I know, I know, another blog on throttle control, but I hope in doing this I can stress how important it is in our riding. How it can make a ride enjoyable or really crappy really fast. We have more control than we know when we ride, in fact, we have all the control of the outcome of each and every ride. So let’s talk more technical about how suspension and traction play a role in the big picture. Throttle control can affect the suspension and traction on the bike in a positive or negative way depending on how you brake and roll on the throttle. If you break up acceleration into thirds, where cracking it on is the first third, acceleration(midway) being the second third to full acceleration to the last third, stability and traction are best in the middle third. Say you hit the throttle hard to start, your front end gets light and tends to shake, but as it settles you feel the traction kick in and stabilize the bike allowing you to apply more throttle for more acceleration. Throttle control affects suspension through weight transfer, too much at one time loads the back end of the bike (stiffening the rear suspension) and as a result reduces traction. The ideal weight transfer is 10-20 percent to the rear tire which allows the suspension to work in an optimal range (and traction too) especially when cornering and that 10-20 percent can literally only be millimeters of movement in your wrist. Cornering is especially tricky when it comes to this (and while there are other principles that apply to this including turn points, body positioning and lean which we will discuss in another blog), the earlier the throttle is applied and rolled on the less forced acceleration you will need to complete the turn and the more responsive the rear suspension will be. According to Keith Code’s “Twist of the Wrist II” the standard rule of throttle control is: “Once the throttle is cracked on, it is rolled on smoothly, evenly and constantly throughout the remainder of the turn.” Yeah, easier said than done when you have a moment of panic that causes you to make a decision under duress. The trick is to stay calm.
Rolling on smoothly like “Barry White” from my other blog has major advantages, like a rear end slide, you can avoid sliding more or a highside if you just stop rolling on and keeping it constant to allow your bike to slow briefly as it tries to align itself. Remember your bike wants to be stable and will make every effort to get there, unless of course you disturb it in the process. If the back end is coming around and you let your throttle go, cutting off power, the weight transfers off the rear wheel which can cause it to slide more or even overload the front tire causing it to slide. Cutting off power by letting go of your throttle causes rear and front suspension to compress and you lose cornering ground clearance. If you panic during your lean and cut your throttle you could potentially be lifting either one or both of your wheels off the pavement, now that’s an Oh Shit moment! As you can see, throttle control is more than just acceleration and deceleration, there is an art to it and understanding how it applies to every aspect of riding. I hope this little blog about how it affects suspension and traction helps to make your ride more enjoyable and through constant practice, second nature. This doesn’t apply to street and/or track riding only, it applies to all types of riding. Ride C.H.I.C. (Confident, Hard and In Control) Vixens! Don’t forget to sign up for the Ducati “Women’s Event” in June where we will put these principles to the test with 2Fast and WMST.
