I found this article on another web page and found it very interesting as well as helpful. ENJOY!!
The Pace
Separating street from track, riding from racing
By Nick Ienatsch
The Pace - Nick Ienatsch - Motorcyclist Magazine
"The Pace", first appearing in the November 1991 issue of Motorcyclist magazine.
Racing
involves speed, concentration and commitment; the results of a mistake
are usually catastrophic because there's little room for error riding
at 100 percent. Performance street riding is less intense and further
from the absolute limit, but because circumstances are less controlled,
mistakes and over aggressiveness can be equally catastrophic. Plenty of
roadracers have sworn off street riding. "Too dangerous, too many
variables and too easy to get carried away with too much speed," track
specialists claim. Adrenaline-addled racers find themselves treating
the street like the track, and not surprisingly, they get burned by the
police, the laws of physics and the cold, harsh realities of an
environment not groomed for ten-tenths riding. But as many of us know,
a swift ride down a favorite road may be the finest way to spend a few
free hours with a bike we love. And these few hours are best enjoyed
riding at The Pace.
A year after I joined Motorcyclist staff in
1984, Mitch Boehm was hired. Six months later, The Pace came into
being, and we perfected it during the next few months of road testing
and weekend fun rides. Now The Pace is part of my life - and a part of
the Sunday morning riding group I frequent. The Pace is a street riding
technique that not only keeps street riders alive, but thoroughly
entertained as well.
THE PACE
The Pace focuses on bike
control and de-emphasizes outright speed. Full-throttle acceleration
and last minute braking aren't part of the program, effectively
eliminating the two most common single-bike accident scenarios in sport
riding. Cornering momentum is the name of the game, stressing strong,
forceful inputs at the handlebar to place the bike correctly at the
entrance of the turn and get it flicked in with little wasted time and
distance. Since the throttle wasn't slammed open at the exit of the
last corner, the next corner doesn't require much, if any, braking. It
isn't uncommon to ride with our group and not see a brake light flash
all morning.
If the brakes are required, the front lever gets
squeezed smoothly, quickly and with a good deal of force to set
entrance speed in minimum time. Running in on the brakes is tantamount
to running off the road, a confession that you're pushing too hard and
not getting your entrance speed set early enough because you stayed on
the gas too long. Running The Pace decreases your reliance on the
throttle and brakes, the two easiest controls to abuse, and hones your
ability to judge cornering speed, which is the most thrilling aspect of
performance street riding.
YOUR LANE IS YOUR LIMIT
Crossing
the centerline at any time except during a passing maneuver is
intolerable, another sign that you're pushing too hard to keep up. Even
when you have a clean line of sight through a left-hand kink, stay to
the right of the centerline. Staying on the right side of the
centerline is much more challenging than simply straightening every
slight corner, and when the whole group is committed to this
intelligent practice, the temptation to cheat is eliminated through
peer pressure and logic. Though street riding shouldn't be described in
racing terms, you can think of your lane as the race track. Leaving
your lane is tantamount to a crash.
Exact bike control has you
using every inch of your lane if the circumstances permit it. In
corners with a clear line of sight and no oncoming traffic, enter at
the far outside of the corner, turn the bike relatively late in the
corner to get a late apex at the far inside of your lane and accelerate
out, just brushing the far outside of your lane as your bike stands up.
Steer your bike forcefully but smoothly to minimize the transition
time. Don't hammer it down because the chassis will bobble slightly as
it settles, possibly carrying you off line. Since you haven't charged
in on the brakes, you can get the throttle on early, before the apex,
which balances and settles your bike for the drive out.
More
often than not, circumstances do not permit the full use of your lane
from yellow line to white line and back again. Blind corners, oncoming
traffic and gravel on the road are a few criteria that dictate a more
conservative approach, so leave yourself a three or four foot margin
for error, especially at the left side of the lane where errant
oncoming traffic could prove fatal. Simply narrow your entrance on a
blind right-harder and move your apex into your lane three feet on
blind left turns in order to stay free of unseen oncoming traffic
hogging the centerline. Because you're running at The Pace and not flat
out, your controlled entrances offer additional time to deal with
unexpected gravel or other debris in your lane; the outside wheel track
is usually the cleanest through a dirty corner since a car weights its
outside tires most, scrubbing more dirt off the pavement in the
process, so aim for that line.
