(DON’T) GET A GRIP

I was driving up north recently when I encountered a ZZR1100 rider who began to worry me. Failing to take overtaking opportunities and thereby getting stuck in convoys of cars was not a good start. Then he overtook on a winding uphill passing lane and something about his riding style just didn’t look right.

I noticed on one corner his outside knee didn’t appear to be ‘locked-in’ to the bike.

Because he wasn’t doing much passing, he was still directly ahead of me when we slowed to a crawl in a queue. Then I saw him shaking his throttle hand, as though it was numb. He did it again when he stopped (showing poor balance). Why would he be getting tingling or numb hands, especially on something as smooth as a ZZR1100?

That told me everything I needed to know: he was gripping the bars.

Inexperienced and under-trained riders often tense up and grip the bars. Problem is, it disturbs the stability of the bike, reduces feedback and control, and that erodes confidence.

Isn’t that just going to make you more tense? It’s a vicious circle.

The bars really don’t need gripping at all, except under hard braking (there’s only so much you can go about that). Your hands should be there to push (so as to countersteer the bike) and operate the hand controls - brake, throttle, clutch and switchgear. That’s it. No squeeze on the bars required.

Griping the bars creates a handful of untoward effects. Number 1, it usually means you’re not properly locked-in to the bike with your lower body. That is, using your foot, calf and knee to hold yourself on the bike. Locking your lower body in like this leaves your upper body free to control the machine without destabilising it. Gripping on the bars to steady yourself instead means you’re heading for a whole mess of trouble.

Number 2, gripping the bars tight and tensing up often means you ‘fight yourself’ when you try to turn the bike. You push the inside bar but your other arm holds the opposite bar strongly. You’re pushing against yourself, making turning harder.

Number 3, a hard grip reduces the sensitivity of your hands. If you’re relaxed, with a feather-light grip of the bars, you sense more about what’s going on with the front end, the brakes and even the clutch

Number 4, if you do get numb hands, your sensitivity is going to be even less.

And number 5: have you ever seen those crashes in bike racing where the rider gets spat off then the bike trundles merrily away? Usually after a tank slapper? What’s happened is the rider has gripped the bars like a mad thing when it starts to slap, imitating a steering damper. The problem is, the rider then channels the oscillation of the front wheel into the whole machine, creating a feedback loop. And, voila! Highside here we come.

So, don’t get a grip. Use your legs and lower body to get locked into the bike, caress the bars and feel the difference. Better still, get some advanced training at a riding school.