Somethings don’t mix very well, Sportsbike and riding comfort is one such pair. It is really not ideal to use a sports bike for long distance touring but it can be made manageable. As gunning down the straights of the highway and taking corners like a pro, have another feeling to them altogether. So here are five tips to help you tour on your sportbike.1: Grip the Handlebar gently
Tightening your grip on the handlebars is a sure way to tire yourself. Always grip the bar with a gentle grip by keeping your elbows open. By doing this you're allowing more movement of your wrists and forearms. It helps you in maintaining a good throttle hand and also allows you to counter steer. Which brings us to our next topic.
2: Counter steer more often
It is the most basic technique of motorcycle handling but takes years of practice to finally get embedded into our muscle memory. Counter steering is the best and probably the only way to steer a motorcycle correctly. It allows you to take tight turns and requires minimal to no physical effort from your arms. Your corner speed can improve as much as 40% while counter steering. On the highway, it can help you to maneuver your bike, without tiring you out.3: Don’t drag too much knee
Hanging from your bike in a racing suit looks cool but functionally it may not be the best move, for a long haul. By all means, drag your knee, but only if the corner demands it. For all those less-steep turns, only one cheek off the seat is enough for you to execute it perfectly. The correct sequence is reduced speed, counter steer, get the cheek off the saddle while simultaneously increasing the throttle roll, and exit the corner.
4: Ride Hard
I know it sounds weird to recommend you guys to ride fast but there are a huge number of people in India who don’t even obey simple traffic rules and you would always want to get pass them as quickly as possible.Another reason why I recommend going fast is that it keeps your mind off the uncomfortable riding position. If you’re totally engaged in shifting gears and dragging the knee, then you’d be far less concerned about any potential back pain.
5: Buy a cushion seat
These seats are way better than your stock ones and offer an optimum blend of firmness and softness. The Ride quality of a supersport bike is mostly on the hard side so investing in a cushion seat will feel definitely be a valuable investment.
All those people who scare away from using a sportsbike for long hauls are missing the big part of riding. It is a fact that cruisers perform way better on the highway, but who wants to grow older without experiencing every kind of riding in various conditions? at least I'm not. What about you?
By: Yetnesh Dubey