A GOOD LEADER, WILLING FOLLOWERS
The
street is not a racing environment, and it takes humility, self
assurance and self control to keep it that way. The leader sets the
pace and monitors his mirrors for signs of raggedness in the ranks that
follow, such as tucking in on straights, crossing over the yellow line
and hanging off the motorcycle in the corners, If the leader pulls
away, he simply slows his straight way speed slightly but continues to
enjoy the corners, thus closing the ranks but missing none of the fun.
The small group of three or four riders I ride with is so harmonious
that the pace is identical no matter who's leading. The lead shifts
occasionally with a quick hand sign, but there's never a pass for the
lead with an ego on the sleeve. Make no mistake, the riding is spirited
and quick in the corners. Anyone with a right arm can hammer down the
straights; it's proficiency in the corners that makes The Pace come
alive.
Following distances are relatively lengthy, with the
straightaways taken at more moderate speeds, providing the perfect
opportunity to adjust the gaps. Keeping a good distance serves several
purposes, besides being safer. Rock chips are minimized, and the police
or highway patrol won't suspect a race is in progress. The Pace's style
of not hanging off in corners also reduces the appearance of pushing
too hard and adds a degree of maturity and sensibility in the eyes of
the public and the law. There's a definite challenge to cornering
quickly while sitting sedately on your bike.
New rider
indoctrination takes some time because The Pace develops very high
cornering speeds and newcomers want to hammer the throttle on the exits
to make up for what they lose at the entrances. Our group slows
drastically when a new rider joins the ranks because our technique of
moderate straightaway speed and no brakes can suck the unaware into a
corner too fast, creating the most common single bike accident. With a
new rider learning The Pace behind you, tap your brake lightly well
before the turn to alert him and make sure he understands there's no
pressure to stay with the group.
There's plenty of ongoing
communication during The Pace. A foot off the peg indicates debris in
the road, and all slowing or turning intentions are signaled in advance
with the left hand and arm. Turn signals are used for direction changes
and passing, with a wave of the left hand to thank the cars that move
right and make it easy for motorcyclists to get past. Since you don't
have a death grip on the handlebar, your left hand is also free to wave
to oncoming riders, a fading courtesy that we'd like to see return. If
you're getting the idea The Pace is a relaxing, noncompetitive way to
ride with a group, you are right.
RELAX AND FLICK IT
I'd
rather spend a Sunday in the mountains riding at The Pace than a Sunday
at the racetrack, it's that enjoyable. Countersteering is the name of
the game; smooth, forceful steering input at the handlebar relayed to
the tires' contact patches through a rigid sport bike frame. Riding at
The Pace is certainly what bike manufacturers had in mind when sport
bikes evolved to the street.
But the machine isn't the most
important aspect of running The Pace because you can do it on anything
capable of getting through a corner. Attitude is The Pace's most
important aspect: realizing the friend ahead of you isn't a competitor,
respecting his right to lead the group occasionally and giving him
credit for his riding skills. You must have the maturity to limit your
straightaway speeds to allow the group to stay in touch and the sense
to realize that racetrack tactics such as late braking and full
throttle runs to redline will alienate the public and police and
possibly introduce you to the unforgiving laws of gravity. When the
group arrives at the destination after running The Pace, no one feels
outgunned or is left with the feeling he must prove himself on the
return run. If you've got some thing to prove, get on a racetrack.
The
racetrack measures your speed with a stop watch and direct competition,
welcoming your aggression and gritty resolve to be the best.
Performance street riding's only yardstick is the amount of enjoyment
gained, not lap times, finishing position or competitors beaten. The
differences are huge but not always remembered by riders who haven't
discovered The Pace's cornering pureness and group involvement. Hammer
on the racetrack. Pace yourself on the street.-MC
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We need to work on this.
