't escape the growing suspicion that this rider in front of us is just playing. Not with us, but with the road-probably the merest touch of a smile tugging at his lips as he glides through the corners-even as our own heart hammers a staccato beat as we're carried along in the rush behind him. Maybe it dawns on us, in a moment of honesty, that he could just walk away if he wanted. One of those things you just know. So why doesn't he? Why is it that he seems content to just roll along, playing those curves in the road like so many riffs drifting easily from a well-worn guitar? We all talk about being good, about being smooth. Well, there he is, right in front of you. The poster child.

After a thousand miles in three days I'm tired and looking forward to getting home, seeing my family and relaxing for awhile. I split from John and Forrest a little while ago, back in Front Royal, and headed south down 340 while they continued on eastward. I'm almost home after another fine trip into the mountains of West Virginia.