This is based on roundabout surfing...sorry yanks et al.
1) WARM UP YOUR TYRES...if you dont have warm tyres you are going to crash, there is no leeway here, they need to be nice and toasty, if need be you need to stop and put your hand on the tyre itself, it should be warm like a radiator!
1a) WARM UP YOUR TYRES!
2) HAVE CONFIDENCE IN YOUR BIKE....Its possible to get your knee down on anything so dont let some nob down the local roundabout tell you its not possible without X suspension or such and such add on...not true! A well maintained bike with good tyres will serve you well.
3) TYRE CHOICE.... Well differenet tyres offer different grip we all know that but some are going to be a totally difference experience when pushed hard "to the wall" (edge of the tyre). If you have sticky tyres such as BT010's, diablos or supercosas then skip this section. For those of you running tyres like 020's and dunlops 208's it is important to understand how your tyre works and how it feels under stress. A less grippy tyre is going to squirm and "squiggle" around the road, this is fine and nothing to worry about but will be slightly un-nerving when your learning. I would advise riding round gradually increasing your lean so you can feel the tyre move with you.
4) SPEED...how fast? a question oftern asked! Normally you would expect to be going at least 40mph, anything under this will mean an increased angle of lean or not enough puff to get you round. Going over this will just be dangerous and your likelly to over run and end up in the curb! extra speed is gained by controling various variables which wont become apparent untill you learn to safely touch those sliders.
5) BODY POSTION..... This is THE MOST IMPORTANT PART! Relax your body, stiff muscles result in panic and the loss of fluid movement. Start slowly round and build your up speed gradually, the more it increases the more you will naturally push your body out to the right.
Shift your body right so that your left elbow cheek is on the seat and the right one hanging in the air. Dont bend your knee yet! Now place the ball of your foot onto the right peg whilst using your left leg to support you by pining it to the tank.
Bend your right elbow so its facing the deck, this should allow your body to move forward. Ideally you want to be trying to hit the wingmirror with your chin. Now your knee should natrually be pointing towards the deck.
If your scraping the pegs, your leaning too much and your body postion isnt correct, check that your trying to headbutt the wingmirror and that your elbow is bent, if that arms straight your knee wont touch!
6) THE FIRST TIME.....It will make a very odd sound to you and feel very odd, 99% of people instantly right the bike. But even if its a 1cm tiny scratch it still went down...go back and pratice..
7) QUICK TIPS....Dont learn using titamuim sparkies these are catchy and will not be pleasant. Dont pratice somewhere theres lots of cars, a quiet roundabout where theres no bikers or cars is perfect. Do wear sliders, the extra 3 inches they stick out will mean alot when you are starting!
AND REMMBER ALWAYS LOOK AHEAD, NEVER EVER EVER EVER TRY TO LOOK DOWN AT YOUR SLIDER WHEN SURFING....
Any questions, comments or flames...feel free to reply here. Ive prolly missed a few things, ill have a re-read when im not so tired!
This is my 16yr old friend, he followed the above guide and it took him an hour to get it. His tip is to print this and take it with you, have a break and re-read.
