Ducati Monster Forum

Not sure much sank in, but i did have to go order a Pizza.

Seriously, as winter drags on i feel like any skill base i built over the summer is melting away.  Any tips to not backslide over the winter?  I have found sitting on the bike and revving it in the garage to be ineffective...

Can you bicycle at all where you live? Keeps the balance, plus getting in shape makes a huge difference.
Or you could head south for a visit.

It just does.

Watch racing if you can.

The reality is that you're going to need to start in slow when spring rolls around. I think the loss of skill gets smaller with more experience but it's not safe for anyone to go out at full speed on their first ride after a long break.

thanks.  Mostly just whining about winter :'(

I rode to work today.  ;D

That was truly evil, Steve

While I agree that you should take it easy when you start again in the spring, you can still practice certain skills.

As swampduc suggests, bicycling is great training for motorcycling if you are able to do it.  It's good for balance, cornering and handling practice, traffic awareness, and for general keeping in shape.

Staying in shape, particularly your ab muscles, will be good to do...remember how important they are for keeping you from leaning too much of your weight onto your arms.

You can drive on your favorite moto routes while thinking about them from a moto perspective, doing so will help you learn the roads better, and you can practice looking through corners and finding visual markers for turning points.

In addition, you can sit with your eyes closed and visualize yourself going through the motions and how you would handle various scenarios.  Think about all the different steps involved in making a "simple" corner and go through it slowly, then try thinking through more complex scenarios.  It's good mental practice and I find it especially helpful if you are trying to unlearn any bad habits.

Also, if you have access to any moto racing videos, watch them and try to learn from them.

Good luck and I hope your weather warms up soon! :)

Sitting on the bike and going 'Vrooom Vrooom' helps me tons  ;D


Totally agree with taking it slow. A couple years back I organized a 'knock the rust of run' for the local monster gang. We had two groups, moderate pace and even more moderate pace, and went for a tour of some the local twists at the moderate pace, with me and the other leader, leading as much by the book as possible. You know, outside, inside, outside, late apex etc. It was a great way to refresh the mind and body for riding.

Keep reading Total control, then go back n do it again. IT's a good book - now that I've said that, I should go and read it over again.

I found it much more useful when reading Total Control to go try things out on the bike after reading each chapter.

Read Proficient Motorcycling and More Proficient Motorcycling if you want to be a safe rider.  You can practice looking for hazards while driving your car and think of how they would affect a motorcycle.

David Hough's books are excellent for real world street riding.